Today we’re sharing the work of Sage Dawson, an amazing artist from right here in the midwest.  I’m happy to say that she’s not only a wonderful artist, but she’s also my friend.  We met while we were both working on our undergraduate degrees in Fine Arts.  I love following Sage’s work, she creates beautiful, thoughtful, layered pieces using printmaking methods, painting, drawing, and collage.  In her most recent work Sage focuses on exploring abandoned buildings and spaces.  Here’s more from her artist statement:

 ”On Streets Like Ours, In Rooms, Up Collapsing Stairs examines the history of cartographic rendering: mapping to investigate the distinct identities of spaces, dwelling rights, and contemporary perspectives of nostalgia. The work draws from on-site dwelling rights research in India, radical cartography, and phenomenological approaches to documenting abandoned and forgotten sites. Most of the places and objects explored, such as the 1163 Mary Street house in Springfield, Missouri, are nearly invisible to the communities within which they reside, though they remain intact, collecting dust and mildew atop obsolete technologies, peeling tile, furniture, and architectural remnants–such as the bathtub, a part of the 1163 Mart Street house since its construction in 1941. The work examines the production and destruction of space, and its larger impact on the people who encounter it.”

Sage also keeps a blog about her work called Sage Dawson News.  It’s an update about her shows, lectures, and published work, but also a peek inside her studio and a behind the scenes look as she sets up her installations at galleries.  For me an artists process is just as interesting as the final art work they create.  Here’s a very few pics of what you can find, it’s definitely on my must read list of art blogs.

A big thank you to Sage for letting us share her work.  If you’d like to see some of her pieces in persons she’s got a solo show coming up in St.Louis on May 24th, and also one on July 5th in Kansas City at Front/Space gallery.  I know I’ll be attending!

Staying inspired in any job can be very rewarding. I’m always looking at other designers and illustrators to help keep me informed and inspired. One of those individuals is Lisa Congdon. If you’re not familiar with Lisa then you probably should be. Her clients include Chronicle Books, Running Press, Harper Collins Publishing, Target, Urban Outfitters, and Random House Publishing. Her work is shown in galleries across the US. Lisa did not start painting till she was in her thirties and is mostly self-taught. She loves to collect things and chronicled a book, A Collection a Day. Lisa is also well known for her hand lettered quotes and plans to have another book published featuring some in the Spring of 2014. Lisa currently lives and works in the mission district of San Francisco.

If you would like to see more of her work visit her site at http://lisacongdon.com/

If you don’t know who Tad Carpenter is, then you probably should, he’s kind of a big deal.  As a Kansas City girl, I can’t help but be proud that my hometown can boast of such a talented guy.  He’s an illustrator whose work is colorful, quirky, and overall super fun.  He’s designed products, and packaging for the likes of Target, Publix, Adobe (yes Adobe), Snapple, and many more.  His concert posters are so lovely I’d definitely hang a few of them in my home, and his art prints are colorful, and sweet, many of which would make great gifts for weddings, house-warmings, or baby showers.  I also love taking a peek into the interiors of creative peoples homes, and him and his wife Jessica were featured on Design Sponge for a house tour.  Their space is everything you’d imagine, filled with light, lots of color, and fun quirky objects all over the place!  Thanks so much to Tad for letting me share his work on the blog today!  See all of his designs on his website tadcarpenter.com.

(photo by Eric Linebarger)

Every year in Kansas City we have The Plaza Art Fair. It’s an amazing event, an outdoor art festival with artists that come from all over the country to show their work. Each year lots of the same artists appear, which is great for collectors who love particular artists works. However this year I was searching through all the artists booths for something new to me, and came across the work of Dolan Geiman. Immediately I was pulled in by all the layers and textures of his pieces, as well as the bright colors he uses. His work stood out from a lot of the other artists, and he combines lots of different techniques including painting, collage, printing, and sculpture, plus he and his wife were super sweet and told us all about the process of making his pieces. He’s worked with some huge companies as well including Anthropologie, and Urban Outfitters (two of my faves) to produce artworks that everyone can afford. I even bought two of his panel paintings for my own home. Plus who wouldn’t love his tagline, “Contemporary Art with a Southern Accent”.

Here’s where to find Dolan: Website – dolangeiman.com, Facebook, Twitter, Etsy, Flickr, Instagram: @doartist

So glad that I found Dolan and his artwork. Please make sure to check out his website, you won’t be disappointed!

While postcard collecting is popular it’s something that never interested me. That was until I was given a couple hundred that had been in my mother’s family for several generations. Most of them belonged to Louise Emaline Edwards, my great-grandmother, who I never met. Given my interest in family history as well as my sentimentality I feel rather lucky that they fell into my lap.

Most of the cards I have date from 1902—1910. These types of ephemera would not have appealed to me when I was younger or most people at any age for that fact. As an adult living in an age where a handwritten letter is so greatly appreciated for its rarity, I find the abundance of these cards with their shortly written messages so sweet and endearing. A friend of mine recently compared postcard messages from this era as the equivalent to a status update on Facebook today. The second reason I love them so much is just for the beauty of the card itself, including the lovely penmanship found on the back of most of the cards. Here’s a few of my personal favorites that I would love to share with everyone.

I love the little poem on this card, along with the combination of the embossing and metallic ink.

I’m not totally sure what the two of them have gotten into, but I love it that they are “Too busy to write!” I’ve come across many of these cute and flirty cards from this era with their innuendo in abundance!

This cards is so lovely in person. I love how the face is so realistic and contrasts with the exaggerated  monotone  lavender fabric. This card is embossed as well and has gold metallic ink.

This card, along with the next, shocked me when I first saw them. They looked very modern with the use of two printing techniques of embossing and the ombré color.

It’s hard to read but this one says “A Merry Christmas.”

Another simple card that I love.

I think this is one of my favorites. I love the red, blue and gold color combination with the intertwined type. I hope you enjoyed these as much as I do!