10.29.2008

flickr favorites . . . brittaj

i recently discovered this amazing artist, brittaj, on flickr... some of my favorite pieces of hers incorporate little bits of cut paper, like these:




britta also shares some pages from her sketchbook, which is divine.  i wish my sketches looked half as pretty as these:



check out the rest of brittaj's inspiring photostream here.

xoxo,
lesley

10.24.2008

stuff i want . . . purple paper goods on etsy



row 1:
purple house blank book from mine creations
purple lily illustration from blue plate studio
scrapbooking scroll from niklindesigns1225

row 2:
foot kettles print from heidi burton
letterpress stickers from bemi designs
tired mini print from askey

row 3:
lace collage from dose of creativity
scribe print from wonting
letterpress thistle cards from red oak press

row 4:
lovely jewellery print from janice j
peacock print from pinup brenda
purple magnolias gocco printed moleskine from shoofly

xoxo,
lesley

10.21.2008

my latest obsession . . . lladro niagara chandelier



can't you just imagine sitting down to dinner every evening under this ethereal flock of porcelain butterflies? heavenly.

now, does anyone have $15,000 i can borrow to buy one of my own? :)

xoxo,
lesley

10.20.2008

inspiration . . . textiles by karen nicol

karen nicol does absolutely amazing things with embroidery and mixed media textiles.  here are some of my favorite images of her work... see more inspirational images on her website.





xoxo,
lesley

10.16.2008

congratulations leanne!



those of you who are as addicted to project runway as i am already know this, but leanne marshall (aka leanimal) was crowned the winner of season 5 last night! leanne is a fabulous designer and an etsy seller... i have been a fan of her work for a while, so i was rooting for her from the first episode. i'm so glad she won... the judges definitely got it right this time.

the photo above is one of the gorgeous looks from her winning collection, and here are some of my favorite sold items from her etsy shop:







congrats leanne!

xoxo,
lesley

10.14.2008

inspiration . . . fashion illustration by laura laine



i saw this gorgeous goddess drawing by laura laine in the new york times magazine a while back and have been drooling over her work ever since. i went to school for fashion design for a short period of time, so i know how difficult fashion drawing can be. laura has such an amazing signature style... i only wish i could draw like this!

check out these other stunning illustrations, and more incredible work on her website.







xoxo,
lesley

10.08.2008

i'm back...



okay, so i know i haven't updated my blog in a while, but i think i have a decent excuse... i just got a new imac (hence the obligatory photo booth pic)!  i have been busy trying to move my files and get everything set up.  

it is such a huge change from my old pc... which i bought before i started college 6 years ago and was starting to die on me.  i have been wanting to buy a mac for a few years, so i finally just took the plunge and did it.  the display is huge and it is so pretty and fast, but i am still getting used to it, so bear with me!  i will be back within the next few days with a new post.

xoxo,
lesley

10.01.2008

inspiration . . . abstract photography

today i want to share some of my inspiration... two of my absolute favorite abstract photographers.



the first is the japanese photographer hiroshi sugimoto. i was lucky enough to get to see an incredible exhibit of his work at the hirshhorn my senior year of college and the images have stayed with me since.



some of his most striking and awe-inspiring images come from his seascapes series. the images seem so familiar, yet each is completely different. they are so simple, yet so very powerful. sugimoto says about this series of photographs, "every time i view the sea, i feel a calming sense of security, as if visiting my ancestral home; i embark on a voyage of seeing."

beautiful.

one of my other favorite photographers is aaron siskind.



i first discovered his work while i was taking a digital photography class and became interested in taking macro shots of surfaces and textures. the aesthetic of his abstract expressionist and later work really resonates with me.



according to the aaron siskind foundation, siskind "radicalized the medium by emphasizing the photograph as an abstract form of expression and an aesthetic end in itself." siskind was also a teacher, and in a way i feel like his work taught me a lot about how to be a better photographer.



finally, as promised, here is some of my own abstract photography...

a couple black & white images from a photography class in college:





and some of my (somewhat) more recent work from an ongoing project exploring surfaces using macro photography:


untitled, college park, 2005


untitled, paris, 2006


untitled, venice, 2007


untitled, rome, 2007


untitled, riverton, 2008

comments are always welcome... what artists have inspired your work? who are your favorite photographers? feel free to discuss and share links in the comments!

xoxo,
lesley