Carrie Chau iGoogle Theme

My new iGoogle theme of the week is designed by Hong Kong illustrator/artist Carrie Chau. Her work seems to be populated with Yoshitomo Nara's girls on holiday or at recess. The colors and sense of movement are making my Monday feel a little bit sweeter.

Check out her description of the first painting, translated from Chinese :

A Non-Stop Big Rope Game

The simplest game is always the most fascinated one. The big rope game attracts more and more people to join in, having fun in the beautiful sky, even Dinosaur wants to join us! We have a very lovely time until Mr. Cloud comes, we might be too noisy... :( But don't worry, let's have a good sweet dream from the very silent sky and we'll get together again tomorrow!

Related links:
matchbox art
start drawing

we filled our pockets with dry leaves,/made leafy pillows and lay down/beneath the cinnamon tree.

we stared up at the sun with our eyes closed/and saw the dust in the air turn into fireflies/we lay with the day.

the wind snuck into the cracks of our sleeves/and played songs in our ears./i used to watch you sleeping.
-writtenandcreated by jonsi&alex

what does a cinnamon tree smell like? i imagine the bark to be thin and crackly. i should like very much to lay with the day, in a meadow behind a house, long grass growing up around me, fall asleep like rip van winkle, lying within a hallowed circle of stones and bones, books and paper.

illustrated botanical art

love love love this whole series by eric beltz, an artist from california. i found his drawings while looking at an online gallery of a group show from earlier this year that featured Jenny Hart. Did you see her embroidered portrait of Bill Hicks? What should a person do if they feel the artistic impulse, but don't see it reflected back in what they create? It paralyzes me. I should stop worrying about it, stop worrying that everything I try to make comes out looking kind of shoddy and not all that creative. I should just do it because I enjoy it, and if something good comes out of my hands one day, all the better.