mary osmundsen
blue organisms with red tips by Mary Osmundsen.
This is an original drawing. In fact, Mary Osmundsen only sells originals in her shop at the moment and for that reason alone hers is a rare place @ Etsy.
I stumbled upon those fascinating drawings about a week ago and I immediately knew I wanted to post about them. They have this strange compelling beauty which seems to emanate as much from their “alien” nature as from their extraordinary beautiful color palette – I am so in love with that muted earthy palette! I find myself constanty returning to them and truly they are much more complex than they may seem at first.
organism with coiled neck, original drawing.
Here is a biological world, a world of “organisms”, “cells”, “pods”, etc. but – and here lies the magic of it – you may well see just what you want in them. I see extraterrestrial organisms, life at work in the Universe…
You can read Mary Osmundsen’s artist statement @ The Drawing Center’s Viewing Program. (You have to enter her name to reach her portfolio, statement and bio).
See her complete portfolio on her Flickr.
She will also be selling her art @ mash handmade, a “brick and mortar” shop in Kansas City.
sara paloma pottery
White Matte Bottle Collection by Sara Paloma Pottery.
Have you ever seen anything more beautiful, more perfect, more sensual and inspired than those bottles by Sara Paloma?
Surely there must be words to express the sheer beauty that they are, but I have not found them and it is not for lack of trying you see, for my mind is of the kind that when presented with a challenge or problem to solve will not rest till it finds a solution. And so, because of the notion I have that since I am posting photographs of other artists’ works on this blog it is only fair for me to write a few nice things too, there I was trying to find something smart to say about those bottles. Angels (or spirits) of creativity were evoked then Picasso, I was on my way to ZEN, when I realized I was getting nowhere for there was nothing I would write really that would match the ultimate perfection of these bottles, and so I should just keep quiet…
For sometimes, that is the smart thing to do. Stay quiet. Just watch. And admire.
the colored crocheted jewelry of studiokarma
Yellow Brown Necklace With Large Crocheted Rings (detail) by StudioKarma.
I am always amazed by the beauty of felt or crocheted jewelry. There are a few extraordinary shops @ Etsy – you regularly find their items on the front page – and StudioKarma is one of those. Her necklaces are simply gorgeous.
They are OOAK, but you can ask for custom items anyway. I found this one below in the sold section, and it is one of my favorites :
Multicolored Nacklace With Various Crocheted Rings.
the patched creatures of cocoon designs
Quilts Secret Friend n° 3 by Cocoon Designs.
Cocoon Designs makes amazing creatures out of old recycled pieces of sweaters. They are hand patched and OOAK. Some are even made to custom like these mushrooms or those ones.
I really like them ! Here’s another “pointy ears creature” :
Cocoon Designs on Flickr.
my point ears by the maple ridge
my point ears by The Maple Ridge.
This is an original watercolor and pencil drawing. Just love the description :
is this a Halloween costume or just his favorite pair of pajamas? either way i think he looks great in them. pointy ear-sleeves and stripy arms and legs. is he yelling “trick-or-treat” to his neighborhood cat-lady that lives across the street or whining because he doesn’t want to go to bed without having a cookie as wide as his arms are spread? whatever the case may be i bet i know what you’re thinking. you’re thinking how much you want to squeeze him ’til he poops.
I also love this one a lot :
love me (detail).
gold and silver jewelry line by groc
I love the curvy shape of that ring. (Actually it is a set of two silver rings which you can wear together or separately).
Groc is a jewelry line made by Jimena Bolaños and Jordi Costa who live in Costa Rica and the collection is very beautiful and full of interesting or funny items. Besides Etsy you can see a gallery on their Flickr.
gorgeous handmade clutches by red ruby rose
Tree Rings, silk-lined clutch bag by Red Ruby Rose.
Rowena Dugdale @ Red Ruby Rose makes the most wonderful and gorgeous clutches. Her choice of fabrics is very sophisticated and the one above “tree Rings” is one of my favorites – it is lined in deep red silk – but I also love this silk starburst luxury clutch bag a lot. All of Red Ruby Rose’s creations are Limited Editions, but she loves custom orders, so if you are interested, just browse through the sold section of her shop to see if there is any fabric you like, providing it is still available she will make it for you…
vogue sponge by frost indri
This is probably one the most extraordinary things I have seen these last months and I keep coming back to it fascinated by its strange beauty. I also love the description given by Frost Indri (which I don’t think I had read before) :
This sponge is Proud of its long thin legs, and has no doubt in (what passes for) it’s mind that it is >sexy< !
Now about the fantastic texture, she goes on explaining how it is obtained :
By sitting there and poking at the clay with a variety of poking tools. Each and every single hole. Alas, there is no real way to do this any faster. Not with the same results anyhow.
Be sure to check on her deviantART for she has a lot more great sculptural works there for you to enjoy. Besides other evolving sponges – with great funny titles – I love this Vampire Cloak.
Frost Indri is also a member of the Etsy Mud Team.
doubleparlour : cassandra & ernesto velasco
Maiya 2 by doubleparlour.
I had included them in my review of 100 great artists @ Etsy and their art (see for instance their “creatures of habit”) still emerges from that selection as among the most powerful. I had not been in their shop for quite some time, but I discovered today that they also made small polymer clay sculptures and truly amazing ones.
The one above is named “Maiya 2″ for there was a first Maiya – very similar but with a different mood – which sold recently.
I also love this Toshiro immensely :
He’s described as :
A boy who dreams of flying kites and running away from home.
Doubleparlour, born in 2007, is a creative collaboration between Ernesto and Cassandra Velasco. You can find them on myspace.
japanese snow earrings by giovanna torrico bijou
Japanese Snow Earrings by Giovanna Torrico Bijou.
Just featured on the front page of Etsy, those earrings have an extraordinary architectural quality. You should really check the original photo to fully appreciate their dynamic for the square format I adopted here does not do Giovanna Torrico’s creation fully justice. They are in fact quite long.
Giovanna Torrico works mostly with sequins, she writes :
Vintage sequins have been my signature material since 2000 – suspended on steel wire they provide continous movement while revealing their sculptural and aerial quality. I enjoyed giving form to this year’s geometrical twist made possible by the discovery of a forgotten vintage sequin box in San Francisco. These sequins are a precious and disappearing resource, they were last cut in the 1940’s.
I particularly love the color of these ones :
And it is quite remarkable that while using vintage material, Giovanna Torrico’s jewelry collection be so totally modern.