The installation above is by far the most inspiring thing I came across last week. Artist Yayoi Kusama created an amazingly stark white interior and let children decorate with thousands of colorful dot stickers in her aptly titled exhibit, “The Obliteration Room.” Not only is it an amazing idea, it looks awesome! Check out more of the before and after shots on This is Colossal.

The photos reminded me a bit of the recent confetti craze.. colorful, whimsical and a little silly. Confetti has been permeating the styling world for quite a while now, but the multi-colored polka dot look is also trickling down into product design. I only did a little bit of hunting, but it seems totally possible to decorate a room in your home to look like Kusama’s exhibit without the help of a single sticker.

Tempting, but so ridiculous! Maybe just the whippets then…?

Clockwise from top left:
Large spot clock by Damien Hirst on Other Criteria (£490)
Multi-dot pillow cover from West Elm ($19.99)
Polka dot glasses from Fish’s Eddy ($24 for a set of four)
Accent plate and sugar bowl from Kate Spade’s Market Street collection ($19 and $65)
Set of two polka dot whippets by Emma Bridgewater (£495)
Felted wool pinocchio rug designed by Hay ($345)
Multidot serving set from French Bull ($16)
Dot to dot flannel bedding on Garnett Hill ($15-$80)
Polka dot painted dresser featured in Elle Decor

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is kicking off their 2012 on a positive note! Looking forward to a lot of fun stuff in the months ahead..

Happy New Year!

(photo by Eric Medsker. Thanks pal!)

All of these items are cute, reasonably priced and – best of all – made or collected by independent artists. Sometimes I just can’t remember what it was like to do holiday shopping without Etsy..

1. 22k gold rim dish by lovedaniella, 2. Vintage Swedish wood tray with gold stripes by smallvictoriesshop, 3. Vintage gold bamboo flatware from vintagequeen, 4. White and gold faux deer head by LucyHaus, 5. Dottie handprinted hemp pillow in gold and black by melongings

1. 10k gold-dipped geode by eringotz, 2. Gold-lined snakeskin cuff bracelet by UNEARTHED, 3. Gold-dipped geo rings by amerrymishap, 4. Asymmetrical gray and golden leather pendant by underanewlight, 5. White leather bangles with gold tube accents by LeatherWraps

1. Gold leather mask by NonDecaffeinatedArt, 2. White and gold scalloped buttons from BonitaBellitaEct, 3. Gold and white nautical stripe passport cover by Jenni20, 4, Gold anemone screenprint from printsbyamandajames, 5. Heart of gold sequined confetti from duskandbloompaperie, 6. Vintage Brass Squirrel from PineandMain

I found this super affordable print on Etsy from Articipe — a clever artist making fun typography-based art out of simple recipes. You can snag a copy of a classic, like the above oatmeal cookie ingredient list, or commission a personalized print of your granny’s legendary dish. Holiday gifts, anyone?

Speaking of the holidays and delicious baked goods, I’ve been inspiration-gathering for a cookie swap that’s coming up next week! I’m sure all our bases will be covered for the classics, so I thought it might be fun to find other festive cookies to share. A bit non-traditional, but snowflake designs and crushed candy cane bits shouldn’t be a pre-req for holiday cheer!

Some of these guys look pretty time consuming, but the artist in me is tempted to take a stab at the chevron print beauties…

Clockwise from top left:

Lemon poppy seed cookies via With Sprinkles on Top
Chevron print cookies featured on Sweet Sugar Belle
Peppermint pinwheel shortbread cookies from Food Network
Almond butter blackberry jam thumbprint cookies on Poppytalk by Lyndsay of Coco Cakes
Crisp sugar doily cookies from Martha Stewart
Glittering sandwich cookies via the Purl Bee
Quartrefoile iced sugar cookies by Bee in Our Bonnet
Herb de provence orange butter cookies by Luna Cafe
S’mores cookie bars from Baked Perfection

Design Work Life had a post last week about the work of artist Lulie Wallace. Her still life paintings are too cool — colorful, dynamic and a little retro, infusing energy and style into a potentially dull subject. I got caught up for a while this evening flipping through her portfolio, but the image featured above is one of my favs. I can’t be too sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the striped vase has something to do with it!

While I save up to hoard a few originals from her shop, I’ll hold myself over with a little dress-up inspired by Lulie’s bold, vintage vibe.

Clockwise from top left:
Tunic dress in old rose from Mango ($79.90)
Black and white polka dot foulard from Mango ($29.90)
Cosmic thread copper and walnut wood necklace by Goldlyn ($161)
Pastel pigments earrings by Modcloth($17.99)
Opaque tights in green wood from Nordstrom ($11.99)
Portola Valley Kaley handbag in mauve by Kate Spade($295)
Fuschia wool knit pencil skirt by Nina Ricci on MyTheresa ($765)
Orange “Oh My Darling” wedge from Modcloth ($54.99)
Essie nail polish is “Wife Goes On,” “Carry On” and Luxedo
Chartreuse vintage cat eye glasses on Flickr by Vintage Eyewear
Gray and navy stripe Breton top by Beth Graham via FarFetch ($87)
Bronze blaise flat moccasin with metallic dot studs by Loeffler Randall ($325)

Michelle Armas and her amazing paintings have been popping up all over the place lately, and with good reason. The colors and technique are whimsical, and I can’t help but be captivated by most of the pieces in her portfolio.

When I came across this Once Wed post on Michelle’s painted votive project, I felt inspired to do a (belated) recap of some fun pieces to come out of the watercolor décor trend. Pure magic..

Clockwise from top left:
DIY tutorial for dip-dyed pillar candles on MarthaStewart.com
David Stark for West Elm brushstroke dinnerware ($32-40)
Louisa Setee watercolor-inspired seating from Anthropologie ($2,500)
Painted calendars from Fine Day Press via Design*Sponge
Watercolor floral duvet from Urban Outfitters ($79)
Paint palette pillow from CB2 ($35)
Handmade blown glass votive holders by Glassybaby in Creamsicle and Raspberry Sorbet ($40)
DIY painted votives from Michelle Armas via Once Wed
Abstract printed linen pillow in Berry from Bluebellgray (£70)

This photo from the nümph brand news feed is a real treat!  The bold and retro mosaic pattern jumped out at me for obvious reasons, but the artist here has introduced enough “busy” elements to keep things interesting and balanced.

I’m a sucker for a good geometric pattern, and while I used to be a die-hard polka dot enthusiast, I’ve recently found my tastes graduating to triangular tessellations. Lucky for me, triangles are everywhere these days–from art to fashion, triangles are downright trendy.  Is the triangle the hippest shape out there right now? Check out some of the inspired pieces below and weigh in on the debate!

Clockwise from top left:

Cassette Society metallic gold triangle tee on ShopBop.com ($58.50)
1960 tribal triangle necklace by House of Harlow on Bloomingdales ($80)
Geometric beams dress with bead embellishment from Beyond the Valley via Asos ($450)
Cropped triangles top from Fred Flare ($33.99)
Geometric pop earrings by nomilktoday on Etsy ($9.50)
Multi triangles heather grey tee by jessalinb on Etsy ($36)
Converse triangle-print hightop Marimekko sneakers via Saks Fifth Avenue ($80)
Occult triangle badges from PandaEyesPendants on Etsy ($5 for 4)
Beaded geometry bag from Anthropologie ($228)
Geometric mosaic cuff by American Apparel ($24.50)

I came across this moleskine sketch on tumblr recently, created and shared by Hollis Brown Thornton. Playful and colorful with a touch of kitsch, this “Jaws” nod brought an instant smile to my face. The drawing offers a glimpse into the quirky-cool world of Hollis’s work, an endless stream of imaginative and inspired pieces with a welcome retro vibe.

As I dug deeper through his portfolio site, I discovered that I actually own a Thornton original.. snagged off of the beloved 20×200 last year! His poignant ode to a long lost medium, VHS, currently hangs on my wall just below a vintage print of strawberry ice cream sundaes. True story.

I reached out to Hollis and can attest that he is an extremely cool dude. Hailing from Aiken, South Carolina, Thornton received his BFA from the University of South Carolina in 1999. Following his graduation, Thornton worked for various galleries including Russell Bowman Art Advisory and Mongerson Galleries in Chicago, IL. Since 2005, Thornton has been focusing mostly on his own work in a warehouse studio back in his hometown.

An excerpt from his site tells more about his inspiration.. “Dealing with themes of memory and perception, Thornton uses modern cultural artifacts ranging from family photos to pop culture imagery in order to illustrate the modern relevance of these things from the past. In the acrylic paintings, pigment transfers and marker drawings, the use of erase face, limbo lines, outdated media and wallpaper patterns all play key roles in uniting the fleeting present to a lingering past.”

Hollis was kind enough to take some time to chat more about his work and life:

Anjelica: Tell us about the three biggest influences in your work to date.

Hollis:  I’d have to say over the past 5 or so years it has been CyTwombly, Peter Doig, and Matthew Barney.  Twombly’s work has an immediate emotional connection for me, a sense of vitality and energy that I don’t get from any other visual art.  Peter Doig’s paintings are representational with a strange dreamlike twist.  He was the artist that made me decide I could possibly do a decent representational painting one day.  And finally Barney, I’m more attracted to his conceptual foundation and his ability to articulate what he is doing.  The work itself can be a bit much, but the underlying ideas are fascinating.

On a more personal level, the work of these three young artists has been very influential:

Vrno: http://vrno.tumblr.com/

Roberto Calbucci: http://robertocalbucci.tumblr.com/

Clare Grill: http://www.claregrill.com/

A: Is there a hidden meaning behind the common theme of erased faces and people in your work?

H: The erased faces usually have some form of lines coming out as well.  These “limbo lines” as I’ve come to call them connect with other people and objects in the environment, representing our dependence on and desire to understand things happening around us.  They are our thoughts, questions, and ideas that lead to understanding we develop, either with variations of myths/religion or through science and objectivity.  The protagonists identities are hidden, representing anyone.  They represent the incomplete nature of memories as well as the fragmented nature of the people and environments in the photos, that inherent motivation to understand their surroundings.  The erasure hides individual identities and, most importantly, represent inevitable change and the fact that these individuals, in that specific form, no longer exist, either older or completely gone.

A: How did you develop your pigment transfer technique for creating these mixed media pieces?

Around 10 years ago an artist in a neighboring studio was transferring black and white photocopies into gesso.  She gave me the basics of the process and it developed from there.  Outside of that, a lot of trial and error.  Getting familiar with the variables of the process.

A color photo copy of the photo being transferred and a sheet of 80lb paper are prepped and adhered to one another with acrylic medium. Hollis uses a squeegee to remove air bubbles before hanging the piece to dry.

After the image has dried for 24 hours, Hollis soaks the paper by spraying with a water bottle.  A wet brush with hard bristles is used to remove chunks of the lightweight copy paper, leaving the printed image behind.

A cotton t-shirt is used to more delicately remove remaining bits of paper from the transferred print. The original image, now slightly worn and faded, is ready on its new medium for the introduction of ink and more.

[check out Hollis's super detailed overview of his pigment transfer process, and try it out on your own!]

A: What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?

H: Continuing with art, especially in my early years.  It is somewhat easier now that I’m older and have an identity as an artist and a variety of techniques I’ve developed.  When you are just starting out, for myself at least, it felt like years of limbo.

A: If you could travel to any place at any time in the past or present, where would you go?

H: I really have no answer for this one….. I’ve never had the desire to travel.  I don’t know why.

A: What’s your most recent muse, and how do you think this will impact your art moving forward?

H: Definitely my girlfriend, who also helps a lot in the studio.  It is great to always have someone else for objectivity as well as accountability.

A: Anything you’re excited about in the coming year?

H: I’m still not content with my paintings.  My pigment transfers and marker drawings are just where I want them, but the painting not so much.  If I can figure those out this year, I’d be very happy.

A: Share an inspiring quote, or something else that you find yourself thinking of often.

H: Boy scouts “Be prepared.” That has always been my favorite quote.

Fork carpet? Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. I came across these awesome artists on D E S I G N L O V E F E S T. The use of ordinary materials to make something extraordinary has always appealed to me, so these creative carpets by Stijn van der Vleuten, Marcia Nolte and Bob Waardenburg really jumped out.

Interestingly enough, the artists claim to create these carpets from scratch without a specific plan or layout. The organic evolution of the design makes it all the more impressive. Love these shots! Check out more on their blog: We Make Carpets.

This amazing letterpress note card from Smock Paper is part of their incredible red and purple series of cards, gift wrap, boxes, pads, bags and more. I love the vivid colors and the saturated inks in their designs overall, but this one stood out from the rest! A fun color combo that doesn’t get a ton of play!

I started thinking about receiving this card as an invitation, and what kind of party would lie in wait. Something chic, fun and “gardeny”– red and purple flowers are a given, but what about the rest? Here are some ideas!

Clockwise from top-left:
Party inspiration from Carter and Cook featured on Somewhere Splendid
Lavender anemone photo found on Maggie Austin’s portfolio (these are sugar, but they look so real!)
Red Ikea Salong vase ($7.99)
A whimsical arrangement from Saipua
Purple metallic vases from Pier 1 Imports ($30 and $40)
Pretty poppy cake found on the Iced Bakery blog

Lavender Louis arm chair on CSN ($180)

Red embroidered chrysanthemum blossom pillow from Bliss Living ($55)

Francine sofa from Anthropologie ($1,500)

Hamptons Violet Dinner Plate from Crate and Barrel ($9.95)

Cherry red wallflower print fabric from Amy Butler’s lotus collection