sammy slabbinck.

Hi! Took a little break last week, because we were feeling a tad under the 100+ degree weather, but we're back with some wonderful stuff to love.

Today, we're featuring the incredible collages of Belgian artist Sammy Slabbinck. A sense of whimsy, vintage images, surreal worlds and bonus--giant women. These works of art have it all. Time, place and scale are all out of whack, the proportions are distorted and yet it's all in perfect harmony. They make me giggle. I could stare at them all day and always see a little something new.

You can view more of these brilliant pieces at the artist's site. Via Beautiful Decay.

All art © Sammy Slabbnick

And here's a few more things for you to love:

This photo. I've nicknamed it "Linda Evangelista, the Glory Days."

Photo © Steven Meisel

These ocean wave decals from 3rdAveShore on etsy.

And this Matisse.

Portrait of Greta Pozor, 1916 via i killed jack johnson

That's all for now, but I'll be back soon with more to love. xoL

clare elsaesser

Hello and Happy Tuesday!

We are back, and today we are loving the paintings of California artist Clare Elsaesser. I came across one of her works on Pinterest and was immediately drawn to a style that's both whimsical and haunting. I especially love her series of figures burying their faces in flowers. The hidden visage is running theme in all her paintings. They're eerie, seductive, and I love them. Clare's etsy shop is filled with stunning (and reasonably priced) pieces--check them out.

Dress Up

Flower Child

Gone Wild

Grew Into

Overgrown

So Much

All art © Clare Elsaesser

And just a few more things to love.

This past weekend, I attended the most incredible experimental dance performance evereachmore presented by The Bowtie Project. Bowtie is a collaboration between Clockshop and the California State Parks to bring art and performance to a recently-opened area next to the L.A. River just off of Frogtown and Glassell Park. Clockshop is an L.A.-based organization that hosts art events illuminating political and cultural ideas.

evereachmore is the creation of the amazing taisha paggett and local dance troupe WXPT. It was an exploration and celebration of ethnicity and queer identity. Instead of being performed on a traditional stage, the dancers rose up from the banks of the river, "migrating" to a sacred circle as the audience mingled and followed the performers for almost a mile. The result was both epic and intimate.

Photos via The Bowtie Project

Today I was thrilled to discover China has a Watermelon Museum. Founded in 2002 and located just south of Beijing in one of the largest watermelon-harvesting areas in the world, the museum focuses on the history and culture of this wonderful, refreshing fruit.

I just love that a Watermelon Museum exists somewhere on our planet.

Photos by Kendra Schaefer via Atlas Obscura

And I love this photograph of Blondie.

Debbie Harry, 1977 by Richard Creamer

That's all for now. I'll see you soon! Love, Lexa.

party.

Anyone who knows me understands that I'm a huge fan of collage. The love affair began when I first discovered the great Hannah Höch at Minneapolis's Walker Art Center many years ago.

Today I am smitten with the work of Sanda Anderlon. Her series Party, or "a drunken jungle in a two storey collage" is an invitation to the craziest bash ever--while upstairs, a more private kind of shenanigans are exposed. Amazing.

Prints are available for sale in her Etsy Shop.

All art (c) Sanda Anderlon via The Jealous Curator

There is so much fabulousness to love this weekend, I couldn't get it all in yesterday's post. Here's the rest. Find out all the details and ticket info by clicking on the links.

Tonight - Sunday at REDCAT: the Poor Dog Group presents Murder Ballad (1938).

Saturday and Sunday: take a stroll down the Brewery Spring Art Walk in DTLA.

Saturday night: ThinkSpace Gallery hosts a reception for their group show Gumbo.

Saturday and Sunday night: UCLA screens River of Fundament, the new film by Matthew Barney.

Sunday: the Craft and Folk Art Museum hosts their 3rd Annual Vintage Marketplace. Also the Jackalope Art and Craft Fair is happening in Pasadena.

As always, have a fantastic weekend. Love, Lexa.

book sculptures.

Anyone who knows me knows one of the things I love most: art created from books.

Altered Books is a series by the Seattle artist Isobell Ouzman, who fishes out throwaways from the trash and hand-me-downs at thrift stores, then transforms them into wondrous scenes using an exacto knife, glue, pens, watercolors and "a lot of love." She takes commissions through her Etsy Shop.

Altered Books (c) Isobelle Ouzmann via Beautiful Decay

Inspired by fossils and other geological delights, Jessica Drenk's series Reading our Remains features books treated with wax and carved into "objects that feel better suited to a natural history museum than a library."

Books--they're for more than just reading, kids.

Art and images (c) Jessica Drenk

More to love:

Cinefamily is hosting a sneak preview of Welcome to Me, the new Kristen Wiig flick. There's a Q&A with director Shiva Piven, but you have to register.

Café Gratitude has a new location in the Arts District.

"Forbidden Fruit" by Patrick Martinez opens tomorrow night at the New Image Art Gallery, 7 p.m.

Now don't go getting any ideas that I can throw away $5K on a dress, but I sure do love this one. A girl can dream.

And here's your Song of the Day, courtesy of The Tallest Man on Earth. The new album Dark Bird is Home comes out on May 12th.