I love this guy. Originally from Holland and now living in Rotterdam, Silas is an artist trying to make a living by painting and illustration; a big dream in a little city.

“My work is almost always figurative and I think I can say that I have my own style. I hate explaining the meaning or themes in my paintings. Of course, I am trying to tell something in most of my paintings, but that does not mean that you should read the same story between the frames. It’s nice to know what the artist means, but it is much nicer if you can interpret your own feelings to my work.”

Silas graduated from the William de Kooning Art Academie in 2000 and is well on his way to a bright future ahead. I’m loving his work these days and would be surprised if I’m the only one.

Contact Silas right here if you’re in the market for an artist-commissioned painting; he’s always up for custom work!

Thanks, Silas!

I’m just dying for a manufacturer to pick up this Rostarr painting and turn it into a wallpaper. Please? Anyone?

I need this for my next living room design!

Whoa. I take it back. Alyssa would be the Grand Prize Winner. Ok, maybe they’d tie, but just for that year.

Actually, Alyssa would make her own category, entitled the Best of the Best. And then she’d win Grand Prize Winner for being Totally Awesome. Yeah, that’s how it will be.

And still, the corndogs.

Click here to learn more about the fantastic life behind Alyssa Stepien, a New Jersey-based hot shot student with a SUPER bright future ahead of her!

Good luck to you, Alyssa; keep us posted!

I’ve had my eye on this bad boy for WEEKS now.

Get it right here, right now.

If DFM was a Midwestern county fair, I’d be the well-endowed, bedazzle-lovin’ blondie that passed out all of the blue ribbons between pink lipstick re-applications and lemon-shake-ups. And in the category of ‘Best Creature Art’, I’d award Ms. Solovjova with the Grand Prize Winner.

Of course, I’d give her a hug to congratulate her and she’d choke on my AquaNet hairspray that was used ever-so-subtlety to create my peacock bangs.

I’d pretend she was getting ‘choked up’ because of what the award meant to her, and we’d share a heartfelt handshake and part ways; she, bolting to the parking lot and I, hitting up the corn dog stand for round two.

Tragically, however, DFM is not a Midwestern county fair. It’s a blog, where none of such can happen.

Although I’ll admit. I do love those corn dogs, man.

Ok, ok, I’ve kept you in suspense long enough. Three more days won’t hurt you, will they?

On Wednesday, Jan. 30th at MIDNIGHT, be prepared. The BIG REVEAL will go live at approximately 12:01AM [PST], and it will KNOCK your socks off.

Mark your calendars, and I’ll see you then. ;)

I received an email about Touch products over a month ago and just got around to checking them out. WHOA. In love. Instant love.

Touch collaborates with emerging designers in creating hand-made products, rather than mass-produced. Their goal is not only to make products that are beautiful, but that are ‘good for the environment and those who make them.”

I adore their ‘estudio manus’ line (hello? translators? anyone? buehller?) in a BIG way. Such beautiful porcelain imagery in the perfect shade of white. Yummy.

Touch has not yet lined up their 08 retailers, so if you’re interested in purchasing a piece (or carrying the Touch line for your shoppe!), shoot them an e-mail right here.

Click here to view more Touch products!

Yeah, yeah, another artist. Only she’s FREAKING fabulous. Seriously. Dang.

Jeana Sohn is an LA-based artist with two dogs, one cat and a love/hate relationship with shoes. She despises cilantro [ME TOO, JEANA!!!] and loves eggs, moths, the ocean and silent moments.

I’m so inspired by her work and SO wish I hadn’t missed the end of her solo show at Taylor De Cordoba last night.

Click here to see Jeana’s portfolio, or check out her personal blog right here. She’s got the CUTEST style, and I love living vicariously through her yummy dinners!

Love to you, Jeana!

So, I’m a sucker for all things paper. Horrid for the environment, I know, but at least I go recycled from time to time. And my fave ecological hot spot is [hands DOWN] Lovely Design.

New mom Sharilyn has been slaving away at Lovely Design for years now, making each and every order to perfection. I loooooove the address file shown here, as Rolodex is just way too Working Girl for me. Although they’re sold out, Sharilyn will be making more, so shoot her an email at sharilyn@lovelydesigns.com if you’re in the market for a modern Rolo!

Visit Lovely Design blog for news and events behind the scenes of the shoppe.

Or, click here to view all of Lovely Design’s fantastic products!

Thanks, Sharilyn!

Ok, there’s no doubt about it. I have become mildly OBSESSED with artists as of late. I just find them so inspiring and unlike many interior designers, SOOOO under-appreciated. With TV shows like Top Design, ANYTHING on HGTV and Trading Spaces, interior design has had its share of the spotlight. It’s time for the artists to shine.

Meet Ian Bissonnette, an artist who graduated from Skidmore College, NY with a B.S. in Fine Arts and a Mathematics Minor. He earned the Jesse Solomon Painting award during his education at NY in 2000 and now resides in Sutton, Quebec.

He writes, “I am not an exceptional writer or speaker. Nor do I believe I can provide a simple generation of my work, since I think of each project separately. Thus, I offer a few excerpts from a group of essays titled ‘Art Objects’, by Jeanette Winterson:”

“It is sometimes necessary to be silent for months before the central image of a [painting] can occur. I do not [paint] every day, I read every day, think every day, work in the garden every day, and recognize in nature the same slow complicity. The same inevitability. The moment will arrive, always it does, it can be predicted but it cannot be demanded. I do not think of this as inspiration. I think of this as readiness. A [painter] lives in a constant state of readiness. For me, the fragments of the image I seek are stellar, they beguile me, as stars do, I seek to describe them, to interpret them, but I can not possess them, they are too far away.”

I love it, I love it, I love it. Thank you, artists, for inspiring us [err, readying us] daily.

To see more of Ian’s work, click here.