Artwork of the Week: Loft

Loft by Francesca Buchko

10 x 14" archival giclee print

$30 via TheVintagePostbox on Etsy

Weather reports are calling for rain all week. ALL SEVEN DAYS. I wish I could face a week of being cooped up inside with a 16-month-old with 16 bite-y teeth this peacefully. 

You can see more of Francesca's work on her website, francescabuchko.com, and purchase some of her prints in her Etsy shop, The Vintage Postbox. 

- Cathleen

Artwork of the Week: Jeu de Ficelle

Jeu de Ficelle by Mathilde Aubier 

signed digital print on 21 x 29.7 cm paper

$21.11 via MathildeAubier on Etsy

Now it's my turn to get in on the First Communion talk. My sweet niece Rita was communion-ized for the first time this past weekend, and I had the great honor to attend the mass and celebrate her milestone with the rest of the Potash crew. It was a quick trip, but I really enjoyed getting some quality time in with both my niece and nephew. We talked about the best movies they've seen lately (they were completely horrified that I haven't watched Frozen yet) and Rita and I even played a couple rounds of Cat's Cradle. Ok, she did all of the fancy finger work and just told me where to pinch the string, but it was still fun.

You can see more of Mathilde Aubier's work for sale in her Etsy shop: MathildeAubier

- Cathleen 

Art from Anek

Blueberry

8.3 x 11.7" giclee reproduction print of original illustration 

$30 via anek on Etsy

It is now one week until we move into OUR NEW HOME and I am so excited I can barely stand it. We're in the thick of it, organizing and packing all of our belongings into brown cardboard boxes. I can't stop my mind from wandering into our future backyard, plotting where we'll plant the blueberry bushes we were already gifted (thanks, mom!). But mostly I am thrilled by the prospect of never having to move AGAIN. I know, I know --- nothing is forever. Who knows what might happen years down the line! But after relocating a fuzzily estimated 15 times in my life, I am SO ready to plant some permanent roots and put as many holes in my walls as I want, security deposits be damned!

Speaking of blueberries and hammering holes in the name of art, I love almost every single print in Anek's Etsy shop, but especially Ana Zaja Petrak's food illustrations. Any of these would make a great Mother's Day (or housewarming) gift if you are in the market.

Spaghetti

11 x 15" giclee reproduction print of original illustration

$45 via anek on Etsy

Radicchio

11 x 15" giclee reproduction print of original illustration

$45 via anek on Etsy

Botanical Chart Herbs Poster

20 x 27" giclee reproduction print of original illustration

$85 via anek on Etsy

Plums

11 x 15" giclee reproduction print of original illustration

$45 via anek on Etsy 

- Cathleen

Artwork of the Week: Forest

Forest by Jean Jullien 

Giclée print £200.00 via jeanjullien.com

It was mild and sunny all weekend, a welcome reprieve from the frosty New York we visited last week. On Saturday we took a stroll to see our soon-to-be new house, walking slowly past the property while pointing out where we'll someday plant new trees and dig a garden. I hope the current owners weren't home. That probably seemed pretty creepy. 

The smell of spring in the air has really got me excited for green! And this print by illustrator Jean Jullien is full of it. You can see more of the illustrator's work on his website: www.jeanjullien.com

- Cathleen   

Artist of the Week: Jeremy Miranda

Massive Ice Wall

8 x 10" archival print of original painting

$20 from jeremymiranda on Etsy

Jeremy Miranda is an artist born in Newport, RI who graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art in 2004 with a BFA and settled in Salem, MA where he paints acrylic on panel. All of that steeping in the dark New England tea has certainly influenced Miranda's choice of subject matter as well as his muted palette. His paintings are filled with crashing waves on rocky shores and chilly gray landscapes juxtaposed with warm interiors. His interest in nature vs. man-made architecture and focus on what's happening above and below the surface of things has a very science-fiction feel to it that I really like. 

The artist sells original paintings as well as more affordable signed archival prints of his work through his Etsy shop, jeremymiranda. You can see a wider range of Miranda's art on his website: jeremymiranda.com

Shelter

8 x 10" archival print of original painting

$20 from jeremymiranda on Etsy

Chasm

11 x 14" archival print of original painting

$40 from jeremymiranda on Etsy

Library by the Sea

8 x 10" archival print of original painting

$20 from jeremymiranda on Etsy

Greenhouse Interior

11 x 14" limited edition print of original painting

$40 from jeremymiranda on Etsy

- Cathleen 

Artwork of the Week: Honey Locust

Honey Locust 1/1 by Bryan Nash Gill

relief print, 24 1/2" x 23 3/4", 2010

His printing process according to Smithsonian.com:

"[The artist] saws a block from each branch and sands one end until its smooth. Gill chars that end, so that the soft spring growth burns away, leaving behind the tree’s distinct rings of hard, summer growth. He seals the wood and covers it with ink. Then, he lays a thin sheet of Japanese rice paper on the cross-section, rubs it with his hand and peels the paper back to reveal a relief print of the tree’s growth rings."

You can see more of this stunning naturalist work on the artist's website: www.bryannashgill.com

- Cathleen 

Artwork of the Week: Carnforth Railway Station

Carnforth Railway Station, N Lancashire by Andy Hornby

Falling back. The days are shorter, the shadows longer, and the air is so much cooler now. Daylight saving time ended at 2am on Sunday and even though our high-tech phones automatically adjusted themselves, all day we kept forgetting when we caught sight of the delayed dashboard and oven timers thinking we were late for things. That hot panic creeps up the back of your neck only to be quickly relieved at the realization that, "No! We've got time! LOADS of it! An entire HOUR to do with whatever we please!" It feels like a nice little bonus until you hear that familiar cry ring out just before the crack of day. No one told Graham he had an extra hour to sleep in this morning. Hmm. 

- Cathleen

Terrarium Anatomy

There was a definite and wonderful chill in the air this weekend. Whenever fall comes blowing in, I always get this feeling of excitement over new possibilities. With all of the years I've spent either as a student, taking ad hoc classes post-grad, or working in a school with my internal clock long set to the semester cycle, fall will forever signify fresh starts and renewal for me. (Suck it, spring.) And since we only got a yard a month ago and I missed the chance to sow anything into the ground this year, I think I'm gonna need to plant something inside instead. I found this informative drawing on Tamworth Lyceum's website along with detailed instructions on how to build a terrarium. I think I might go dig up some moss from our backyard this week and get started on one of my own. But if I don't end up getting around to it, I could always order this cute print instead.

Terrarium Diagram print, 5 x 7"

$16 by girlscantell via Etsy

- Cathleen 

Artwork of the Week: Vintage Pyrex

Vintage Pyrex Poster created by Pocono Modern

100# coated stock, 11 x 17 in

$16 via Etsy

Still in nesting mode! There is something so satisfying about finding a rightful place for all of your belongings in a new home. 

- Cathleen 

Artwork of the Week: Onion

Onion print by Ryo Takemasa

8.3" x 11.7", $30.41 via Etsy

I've been really attracted to food illustrations lately (ok, always), and this onion print by Japanese illustrator Ryo Takemasa recently caught my eye. I especially love the mottled, papery texture of the onion skins, lightening in color as each layer is peeled back. His tuna slice is also rather pretty. It sort of reminds me of Eric Carle's work. You can see more of Takemasa's work in his Etsy shop or on his personal website ryotakemasa.com.

- Cathleen 

Artwork of the Week: A Kiddely Divy Too

A Kiddely Divy Too mandala made entirely of stickers by Lauren Venell. 

This would have been the art of my sticker-saving 8-year-old dreams. 

Lauren sells 6"x 6" prints of her kaleidoscopic sticker configurations in her Etsy shop, laurenvenell, for $12

- Cathleen

Triangle Septet

Mountains / A4 Print, 8"x 11"

$25.23 from oelwein via Etsy

Black Widow Digital Art Print, 6"x 8"

$15 from littletriangles via Etsy

Arrowheads Watercolor Print, 3"x 4.5"

$15 from studiotuesday via Etsy

M17 Prism Inkjet Print, 8"x 10"

$18 from panimalia via Etsy

Kapaahu Linocut Print 8"x 10"

$18 from SchatziBrown via Etsy

Minimal Modern Geometric Print, 8"x 10"

$14 from BatbilekDesign via Etsy

Pyramid Giclee Print, 12"x 15"

$25 from magnapaint via Etsy

- Cathleen 

Artist of the Week: Darrah Gooden

Felix Fox Print, 8.5"x 8.5"

$14 from tinyfawn on Etsy

These sweet animal portraits are reproductions of original paper collages on canvas created by artist Darrah Gooden of Dallas, TX. They remind me a lot of Eric Carle and Ezra Jack Keats illustrations; so simple and eloquent. I think they'd look perfect in a child's room or nursery, don't you? Check out more of Darrah's handiwork in her shop, Tiny Fawn on Etsy. 

Francis Bird, 8.5"x 8.5"

$14 from tinyfawn on Etsy

Ember Bunny, 8.5"x 8.5"

$14 from tinyfawn on Etsy

Linus Bear, 8.5"x 8.5"

$14 from tinyfawn on Etsy

Tito Tortoise, 8.5"x 8.5"

$14 from tinyfawn on Etsy

- Cathleen 

One Stop Shopping with Sarah McNeil

Mittens No. 18 & 12

$68 a pair from SarahMcNeil on Etsy

You guys ready for Cyber Monday? I've already started in on my Christmas shopping, and really want to give the gift of handmade this year. Illustrator and maker of lovely things, Sarah McNeil has a little something for everyone in that department. Beautiful hand knit mittens in perfect shades of pink, gray and mint green. Original flora and fauna illustrations and prints. Funny eyeball stickers. Clever graphic zines. Fuzzy animal brooches. And thoughtful commissioned pet portraits. 

You can see more of Sarah's work on her website www.400pencils.com

And purchase her handiwork directly from her Etsy shop: SarahMcNeil

Trying to be Happy a Lot of the Time and Fox and Fir Giclee Print Set

14cm x 12.3cm, with 0.5cm borders and a 1.5cm border at the bottom

$40 from SarahMcNeil on Etsy

Updated Report of Observations Which Seem to Reflect Abstractly on Life Zine

$4 from SarahMcNeil on Etsy

Hand Cut/Drawn Eye Stickers

$16 from SarahMcNeil on Etsy

Commissioned Pet Portrait

$200 from SarahMcNeil on Etsy 

- Cathleen 

Artist of the Week: Elisa Werbler

I spied these prints pinned up in the hallowed halls of school last week and they literally stopped me in my tracks. Yes, I mean quite literally. I passed them, stopped, double-backed and took a good long look. I really wished I had my phone with me to take a picture. It would have lasted longer. But I committed the name posted next to the cluster of colorful images to memory and looked it up as soon as I got back to my desk: Elisa Werbler. The layered translucent colors and sharp edges of her prints are what really impressed me most—all effects rather difficult for any novice printmaker to achieve. Turns out Elisa also makes paintings, sculpture, furniture and—wait for it—Anthropologie window installations!! Her window displays are the stuff of repurposed material dreams! And her constructions have definitely made me stop to admire her handiwork on my walks around the city. You can see more of what she does on her website www.elisawerbler.com

Materials used: coffee filters, Cling Wrap, Q-tips, 

plastic spoons, cotton candy cones, wax, dye

- Cathleen 

Artwork of the Week: a man's nape. with ears.

a man's nape. with ears. by Robyn B. West

4 x 5" print (w/ 1" border) of original painting, $12 via smiling robyn on Etsy

A girl named Mary Stork used to draw pencil portraits of the backs of people's heads during class in my high school. Whomever was sitting in the desk in front of her was a captive audience, at least until the period ended, and by the time we graduated she had done all of the girls in our grade. I found the portraits to be just as revealing as the face-first variety—everyone had their own distinctive hairstyle, with their mother-of-pearl barrettes clipping up curls or the way they pulled their ponytail into a bun with a fan of fringe that always flared off to the right. I so wish that I got my own portrait to keep. For some reason I have Marita Horvath's (on a torn piece of paper somewhere), but it's definitely one of my favorite fragments from my time at the Oakcrest College Preparatory School for Girls.   

Searching for something comparable online, I found the above portrait by Robyn B. West that I thought was quite nice. You can see more of Robyn's work in her Etsy shop here.

- Cathleen 

Artwork of the Week: House Fire

I love the idea of a portrait of destruction. Memorializing a catastrophic event that someone would probably rather forget. 

House Fire by Becca Stadtlander

is a digital print of an original gouache painting that measures 6"x 6" printed on 8"x10" matte archival paper and can be purchased for

$21 from beccastadtlander on Etsy

This one is nice too. 

- Cathleen 

Shop Update!

Praying Mantis Head

Shameless self-promotion train pulling into the station! Toot toot! I've been working hard trying to get some new products up in the ol' Etsy shop before Christmas rears its beautiful, tinsel-covered head. This weekend was the final push to get it all online and I've got to say, I'm pretty proud of the turn out. More animal heads, silkscreen prints, and the debut of something new that I'm really excited about: totebags!! 

Huge For You Tote

Beard of Bees Print

T-rex Head

Zebra Head

Needles Print

Scissors Print

Any last minute Christmas shoppers out there? If you place your order by today, I will do my darnedest to get it to you by Christmas!


Love, Cathleen