Who? Eugenia Loli
Why? JUST LOOK AT IT. Apart from being wonderfully coloured and beautifully painted, the composition, movement and colours mean it also manages to be vintage and playful and sun-kissed and sexy and secretive and romantic all at once. Whatever summer garden they’re frolicking in, I want some. *Contented sigh*
Where? See it on Society6 here
The internet is full of crap, but sometimes a random browse will bring you to something awesome. I can’t even remember how I found this, but somehow this week I ended up on this site named Rad., which produces some super-cute T-shirt designs.
I don’t even wear T-shirts (except for exercising, and even then I’m more likely to wear a vest or racer-back top), but these slogans and artworks are pretty sweet. And we all know how much I enjoy a good quote. Here are 10 of my favourites…predictably they all centre on thinking positive about your life, going on an adventure, being a bit creative, and swearing. (NEARLY) ALL MY MOST LOVED THINGS!!
Also, a special shout out to the pretty fab designer Leah Flores, who coincidentally seems to have created a significant chunk of the ones I love (I promise I’m not being paid for this shit. Ha). I’m kind of sad that I don’t actually wear T-shirts enough to make any of these worth a purchase, but maybe if they started making them in thin, long-sleeve, boat-necked T-shirts or racer-back shirts for running, I would actually invest in a few. Not that I’m picky or anything.
EXCITEMENT UPDATE: They actually DO do hoodies and SOME racer-back style shirts, and also some canvas bags! OK, I may have to buy some after all! How will I ever contain myself?!
1. Life is not a problem, by Leah Flores 2. Wild at Heart, by Frankie Phoenix 3. Keep climbing, by Leah Flores 4. I just want to drink coffee, by Words Brand 5. Adventure that way, by Leah Flores 6. Abso-fuc-king-lutely, by Leah Flores 7. Take an adventure with me, by Reuben Watson 8. Blessed are the curious, by Leah Flores 9. Everything is OK, by WRDBNR 10. Je m’en fous, by Acid Clothing 11. Snuggle Buddy, by Leah Flores 12. Probably won’t make any money, by Fly Art 13. Oscar Wilde, by Leah Flores 14. Find something you love, by Yawn
Aren’t Mucha paintings wonderful? To me, they’re a fabulous mixture of dreamlike composition and stunning skill, redolent with silky textures, serene expressions, swirling hair and delicate features.
A Czech artist working in Prague and Paris in the early 20th century, Alphonse Mucha painted adverts, flyers and posters – and sometimes just art for art’s sake – entirely representative of his own, Art Nouveau time (Art Nouveau is up there in my top 5 kinds of design, mainly for its unbelievable “fussiness” and delicate swirls).
The women depicted are more often than not softly curved, swathed in luxurious fabric and haloed by a mass of unruly tendrils and pleasingly-complex geometric shapes, either dancing or triumphant, or laid-back, smoking, drinking, sitting.
They are ladies of understated leisure and artistry, as creative as the artist who paints them. They have all the beauty and traditional femininity of a pre-Raphaelite Rossetti or a Stanisław Wyspiański, without the often-found “downtrodden woman” vibes. Here, the woman is centre stage, the owner of the picture, the mistress of all she surveys, drinks, eats or smokes.
And they’re often incredible records of the design and pastimes of the time, due to their role as adverts and flyers for everything from chocolate to cigarettes to alcohol to play performances. The history geek in me just can’t get enough.
Plus, I also think they are stunningly beautiful.
Hannah Jane Thompson 