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.
myra and the sasquatch by cate anevski

Myra and the Sasquatch by Cate Anevski.
Haven’t you always wanted your own pet sasquatch?
This is a print of an original artwork.
© 2007 Cate Anevski
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).
pounce #4 : roadside projects

The Camera by roadside projects @ Etsy.
This is actually Part 001 of Project #001 (a series of psychological portraits) by artist Jayme McGowan.
This is “a one-of-a-kind, three-dimensional box construction intricately crafted with cut paper, watercolor, and ink in a handmade frame with glass front.”
You can also find Parts 002, The Letter + 003, The Headphones & 004, The Costume in the shop.
the time is now

Boy’s Play in Forest by The Time is Now @ Etsy.
Found this one on her Flickr the other day. Just love it.
This is a print of an original acrylics on wood painting.
rocky mountains by jaime derringer

Rocky Mountains Drawing No. 1 – Limited Edition Print by jaimers @ Etsy.
It probably might not show, but I try to write this blog a bit in the way of “film editing”, which means that I try to find some aesthetic (or thematic) connection between the articles on the main page, so I was wondering what to write to follow – actually precede for you readers – the Appalachian Crafstmen boards and I found this wonderful drawing by Jaime Derringer in my favorites.
There are actually 2 drawings entitled “Rocky mountains” – you can find No. 2 here but this one is really my favorite (although they would certainly look terrific as a pair). The original for No. 2 is still available.
I really love the colors of this one and the fact that the mountains are not centered and there is so much blank space. If you think this is a bit exagerated, just look at the image where it is shown framed and you will see how this is exactly right.
Jaime Derringer is the “bloggeress” behind Design Milk and she also runs an online store called Vitamin D(esign).
100 great artists @ etsy you might want to visit…
So last week I got the most crazy idea that I would compile a list of 100 artists @ Etsy and I immediately set to work.
I wanted to write a few words about the “why” & “how” of the affair, but I realized nobody would actually care, so to keep things simple let’s just say that I have discovered many great and talented artists through Etsy, and it is getting more and more difficult each day to browse through their shops since there is no way to tag or organize your favorites into categories on the site and I figured a “memo” or “post-it” article would be of great use, not just for me or for people already familiar with Etsy, but also for people who would like to discover new artists but do not have the time to extensively browse the internet or Etsy for that matter….
the art of junkyard sam

TreeSpot (limited edition print) by Junkyard Sam @ Etsy.
While “searching for mushrooms” the other day, I discovered this great artist Junkyard Sam @ Etsy.
Even though I am very much attacted to Lowbrow Art, his work at first sight might not exactly be what I am more drawn to for it has a kind of “cleanliness” about it – probably due to the use of computer in the process as well as to the fact that Junkyard Sam used to work in the game industry – which might have deterred me a bit.
However, examining more carefully the works presented @ Etsy, I could not help but feel something compelling in his art. There is indeed definitely a universe here, a brand new world created and opening before us, for us to walk in and encounter strange creatures… And if you read Junkyard Sam’s introductory words which go :
Welcome to the land of “Tong Picnic”, a world where strange people befriend animals to travel across bizarre lands full of good citizens and scary monsters!
plus the titles of his works as well as the descriptions, you realize that although this universe might be unknown to you, it does exist to some and is indeed very real, since the land and the creatures that inhabit it all have names.
Meet T’nip Whirl :

A Portrait of T’nip Whirl (limited edition print).