Adding a Little Art

I still need to add a shelf above my desk but it was looking so bare that I finally put up a couple of pieces of art to add some colour.

Before - pretty but plain

Definitely feeling bare

I put up these great "Tree Ghosts" created by Leanna Isayew that I picked up at the Calgary Art Market last November.

When I picked these up, Leanna provided me with the following description for these pieces:

Each tree ghost is created from dead fall found in the Calgary area.  The process takes approximately a week to produce.  The rounds are cleaned, cut and sanded both by machine and by hand.  A varnish is used to seal the wood which readies them for painting.  Each one is then hand painted using a unique process to warp the paint into colourful patterns.  When the paint is fully dry the face is then coated with a resin to exquisitely encapsulate the ghost and create a shiny almost jewelled effect.  Each ghost is completely unique in shape, size and colour.

I love how the resin makes these pieces sparkle and the colours are so bright and cheerful.  A hole is drilled into the back to make them easy to hang or you could lay them flat.

I love how the paint still appears to be wet

It's slowly coming together

Whimsical Animal Chairs

Maximo Riera has created a collection of extremely unique and extremely life-like animal chairs.  They are made of high-density polyurethane and cost between $50,000 and $100,000.  

The chairs depict an octopus, rhino, walrus, elephant, and a whale.  I like how each style of chair is reminiscent of the animal that it is created from.  I think my favourite is the octopus which would look magnificent in a glamorous boudoir and the whale which would be great in a children's playroom.

Maps

I love maps. I think it's because they let you dream of the places you want to visit and remind you of all the wonderful places you've already seen.  Summer is also one of the best times of year to take some time off and explore a new neighbourhood, city or country and I have a big collection of travel guides and driving maps suited just for that.  No huge travel plans this year as I'm taking some time to reacquaint myself to life in Calgary and explore a little closer to my new home.

Toronto neighbourhoods - Ork Posters

The Toronto poster above was hung in my own living room and I love the different sizes of fonts used.  It's now a perfect memento of my time living in TO.

Prettymaps (Paris) by Aaron Straup Cope

I love that this isn't an obvious map and the colour combination is really unique and graphic.

NYC Globee available from Pylones

These single-city globes would make a great souvenir.  Other available cities include:  Venice, Rome, London, Los Angeles, Sydney, etc.  I could see someone amassing a collection of different cities for a home office.

Tokyo handkerchief from Muji

It's rare to find such a chic handkerchief.

Room designed by Grace Home Design, Inc. Map available at World Maps Online.

I think this is such a great idea for a kid's room.  Maps are a perfect wall covering to fuel their imagination.

Store Love - Love the Design

We are enjoying summer-like weather here in TO, and I spent Sunday afternoon wandering around my neighbourhood.  I popped by one of my favourite shops - Love the Design (1362 Queen St. East).

The shop is full of vintage pieces and artwork and definitely has an industrial / rustic flavour.  The artwork within the store is by the owner, Christine Flynn, and includes shots of the city, maps, or nature all with a glossy coat of resin.

Artwork, industrial lighting, machinery gears and glass bottles

Beautiful baskets and bottles in the window

Industrial lights on a ladder

I found a great piece of art for myself today.  It's a vintage map of Toronto from 1894 which matches the age of my house and I couldn't resist picking it up.

Vintage map of Toronto

Its new home

20x200

I subscribe to 20x200's weekly e-mails but have yet to buy any art from the site.  I received a promotional e-mail this week though for people just like me - those that peruse the site but haven't purchased anything.  The incentive is $20 off of any print that is $50 or more.  This is exactly the push I need (marketing works!) and now must decide which piece to pull the trigger on.  A few that have caught my eye in the past:

Winter Flags, East Village, New York by Youngna Park

Untitled #17 by Matthew Tischler

Dandelion Clotheslines, Santiago, Chile by William Lamson

Kite Hill by Paul Octavious

Book art

While looking at the latest post from Remodelista, I came upon a great piece of art(s) from Spineless Classics.  They have taken entire books and re-imagined them on a single sheet.  I love this idea and see several books in their collection that I've enjoyed reading (and in some cases re-read - I'm a huge Jane Austen fan).