Today’s theme is ‘the unusual’. Because I’m in that kind of a mood. As you probably know by now I’m a big fan of collage and mixed media art. I came across Wynter Whiteside’s work a little while ago and I’ve been dying to share it with you. In Wynter’s words she ’splice[s] open a secret world of fuzzy bunnies, succulent blueberries and faux fur sewed directly on raw canvas.’ Through her art she aims to tap into all of the senses, describing the process as spontaneous and experimental. Through ‘editing, decorating, and delicate mark making ‘ she eventually reaches a ‘gigantic sensory overload or even a soft, violet-scented whisper’.

Wynter will be curating the Sugarcraft exhibition which takes place in November at The Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit and will be travelling to Kasia Kay Art Projects in Chicago next summer. The exhibition includes the work of over 30 artists working with cake, candy and sugar. Fine artists, culinary chefs, and craft oriented designers from all over the world will be exhibiting and Wynter herself will be displaying her edible artwork.

To enter into Wynter’s fascinating world go to www.okya.co.uk/wynterwhiteside.

Something a little bit different today. MishMoshArt is an online shop/gallery showcasing the handiwork of Suzanne Lappan. Suzanne describes herself as an ‘avid sewer, painter and all around insane crafter’. She creates paintings, bags, purses, art quilts and jewellery. But it’s her beautiful art dolls that grabbed my attention. Each doll is created using a variety of fabrics. They have paper clay painted faces and lovely mohair hair.

Take a look at www.mishmoshart.com.

Ooh and check out the pretty handmade buttons.

Following on from last week’s post on Curbside Treasure, I’ve been looking into ACEOs (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) and ATCs (Artistic Trading Cards). I must say that it’s sparked a bit of an obsession.

For anyone who hasn’t heard of ATCs they are small, playing card sized pieces of art. There are only two rules when making the cards. They must be 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches in size and they can be swapped but not sold. Anything else goes. Paint them, collage onto them, stamp them, use chalks, oils, pencils or create them digitally - it’s up to you.

So, until midnight last night my mum and I sat at my kitchen table surrounded by boxes of vintage papers, scraps, gems, jewels, charms, feathers, PVA glue - you name it my mum has it in her craft collection - and we created our first ever ATCs. And here they are. The very first ones.

More paper crafts today, this time in the form of peace cranes. Etsy artist Localcolorist creates the cranes in a variety of colours, patterns and themes. Each one has been created using traditional origami techniques and then ‘hard glazed’ to make it into a permanent ornament. Wire is included to enable you to hang them up.

According to the artist’s website, in Japan (where the crane is known as ‘the bird of happiness’) the crane motif is an ancient symbol in marriages, symbolising fidelity, prosperity and longevity.

Send them as gifts, use them as unusual wedding favours or combine them into mobiles. They make beautiful keepsakes.

Buy at www.localcolorist.etsy.com

Curbside Treasure - what an intriguing name. Think beautiful collages made of bus transfers, maps, the insides of envelopes, old sheet music and vintage ads. Annie Yu carefully combines scraps, remnants and ephemera into themed artworks, pins, magnets and ACEOs.

And if you’re wondering what an ACEO is, it stands for ‘Art Cards, Editions and Originals’. Each ACEO is a tiny work of art measuring 2.5 x 3.5 inches. They’re extremely affordable and great to collect.

To buy online go to www.curbsidetreasure.etsy.com.

Something a little bit different today. I’ve discovered a fantastic Etsy shop set up by artist/maker Elena Mary Siff. Handmade books, zines, collages, assemblages, note cards and twig ladders are a few of the items for sale. There are some real gems to be found.

I couldn’t decide which items to share - they’re all so beautiful. Here are some more.

Buy from www.elenamary.etsy.com.

Browse at www.elenamarysiff.com.

And just to give you the heads-up, look out for Elena’s jewellery in ‘1000 Jewelry Details’ to be published by Rockport Publishers/Quarry Books and a number of her collages will be featured in ‘Cost of Freedom: An American Anthology of Activism’ (Howling Dog Press, Colorado).

Dazed & Confused magazine recently contacted us about a project they’re involved in this summer. They’re curating a public exhibition that gives photographers and illustrators the opportunity to take part in a group exhibition touring Barcelona, Milan and Stockholm. This is part of the Wrangler ‘Thisiswanted’ events.

Each festival weekend will include a mixture of live music by local talent and international headliners and Dazed & Confused will be curating an interactive gallery within each site, in each city. The 3 winners will win city breaks to the events.

The brief for the exhibition is very simple, all photographs and illustrations submitted for the exhibition should follow the theme of “Wanted”.

To submit your work and for more info go to www.dazeddigital.com/projects/wanted.

The above pic is one of the photography submissions:

Lady Miss Bee
Everybody wanted a piece of her . . .
by The Mofo, London

I think I’ve mentioned before how much I like collage art. There’s something about the use of different materials to convey mood and emotion. But it can be extremely tricky to get it right. Materials have to be carefully selected and combined to communicate the right message. A bit like writing a poem - you have a relatively small space and therefore every word has to count.

Chloe Roberts has got it right. Using paint, ephemera, magazine pictures, vintage greeting cards, photos and other materials she creates interesting, striking pieces. And you can commission her to create a piece of art just for you, incorporating personal pictures, significant words etc. Prices are very reasonable in the region of $40 (approx £20).

For further details you can find Chloe at www.apoetsdream.deviantart.com and www.apoetsdream01.blogspot.com.