Art Hound

Prints by D.C. illustrator Andrew Bannecker via Creature Comforts. I just couldn’t resist.

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Anna Emilia Laitinen is an illustrator from Finland. I saw her nature-inspired work on Rifle Design and immediately fell in love with the colors, calmness and small, beautiful details. Prints of her work are available here.

You may be familiar with Anna Emilia’s work on the cover of “From Orchards, Fields and Gardens” (below) a book on small scale food production.

I’ve also been pouring over Anna’s treasure trove of a blog which she describes as “a weather diary of colors, wind speed and sounds under feet in my illustrated life.” Her photos of fantastic; you feel like you’re right there with her experiencing the little joys (snow, tea, cats, flower buds) of her beautiful life in Finland.

Paintings by Pasadena, California-based artist Jen Lobo. I found Jen’s work through Black Maria, a gallery in Glendale, CA with a great roster of offbeat West Coast art. Jen’s paintings border on the verge of kitsch but are also unsettling and very engaging – quite an unusual combination.

.“Jen Lobo has a great affinity for all things feathered and furry, avian and aquatic. Her work is a testament to that love for the natural world with a blend of human themes of love, loss, tragedy and triumph.” – Black Maria

I must admit I had a strong negative reaction to “Let Them Talk” (below left) when I first saw it – I was uncomfortable and mildly disgusted. I think I was reacting to the deer’s strange human qualities, its alien pink tongue and the odd fleshy background, but that doesn’t fully explain my visceral reaction.

I wanted to share this experience because a lot of really good art hits us deeply, perhaps subconsciously and causes this kind of emotional response. When people say they “hate” a piece of art I believe they are often responding to that kind of subconscious discomfort, but ideally we move beyond these initial reactions and are inspired to stop and reflect.

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Souther Salazar has a handful of his whimsical drawings for sale on his Etsy shop (thanks MLFU for the scoop!). Salazar had an awesome solo show at Jonathan Levine last spring.

“All I want To Do Is Have Some Fun” $250

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“It Was Right There The Whole Time” $300

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“Stages of Metamorphosis” $275.

Baltimore-based Rachel Bone‘s series ‘I Bet You’ is now showing at Art Star Gallery in Philly. Rachel’s work centers on women embarking on adventures full of symbolism. In ‘I Bet You’ Bone paints women in the throws of everyday activities that when seen from a distance spell out the alphabet. Below are her A, B, C’s.

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Yesterday the work I featured was rather intense so today I’m showcasing art on the other end of the spectrum (i.e. humorous and light-hearted). I discovered Peregrine Honig’s work on the New American Paintings blog, but she is also well-known as the contestant from Kansas City on Bravo’s Work of Art.

In the series, ‘Exposed’, Peregrine uses tabloid headlines like ‘Who Wore It Better?’ to describe adorable farm and stuffed animals. Hilarious! Here’s hoping that the tabloids editors will follow suit!

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