I like free stuff.

This is a public service announcement to all who, like me, love free stuff.

First of all, the awesome Dina Kantor, who created this whimsical illustration for us, is doing a giveaway for one of her custom illustrations here.  I am, of course, totally entering.  Because Jellyby needs to be immortalized in one of Dina's fab drawings.

Image Source

Second, if you're celebrating Passover and need a little help, guidance, or inspiration, JewishBoston.com is offering a DIY seder kit, called "Seder in a Box."  It comes with all you need to run a seder, including a basic haggadah, seder plate, matzo cover, and even a few plastic frogs!  Best of all?  It's free!  Last I checked, they were running low on supplies, so if you want one, you'd better register now.

That's it: two opportunities for free stuff.  Don't say I never do anything for you.  ;-P

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Love Illustrated

I've often thought I'd make a good cartoon: I have a cartoonish face (big eyes, smushy nose, buck teeth) and a cartoonish life (I swear an anvil* nearly dropped on my head the other day), and I've got all types of silly schemes I am looking forward to implementing against an evil nemesis.

* Ok, it was a hammer, but close enough.

But since Tom already has Jerry, and Jem the Misfits, I have to satisfy my desire for an illustrated life elsewhere.  Our friend's sister, Dina Kantor, made me this sweet illustration based on our favorite wedding photo after I fell in love with the whimsical illustration and photography work on her blog and website.

Illustration by Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

Since our third(!) anniversary is coming up, I was thinking of maybe having the illustration printed on canvas or simply framed as part of an anniversary gift -- sort of like this framed version of an illustration Dina created for my sister- and brother-in-law to commemorate the arrival of our niece:

Image source: Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

It's pretty awesome, right?  (I particularly like how the illustration picked up on all the details important to my BIL and SIL: the framed photo of our parents dancing and the Dylan and Springsteen prints.)

Image Source: Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

For her own wedding, Dina created a display of illustrations she made of family wedding photos.  It's such a charming and modern take on a traditional concept.

Image Source: Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

The most genius touch, though, is that she made a framed illustration of each of her wedding guests, which doubled as favors and escort cards.  I so wish we could have had something personal and fun like these instead of the semi-useless tchotchkes we imposed on our guests.

Sigh.  Maybe for the next wedding.  ;-P  I kid, I kid.

What are your favorite personalized gifts?  Any additional ideas for third anniversary gifts?  (It's supposed to be leather . . . or crystal . . . but I'm not really into either.)

Editor's note: My friend Alisa just pointed out that the upcoming anniversary is my SECOND, not third. Doh! Apparently marriage has broken my brain. The second anniversary gift is cotton, so perhaps I should screen print Dina's illustration on his/her t-shirts and make my husband wear it as punishment for making time stand still?!

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Painterly inspiration

It's been a cold, cold weekend here in Boston, which leaves me already dreaming of spring.  Until warmer, greener months arrive, though, perhaps I can find solace in the work of Harrison Howard, whose paintings are brimming with spring.

My favorites come from his "Chinoiseries" series:

"The Poem"

I love the meta-fictionality in Howard's work and the playfulness with which he handles scale and dimension.

"The Architect"

There's a touch of Borges in these, no?

"The Two Gardeners"

From the "For Children" series:

"Rabbit Talk"

From the "Gardens" series:

"The Green Folly"

The details in the paintings are so surprising and whimsical; I feel like I could stare at them for hours and still find something new and unexpected the next time I encounter them.  They're like 2D cabinets of curiosities or -- a total oxymoron -- 2D pop-up books.

I hope you're finding some cheer and warmth as we head into winter.  Brrr.

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I was excited to see that Apartment Therapy recently featured a piece by my favorite contemporary artist, the British sculptor Rachel Whiteread.

Whiteread is best known for casting the interior of objects and rooms in concrete and resin, which is why I was surprised to see this particular piece of hers on Apartment Therapy: it's a whimsical chess set, comprising of miniatures of household objects and furnishings squaring off atop a patchwork chess board.

Rachel Whiteread, "Modern Chess Set" (2005)

That I adored the "Modern Chess Set" even before I knew it was created by Whiteread also surprised me, since the very minimality of her earlier work was what drew me to it.

Rachel Whiteread, "Ghost" (1990)

Her earlier castings reify the otherwise ephemeral quality of domesticity and interiority.  But rather than doing so in a kitschy or overly familiar way, they capture the quiet dignity and the absent presence of the spaces.

Rachel Whiteread, "House" (1993)

The new work is much more fun, kitschy, and darling: doll-height domestic objects in retro colors and styles on a chessboard reminiscent of a grandma's quilt.  It's intimate and small-scale.

When I was younger, I really loved conceptual art that was difficult, austere, intellectual.  And now I'm much less cerebral with my aesthetics, much more intuitive.  I'm much more likely to gravitate toward something whimsical, funny, or happy.  I don't know what to make of it other than to note that it's an interesting shift.

Who are your favorite artists?  Has the type of art you've been attracted to change throughout the years?

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