Summer Feature: Sophie Blackall

Image: Sophie Blackall

I have been loving the work of artist Sophie Blackall for many months now. She is perhaps best-known for creating paintings depicting recent New York City "Missed Connections" posts, bringing these stories of missed opportunity to new levels of life and excitement in visual form. Besides coming up with a great idea for a blog, Blackall is an incredibly talented artist. Not only is Blackall's work featured on her blog, but also in various children's books and in the materials of several businesses and magazines. I love the way she uses rich visual narratives to broaden stories that might otherwise be viewed as mundane occurrences. Her command of color is striking, her composition is thoughtful, and her craftsmanship is impeccable.

With an upcoming move, Sophie B. is on my list of artists to watch for decorating my new space. To see more of her work visit her website, her other blog, or her Etsy store. Cheers to Sophie Blackall for helping us see the world with fresh eyes through her ethereal artwork!

An Intriguing and Practical Wall Adornment

I happen to love artistic touches that utilize collages and mixed media. When looking for a way to spend a bit of Christmas money on some decorative elements for my apartment that weren't cookie cutter but also wouldn't break the bank, I ran across this lovely calendar/collage at Etsy.

This canvas-sized calendar packs a punch thanks to the creative twist that its developers have used in forming its contents. Using various letterhead images from photos taken in Paris, this functional collage provides a cool way to bring a hint of European charm to a home or workplace. Owners of this beaut can customize the numbers to fit the current month, providing a chic way to display dates in a setting where a more traditional calendar might stick out like a sore thumb.

To learn more about how this lovely work of art was made, check this out:

In case you're interested, you can purchase the calendar either at Etsy in the "Little Brown Pen" store or at littlebrownpen.com. Or, if you're feeling artistic, perhaps you can take a bit of inspiration from these creatives and go make your own one-of-a-kind collage.