the design alphabet: W onderful!

Posting today has been a bit disrupted.. do you want to know why???

When I was younger, in my early to late teens, I painted constantly, all day, every day. I stopped when I was about 25. I don't know why, I just didn't feel inclined, everything got more serious, relationships, money, needing a job. Luckily I always had pretty creative and social jobs so maybe I got my fix there. Since having children I have dabbled a bit here and there, but nothing ever got my juices flowing, you know got me into that space where I wanted to paint and paint and paint. This blog has definitely lit a few candles to warm my need to be creative... and then I discovered Amy Walsh. I don't know what it is about her work but I tell you.. a fire has been lit! Maybe it is all the inspirational people I come across here that have built up inside me and Amy's work was the key to opening the floodgates! who knows! it's pretty damn exciting though! - maybe I'll show it to you sometime : )

Let's get this W underway...

Amy Walsh

So as you know from reading above, I am loving the work of Amy Walsh. The collection I am showcasing below is from her City ("definitely veering off into rural territory") Collage and City Drops series. Using found stationery - like a milkman's journal or an electrician's notebook, with strong organic shapes, hints of pencil typography and a nice addition of found goodness like heavily embossed wallpaper and old street maps, combine to make these collections of Amy's an example of meticulous craftsmanship and they're beautiful to boot!

These two series are just a (very) small glimpse into Amy's work. Do pop over to her store and blog to check out the rest of her collection.

"If it involves cutting, pasting, painting, collecting, organizing, hoarding, glueing, arranging, obsessing, tasting, listening, pilfering, filling, pouring, resisting, protesting, tearing, sewing, pretending, peeking, hiding, or constructing altered realities, I'm into it."

(images from Amy Walsh)

NOTES:
visit Amy's store
read Amy's blog
see more of Amy's work on flickr

Wilkintie

There's alot of love around toady, because I am LOVIN' Wilkintie and the whole Wilkintie philosophy...what is Wilkintie I hear you say?? Well, here's the lowdown...

Wilkintie is a project by Carly Hargreaves and Niels Oeltjen. Inspired by the illustration they came into contact with as children, Carly and Niels commission top notch illustrators to contribute works to the Wilkintie Project. The artists on board are pretty impressive, and include Tim Biskup who I first wrote about here, and Klaus Haapaniemi a super talented Finnish artist - just to name two!

Carly and Niels have a fantastic business philosophy, paying both suppliers and artists fairly and they're also committed to producing quality works for a fair price - three cheers for that!

Oh and you can purchase work by subscription too!!

Here's a glimpse:

(images from Wilkintie)

NOTES:
visit Niels and Carly's website
visit Niels and Carly's stores here and here

Orange Willow

Wendy Owens is an exceptional artist. The works she has in her Orange Willow store are bold, and beautiful. Wendy Owens is also an exceptional mother. The birth of Wendy's second daughter Penelope in March this year has resulted in not only a beautiful baby girl but a large medical bill.

Wendy is using her Orange Willow store to generate income to pay for the hospital fees. All of Wendy's prints are heavily reduced, allowing her to pay for her bills while continuing to create artworks that we all love.

So here's your chance. Fabulous Art, for a good price and a great cause! enjoy...