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

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

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

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

my latest obsession . . . abstract photography

i have been kind of obsessed with abstract photography since my college years. i was an art history major, and one of the classes i chose to take was an exploration of photography after world war II... ever since then, i've been completely hooked.

photography is such a compelling medium with a lot of unique issues and advantages. i find it really interesting that it took people so long to accept that photography could, in fact, be more than a recorder of history... it could be art.

i find abstract photography especially intriguing because of the way it challenges people's perceptions and expectations of the world around them. it is almost as if the artist is using the camera lens to force the viewer to see what they see... and it can be beautiful, or scary, or strange. tomorrow i will post about a couple of my favorite photographers, and share some of my own abstract macro photography... but for now, check out these amazingly talented etsy artists:


i am completely obsessed with these absolutely stunning large-format polaroid prints by grant hamilton, sxseventy on etsy. i'm also completely in love with his shop banner... you really have to check out his shop.


i love the sharp geometry and dramatic composition of this shot, of a building in houston. by maritere casillas rice, etsy shop mariterecr.


i think this image has an ethereal but also slightly forboding quality... very interesting. by duncan b. fauvel, ojmjakon on etsy.


this could be a painting... the blurriness and rich, saturated colors are wonderful. stunning work by liasynthis.


absolutely perfect composition by fuetere. only 2 items in their shop right now, but i would so love to see more!

hope you enjoyed my picks... stay tuned for more photography tomorrow!

xoxo,
lesley

light & fashion

check out these gorgeous, ethereal images from mary huang's rhyme & reason project. the garments have tiny white led lights embedded in them... they can switch from battery to outlet power, so they double as lamps when not being worn. photographs by michael sun.







xoxo,
lesley

drawing

lately i've been having this feeling, like my life and my space and my shop are all too cluttered. i feel this need to simplify things.

for some reason, this feeling has lead me to start drawing a lot again. i kind of haven't drawn that much since i left the fashion institute in new york last year... i was so stressed out and overwhelmed when i was there, and there was a lot of drawing involved so i think i naturally kind of put it on the backburner for a while.

but now i feel like i want to draw constantly. i like the feeling of clearing my head and just focusing on one thing for a period of time, and the sense of accomplishment i feel when i look down and see a finished drawing. i've been trying to rediscover my artistic style, and lately i have a tendency toward simple, organic line drawings (like my orchid drawing above). i am planning on designing a whole new line of paper goods based on some of my drawings... maybe soon i'll give a sneak peek into some of my new ideas and inspirations.

xoxo,
lesley

fruits & veggies

a couple years ago on a trip to paris, i passed a paper shop that had these gorgeous sheets of handmade paper made from the thinnest slices of fruits and vegetables imaginable. they were so gorgeous and i really wanted to take some home with me, but sadly the shop was closed.

since then, i have been trying to find something similar with no luck. the other day, i finally found what i was looking for... the key was using the search term papyrus, something i never thought of before. here are my favorites, available from hiromi paper. wouldn't these just be perfect framed and displayed in a kitchen?


carrot


blood orange


cucumber


tomato

xoxo,
lesley

paper anniversary

my one year anniversary was this past monday, and my hubby and i decided to stick to the traditional anniversary gift guidelines - the first year is paper - with a budget of $50. enter shannon rankin, also known as selflesh on etsy. i have been in love with her work since i joined etsy (i included a piece of hers in my winning entry for the poster contest), so i commissioned an original embroidered map collage for my husband. i was so thrilled with what she made, i just had to share...



the top hand is a map of oregon, with portland (my husband robin's hometown) at the base of the ring finger; the bottom hand is a map of new jersey, with mount holly (my hometown) at the base of the ring finger. each of the hands has 9 blue threads (robin's favorite color) radiating outward, symbolizing the month of our marriage (september). in the center is an anatomical heart cut from a map of maryland, with college park (the place we met) at the center. two blue threads, one from each of the hands, join together here, and 22 orange threads (my favorite color) radiate outward, symbolizing the day of our marriage (the 22nd). how perfect is that? thank you shannon, you are amazing!

here are a few closeups of shannon's lovely work.







xoxo,
lesley

providence

a few weeks ago, my husband and i took a little weekend trip to providence, rhode island to explore the city and see waterfire. what we found was a really unique little city that seems to be somewhat overshadowed by boston. if you are from the northeast and haven't been, it is definitely worth a visit. we found some great restaurants (highly recommend citron, right near waterplace park) and shops, visited the risd museum of art, and walked along canals at night serenaded by opera singers with the warmth, light, and smell of campfires surrounding us. here are some of my favorite photos from our trip.

scenes from waterfire...


a few of the many fires, at waterplace park


me and robin, with lights


a row of bonfires along one of the canals - so beautiful!


playing with my camera :)

and some more abstract views of the city...


stairs and shadows outside our hotel


cracked glass and sky


striking shadows and textures outside the risd museum

xoxo,
lesley