Li Xiaofeng

These objects, created by Li Xiaofeng, have been made from porcelain fragments from the Ming and Qing dynasties and are for sale through Virginia Miller Galleries.

Bunny Mandala

Too many bunnies? Pictoplasma feels there is no such thing as too many bunnies.

They have asked internationally established and upcoming character designers, illustrators and artists to send in their versions of bunnies. The results is 1500 individual rabbits forming the 'Bunny Mandala'. You can't quite make out the smaller images of bunnies from this image but if you click on the image or go to Pictoplasma, you'll be able to get a better view of all of those cute bunnies. There is a naughty bunny. See if you can find the naughty bunny.

Ross Bleckner

Whenever I look at a painting or image not always, but often the color is what grabs my attention. I enjoy the color combinations in Bleckner's paintings, but I also really enjoy the texture. I have often wanted to paint images of microscopic cells and Bleckner has done it. However, he has added texture, color and beauty that I would have never been able to capture.

In an interview with Helen A. Harrison, Mr. Bleckner explains that he uses his paintings to express "...his consistent themes: the transience of beauty, the fragility of life and the loss of love." His art represents something far deeper and intelligent than I can put into words. You will find many of his intellectual interviews under the press section on his website.
View and read more about Ross Bleckner.

Mark Your Calendars!

Mark your calendars, December 5th and 6th is the No Coast Craft-O-Rama in the Midtown Exchange Building in Minneapolis. If you are looking to avoid global manufacturing from the chain store culture, looking to support your local artist, looking to give a one of a kind gift made with care and detail, then the No Coast Craft Show is the place for you! Check out the No Coast website for more information.

Harrison Howard

Without a doubt I am a huge fan of Harrison Howard. Not only because he creates these absolutely gorgeous pieces of art, but because he has a kind and warm thing to say to everyone. What first caught my eye about Harrison's art is, naturally, the color. I love his color choices, they are bright and cheerful. But, what really captured my eye is his imagination. I am a huge fan of romance and fantasy, anything that gets you daydreaming and having creative thoughts, and that is what happens to me when I look at these paintings. For me, Harrison's paintings tell a story, a fairytale of sorts. I love it if a piece of art can take me away from reality even if it's just for a moment. Thank you Harrison for sharing your talent with us! If you are interested in capturing more of his artwork, visit his website. Also, if you'd like to find out more about Harrison himself, Annechovie had a one on one interview with him.

Julie Moon

Born in Toronto, Canada, Julie Moon has spent nearly a dozen years going to various art schools. I think Julie Moon has taken a very creative approach to making ceramics. I enjoy her style and use of color. See more at Julie Moon

The Doll Farm

How cute are these? I just love them. These little dolls are so creative. I love the color, pattern and style choices that Heather choses when creating her dolls. By trade Heather is an illustrator. But when she makes dolls, she gives it all over attention. Each doll is made completely by hand and includes a hand drawn one of a kind tag. You can view more of her creations on her website or her blog.

Dolk og Pøbel

How fun would it be to be driving through the country side and seeing these paintings? I would like this much better than billboards. In Minnesota, we have a ton of old abandoned barns that are just aching to be painted. Found on Wooster. Originally from nrk

Joe Ramiro Garcia

I first saw Joe's artwork several years ago and I just happened to come across it again. I like it just as much today as I did back then. Fun stuff. Joe says that his paintings don't necessary mean anything and I love that. I've had people ask me what I think a painting means, or why I like it so much and I just look at them with a blank look on my face. I agree with Joe. It doesn't necessary mean anything, it just gives me a feeling that I like.

Joe says:

"I believe that we possess more than five senses and I’m convinced these extra perceptional senses allow us to create and digest art. If there is a message in my painting, it’s that I’m not sure of anything and I’m okay with it." See more of his artwork at joeramirogarcia.com

Takashi Iwasaki

I think I'm going to name my all of my children Takashi, because I know they will be artistically talented. If you don't know what I'm talking about go here to see the talent of Takashi Murakami. But, the amazing artwork you are seeing is not Takashi Murakami, but Takashi Iwaskai. What's not to love about his artwork? It was so hard to narrow it down to just a few pictures.

I know that some people do not appreciate abstract art, and I think it is because they don't really understand that it still takes a lot of talent to be able to make abstract art. We've all heard people say things like 'my child could paint this...'. So, I want to help people understand that no, their child could not do this.

So, for those who want to understand more about abstract art, I want to share my thoughts with you. If I were to attempt something like this, my first challenge would be balance. Each object needs to have some sort of balance in the final composition. If it isn't somehow balanced, the piece just won't feel right. Next, the colors have to work well together, they need to be the right tones, shades, hues, brightness etc....When you mix the colors they could all turn out to look like mud.

Sometimes, I think abstract art can be much more challenging than painting something that stands right before you. So, that's all. When you see abstract art as beautiful as this, that grabs your attention, gives you a happy feeling inside, understand that there is an enormous amount of talent behind that piece of art. I think Takashi describes his art best in just a couple sentences:

"...Shapes and colors in my paintings and drawings evoke figurative qualities which embrace a kaleidoscope of emotions. Life is too short to take gravely all the time. I want to delight in what I can when I can. Having this as my essential philosophy, my goal of art making is to create a positive and playful atmosphere, and generate warm feelings of intimacy and substance through my work..."

To see more of this amazing work by Takashi Iwasaki, just click here.

Pinky Toast

Pinky Toast has so many fun prints, it was hard to narrow it down to just these few. Pinky Toast describes herself as the following in her etsy bio: Living and working in Brooklyn, NY, Pinkytoast...has a soft spot for all things, (well, most things) sweet and sour. Her original paintings, dolls, and drawings are peppered with pinks, sour pouts, big eyes, raindrops, baby doll dresses, twins, moon balloons, and flying bananas. Check out her etsy shop here.

Cali Rezo

I found these images on Stumbled Upon. I thought you would enjoy these images from Cali Rezo. What attracts me to these images is the movement or motion of the characters. Something I love about the calirezo website is tutorials. The artist takes photographs, draws the images on the computer and then makes the alterations and shows you how he does it. Be sure to check out his blog too. Oh, I should warn you, only small portions are in English. The blog and majority of the website is in French.

Helen Dardik

What's not to love about Helen Dardik's artwork? I just love it all! The first time I saw her work, it brought back a fun type of nostalgia from my childhood. You can see more of her wonderful work on her website One Lucky Helen, and her blog Orange you Lucky. Also, she sells her prints on etsy at a very reasonable price.