Sunny Days

It's been so hot lately here in OC and So Cali, that I've got sun on the brain. Recently, as I browsed through Banana Republic, I spied their credit card application. I like the abstract sun that kind of reminds me of some sort of 50's vintage block print, but is really made up of silhouettes of clothing (so clever). This for some reason got me thinking about lemons. Do you enjoy iced beverages with lemon? My only pet peeve is when I suck up a seed while drinking with a straw. Grrr... hate that.
Anyways- Here's a couple fun sun-inspired things I've spotted recently:"radial pillow" from Hybrid Home

Utopia Sun ornament by Jonathan Adler"Starburst" (ok, not specifcally a sun, but the sun is a star right?)
mirror and bowl from Crate&Barrel
"Drawing the Sun" book by Bruno Munari

Poetics of the Handmade

Over the weekend, the LA Times featured a cover story about a new exhibition opening this month at MOCA, called "Poetics of the Handmade". It's an interesting read and looks to be a great show. The artists involved have taken mass made, common everyday objects and transformed them into powerful statements. I was particularly struck by Chilean artist Livia Marin's installation called "Fictions of a Use"- which has 2200 tubes of lipstick in 27 colors, with the tips molded in 600 shapes. It's a statement less about women's use of the cosmetics, but more about "the makr of an individual on the mass-produces object," recognizing that "every lipstick adopts a particular shpae in relation to whoever uses it." All of the artists involved in the show are from Latin America. Other pieces included in the show will be this gigantic sculpture made of Q-tips, and a mural made of discarded currency. Read the entire article here, and more info on the exhibit, which opens April 22, here.

1.51 Miles of String

Saw this great post on Dezeen, about the temporary shop within Selfridges in London. Called "1.51 Miles of String", it is part of a series of installations that coincide with the exhibition Surreal Things: Surrealism and design, from the V&A museum. I'm so fascinated by it. It kind of reminds me of a weird web, but I'm curious if it is all one long strand? If it is, that's pretty amazing. It's like one big "cat's cradle" game gone wild!

Tim Biskup

Tim Biskup is one of my favorite illustrators. Recently, I stopped by his gallery, located inside the Johnson Motor's store in Old Town Pasadena, and came across his fantastic book called "American Cyclops". This thin, but oversized hardback book showcases some of the work that was in an exhibition he did in Spain. The inside cover is printed in fluorescent orange ink- so cool. He's a local So California artist- and I love his blend of Disney / retro /punk /sci-fi /skateboarding style. You can get a copy of your own at via the GiantRobot store. ($39.95)

Miwa Koizumi

AT:NY posted this link to Brooklyn artist Miwa Koizumi- These jellyfish are made from recycled plastic bottles! Aren't they just stunning?

Sunny Saturday

It's a gorgeous sunny Saturday today here in OC. Speaking of sunny, I love this fantastic piece of yellow objects by Michael Cooper, which I found via DearAda's blog- which also has other really great finds and eye candy to check out!

Yuken Teruya

Mocoloco featured this amazing artist last week, and I'm still in awe of it. These delicate trees are cut out of toiletpaper rolls!! Yuken Teruya also cuts trees out of paper bags, varying from high end designers to McDonalds takeout bags. See more pieces here, here, and here.

George Dombek

I really love these incredible watercolor paintings by George Dombek. The buckets and cans one is my favorite, but I also really love the one with the upside down kettles. They remind me of people heads or muppets for some reason. He has other beautiful works on his site.
They're so realistic, it's hard to believe they're watercolor!