{welcome to the jungle}

Henri Rousseau is one of my favorite stops at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The intensity of the color, the jungle subjects, and the size of the canvas. One feels as if she is a part of the jungle in which he paints.

So, when I saw the work of Becca Stadtlander, an artist and illustrator, her paintings caught my eye immediately. There’s something about her use of color that reminds me of the jungle paintings of Rousseau. I love the way she plays with colors and seems to balance them so well-nothing feels overdone, just perfectly alive and bright. You can check out more of Becca’s work on her blog or pick up a piece of her work on Etsy right here ($20 for prints).




Images by Becca Stadtlander.

{Sit, no, I said Sit!}

This next piece might be a little (or a lot) hit or miss for you gentle readers, but for some reason these pet portraits from Dorian Greyhound & Co. are hilarious. Hilarious good, not bad- I can’t look at them without smiling and laughing (and as an official crazy cat lady I’m already imagining what Jack and Ted would look like in this setting). Dorian Greyhound is Shawn Silver’s new company that offers “ancestral” pet portraits made from images of your favorite pets. Shawn and co. combine the portraits with existing old world portraits and then paint them in archival oils. For everyone? Probably not. But if you’ve got some spare change sitting around (ok, spare bills. they start at $800) for some reason this is striking me as a fun idea for the person who really loves their pet- and already has everything. The full Dorian Greyhound website launches later this month.

My boys don't you think would like nice in a portrait...

{in the mood for a party}

I must be in the mood for a party, well at least summer, so I can wear sun dresses and sandals. This painting, yes it is a painting, by Janet Hill just evokes the very mood I'm in. I love the bright colors, the delicious cake, and festive bunting. So, where's my invite?

{breathtaking seascapes}

Connecticut born MaryBeth Thielhelm is an accomplished artist of seascapes. In fact, her work is seen around the world, but the best place to catch a glimpse of her work is at http://www.searspeyton.com/html/home.asp, or the Sears-Peyton Gallery, in Philadelphia.

What I like most about her work is the etheral quality of the waves, they seem to catch the light and dance. Just breathtaking...