design :: oh christmas tree!

Love this idea! It's actually a decal that you put on the wall. What a great way to give any spot in your home a festive look at Christmas! And it isn't permanent either- just peel it off and pack it away until  next year's holiday season!

Found it over at fellow etsian's Circleline Studio's shop. You can customize it with your own colors too. $62. Soooooooo JUST COOL!

pets :: dog gone art

For a piece of cheese, Jack Russell Terrier, Tillamook Cheddar from Brooklyn, New York will paint you a masterpiece! This paw-some pooch has been likened to artists Jackson Pollock and Cy Wembly and at the age of ten has been widely exhibited throughout the U.S. and Europe. At sales of over 2000 dollars for each of her paintings she ranks up there with other famed animal artists like chimp painter "Congo" who's paintings bring in over 8000 dollars.

What's this fluffy Picasso's technique? Her owner Bowman Hastie, explains:

"Tillie's primary process is a dynamic color transfer technique. In preparation for each of her works, her assistants assemble a touch-sensitive recording device by affixing pigment-coated vellum to a sheet of lithograph paper backed by mat board. The artist takes the prepared "canvas" in her mouth and brings it to her workspace. Working on the outside surface, she applies pressure with teeth and claws in a methodic ritual marked by dramatic shifts in tempo and intensity. The resultant sharp and sweeping intersecting lines complement the artist's delicate paw prints and subtle tongue impressions, composing an expressionistic image that is revealed on the paper beneath when she is finished. She works with shocking intensity, sometimes to the point of destroying her creations. "

When asked if Tillie enjoys exhibiting at shows, Bowman replied, " She typically hangs around the cheese table!" which makes sense since Tillie was named after her favorite brand of cheddar.

Tillamook Cheddar - the cheese AND the dog painter are JUST COOL!

design :: full of fun

Being a child at heart, I have long been enamored with designer / children's book illustrator nancy wolff's juvenile designs and illustrations. Filled with color and whimsy they are eye candy for any child, no matter how old ;) Hmmm...I wonder if they come in wallpaper or other fun decorating stuff....

via print&pattern

secret garden :: mosaic men in india

From trash to the eighth wonder of the world? It all began in the early 1960's. Nek Chand never imagined that his labor of artistic love would become one of the most magical gardens in the world today. While he worked as humble Road Inspector in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh by day, Chand would secretly toil at night in a little patch of jungle that had been earmarked for demolition, cementing and joining recycled materials he had picked up here and there - tile shards, stone, shells,discarded glass and other items - turning them into a mammoth mosaic legion of sculpted figures. Quietly, over the years his tiny plot grew into a series of interlinking courtyards encompassing several acres with tribes of all sorts - from men and women, to monkeys, dogs and other creatures. When the authorities discovered his secret garden growing out of this forbidden area of abandoned land, major controversy errupted.

The outcome, however, was good. The government ended up giving Nek Chand a salary so that he could concentrate full-time on his artistic endeavor. Nek Chand's colorful and collosal garden received immediate recognition and was inaugurated as The Rock Garden of Chandigarh.

"Now over twenty five acres of several thousand sculptures set in large mosaic courtyards linked by walled paths and deep gorges, Nek Chand's creation also combines huge buildings with a series of interlinking waterfalls. The Rock Garden is now acknowledged as one of the modern wonders of the world. Over 5000 visitors each day, some 12 million people so far, walk around this vast creation - the greatest artistic achievement seen in India since the Taj Mahal."

Hmmm... I never knew about this place...it's JUST COOL!

photos via flickr

art :: bottle cap portraits

Take a closer look. These super sized portraits are unusual in that they are made entirely of bottlecaps!

Molly B. Right's bottle cap series began with portraits of Jesus and his mother Mary but soon expanded to include a host of iconic women who evoke an ethereal presence and an earthy grit. In the artist's statement Molly writes, "This series of bottle cap pieces evolved from musings about the phrase “Jesus Saves”. Saves what? Does he just save souls? If he had the time or inclination, would he save string? Rubber bands? Would Jesus save bottle caps? Yeah. Somehow that became a full size bottle cap portrait of Jesus. Funny how one notion morphs into another. Now I’m doing bottle cap portraits of archetypal women that don’t have anything to do with Jesus saving anything. Now I’m the one who is saving bottle caps." Bottle cap paintings - their unusual and JUST COOL!

my art:: my cats get covered!

Yay! My "Garden Cats"* painting is on the cover of this months Natural Awakenings Magazine. Sharon Bruckman just sent me the pdf file so take a look. I love this magazine! It's all about healthy living for a healthy planet and it's chock full of info and articles for keeping your life natural, healthy and in balance. This months issue is special because it has some great articles on Pets including natural pet care using a holistic approach and How pets help kids. Also check out all of it's informative articles on fitness, sustainable living, natural health, creative expression, personal growth and concious eating.

You can request your free issue on their website or pick one up at your local newstand, healthfood store, etc.. With a readership of over 2.5 million and circulation of over 1 million copies, Natural Awakenings Magazine is JUST COOL!

*** If you like my "Garden Cats" print and would like to order it for $10, find it here at my etsy shop! ***

walls :: get moody

The Moodwall by Urban Alliance brings back memories of the those multi colored mood rings we wore in the 1960's. Of course it's not activated by mood or body heat like those were , but is  a 24 meter long interactive light installation powered by 2500 LED lights behind a ribbed semi-transparent wall. This cool  illuminated wallpaper installation is  situated in a pedestrian tunnel in Amsterdam and interacts with the people passing by, adding interest and humor as the walk through the tunnel.

via yatzer

art::paper soldier

This portrait of a soldier is "painted" using paper instead of paint! And not just any old paper either. Christian Faur created this American Soldier with shredded paper that was printed with one thousand of the most common names of those men and women currently listed with the Social Security Administration between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight.

The image is made possible because of the way the text is rendered using different font sizes and “kernings” to appear darker or lighter. 

How clever and ...JUST COOL!

via Christian Faur

fashion :: shoe foolery

Real shoes? Not! Look closer. These "shoes" are actually painted feet, masterfully painted in trompel’oeil  style by artists John Maurad and Jenai Chinat for Temptu Paints.

The NY based company specializes in airbrushed makeup, body painting and temporary tattoos for Hollywood, television, theatre and the fashion industry and boasts an impressive clientele list..From the looks of these painted feet it looks like Temptu Paints has the knack to fake just about anything!These "faux shoes" were commissioned by New York Magazine for a recent article and are JUST COOL!

via gizmodiva 

art :: folk art dog trunk

A primitive painted trunk by moi








inspired by a favorite blog of mine

art :: more dirty dogs

Buy this Shih Tzu Print at my Etsy Shop!

A new dirty dog from my digital dog art series! A SHIH TZU - apparently one of the ten most popular dogs in 2008. In case you're curious, here's the official top ten list from the American Kennel Club:

1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd
3. Golden Retriever
4. Beagle
5. Boxer
6. Dachshund
7. Poodle
8. Shih Tzu
9. Bulldog
10. Yorkshire Terrier

Hmmm...still have a bunch to do for my dirty dog print series. What breed is your fav??

travel :: a secret garden

I love secret gardens! Although this one may not be so secret anymore, it is filled with all the magic and enchantment you would expect to find in such a lush green hideaway. Hidden among the trees of the small Victorian village of Marysville in Australia, it is a world full of fantasy, beauty and whimsy. It's creator, Bruno Torf has lovingly sculpted, gardened and built one of the world's most unique and deeply inspiring experiences for art and garden lovers of all ages.

The luscious sub-alpine forests of the surrounding area made an ideal setting for Bruno's plan and luckily the property he purchased had a large section of rain forest attached. Bruno's Art & Sculpture Garden began with just fifteen life sizes terracotta sculptures, and today boasts over one hundred and fifteen pieces on display, with Bruno continually adding new pieces. A gallery that houses over 200 of his creations brought over from Europe includes oil paintings, sketches and smaller sculptures. The unique experience of the garden and its wondrous inhabitants attracts thousands of visitors a year.

I would love to visit this place, wouldn't you? It's JUST COOL!

Flemish Flowers at my Etsy Shop!

paper dolls :: I remember Betsy

For those old fogeys who read my blog, you may remember the advent of Betsy McCall - The paper doll that McCalls offered in it's monthly publication beginning with it's May 1951 issue. No, I'm not that old yet, but almost ;)  I remember Betsy  - and the excitement that my sister and I felt when Mom's subscription of McCalls arrived  in the mail. We'd fight over who got which dress to cut and who dressed her and she never had enough clothes to keep us at peace with each other. We would eagerly snip and cut and dress our paper doll with the current months fashions.  Today when the focus for kids is on realistic vinyl dolls that do everything from grow teeth to spike fevers with glowing cheeks,  the primitive paper doll is just a memory. I wish my kids and grandkids had the fun of creating and playing with paper dolls. So ... when I was looking for an online paper doll that I could print and add my granddaughter Calla's face to, was I delighted when I found this! The Bleu Door has many of the Betsy McCall pages from the McCalls issues beginning from the 1950's and you can actually print them out in PDF version.  Yaaaaaaaay!!! Just glue Betsy onto cardstock and then cut out her many cute, stylish groovy and keen outfits from those periods. It's VERY COOL to see what the style trends were for those years .

Paper dolls are still - JUST COOL with me!

art :: dogs as gifts

Got dogs? Then you need one of my dog prints or maybe your friend would like one for gift. These are just a few breeds from my "digital grunge" series. Many more available, including black lab, yellow,lab, golden retriever, german shepherd,scotty, westie and more. If you have another breed that you would like immortalized in grunge ;) then email me and I can create one for you - customized with the name, if you wish. Check out my current dog prints here, or click on the ones below.

BOSTON TERRIER	CHIHUAHUA DOG	GREYHOUND DOG
SPRINGER SPANIEL	ENGLISH BULL DOG	PUG DOG PRINT ...