henri, je t'aime!

Henri Rousseau is on my mind. Love his cheerful colors, climbing greenery and fantastical landscapes. One of the many things I admire about Rousseau is that although he painted a lot of jungle scenes, he never left France. He would get inspiration from visiting various exhibitions and the greenhouses at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Such a great imagination! Unfortunately, like a lot of now-famous artists, he was not recognized for his work until after his death. Being self-taught, he was ridiculed and many critics considered his work flat and juvenile. In reality, he was at the forefront of the vanguard movement among post-impressionists, influencing many other artists, including Picasso, Matisse and others. So, that's a pretty big "face!" to those snooty critics. I was lucky to see a huge exhibition of something like 50 of his paintings in 2006 in D.C. at the National Gallery. It was amazing. Some of my favorite of his paintings are, from above, Myself, Portrait-Landscape, 1890, National Gallery, Prague, and Woman Walking in an Exotic Forest, 1905, The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania, and more below:

The Dream, 1910, Museum of Modern Art, New York

The Wedding, 1904-05, Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris

 The Artillerymen, 1893-5
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

The Banks of the Bièvre near Bicêtre, 1908
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bouquet of Flowers, 1910, Tate Gallery, London

{All images by Henri Rousseau from Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris, ed. Frances Morris and Christopher Green, Abrams, New York, 2006}

color awesomeness: andreas samuelsson

Featured recently on Tiny Showcase, Andreas Samuelsson is a freelance illustrator + designer based in Stockholm, Sweden. He designs advertisements, posters, screenprints, letterpress designs and t-shirts, among other things. I love that all his creations have these rich, bright and cheerful colors and there are many that feature illustrated collections of similar items such as school or art supplies – kind of fits into my art supplies theme of late. I have an addiction, okay?

Andreas' website is here and you can also view his works for sale at Tiny Showcase. While you're at Tiny Showcase, make sure to sign up for their mailing list. You'll get first dibs on the featured weekly screenprints, letterpress designs and even calendars – all fun and unique, and a great way to check out new artists.

{Images from Andreas Samuelsson and Tiny Showcase, from top: Never Ending Street, Kit 02, and Kit 03 - Create.}

paris, je t'aime

Just some random photos from my trip to Paris a while ago. Went to an art exhibit opening last week that featured a wonderful collection of American and European artists - everyone from Kandinsky to Degas to Gauguin to Redon. In particular, the Impressionist works definitely reminded me of my last visit to the Musée d'Orsay. Since I may not get back there for a while, this was an excellent chance right here in North Carolina to have a little artsy staycation and view masterworks from many well-known artists. If you are in or around Charlotte between now and June, you must stop in and take a look at the exhibit at the Mint Museum of Art. Even better, the collection is traveling from the New Orleans Museum of Art and the fees that the museum generates from this exhibition benefit its Katrina Recovery Fund.

And, speaking of Paris, proposals for a new master plan for the city were unveiled last week - you can read about them in the NY Times.

in print

Oh, I am crazy-nuts about antique prints! They are perfect for hanging in small spaces that need some color, or group lots and lots of them together in different frames to cover the empty place above the sofa. (My friend, L.C., just did exactly that, and it makes her apartment look like a page from domino magazine. Btw, domino, you will be missed!)

Anyway, I came across Panteek on a recent online search. With more than 30 years in the antique business, they know their stuff. Best of all, the prices are fair and the selection is incredible. The images above are from Panteek.com and most of these are still available for purchase. Check it - top to bottom: Orvis Lake Flies -1892, Munting - Aloe Vera, Bodmer - Native American, Curtis - Asiatic Globe-flower, and Jefferys - Queen Elizabeth.

nigel peake letterpress print

Got this fabulous letterpress print in my mailbox the other day. It is a limited edition by artist Nigel Peake via Little Paper Planes. Little Paper Planes is an online store that features various artists’ work as well as limited-edition prints. The Nigel Peake print is part of Little Paper Plane's limited-edition series where new artists are featured on a monthly basis. Take a look at the Little Paper Planes shop and blog – both are great sources of inspiration with beautiful, new and original work from all kinds of artists. And, you can read more about Mr. Peake in his fantastic interview with Little Paper Planes or check out his own blog, by nigel peake.