Art Jealousy: Oksana Badrak

Ok, it's way late but I had to share this. Oksana Badrak's work clicked with me. It's gorgeous. Worth a look. I'm always a sucker for animals doing human activities or dressed in human clothes. I love this artist's juxtaposition of realistic images with graphic elements.

Duho Studios

I found these wood panels the other day at Dick Blick. (Sorry about the tininess of the photos. See bigger photos here.)

I am in LOVE.

These panels are made of exotic hardwoods from all over the world. Obviously they are a little pricey but so PRETTY.




Gorgeous.

Duho makes 5 varieties, but these are my favorites:

Bamboo.




Purple Heart.




Zebra Wood.



I could come up with projects utilizing these panels until the cows come home. Dick Blick says they're great for painting, but it seems a shame to paint over them completely, they're so stunning. If I could ever afford to buy them, I'd get them in the biggest size and then I'd do something minimal to allow the beauty of the wood to show through. I love the idea of some type of landscape in silhouette, leaving the sky empty for the wood. Or an intricate abstract cutout. Like I said, I could go on and on.

Excuse me while I go swoon some more.

Things you never needed (or wanted) to know about me.

1. Favorite foods: Mexican, green nectarines, Ruffles.
2. Worst scent ever: lavender, or boiled chicken giblets.
3. Music of choice: Top 40. And I don't care who knows it. I am no longer ashamed. That's what happens when a) you're me, and b) you visit countries where discos are still cool.
5. Favorite color: Robin's egg blue and brown with a dash of red or pink thrown in. I guess that's more like a favorite color scheme.
6. Top 3 things I draw in my sketch book: Circles, animals, and paisley.
7. I wish I were good at: Figure drawing, pattern making, and cleaning the toilet without triggering my gag reflex.
8. Most hated food: Melon, any kind, anywhere.
9. Embarrassing moment: Once in college my skirt rode up under my backpack and I accidentally flashed my granny panties at a car full of boys. I was clear across the street before I realized why they were all smiling at me.
10. Character flaws: Fastidious, perfectionist, whiny, not finishing projects.
11. Strengths: Kind, creative, hardworking.

Anger.

Today, THIS happened.



It made me very angry.



I was mad as soon as I opened the oven door and saw my ruined loaves of bread.



Then I tried prying them out of the pan and I knew my bread making project had spiraled down into a complete mess.

To make things worse, I'm not really even sure what went wrong.

*sigh*

Doesn't it just stink when you put a lot of time into something and in the end it doesn't work out?

Yeah. Yeah, it does.

Brought to you by the freak letter J

OK, OK, I know I'm not going in alphabetical order. I'm sorry, it's just the way my freak mind works. Some of these monograms really get me stuck (letter C, I'm looking at you!) so I just go with the funnest ones first. It's just better that way.

Here's J:



I debated on even posting this one because it's still a work in progress and the color scheme is needing a redo. That said, I think this letter is turning out pretty fun. I like the chunky paisley it's got going on. I think now it's just deciding how to treat the color. Should I go bright and bold, or should I go a more neutral route to combat all the shapes it's got going? Hmmm. I'll sleep on it.

But you know, the problem with sleeping on problems-for me-is that the solutions come when I'm on the verge of sleep and way too lazy to get up and put it on paper. Or else my brain gets hyperactive and I have bizarre dreams. Last night I dreamed that my parents' neighbor's child went missing and I finally found him laying on a bale of hay on the top of a haystack in a large shed with pigeons roosting in it. His eyes were glazed over and he was all limp. Suddenly I realized he'd been brainwashed by aliens and it was up to me to de-brainwash him. Then I woke up. The whole thing was very freaky.

ANYWAY. The letter J. How did that turn into a discussion of my dreams? I told you I had a freak brain.

In the meantime I know you'll be in suspense to find out what I decide to do with this letter.

Yeah...

Art Jealousy: Jim Tierney

I have a big list of illustrators' and designers' websites bookmarked for times when I feel uninspired or bored. One of the people on my list is Jim Tierney. He did an awesome set of Jules Verne book jackets for a senior thesis. I seriously wish these books were for sale because I want them just to be able to look at them. They're beautiful!



To see the rest of Tierney's project and more, here's the link. It's worth a click.

To Tell the Truth

My husband Josh has a blog now, too! We enjoy watching movies together and Josh likes sharing his opinions on what he watches. I love reading what he thinks about the stuff we watch! He's pretty hilarious, actually.

His first post was Arachnophobia... I think the one coming up will be Mr. Wrong.

He's funny. Check him out.

www.joshuachertkow.blogspot.com