And for my next trick. . .

Just so you don't think I spend every spare moment shopping (not that there's anything wrong with that, mind), I thought I would showcase some other things of interest.

Linda Berkvist is, without a doubt, the most talented digital painter I have ever seen. That is some incredible detail. My god.

She has a lovely self portrait on her site as well:

The whole thing is well worth rumaging through; she has her portfolio divided up, rather unusually, by colors. She has also thoughtfully included some tutorials in case you are sufficiently inspired to have a go at this style yourself. I understand she is also working on a book of fairy tales, and is posting the occasional sample from this body of work on her site:

Another artist that I really like is Audrey Kawasaki.

She has the most delicate style of painting on wood. It reminds me of my own favorite ways to work, which is probably why I like it so much. I've always been more

comfortable with gouache, so I tend to use oils like watercolors, building up layers of depth instead of working up towards highlights like you're supposed to.

I actually did a shameless copy of this picture for myself

because I surely can't afford to buy an original, and her prints tend to sell out almost immediately. It hangs in my entry way, where I can look at it everytime I leave the house.:

Audrey has been incorporating skulls and bones, as well as insects and moths, into her recent work. Pretty girls and decay--how can you go wrong? You should check out her blog for upcoming shows as well as peeks at her newest work.

Speaking of bones, take a look at this. Jessica Joslin (I think I saw her on BoingBoing originally) has a fabulous collection of, um, alternative solutions to taxidermy. I have a small prize for the first reader to have their pet preserved by her.

Aren't they cute?