trash riot.

Hi, it's Lexa. I'm back and blogging again.

I think I may have mentioned this before, but in 2014 I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, and shortly afterwards I revamped the blog from "Toy Tanks & Chinese Firecrackers" to "Love Lexa." I really wanted to make it about all the things I love so much—art, collage, photography, design, music, food and film—just to name a few. But then the the unexpected happened—I got a new job, I was diagnosed with cancer again and managing a blog full-time just became too much.
After shuttering it for a few months, I was again diagnosed with cancer and this time had to go on disability. I thought the blog would keep me occupied while I rested most days, but the chemo was so draining. On the stronger types of chemo, it's difficult to even watch a movie or read a book. I often resorted to watching sitcoms and SNL sketches. It's all I have the attention span for. Again, I bid the blog good-bye.

And then just this week, that little flicker came back—how much I love scouring the internet for new art and photography and what's closest to my heart—collage. And I thought why not? What the hell? Let's give it another go.

So here we are again, back open for business. I'll just be posting at my own pace, for family and friends and the few people who love what I love as much as I love it. Without any further adieu, let's see what we're loving today...

Many moons ago, I posted a collage by Philadelphia-based artist Trash Riot. I loved it so much, I brought his work back as today's feature. I true "riot" of color, humor and on-what-planet-have-I-landed-ness—heh, heh. This is what I like to call classical collage--50's vintage photos combined with a sci-fi flair. Many throw these images together, but few do it with the artistry of Trash Riot.

Free Falling

Future Landscapes

Laissez Faire

Orbital Noise

Requiem

Skydiving

All images (c) Trash Riot

And here's a few more things to love today.

I love this article "The Final Resting Places of Seven Famous Dogs."

Via Atlas Obscura

I love this vintage film poster.

And I love this: your Song of the Day.

Have a wonderful week. I'll be back with more to love. xoL

polaroids.

Hi there! Today we are loving the photos of Alicia Bock.

Before Instagram made everyone a photography star, you might remember a little site called flickr. During the early age of Flickr (and Blogger), I came across--and fell madly in love with--the Polaroids of Jen Gotch and Alicia Bock. They both inspired me to pick up my own Polaroid camera, a momentous event (wink, wink) which led to the creation of this blog. Alas, it was just before Polaroid announced they would stop making film--not to mention film becoming near obsolete with the following Age of Smart Phones with Fancy Filters and Apps.

While Jen has gone on to great fame as the CEO of ban.do, Alicia continues to post her breathtaking images on Instagram, her site and her etsy store. While Alicia photographs her travels to places such as Paris and Chicago, she mostly snaps pics of her home life in Michigan--and makes it feel like the loveliest place in the universe.

Here are some of the (now vintage) Polaroids that sparked the love affair with Alicia Bock. And you can see much more of her work here, here and here.

 A Fine Way to Spend the Afternoon

Beside the Little Red House

 2900 Miles #6

Pretty Pony

Whispering Wind

The Renault

All images © Alicia Bock

 A few more things to love today.

I've been meaning to watch the Netflix-streaming film In the Loop for so long, and I finally did it! Loved it. A wincingly funny take on U.S. and UK bureaucrats causally planning the next war in the Middle East. I also love this series of posters that wickedly riffs on the iconic Obama "Hope" design.

This collage.

By Trash Riot

And this room.

Via Design Files

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

spaceman.

Hi there, and welcome back. Today we are loving the paintings of Scott Listfield, who has the best artist statement ever:

"I paint about astronauts. And sometimes dinosaurs."

I love following his journey of a lone astronaut who wanders through nearby cities, distant lands and historical eras—with a more-than-occasional glimpse of pop culture icons.

Where is is this astronaut? What time is he in? Is he from earth or a galaxy far, far away? Is it pre-historic? Or post-apocalyptic? His work is like a non-stop Twilight Zone episode, only funnier and in prettier colors. You can see more of his marvelous paintings on his site and Instagram.

A Very Large Robot

The Man Who Fell to Earth

Shadows of Dangerous Men

The Parking Ticket

It's a Quest of Simian Survival

Post-Nuclear Guggenheim Visit

All images © Scott Listfield

And a few more things to love today.

This photo.

Latin Quarter Show Girl, Paris 1950s by Peter Basch

This collage.

By Scott Sueme

And this poster—from Notebook's retrospective of Anna Karina's lesser known, non-Godard films.

Thanks for taking a look! I'll be back soon with more to love.

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

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.

lorna simpson.

Happy Tuesday!

I love, love, LOVE the work of New York artist and photographer Lorna Simpson In her series of collages, he clips images from Ebony and Jet magazines, then adds bursts of watercolors and sometimes type. I find them mesmerizing.

New, 2014

The Daughter of...2015

Tulip, 2014

 Triple Burned, 2014

Windblown, 2014

All art and images (c) Lorna Simpson

Also loving this Tuesday:

Gluta, aka The Happiest Dog on Earth Who Survived Cancer. I can relate.

Photo (c) Sorasart Wisetsin via Gluta Story

I love this book cover.

Love the vintage signs on Sunset Boulevard near my office.

I am in love with the blog Scaling Back.

And here's your Song of The Day: Short Movie by Laura Marling.