BEAUTY: Painting--Gérard Stricher

Abstract art can be a difficult thing for people. I certainly have a hard time selling it to my interior design clients...people feel better with something they recognize. But I have noticed that the more one is literate in art, the more readily one appreciates abstraction. I myself have not always appreciated abstract art, but when I was much younger, the more I understood art, art history, and what the artists themselves were thinking or trying to convey, the more I understood abstract pieces. And the work of Gérard Stricher is quite pleasing to my eye. They are light and lively, yet substantial. He has a marvelous sense of composition and placement, and I really love his highly saturated color palette! I would love to show these to an interior design client...

Top to bottom: 100*F; Desert Rouge; In The Back Of My Mind; Jeux Interdits; La Maison de Rosalie; Patagonie Mon Amour; Paysage Guerrier; Time Machine; Take Me To The Beach

http://gstricher.eion.me/

"Line Of Fire" by Junip

Oh, I am absolutely thrilled that there is a new Junip song (I love it), and a new release on the way! It is so good to hear José's gorgeous voice on some new material. On my recent trip to France, I got into a José González groove and listened only to his solo music the entire time I was there...which worked out really well...

The new release drops at the end of April.

http://www.junip.net/

BEAUTY: Art--Martin Wittfooth

The animals in Martin Wittfooth's landscapes seem to exist in a post-apocalyptic world where human civilization has either destroyed itself or crumbled. His extremely powerful pieces are comments on our current trajectory...

Top to bottom: Capitoline; Escahton; Fall/Advent; Harvest; Nocturne; Occupy; The Baptism; The Coronation; The Heirs; The Spoils

http://martinwittfooth.com/

BEAUTY: Painting--Karen Woods

Karen Woods has created some stunning paintings for her series "Driving Rain." Yes, these near-photo-realist images are oil on canvas and they are gorgeous. Their relatively small finished size, 10" x 15" makes them precious little windows onto a drenched world. She has perfectly captured mist from traffic, water in large pools on or rain splattering against the windshield. I can almost hear the rain hitting the car...

Top to bottom: Afloat; All Ways; Complicit; Corridor; Final Fall; Rain Come Shine; See Through; Slick

http://karenwoods.com/home.html

BEAUTY: Photography--Benoit Paillé

French Canadian photographer Benoit Paillé's series entitled "Alternative Landscapes" explores light in the darkness of night. The juxtaposition between these undisturbed natural settings and the apparition of the foreign, lighted white cube is enigmatic, startling, and evocative. I am reminded of The Monolith in "2001: A Space Odyssey" or the science fiction idea of worm holes or portals to other places or dimensions...

http://www.benoitp.com/

Trip To Nowhere

Baby Bats

I love bats. I have been meaning to buy a bat house for our yard for a while now...

I Had That Dream Again

Currenlty listening to...

... "New Day" by The Present Moment. I love me some synth-pop and this recent band from L.A. honors the legacy of Depeche Mode.

http://thepresentmoment.bandcamp.com/


And here is the inspiration: