British talent Rob Ryan is one of my very favourite artists. What he creates out of paper, meticulously cutting intricate shapes, is truly phenomenal. On top of all that creativity, Rob has an amazing gift for beautifully poetic words. I plan to feature Rob Ryan in a future post devoted to his work but I couldn’t resist sharing his Royal Wedding commemorative plate design for William and Kate’s big day. What a welcome change from the wedding-cliche riddled commemorative designs I have seen around. I love how the traditional British lion and unicorn fuse seamlessly with Rob’s whimsical design and trademark birds/flowers. The gorgeous blue, white and gold accents are elegant, modern and so very British. As always, I particularly love Rob’s words as they are a perfect reminder of what all the hoopla should really boil down to at the end of the day:

“The Crown and the Throne and the lions and the unicorns & the bowing & scraping and all the Palaces and the privileges are worth nothing if you will not spend every day of your life with me until I die. April 29th 2011″

(black version available at Rob Ryan’s etsy store)

There is something magical about sea glass and the journey required to turn sharp chunks of clear glass into smooth, matte works of art. American artist Jennifer Booher combs the beaches of Maine for beautiful cool-toned glass and arranges her collection into gorgeous spectrums of colour. I love how these photographs highlight the beauty and endless hues of sea glass. I am more than inspired to go on a beach walk as soon as possible!

(images via jennifer booher)

Nope, these electric blue trees aren’t photoshopped! They are part of the Vancouver Biennale, a bi-annual public art exhibition. Three blue forests have popped up in areas of Metro Vancouver – Garden City Park in Richmond, Port Moody Arts and Civic Centres, and Grosvenor Ambleside in West Vancouver. Created by artist Konstantin Dimopoulos, the vibrant trees are painted to bring attention to global deforestation and the importance of trees as our world’s lungs. Dimopoulos used biologically-safe pigmented water that is completely biodegradable. The paint will slowly fade away, creating an evolving piece of art as the trees return to their natural forms. I love this project because it really does highlight the value of trees in our urban areas as well as underscoring the need for nations to address deforestation. Visually, it is also a gorgeous project. I can’t wait to see the forests as cherry blossoms start to burst open. The angular blue branches and fluffy pink flowers will look incredible together!

(images via clayton perry, the vancouver sun, grant mattice & art threat)

There is something about this illustration, with its geometric shapes and vibrant cool hues, that makes me extremely happy. It kind of feels like a turquoise ocean translated into a pattern! (There is a skull hidden in the drawing as well which only adds another layer to this fascinating piece.) The illustration is part of German designer Hannes Beer’s All Day Everyday Project, a graphic design diary in which Hannes designs “something cool everyday”. The daily creations are available for purchase via his Etsy shop.

Coloured smoke bombs exploding in nature seems to have become somewhat of a photography trend lately. While there are plenty of images and techniques out there, I don’t think many compete with the stunning work of artist Filippo Minelli. Filippo’s ongoing Silence/Shapes series features brilliantly coloured smoke against peaceful almost generic nature backdrops. The final result is spellbinding scenes with striking juxtaposition of colour that I could stare at for hours. Hoping there are prints of these gorgeous photographs available soon or I might have to continue researching smoke bomb building!

(thanks for the link Catriana!)

It’s amazing how colour-blocking can turn ordinary objects into fantastic photo subjects. Love this styling and photography by Gothenburg-based design studio Kontor Kontur. I would like most of the colourful office supplies featured!

(via seesaw)

After conducting a poll to discover the most-loved childhood toy, Chevrolet used the winning Play-Doh to create a street advertisement in London for their new family-friendly seven-seater Orlando car. Definitely an eye-catching, 1.5 ton advertisement that hopes to capture the attention of parents and children alike. It took eight model makers over two weeks to create the remarkable sculpture by hand. Now if only real cars came in such a beautiful shade of blue….

(images via chevrolet uk)

Sometimes, especially on a Monday, you just need to gaze at a beautiful scene full of brilliant colour. I think Navagio Beach (or Shipwreck Bay) on the Zakynthos island of Greece does the trick today. The rugged, curvaceous topography is certainly intriguing but it is the gorgeous blue colour that stops me in my tracks. I almost thought the photos were colour treated until I researched many others that all contained a similar vibrancy. Today I wish I was eating an olive oil focused Greek lunch and staring out at that unreal blue.

(images via rita, shay lawless, robert wallace, emelie klamvik)

I find these ads for Bic pens brilliant. The lifespan of the ubiquitous ballpoint pens are tested to last for two kilometres, a distance equivalent to six Eiffel Towers, two Tower Bridges or four Empire State Buildings. What a clever and effective way to describe just how long the pens should last. The sole use of the very recognizable Bic pen blue across the entire ad (even the logo) is a final brilliant touch of brand in a fantastic ad campaign.

(images via ads of the world)

Life Calendar by Barcelona-based Brigada Creativa allows you to sum up each day by drawing a face onto a colourful dot. I love the idea of this bright and graphic poster on an office wall. I imagine it provides some insight as well – patterns and arcs that emerge. It would be so interesting to look at a whole year in this way.

I really love the work of artist Francisca Prieto and her folded, intricate paper installations. Photos of her amazing pieces are prominent among my boxes and folders of inspiration. Francisca uses many types of paper for her art from written versions of Shakespeare to newspapers and maps. I love them all but my absolute favourite is what she creates with envelopes. I have always been fascinated by the ornate security patterns printed inside envelopes. Francisca folded hundreds of interlocking forms with these intriguing blue designs to create her ‘Between Folds – Envelopes’ series. The colour palette, mix of patterns and 3D nature of these envelope origami installations is stunning. I can’t wait to see what Francisca comes up with next!

I love art in unexpected places – especially when it adds colour to an everyday object or location. In 2008, Kelly Goeller created ‘Pixel Pour‘, a 3D interpretation of water pouring from a faucet in an almost video game, pixelated way. Recently, Goeller created ‘Pixel Pour 2.0′ on Mercer Street in New York City. The brilliant blue is so striking against the industrial surroundings and the layers of blocks really give the sense of a piece of video game magic emerging onto the street. Hoping to see more of these clever street art installations!

(images via unurth)