Kamila Bassioni II

Again this is love, an installation of paper dolls by Kamila Bassioni, delicate scraps of art and expression, powerful and beautiful fragile butterflies of joy.

Kamila Bassioni I

I'm really inspired by this magical, installation called 'Displaced' which was part of "My Favourite Things III" exhibition at Mashrabia Gallery by Kamila Bassioni . Kamila Bassioni is an Egyptian-Irish visual artist and freelance illustrator who trained and lives in Cairo. Displaced explores themes of being home and what that means in our current unstable political climate. 

Toraneko Bonbon III

The daily inspiration which is Toraneko Bonbon and the wonderful illustrative diary of her imagination.

"Daily Life', Coffee, ground soba galette, fruit, or jam. Frying pan only for Galette. Simple cereal of wheat. Sometimes yogurt." Toraneko Bonbon

Sara Gimbergsson III

It is a milky sky today, of high white cloud that will probably clear, but with no rain for weeks it is so dry and I worry that we have lost a lot of trees from the surrounding countryside. Some things are thriving others really suffering. I wonder how the moles and worms and soil dwellers are faring. 

These illustrations are by Sara Gimbergsson and though they are of winter they very much like here this morning.  I love her illustrations of forests and nature the way she depicts things above and below ground and the hidden depths of foliage. 

Agata Dudek VI

These are the amazing illustrations for a cookbook celebrating the use of food and recipes in world literature. 'Literatura od kuchni czyli opowieści smacznej treści' (Literature from the kitchen). I love the use of photo collage, text and print with illustration each picture has a unique recipe of its own in terms of media and technique and it is a joy. Created by Illustration Studio with Prof. Zygmunt Januszewski and Monika Hanulak, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and Agata Dudek 2012.

Ylva Källström-Eklund

Ylva Källström-Eklund (1933-1988) 1958 'Our Songs'  again like Paul René Gauguin's works yesterday, these 1950's illustrations from song books feature the use of blocks of bold colour with complementary and detailed explanatory line work.

Paul René Gauguin II

Så Rart ( How Strange) peotry by Inger Hagerup (1905-1985) illustrated by Paul René Gauguin (1911-1976), published 1950 created using stencil screen prints and pen work. 

Paul René Gauguin I

Poetry by Inger Hagerup, illustrated by Paul René Gaugin, grandson of the painter Paul Gaugin.
Paul illustrated three of Inger's books of poetry; Så rart (1950), Lille Persille (1961), Den Sommeren (1971). It is difficult to find out which illustrations are from which book on the internet, I believe these more loose linear ones are from Så rart. 

Aino-Maija Metsola II

Wondrous watercolour illustrations by Aino-Maija Metsola for Anja Portin's stroy 'Ava ja oikukas trumpetti' published in 2017 by WSOY. Aino-Maija Metsola is a talented visual artist know primarily for her surface and graphic design. 

This book has fantastic use of wet and dry watercolour, a beautiful flow of sound and detail across the spreads and a poetry of delicate observation and imagery, with stars, birds and wind as the visual metaphors that move music through the book. 

Erika Kallasmaa II

Playwrite; Laura Ruohonen's poetry book, 'Tippukivitapaus' published by Ottawa, 2017 and illustrated by Erika Kallasmaa. I always find it fascinating how a cultural identity is represented/ contained in illustration. For me Erika's work has a strongly Finish pictorial language like indeed her fellow countryman Matti Pikkujämsä there is a strong visual flavour, something to do with the visual composition, colour and perspective that makes it geographically recognisable and utterly wonderful.

Erika Kallasmaa I

Beautiful house martins, collage by Finish illustrator Erika Kallasmaa.

Ksenia Kopalova

'Aigul the Beauty, or Aigul-Krasa, is the spirit of feminine beauty. 

Tradition says that visiting the altar of Aigul-Krasa once a week guarantees success in love affairs. Aigul-Krasa is especially popular among women living in the city outskirts, where the most flamboyant and rich altars of Aigul-Krasa are built.'

Russian illustrator Ksenia Kopalova has made a new mythology full of hero's and characters we can all recognise from modern urban living. This is a street art project where ceramic tiles have been placed strategically in the 'blind spots' of the city to mark those places usually unnoticed. Ksenia has used tiles as a domestication of the urban environment making it more homely, the tiles representing the hearth of the home.

'The Granny Cat, or Babka-Kot, is the spirit of fireside comfort. 

A widespread ritual practice consists of offering small amounts of food to the spirit by leaving treats by the house basements.' 

'Seryj is an evil spirit who wakes the people during the night by his loud roaring, grunting and the smell of his poisonous pipe tobacco. The smell is believed to be so harmful that no living creature is able to bear it for a long time. Seryj himself wears a pine tree charm that makes him immune to the fumes of his pipe.'
 

'The Bureaucratice, or Byurokratitsa, is a malevolent spirit that dwells in old office buildings and stymies the work of the place where it lurks. Once the spirit has apppeared, it is really difficult to get rid of. That is why citizens have developed rituals and traditions that help them to live symbiotically with the Byurokratitsa and her convoluted ways.'