d.Sharp Journal

Eye Candy - Blossom Edition

I love spring blossoms and when the earth 'laughs' so colorfully and artists are inspired it can't help but brighten things.

1. Serious love for this wood engraving by Angie Lewin. This U.K. artist has such a fun use of line and pattern both in her botanical prints and fabric designs.

2. Fresh flower necklace, such a simple idea but so pretty. These would be sweet for bridesmaids or flowergirls. From here.

3. White peony in vase - the photography in Martha is always inspiring, especially the flower shots, so lush.

4. So enchanted by the sublime photos in Bloom by Ron Van Dongen. Like this gorgeous waterlily, each bloom is shot simply and up close and given enough room {each a full spread} to pull you in.

5. From my 1850's copy of Gray's Botany, I love scientific illustrations like this cross-section.

6. One of my vintage postcards -those heavily embossed ones with fat ridges in the soft paper and colors that are airbrushed on. This one says best wishes at the bottom and has been hand glittered.

7. Another beauty from MS Living. It seems to me that if flowers were to have human personalities that bell shaped blooms would be bashful.

8. Thanks to Dear Ada for this find - a lovely botanical painting by Gail Spaien.

9. Pure yellow brilliance by Martha and co.

10. These dark beauties are my very favorite color of tulip,  I look forward to them

popping up every spring in the front. Papaver Black Cloud from Bloom.

11. More beautiful, happy fun on paper by Angie Lewin.

12. Gorgeous under glass, botanical decoupage plate by John Derian.

13. Poppy from a series of botanical illustrations out of an antique medical book of mine. Each illustration is accompanied by the medicinal use of the plant. I especially love the color palette used.

14 & 15. Stunning Hellebore and sweet little snowdrops by Ron Van Dongen, from Bloom.

16. Another simple illustration from Gray's.
 

Eye Candy - Anatomy Edition

I stand in awe of my body - Henry David Thoreau

{Any quibbles I may have with mine, I am too. Thanks for the hard work.}

Clockwise from top left: Gorgeous porcelain brain Think Tank and porcelain Golden Heart are containers in artist Renate Hattinger's Human Interior series of ceramic containers. via NotCot. * Antique optometrist's sign from Obsolete - check out their online gallery. Incredible. * One of a series from Dutch photographer Koen Hauser -
Modische Atlas der Anatomie No. 4. She is like half visible woman.  * Antique Chinese anatomical chart, love the visual metaphor of body as a mechanical crane, via ffffound.  * Artist Lisa Congdon's collage shadow box Le Coeur Espérant Tranquille uses vintage illustrations and ephemera with drawn and painted elements to great effect. * Circa 1860 color lithograph anatomical chart with butterfly flaps at Obsolete. I saw a 6ft tall life-size chart like this in a New York shop about a dozen years ago. I had been collecting medical stuff for a bit, so was pretty thrilled to see such a great piece. Like visiting  a masterpiece in a museum. *17th century anatomical model  of ivory, exquisite carving. * I love this print, I have a similar one in black and white in an antique medical pamphlet - by Fritz Kahn, Man as Industrial Palace from the Dream Anatomy archive at the National Library of Medicine. Check out the gallery.

Eye Candy

Leaf blowers suck.

No. 1 - Gorgeous photograph from Luo Shaoyang's Flickr stream , Fragrant Hills, Beijing, China.  No. 2,  No. 5 and No. 9 - works by Andy Goldsworthy. He is brilliant - pure and simple. Studied him in college - his books are full of beautiful photographs capturing his temporal works. An interesting video of him working here.  No. 3 and No. 8 -  Durmast Oak and Turkey Oak by Alison Foshee. These are made of staples, people! I have liked her work for some time  - these are older pieces, newer works have included candy wrappers, push pins and labels.  No. 4 and No. 7-  Having spent most of my college years in the metal shop, I have a real affinity for these pieces. Steel filigree shovels and wheelbarrow by Cal Lane at the Foley Gallery are the most intriguing metal sculptures I have seen in a long while. Her work is stunning. No. 6 - Beautiful fall fireworks from Jeffsmallwood 's Flickr stream.

Eye Candy

I hope you like birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven. - Emily Dickinson

Clockwise from top: Poppytalk Handmade Market is featuring these silkscreened silhouette prints from Small Stump. Paper flock would flutter with the slightest breeze.  *  " For the Birds" by Arnold Van Bezooyen  - shoes covered in birdseed makes a break for you a benefit for feathered friends. * Vintage Arm and Hammer bird trading card from my stack. * Bird Songs by Les Beletsky features illustrations and information on 250 bird species and most uniquely, high quality digital recordings of their songs. Available here . * Business card of client of mine, I am pretty sure it was designed and printed by Addison Endpapers. * Charming bird chandelier by French company,Challieres. link via Designer's Block. * Arm and Hammer trading card with page from antique album. * One of my silhouette cards. Letterpress and offset, the quote insert pulls out. It says - the bird, a nest, the spider, a web, man, friendship.  - William Blake. * 1930's Foley and Co. bird trading card. This was one of a whole set. The back says: teach the children to observe birds and you have opened to them a door of life and beauty for which they will ever be grateful.

Eye Candy

Our home economics project was a white satin puffy cloud mobile with rainbow- hued rain - mine was mighty wonky with a capital M and W but I couldn't have been happier and hung it up in my bedroom. I was 10, it was the 80's and rainbows were big. I will indulge a little nostalgia but no rainbow heart stickers,  Mork suspenders or multicolored legwarmers.

Love the people rainbow. She is brilliant {and Canadian, as my husband reminds me}.

More happy rainbows seen on just about everyone's bookshelves lately including Lotta Jansdotter's in the latest issue of Blueprint, and this gorgeous example {A} seen on Design Sponge. B. This great photo is from Flickr. Color wheels are so intriguing. There are some wonderful color wheel inspired projects in the new book Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson, read more about it at the Purl Bee. C. Colored pencils from Fred Flare. I might have a hard time sharing these with the kids. D. Painting by Gary Lang, via Another Shade Of Grey . E. Wonderful photograph mosaics of all sorts of things from Tom Magliery see more at Flickr .

Candy is good.