Rob's Monsters

As I mentioned a few posts ago, Rob draws amazing monsters. He's always had this interesting creative artistic brain (here's one of my favorites he's done).

So, to liven up your work week, I grabbed a couple out of my notebook and off the wall where he tapes them up to share with you guys (this is a tiny glimpse into the piles of monster pics I have). I know I'm biased but these are pretty darn cool:

 

My favorite is are the pink twins each with a spooky eyeball and the downtrodden blob guy  on the right. Which one is your fav?

"The Laughing Heart"

I saw this Levi's commercial on Hulu the other day & was ecstatic that it had one of my favorite American poems in it. It's only a minute long & so lovely- enjoy:

your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.

-Charles Bukowski

Portraits by Syd & Rob

For Christmas I asked Syd & Rob to make portraits for the grandparents. When we made Scott's parents one Rob wasn't interested at all. So Syd did it all:

We just bought a long canvas, gave her a bunch of acrylic paints, & had her draw the whole Carter family. She LOVED it!

The second time around Rob & Syd were both excited to draw pictures for my dad:

You can really tell how different the two of them are by how their pics turned out. Syd draws her people now pretty much the same way she did when she was 3 so I don't think it's just an age thing.

Rob spent a ton of time meticulously mixing colors in the background & Syd was more interested in getting the figures just right. Both of them had a blast!

P.S. Rob's reminds me a little of this famous painting.

Raising Lazarus by Carl Bloch

The story of Lazarus is one of my very favorites from the New Testament & one of my very favorite paintings, by Carl Bloch, captures the moment exactly as I imagine it.

It's the moment right before Lazarus emerges from his tomb- he almost looks like a ghost, obscured by shadows & wrapped in his graveclothes.

Then there are the people & their expressions (mourners, believers, doubters), but especially the one you almost miss- the little kid hiding in the bottom right corner, their eyes locked on us, the viewer.

Something about it just floors me.

(Also love this devotional about Lazarus & his graveclothes)

My Babies in Art

Remember this Sunday picture of my babies?
Remember this awesome painting?

Well, put it together and voilà:

Thanks Shauna! I was so surprised & love, love, love it. I can't wait to find the perfect spot to show it off.

A Modern Family Tree

Oh my, not only is this "modern take" on the family tree so lovely I want it myself, it would make a lovely & memorable baby gift.

Lovely Couple Portraits

Oh, I adore this Miss Crowland's Etsy shop.

These couple portraits are adorable! Simple, stylized, & I think Scott & I would be awfully cute couple in one.

You & Me

Yup, this is pretty much how I feel about my handsome. Thanks for being all sorts of awesome for me & with me.

INCEPTION: a visual timeline

Saw this on Twitter (linked to here).

Don't worry you folks who haven't seen INCEPTION, this won't spoil anything. I've seen the movie & I was still like "Wha?!?"

For those of you that have see it what do you think? Pretty sweet, huh?

In. Love.

Found Via My Favorite Things

Love this poster. I am a fan of the message & the gorgeous "art nouveau" aesthetic.
Just lovely.

P.S. Also love this message entitled You Are a Child of God

Do What You Love

Sometimes when I'm writing I think, "Why do I do this to myself?"

Then I saw that first poster (from this cute etsy shop: The Love Shop) & remembered, "Oh, yeah, because I love it."

I have a thing for graphic prints & think her's are just adorable. Besides everyone needs a lil' cheerleader/reminder now & then:

Anatomy Prints

I saw these anatomy prints on the Ohdeedoh blog & sorta fell in love.

What you guys think- totally cool or slightly morbid?

P.S. They kind of remind me of those smart flashcards I still want for Berto's room

70 Million by Hold Your Horses

My dad sent me a link to this music video & I fell in love.

I love the song & love the nod to famous works of art (you all know me & art history).

Seriously so clever.

WARNING: Maybe not for work viewing- there's nothing bad but a couple naked dudes with strategically placed items covering them up. Hilarious but, you know, in that "yuk" sort of way.

A lil' Shiny Love

It's been a bit of a dull day so I thought I'd SNAZZ it up with a couple of my favorite shiny things. ENJOY!

1) Syd's been obsessed with leggings lately (wearing them here, here, & here) & I'm in love with these from American Apparel. (Blogger Freshly Picked made a pair for her daughter. I'm tempted):

2) Saw & loved these shoes on My Favorite Things:

3) Gold spandex + Luchador plush = Love (pillow for the couch?):

4) Sculptures of artist Jeff Koons (I sure miss my Modern Art History classes):

Whitney Smith Ceramics

I love the work of the ceramics artist Whitney Smith. Her stuff is a simple sort of lovely.

Of course I have a thing for scallops, cake places, & bell jars, so I'm a tad bias.

Keep Calm &...

I love the "Keep Calm & Carry On" posters. A great message, they are well designed, & come in fabulous colors.

But I have really enjoyed the posters that play off the "Keep Calm" theme. Here are a few of my favorites from Etsy...

1) Patronus 2) British Accent 3) Rock Star 4) Nursery

Lovely Provo Temple Print

I saw this print at the Provo City Farmer's Market at the beginning of the season & thought about it everyday since. I love that it's bright and in such an original style (not your typical Provo LDS temple pic)

I finally went back on the last day the market would be open to buy it. SOO glad I did. I wish I had the artists contact info to share. I searched on google for a while. If I find it I'll let you guys know!

I am my father's daughter...

This afternoon Esther & I met up at the park for a little play & picnic. When we pulled into the parking lot I saw this stack of books sitting by a dumpster.

Before I even knew what type of books they were I pulled my car back to pick some up. They could be used for all manner of art projects. It was like a treasure trove of possibilities.

Then I looked at them. They are periodicals- 90's through 2000 of Vogue / GQ & some sort of poetry & art magazine. Not sure what I'm doing with it yet, but its totally something that my dad would do.

So, dad you taught me right! Never wasting an art project opportunity.

Justin Hillgrove

I am loving these creepy, yet cute paintings from Justin Hillgrove. My favorites are the monsters. I'd love this triptych!
P.S. Please note the middle painting, third from the left has a lil' luchador monster.

Spending the night with Scott

My dad sent me this Glen Baxter (an English cartoonist, who does surrealist & absurdist drawings) print on a postcard when I was dating Scott. It has sat on our refrigerator ever since. I just love it.

Here are some of his other works. There is just something so funny / interesting to me about his captions. Simple line drawings of interesting characters saying strange and incongruous things.