artist Sarah Burwash

"Delicate yet strong, charming but also intense."

These are some of the words that have been used to describe artist Sarah Burwash's art.

"My work is largely inspired by women's stories which I most often gather through books. I read a lot of journals, memoirs and biographies by women who were brazen and persistent in forging for a new social order. I am interested in investigating the changes in gender roles and our relationships to home, landscape and tradition.

Most recently I have been diving into Anais Nin's journals, the book Women Who Run With Wolves and also the book Women of the Goldrush, which tells stories of women who hiked the Chilkoot trail up to the Yukon during the Goldrush. Stories of women challenging the norm and not excepting the limits set before them.

I have more recently become interested in digging up my family history, more specifically my Norwegian history, very much intrigued by the rural lifestyles, the folklore and the landscape. I am very interested in storytelling with ambiguity. "

http://sarahburwash.com

Paul Bommer

the artist

I just discovered the retro-inspired work of Paul Bommer. He’s a freelance illustrator based in UK whose illustrations are full of humor and give a nod back to earlier times in England. Fantastic!

In a review of his faux Delft tiles by Spitalfields Life : Paul’s sly witty style is perfectly at home on tiles, bringing an extra level of humour and sophistication to this appealing vernacular art.“I’ve always been fond of delft tiles and the graphics of that period,” he admitted to me, “it’s like Folk Art at the low end, a popular medium illustrating the characters people knew and the things they used.”

www.paulbommer.com

artist Christoph Niemann

In 2008, illustrator and designer Christoph Niemann began Abstract City, a visual blog for the NewYork Times. His posts were inspired by the desire to re-create simple and everyday observations and stories from his own life that everyone could relate to. In his hands, mundane experiences such as riding the subway or trying to get a good night’s sleep were transformed into delightful flights of visual fancy. The struggle to keep up with housework became a battle against adorable but crafty goblins, and nostalgia about New York manifested in simple but striking LEGO creations. This brilliantly illustrated book of reflections on modern life includes all 16 of the original blog posts as well as a new chapter created exclusively for the book.

http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/04/03/abstract-city-christoph-niemann/

artist Julie Morstad

I first learned of Julie’s work when I picked up a copy of The Family Fang. She drew the intriguing  cover illustration and I wanted to see more of her work. I love the mystery and elegance in her illustrations  – a group of women standing on a man’s head, women’s heads float up from a vent, people’s heads grow in the place of flowers. She uses a lot of symbolism – emotions are shown through objects more than the facial expressions of the characters. Check out more of her work here:

http://www.juliemorstad.com

http://www.bau-xi.com/dynamic/artist.asp?ArtistID=266331

http://sanseverything.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/julie-morstads-subdued-creepiness

sushi etiquette

This chart seems to be causing a bit of a controversy around the web but I really like the illustration style.

I'll include one comment: "I’m Japanese. I think these are great and accurate advices.
You can eat the way you want to, but just try these when you eat Sushi in Japan. I think it shows that you respect the culture.
The Sushi chef will love you and may give you extra Sashimi. I would love to learn how to eat that huge humburger I had when I was at a restaurant in California. " - 日本人

http://www.sushisecrets.com/sushibar.html
And there's even a t-shirt: http://styleyourblank.com/prodotti/t-shirt-man/the-sushi-etiquette/

Pat Perry illustrator, train jumper

How exciting to discover a young, talented artist; here are some sketches from his journal and photos from his traveling.
The work is amazing and inspirational! Enjoy the video.

from his website: Pat Perry is an artist and illustrator who calls Grand Rapids, Michigan home. The lands of the north, colorful people, music, and the ordinary streets of the Midwest have always moved him. In between showing his art from coast to coast or working with an assortment of clients, Pat travels as much as possible. Although Pat is happy to be able to speak and have an audience through his artwork, he does his best everyday to listen and learn from the world he lives in. 

"...the last two months I have traveled through around 20 states, rode freight trains over 2,500 miles, and hitchhiked the rest of the way. Traveling is the best way I’ve found to liberate myself from the illusions of my own small life. To grow as an art maker, I must grow as a person. To grow as a person, I have to toss myself into the unknown! What I love about photography is its ability to describe the tone of a certain moment in time, similar to the way music can. I use my own photography as reference imagery all the time. I don’t consider myself to be an excellent photographer, but I have always been compelled to record the more special people and moments I encounter."


Time-lapse Drawing from Pat Perry on Vimeo.

http://t-squat.com/pat-perry

http://patperry.net

Penguin Threads

Penguin books has comissioned artist Jillian Tamaki to illustrate in embroidery the covers for the of some classic titles to be released in the fall. Beautiful!!

Bottom photo of the work in progress.

http://blog.jilliantamaki.com
http://www.penguinclassics.com

Via: http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/2011/03/penguin-threads-deluxe-classics.html