Eye on Art / 11

Hello, hello!There are more ways to access art ever than before, and as someone who has long been interested in design, I couldn’t be happier these various avenues exist. Whether I observe classic masterpieces in a museum or scroll through an artist’s online portfolio, gain inspiration from my stack of typography books or look to social media for creative ideas, art is everywhere – sometimes you just have to look for it!

I only recently made a Ciao Bella Instagram, but I’ve had a personal account long before that; of course, I use it to follow my friends and family, but I’ve also found Instagram helpful in discovering different artists, from famed graphic designers to budding photographers. I wanted to highlight three of my social media favorites – a calligrapher, a paper crafter, and an illustrator – in case you too wanted art for your Instagram feed. Do you follow any art-based accounts on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest?

I regularly make my love of hand-written lettering known, so I’m in complete awe of those who have managed to make a career of my favorite form of art. Working with fine-tipe pens, watercolor paints, and Sharpie markers on the daily? Yes, please!

Jenn Gietzen, the artist behind Write On! Design, is one particular designer whose style I admire, in large part because of her colorful and motivational Instagram feed. Even a quick peek will give you a sense of her signature combination: work-in-progress overhead shots, snippets of her personal life, and handwritten quotes that range from funny to inspiring. While each photo is an instant like, I’m often drawn to her watercolor work, like the “Be Bold” shown above. Gorgeously written and a good message to boot. {feed | website}

I first read about Charlotte Love’s work on Oh Happy Day {an aptly suited introduction, given the crafty, party-centric attitude of the blog} last year, and it truly was love at first sight, as I’ve been following the work of the London-based stylist ever since! Known primarily for her “portraits” of household objects, like the adorable pig dustpan, Charlotte has developed an aesthetic that’s all her own.

I could describe Charlotte’s feed in a number of ways: bright, quirky, cheery, eye-catching, but I feel no word captures it better than whimsical. From a charming photo of upset toast to the picture of the grumpy potato, each snapshot proves that art need not be limited to the traditional two-dimensional format. It’s boundary-pushing and smile-inducing all at once. {feed | website}

Finally, Christoph Niemann, the “visual storyteller” behind the feed @abstractsunday, also pushes the limits of art and design with his Instagram photos. As the examples above demonstrate, in many of his shots, Christoph cleverly weaves in an object or his medium into his illustration {think a tea bag as a collared shirt or a pot of ink as a camera}.

What I love most about this feed is that it forces you to take a double look, something I wholeheartedly appreciate when I catch myself mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. Even his standard commissions for magazines and newspapers have a distinct quality to them – do I need to point out the creative play on words in the missing poster? All sorts of cool. {feed | website}

Have a fantastic day! Let’s make it a good week :)
Bella