Almost Alice: Maggie Taylor

This American artist makes digital collages by scanning old pictures and different objects and then creating fantastic environments for them. She is the Queen of Photoshop, and her work is detailed and beautifully finished. I just found this series, "Almost Alice," inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Enjoy!

www.maggietaylor.com

Family Portraits: Travis Louie

I just bought a book called Curiosities from New York artist Travis Louie. He took a whole catalog of fantastic and grotesque characters and portrayed them in a Victorian fashion with some hints of Film Noir. They all look like family portraits that you could easily hang on one of your walls, along with that picture of your great grandmother or that aunt that survived two world wars. I'm sure that in many cases –like mine– they resemble many non-fictional crazy families. This guy created a world for himself where monsters look friendly, and candid and destroyed that horrible prejudice that the media has created around them (like sharks or snakes). In the book, he also includes a small biography of each character. In any case, I want one to hang beside grandma's picture, although I'm not sure if she would appreciate that. For your family album: Travis Louie's Curiosities.

www.travislouie.com

Lucky Charm: The Bahia Chair

This vintage chair was reupholstered in yellow velvet and redesigned by London Studio 20Age to include more than 5000 “fitas” or Brazilian ribbons that are used -literally- In remembrance of the Savior of Bahia. They come in every possible color and are imprinted with the phrase “Lembrança do Senhor do Bonfim da Bahia”. In the 18th century, the Fitas were used as necklaces with the name of a saint embroidered as proof of a miraculous cure or healing. “Fita” means “measure,” as its size corresponds to the length of the arm of Christ’s statue at the Senhor do Bonfim Church. Nowadays, they have returned as a lucky charm. If you go to Bahía, you should bring some back home and give them as a gift to a close friend. Then you have to put the ribbon around their wrists and tie 3 knots. Which each knot your friend should make a wish. When the ribbon wears off or falls -naturally-, the wishes are granted by the Senhor do Bonfim.

With this chair, you can ask for 15.000 wishes, but you’ll have to wait a bit until all the ribbons disintegrate. Good luck and enjoy The Bahia Chair!

Alphabet Love: Luca Barcellona

It is not too often that you get to see calligraphy artists in action. I found this video where the Italian calligrapher Luca Barcellona is caught working over a blank canvas. Very easy when you type anything on your keyboard, but it goes to the other extreme with just a felt tip marker and white paper. Somehow I always picture calligraphers like old monks illuminating bibles in some old monastery...not at all the case here. Enjoy the beautiful calligraphy of Luca Barcellona!

http://www.lucabarcellona.com/

Master of Darkness: Ray Caesar

This is one of my favorite artists. Not only is his work elaborated and with exquisite detail, but it is also charged with eroticism and a rather sinister ingredient that makes it irresistible. He takes the Regency era to another level by picturing Marie Antoinette-styled women, always with a twisted side (that probably was present at the time, before the French monarchs lost their heads à La Bastille). In other pictures, the trend is more 50's or even Victorian. All of them are true eye candy. Enjoy Ray Caesar's work.

www.raycaesar.com/
www.jonathanlevinegallery.com