artsy forager

Category: Design Foraging

Every Friday, Artsy features a round-up of artistic finds from the worlds of interior, fashion, architecture, and product design.

  • Friday Finds: Galleries to Love

    This whole economic mess has contributed to the loss of countless galleries around the US.  I know first hand what it is like to put blood, sweat and tears into one.  OK, maybe not blood, but plenty of sweat and tears, I assure you! 😉  I’ve heard some folks say that the old gallery model is a thing of the past, gasping for air, dead in the water.  But I believe in galleries!  And today, I’m featuring some brick & mortar galleries that are out there, doing it right.  These folks are hustling, marketing, selling and making magic happen for their artists and communities.  Put ’em on your list to check out, whether you can do so in person or online!

    Diehl Gallery, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
    Florida Mining Gallery, Jacksonville, Florida
    Foster/White Gallery, Seattle, WA
    Gallery Orange, New Orleans, Louisiana
    Taylor de Cordoba, Culver City, California

    **I’m so excited to finally get a chance to visit Taylor de Cordoba and all the other LA area galleries when Mr. Forager & I hit SoCal in October!  Can’t wait to drag him all over Los Angeles.

    Diehl Gallery | Florida Mining | Foster/White | Gallery Orange | Taylor de Cordoba

    I hope you’ll check out these galleries when you’re in their respective cities– well worth the trip!  You can see more of my favorite artsy spots on my Pinterest board, Artsy’s Guide to Galleries.  Do you have a favorite gallery?  Let me know in the comments below!

  • Friday Finds: Anthropologically Studious

    Friday Finds: Anthropologically Studious

    There is something about this time of year that makes me long to go back to school.  OK, maybe not.  But I do look longingly at the school supplies on display everywhere, wishing I had a reason to buy a Trapper Keeper and some brand new #2 pencils!  Not only do I love Anthropologie for their use & promotion of work by artists I love like Sarah Ashley Longshore and Dolan Geiman, but they also have a beautiful collection of studious accessories perfect for any artsy.  Here are a few of my favorites–

    Pinwheel Push Pins
    Madurodam Colored Pencils
    Dip-Dye iPad Case
    Watercolor Postcards
    Clothbound Ikat Journal

    Pinwheel Push Pins | Madurodam Colored Pencils | Dip-Dye iPad Case | Watercolor Postcards | Clothbound Ikat Journal  

    What about you, Artsies? What are your favorite school supplies to splurge on? 😉

    All images are via the Anthropologie website.  All opinions are my own, this is not a post sponsored in any way by Anthropologie or its affiliates.

  • Friday Finds: Stairmasters

    Friday Finds: Stairmasters

    There is nothing I love more than being out & about and coming across a fabulous piece of street art or public sculpture.  Something I’ve noticed lately is a wonderful propensity for decorating public staircases.  Here are a few of my favorite examples from around the world!

    Beirut, Lebanon steps by Strictly Dih-zayhners
    Piano Steps, Valparaiso, Chile
    Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
    Painted steps, Valparaiso, Chile
    Yarn bombed steps oustide Helsinki Cathedral, Finland ( photo by Peter Norris )

    Strictly Dih-zayhners on Street Art Utopia | Valparaiso Steps via We Heart It  | Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago | Painted steps on Street Art Utopia | Yarn Bombed Steps via The Daily Telegraph 

    Who knew Valparaiso, Chile was so full of street art goodness?  Definitely on my list of places to visit now!  Have a favorite pair of artsy stairs?  Share ’em over on the Artsy Forager Facebook page!

    All image sources are linked above.

  • Friday Finds: Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Art

    Friday Finds: Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Art

    Ya’ll, I am a long time fan of The King.  Not a crazy-I-have-an-Elvis-room-in-my-house-and-make-a-yearly-pilgrimage-to-Graceland fan, but I will sing along with him every time he comes up on the iPod.  Yesterday marked the 35th anniversary of Elvis’s death and I’ve been seeing a lot of artists drawing inspiration from Mr. Presley lately, so thought I’d round up a few of my faves for you!

    Sticker Elvis by Jim Blanchard
    ( Elvis ) Beyond the Bend by Deborah Scott
    The Dr. Martin Luther King of Rock & Roll by Troy Gua
    Thank You, Thank You Very Much by Sarah Ashley Longshore

    Jim Blanchard | Deborah Scott | Troy Gua | Sarah Ashley Longshore 

    Be sure and check out all these artists’ websites, linked above.  If you happen to be in the Seattle area, don’t miss Elvistravaganza!, a curated show featuring works inspired by The King during Bumbershoot, Sept 1st-3rd.  All the cool kids will be showing, including Deborah Scott, Jim Blanchard and more!

    All images are via the artists’ websites, linked above.

  • Friday Finds: Natural Abstractions

    Friday Finds: Natural Abstractions

    As you may recall, Mr. Forager and I recently returned from a long camping trip in Glacier National Park and Yellowstone ( and we threw in the Lewis & Clark Caverns on the way home ‘cuz we weren’t nearly exhausted enough already ).  We both love the outdoors and as I told Christina Baker in our Artist Takeover interview, I find the natural world to be incredibly inspiring in its artistry.  I thought you might enjoy a few of examples of nature’s artsiness I found while traversing through two of the US’s most beautiful places!

    Glacier National Park
    Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park
    Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park
    Thermophiles in hot spring, Yellowstone National Park
    Hot spring flow, Yellowstone National Park
    Treeline on the drive to the East Entrance, Yellowstone National Park
    Inside the Lewis & Clark Caverns, Whitehall, MT

    Isn’t nature the most incredible abstract artist?  What are some of your favorite natural abstractions?

    All images by Artsy Forager.

  • Friday Finds: In the Swim

    Friday Finds: In the Swim

    We are in the dog days of summer and it’s days like these I long for complete freedom to lounge around in the water all day.  But since responsibilities and being an adult ( yuck! ) don’t allow me to do so, I’m living vicariously through today’s round up of bathing beauties!

    Pretty Swimmer by Tracey Sylvester Harris, oil on canvas, 60×48
    Breathing at the Surface I by Samantha French, oil on canvas, 20×20
    Falling Pleasure by Sarah Harvey
    Some of These Days by Nina Nolte, acrylic on canvas, 63×39

    Tracey Sylvester Harris | Samantha French | Sarah Harvey | Nina Nolte 

    Have a fantastic weekend, Artsies!  Be sure to check out the websites of these artists, linked above.  Don’t forget, the Artists Are Taking Over next week!   Will be a bit of a change around these parts, but one I think you’ll enjoy!  Mr. Forager and I will be taking off on Sunday to spend 10 days camping out in Glacier National Park & Yellowstone, so I’ll be responding to comments and emails upon my return.

    Tracey Sylvester Harris found via Skidmore Contemporary Art and Sarah Harvey found via isavirtue.

    Featured image is At the Shore by Tracey Sylvester Harris, oil on canvas, 12×9.  All images are via the artists’ websites, linked above.

  • Friday Finds: A Little Birdie Told Me So

    Friday Finds: A Little Birdie Told Me So

    One of our favorite things about living at the lake this summer has been our evening walks.  Once the heat begins to wane, all the birds begin to sing.  We often end our walk by making our way down to the dock where we sit and watch birds both great and small as they hunt for dinner.  I’ve even told George I’m going to take up serious bird watching.  I’m going to be a funny old lady with her huge hat and binoculars watching all the birds that fly by.. So today’s round up is brought to you by some pretty little birds of the artsy kind that I’m admiring this week!

    Mindy Hawkins
    Maribel Angel
    Abigail Brown
    Sophie Woodrow

    Mindy Hawkins | Maribel Angel | Abigail Brown | Sophie Woodrow 

    What say you, Artsies?  Want to grab a big floppy hat & your sunnies and join me on the dock for some birdwatching?  Happy weekend!

    Featured image is by Abigail Brown.  All images are via the artists’ websites, linked above.

  • Friday Finds: ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Frida Kahlo

    Friday Finds: ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Frida Kahlo

    I used to deliberately fight against liking the work of Frida Kahlo.  You see, in my college painting studio there was an older Bolivian woman who was auditing the course and she LOVED Kahlo and seemed to fancy herself as the next Frida.  Which wouldn’t have been a big deal except that she was mega annoying about it.  She bugged the bejeezus out of everyone in the studio.  So she tainted Frida for me.  It wasn’t until years later that I rediscovered her work and came to develop my own artist crush on Frida.  Today would have been her 105th birthday.  So in honor of Frida Kahlo de Rivera, here are a few artists who also found her inspirational!

    Viva La Vida by Emma Gale
    Frida Kahlo by Judy Kaufmann
    Frida by Tara Jacoby
    Daft Punk Frida by Fabian Ciraolo
    Frida Dog by Clair Hartmann

    Emma Gale | Judy Kaufmann | Tara Jacoby | Fabian Ciraolo | Clair Hartmann  

    Happy birthday, Frida!

    All images are via the artist’s websites, linked above.  Be sure to check out each artist’s website for more examples of their work!

  • Friday Finds: Inspired Geometrics

    Friday Finds: Inspired Geometrics

    As with many right-brained folks, math is not my strong suit.  But one thing I loved about taking geometry was the analysis of shape and how each is formed using different angles.  It seems that many creatives are finding geometrics inspiring these days.  Check out my artsy geometric finds for this week!

    Filzfelt Stools via Apartment Therapy
    Hare by Marco Cibola
    Brooch by No Milk Today
    Welsummer Oblong Cushion by Lindsey Lang
    Quilt by Lisa Call

    Filzfelt via Apartment Therapy | Marco Cibola | No Milk Today | Lindsey Lang | Lisa Call 

    Happy weekend, Artsies!  Will you be doing some artsy geometric foraging of your own this weekend? 😉

    PS– You may have noticed that I’ve switched up the Friday’s title from Friday Faves to Friday Finds.  I’ll be using the Friday round-up to not only explore what’s trending in the art world, but to also share my inspiring finds throughout the world of design!

    Featured image is Hare by Marco Cibola ( detail ).  All images are via the artists’/designers’ websites, linked above.

  • Friday Faves: Mmmm.. Donuts!

    Friday Faves: Mmmm.. Donuts!

    Please pardon the Homer Simpson impression!  What is it about those little round, doughy rings?  Frosted or glazed, we love them all.  Here are a few artists who’ve captured the spirit of our passion for these sweet treats.

    Fade to Blonde by Emily Eleveth
    Boxed Donuts by Peter Anton
    Krispy Kreme Dozen by Joel Penkman
    Donut Tower by Larry Preston

    Emily Eleveth | Peter Anton | Joel Penkman | Larry Preston 

    I’m drooling now, how about you?  Think I’ll try to talk the hubby into a visit to the Donut House this weekend.  I don’t think it will take much arm-twisting. 😉  Happy weekend, Artsies!

    All images are via the artists’ websites, linked above.