The Artful Home: Lisa Solomon at Tiny Showcase

I think I had a little too much fun last night, and I'm paying the price for it this a.m. (I'm not 22 anymore, though I occasionally forget that.) So I'm not even going to try to say anything remotely articulate here right now.

Anyway: New lovely loveliness from one of my very favorite local artists, Lisa Solomon. The limited-edition "Doily Body: Lungs" print, released yesterday evening, is $20 at Tiny Showcase. They're almost gone, so grab yours quick.

Now, it's a couple of Advil, a handful of Tums, and back to bed for me ... I'll see you back here a little later, if my head doesn't explode first.

Good Reads: Lisa Solomon on Poppytalk

Speaking of blogging more about the design scene in our own communities, I wanted to point any Bay Area locals who may be reading over to Oakland artist (and huge art crush of mine) Lisa Solomon's guest blog this week on Vancouver, British Columbia's divine PoppyTalk.

Lisa is giving PoppyTalk readers a tour of her favorite homegrown shopping haunts, including San Francisco's Urban Burp, Oakland's Article Pract, and Berkeley's Tail of the Yak.

Check out Lisa's PoppyTalk posts right here -- and see her amazing artwork here.

Images courtesy of Lisa Solomon and PoppyTalk.

Mark Your Calendar: Crossing the Line in Santa Rosa

The Sonoma County city of Santa Rosa is a bit off the beaten track for me, but the lineup for Crossing the Line, a new exhibit at the Santa Rosa Junior College Art Gallery, looks kind of awesome. I may just have to find a reason to head to the North Bay during one of the coming weekends so I can check it out.

The show merges "artists using traditional materials with unconventional and diverse approaches." Participants include Jen Garrido (above) ...

Lisa Solomon

Kathryn Kenworth

John Casey (who, by the way, just posted great pix from last night's opening reception)

... and several others. Crossing the Line will be up until December 13. More info here.

eBay Find of the Day: Vintage Doilies as Art

I'm semi-obsessed with this picture, which I recently saw on Oakland artist Lisa Solomon's blog.

Such a deceptively simple idea -- just a group of crocheted doilies tacked to a wall -- but so beautifully composed and rendered in Solomon's hands. I love the soft colors and the casual but intricate way they're juxtaposed against one another.

I couldn't even begin to create a grouping as lovely as this one, but I think it might be fun to try. I wouldn't trust myself to combine colors as masterfully and subtly as Solomon has done here, but suspect a group of ivory doilies would look equally lovely against a painted wall.

Although crocheting is most definitely not part of my limited crafting skill set, crocheted doilies are plentiful and inexpensive at just about any flea market, estate sale, and -- of course -- on eBay.

Take this set of 12 vintage, handmade doilies, for instance. Current bid: $5 for the lot of them.

(P.S. In addition to wall art, here's another lovely idea that employs vintage doilies. What kind of art or craft projects would you use them for?)

The Artful Home: Lisa Solomon and Aurora Robson Couplet Print at the Shiny Squirrel

Were you lucky enough to nab one of Lisa Solomon and Aurora Robson's "Couplet" prints at Tiny Showcase awhile back? I was waiting for my flight home at the Portland Airport, but had my husband on standby to get one the minute they went up.

If you missed that print release -- or if you want a companion piece from Solomon and Robson, drop everything and head on over to the Shinny Squirrel, where the artists have just released Carbon Tetrachloride + Cosmic Wheel, a new "Couplets" print in ochre and gray.

Each 8-by-8-inch, signed and numbered print (of a diptych from Solomon and Robson's joint show at Nashville's SqFt Gallery earlier this year) is $58. This is a limited edition of 50, so act fast if you want one.

(P.S. More evidence to support the theory The New York Times recently posited on the arty connection between Brooklyn and Oakland: Robson lives and works in Brooklyn, and Solomon in Oakland. Cue spooky Twilight Zone music now ... )