MICA / / Eric Leland

Today we are sharing the beautiful work of Eric Leland who I met on a recent work trip to the US! I was lucky enough to get to visit Boston & Baltimore, hang out with the team at the Lilla Rogers Studio & teach some workshops & deliver a public lecture at MICA (Maryland Institute College Of Art). It was such an honour to be invited & to teach at such a wonderful college with talented tutors such as Eric.

Eric's design career began in architecture - he spent five years working in that field in Baltimore, Maryland, & passed his registration exams in 2007. However, at the same time, he was overtaken both by wanderlust & by a growing realisation that he was happiest with the part of his work that involved pencil & paintbrush. Eric & his wife took a leap across the Atlantic, and then enrolled in the postgraduate illustration course at University College Falmouth, in Cornwall, England. Since 2009, Eric has been back in Baltimore, where he has now nearly filled his basement with obsolete letterpress printing equipment. Eric produces & markets his own illustrated greeting cards, calendars, books, prints & paper goods, much of which is printed & bound by hand, by me. For the 2013 - 14 academic year, he is also teaching part time on the Illustration Practice MFA course at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

You can visit Eric's lovely website & his Etsy shop to buy his gorgeous illustrations.

Artist Review / / Jennifer Mercede

I am thrilled to be able to share some inspirational art and design with you every Tuesday morning as Rachael's 'Art and Creative Writer'. This week, I'm featuring the whimsical art of Jennifer Mercede.

Jennifer is a Portland based artist with a BA in painting. She loves to doodle and this free flowing, spontaneous style is evident in her work which is inspired by abstract expressionism, graffiti and naive art.

Jennifer works in acrylic, watercolour pencils and pen and aims to uplift the viewer with her art which often includes written messages. She licenses her work and also has some available in her Etsy store. More inspiration next Tuesday, Justine x

Creative Review / / Inaluxe

I am thrilled to be able to share some inspirational art and design with you every Tuesday morning as Rachael's 'Art and Creative Writer'. This week, I'm featuring the creative genius of the design team, Inaluxe.

Inaluxe is a collaboration between two Australian designers, Kristina Sostarko and Jason Odd. Their studio is based in the Grampians, Victoria where they are inspired by the natural flora and fauna around them. 

As children of the 70s they have a retro feel to their work which successfully manages to blur the lines between surface pattern design, illustration and art. Their consistently eye catching colour palettes, use of texture and clever composition make their work instantly recognisable. Definitely going on my wish list! More eye candy next Tuesday, Justine x

Artist Review / / Ekaterina Koroleva

I am thrilled to be able to share some inspirational art and design with you every Tuesday morning as Rachael's 'Art and Creative Writer'. This week, I'm featuring the watercolour illustrations of Ekaterina Koroleva.

Ekaterina is a Russian born graphic designer and illustrator, now based in Berlin. She works with watercolour inks to create quirky portraits with a contemporary edge, often depicting women with an elusive, mysterious quality.

She works freelance illustrating for magazines and has a portfolio online where you can find out more about her work. Have a lovely week! Justine x

DENY Designs / / Fab New Rugs!

We are absolutely in love with the fabulous new rugs that DENY Designs are now offering & you can get them in all of our fun & colourful patterns! This includes some of our favourites like the 'Floral Umbrellas' or 'Contemporary' designs plus our brand new designs like 'Wheel of Wonder' & 'Shapes & Squares'!

They currently have 30% off all woven rugs but hurry as the offer ends today! Use code: rugsrock30

You can shop the rug collection here or shop our entire collection which includes fun shower curtains, gorgeous throw pillows & lots of other bright home furnishings!

Use code: rugsrock30 to get 30% off!

'Fun Floral' rug

'Floral Umbrellas' rug

'50's Inspired' rug

'Organic Retro Leaves' rug

'Contemporary' rug

'Textured Honesty' rug

'Shapes & Squares Green' rug

'Wheel of Wonder' rug

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Today I wanted to share with you a selection of images from my inspiring trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. I met up with a creative friend & we had such a lovely relaxing day out. Words can't describe how amazing this place is. To find beautiful art & sculptures dotted around & weaved in between picturesque scenery is just unbelievable. I only had the morning free so we only covered a small fraction of the outdoor park (it's a huge place!). I hope to visit again soon to see more of the captivating views.

The park & galleries are actually FREE! It really is a hidden gem.

Love Rachael x

Have you visited any interesting exhibitions or parks recently? Please leave your comments below, we love to hear from you.