ghosts.

We're back!

Today we're loving the collages of Winnipeg artist Paul Butler. Spare and haunting, Butler creates urban spaces where ghosts weave in and among us. These images are from his series "What's Within." In partnership with Montreal's Division Gallery, L.A.'s @Four Six One will be presenting Butler's work, along with a group of Canadian artists on July 6. The details are all here. And you can view more of Butler's minimal collages here.

All images © Paul Butler

And here are a few more things to love.

Finally read and loved Just Kids by Patti Smith.

Photo © Norman Seeff

On a recent visit to Minneapolis, I fell in love with Five Watt Coffee. Their house specialties sound more like craft cocktails. I oped for the Busy Beaver, but if I still lived in the Twin Cities, I'd be working my way through the entire menu. Every drink looked amazing.

And I love this Picasso.

Violin, 1912

That's all for now. Have a wonderful 4th of July, and I'll be back soon with more to love. xoL

swimmer.

Hi there, and welcome back. Hope your week is looking good.

Today we are loving the paintings of swimmers by Colombian artist Pedro Covo. They're the definition of tranquil, wouldn't you say? I love how the shades of blue and green meld with the nudes, the same way bodies do when they splash into water. There's something so peaceful about swimming alone in your personal watering hole. Covo paints other portraits and nudes, too, with the same mesmerizing sweeps of color and abstract brush strokes. You can see more of his work at his site and on Instagram. Via This is Colossal.

All art © Pedro Covo

Just a few more things to love today.

This photo. Via By the way...

Harlem, 1960 © Saul Leiter

These John O'Hara book covers.

Cover designs by Hans Tisdall

And these stills from Paris, Texas.

That's all for today. I'll be back this week with more to love.

abandoned.

Well, hi! We're back, and today we're loving "Abandoned & Forgotten," the photographs of Jan Stel.

Abandoned buildings always stir the imagination. They conjure ghost stories, horror films (Session 9, anyone?) and general tales of darkness. No happy endings here (although they're always more interesting).

Since 1998, Stel has devoted his entire career to photographing abandoned places, from subway tunnels and manufacturing plants to private homes, cars--even a castle! The result is a fascinating world of lost and forgotten lives. States the artist:

"Most of the general public only see decay, vandalism and ruins; 

I look much deeper. Silenced by men, our man-built world is 

now being reclaimed by Mother Nature; it seems a desolate and 

soulless place but is still full of history and life."

You can see more of these amazing photos at Stel's site and on Behance.

All images © Jan Stel 

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A few more things to love today:

This cover for Wüthering Heights by illustrator Hayley Potter.

Art © Hayley Potter

This Picasso.

Portrait of Dora Maar, 1936

And Notebook's feature: The Best Film Posters of 2015. You know I love a good end-of-year list!

Design by Eric Buckham

That's all for today--but you know I'll be back with more to love. xoL

street.

Hey everyone! Welcome back. After some holiday vacay and a few days to fix technical glitches, we are ready to get our love on again. So, please join me in adoring the incredible street photos of Janet Delaney.

Like many, I was floored my last year's documentary Finding Vivian Maier, and it piqued my interest in street photography. Updating the old cliché, "every picture tells a story," I think every street photo tells a Russian novel. Ok, maybe that's pushing it. Every street photo tells a Chekovian short story--or maybe a Dostoevsky novella.

In addition to her storytelling, or story "capturing," I love the composition of Delaney's photos. She snaps the most fleeting of moments--split seconds in time--where the background and subject are in perfect balance--like a great painting. Although Delaney is based in the Bay Area, these photos are from her series, "New York City 1984-88." She has equally mesmerizing collections on South of Market (San Francisco), Dehli, Beijing, Athens and Istanbul. You can see all of her work at her site. Via Miss Moss. 

All photos © Janet Delaney

And a few more things to love today:

This book cover. From: "Book Covers of Note, November 2015" via The Casual Optimist.

Design by Strick & Williams

This Cactus Watercolor Wall Mural via anewalldecor.

And this painting. Via MyDarlingFlowers.

La violoniste, 1920, Kees Van Dongen

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

into the wild.

Hey there--we're back. Hope you're enjoying the week, and here's a little something to get you to Friday.

I've been wanting to feature the work of artist Andreas Lie for quite some time. These unique prints blend portraits of wild animals and double exposed photographs of forests, mountains--even the Northern Lights. I would imagine these are all common sights in the artist's home of Norway. I like to imagine myself hiking the fjords at nighttime, bears and coyotes galloping at my side.

The details of the photos often mesh perfectly with the texture of the animals' coats. It's as if nature is encompassed within the animal, fading into their silhouettes. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know I love that kind of thing.

Lie's work has been featured on Beautiful Decay, UFunk, This is Colossal and many other art sites. His pieces are available as prints and on other assorted merchandise at Society6.

All art © Andreas Lie

More to love:

This chair and painting from Rachel Bilson's home. Via Lonny magazine.

Photo: Douglas Friedman via Lonny

This cover for my favorite novel.

Source: Trevor Baum

And this Saul Leiter photo.

Source: The New Yorker

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