Stuart Kolakovic + Reya Veltman + Judi Tavill

I am so excited about today's collection. I have three completely different bodies of work to share with you. Generally I sway quite considerably in my taste. I like the soft femininity of Judi Tavill's porcelain work (shown last), and I also enjoy the harder more masculine work of Stuart Kolakovic (shown first). And then there's beautiful craft, like the felting work of Reya Veltman.

So today's collection is a celebration of the expanse and diversity of the things that I enjoy, the things that bring pleasure to my life and the things that inspire me - yay! I hope you enjoy it too...

Stuart Kolakovic

I have just read an amazing interview with Stuart Kolakovic over at Overspill. I'll pop the links in the Notes so you can check it out.

Stuart's work focuses heavily on heritage and family history. His love for narrative and the insight that "you really can do anything with words and pictures" has lead to a fantastic collection of comics and artworks.

Researching the life of his Serbian Grandfather, ended up as Stuart's first 'real attempt' at a graphic novel -

"This process of remembering and researching all ended up in Milorad... As I've read more and more about the history of Yugoslavia, about the different Slav nations and traditions, I've become more and more obsessed with the Eastern European aesthetic.

This has started to become the backbone of everything I do. To me it all seems to overlap, my interest in Eastern Europe, narrative and illustration, and I've become increasingly attracted to old Slav fairy and folk tales, which again has proven to be a strong influence in my work."

(images and quotes from Stuart Kolakovic with thanks to Overspill)

NOTES:
visit Stuart's website
visit Stuart's store
read Stuart's blog read Stuart's interview at Overspill

Reya Veltman

A love of different mediums - painting, photography, ceramics, knitting (to name a few!), has Reya Veltman's portfolio brimming with a beautiful body of work.

Reya's current Felt collection that she has in her store that I want to showcase for you today.

Hand felted out of 100% Wool (quite often Australian Merino) Reya's felted sculptures have a luxurious softness about them - and the little acorns shown below... divine!

(images from Reya Veltman)

NOTES:
visit Reya's website
visit Reya's store
read Reya's blog

Judi Tavill

Judi Tavill's work has been in my catalogue for a while now. I have been waiting for the right time to share it with you. I think today is perfect.

Judi's work reminds me of my Grandmother. I have fuzzy memories of an Art Deco vase that had similar ridges, smoothness and elegance as the Pitcher shown first below. My 'Nana' was always immaculate, she had wonderful taste and I am sure she would have loved Judi's work as much as I do.

"Bringing function and art together is a wonderful balance. My hope is that each piece can bring joy to the collector by its presence or by its use. If my work can cause one to notice form or color a little differently that day, this completes the creative process for me."

(images and quote from Judi Tavill)

NOTES:
visit Judi's website
visit Judi's store
read Judi's blog

While I was over reading Judi's blog, I read about her friend Pam. Pam has ASL and her story really touched my heart. Judi's 12 year old son is currently raising money for ASL awareness and research into this debilitating disease. He has initiated his own National (U.S) event "Carnival for Pals - riding for those who no longer can". If you would like to contribute click here for more details.

Have a lovely day everyone,

See you tomorrow for W! xxoo