Ruth Marks, Lovely Work

In the interest of Day of the Dead and All Saints Day here's a lovely new to me artist. Her name is Ruth Marks and she has all sorts of dolls and sculptures that are just dreamy and spirity (it's a word [okay it's not, but I'm working it]) and eerie.

Like this one

or this one

Very cool. I went through all her previous works of the various years, but I'm having trouble saving the photos. And I really wish she had a blog.

If you're out there Ruth Marks, can you start a blog? It's not that hard. I'm dying to know about your techniques and inspirations.

Brilliant and Creepy Illustrator: Jason Holley

This book cover was done by Jason Holley. I love it. I love everything on his website, actually.

I am putting him here because I wouldn't mind him illustrating my book cover, when it gets published. (I'm putting that out there as a "when" not an "if" because I just finished the third draft of my novel, and I am gearing up to get it out into the world. Positive thinking, folks.)

Anyway, take a look at his illustrations. Great work, thought provoking, beautiful, chilling, slightly Audubon inspired, slightly graffiti inspired, full of decay and yearning. Me likey.

Also look at his archives. When I get obsessed with something, it gets featured here. I'm obsessed.

via the always inspiring automatism

Toto. We Are Not In Kansas

I am afraid of tornadoes. I had to spend a few dark hours in a basement with my kids and my neighbor, after I heard the train rumble and a tree fell down knocking out the electricity all over town.

Fine. No one saw an official tornado, but I'm pretty sure that when I was running around trying to close the windows to the wind and rain, and found that ALL the windows had rain blowing in, that meant it was an actual tornado. Plus that train sound. Plus the tree falling and the light going out.

Okay, we were only in the basement for a few minutes before it passed but it was scary.

Oh. What is not scary but in fact fantastic and inspirational?

The above tornado is not real. Nor is it digital. Nor is it an illustration or a painting or any of that.

It is a diorama.

*blink*

This man is a genius. He does dioramas of all sorts of scenes. From outer space, to glacier chill, to conflagrations, to gentle landscape. Amazing.

via astulabee. Thanks, Nicole. I love your blog.

I'm Running Away to the Circus, If the Circus Looks This Good.

What a beautiful photo shoot. I don't know much about it, but I found it here and was entranced. It's years old, but I don't care. The photographers are here

What can I say? I love the strange, the shadowy, the slightly weird. My mind makes up stories about these pictures. Plus the clothes are pretty cool, too.

Found via Design*sponge

Double Outstanding!

First this awesome art installation/camper for one on a deavy duty tricycle, found on Inhabitat,

then the awesome painting by it's owner Boston based Kevin Cyr. Loving. And check out his truck paintings, too.

I don't know why I've been loving campers and airstreams lately, but I have. Actually I always have. I'm a nester at heart, and sometimes I wish I could travel with my home right there with me.

If I had this camper, I could put my groceries away before I left the grocery store!

In Which the Author is Revealed as a Reality TV Junkie

Uh uh. I just found Elyse Sewell's live journal. If you are a pop junkie like me, you will remember her as the girl that should have won America's Next Top Model... I do believe season one. Season ONE? So long ago?

Now she's a bonafide model, living the life in Asia. I guess she gave up on the idea of going to medical school.

I just spent half my morning reading her blog. I found it funny, if a little snarky, but that's the voice I remember from yesterboobtube. It's also kind of interesting seeing the cultures she encounters. I think she's lately in Shanghai.

This isn't really about design or living small or being heartfelt, but I is who I is, and I watch a lot of tv. A little bit of living vicariously isn't a bad thing. Keeps me from spending money. Plus I get the feeling that modeling isn't as glamorous as it appears on the surface, which is true of most things.

ANTM is one of my favorite reality shows, after So You Think You Can Dance. Which I swoon over. I can't wait until it starts again.