Look up “gorgeous” in the dictionary and I imagine you will find these Stars by Seb Lester prints (right next to a photo of George Clooney of course.) Sparkling gold ink screen printed by hand on royal or midnight blue paper, the dreamy Van Gogh quote is beautiful from a distance. But, upon closer look, the word stunning doesn’t seem to do justice to Seb’s typography made up of ‘hundreds of thousands of tiny stars’. Limited editions of 100 prints, both colours are sold out which kind of shows that you should never drag your feet when buying art! I will dull the pain by dreaming of a second edition…

(photographs via keep calm gallery)

Karen Barbé is a fabulous textile designer from Santiago, Chile. On top of her immense talent for all things fabric as showcased in her shop, Karen has a great blog full of intriguing images and glimpses of work in progress. I’m not sure what project Karen is working on in these photographs but so far, it is gorgeous! Vintage-colours yet completely modern shapes. It’s safe to say my love affair with embroidery is far from over!

Ever wonder what the first colour photographed looked like? Well wonder no more! Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell is responsible for creating this intriguing image of tartan ribbon in 1861. By photographing the ribbon three times through red, blue and yellow filters, Maxwell could combine the images into one full-colour composite. A milestone moment for the art and technological evolution of photography. Oh and a pretty striking image in its own right!

(thank you for the inspiration mélanie)

(photograph via national geographic)

I’ve always loved Picasso’s portrait of his adored dachshund, Lump. Picasso loved animals and his work is rich with depictions of them. In contrast to his usual beautifully complex style, I love Picasso’s animal drawings for their simplicity and minimalism. There is even a book devoted to the artist and his best friend – Picasso & Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey. I love this drawing and that so many of Picasso’s pieces have his dachshund as a muse but most of all, I love that a dog named Lump became an icon in modern art!

(image via art prints gallery)

Sometimes something so delightfully random and creative comes along that proves just how insanely awesome the Internet is. The Cosby Sweater Project is a site dedicated to cataloging and illustrating the crazy and colourful sweaters won on The Cosby Show. I love the fantastic interpretations of those patterns. Whomever is behind this site: I officially love you. (p.s. when I started this week, I had no idea there would be two Cliff Huxtable references by week end. You never know what a week will bring…)

My classical music knowledge is probably not as strong as I would like it to be but there are many pieces that I really love. One in particular is Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune”. I have loved that magical song for as long as I can remember. Upon visiting Black Eiffel last week, I was reminded of the fantastic Music Animation Machine. The site turns classical works into graphic bars of colour that represent the length, complexity and emotion of each note. It is extraordinary how this allows one to “see” a song via colour and animation. It really sheds light on how these works of art are constructed and created.

(see more interpreted songs on the Music Animation Machine YouTube channel.)

There are many reasons I love iconic designer and filmmaker Saul Bass. He was ridiculously talented in so many areas of design and I hope to feature more of his legendary projects in the future. At the moment, I am semi-obsessed with Saul’s 1962 children’s book called “Henri’s Walk to Paris” about a young boy’s adventures in the City of Light. I have attempted to buy this gorgeous book for years but it is a difficult and expensive hunt. A recent bidding frenzy on Ebay ended at almost $500. While remaining hopeful that it is published again one day, I continue to just stare at the images of the book pages. What a showcase of fantastic 1960′s design/illustration, whimsical typography and spectacular use of vivid colour. That simple drawing of hats as the zoo crowd? I love it. Back to Ebay I go…

(photographs via grain edit; view more pages of the book on the grain edit blog)

Few companies have one signature brand colour and almost none have that colour for over a century and a half. Just say Tiffany & Co. to someone and they instantly conjure up that aqua blue hue the jewellery meca is so famous for. I spotted this original Tiffany Shipping Barrel from the 1920′s on Pinterest and became instantly obsessed. Used to ship silver and china, the barrel is handsomely weathered but has retained the instantly recognizable and gorgeous Tiffany blue. The New York address, 1920′s typography and one-of-a-kind details don’t hurt either. How amazing would this look as a side table? It appears I was to late to for this beautiful piece of iconic branding and colour but maybe someone has a similar barrel hiding in their attic? I’ll be watching this auction house just in case…

(photographs via lauren stanley silver)

How fantastic was Andy Warhol’s official letterhead? His passion for colour and eschewing the conventional are certainly evident in his personal branding!

(image via letter heady)

I have always loved designer David Klein’s iconic posters for airline TWA. Created in the 1950′s, the illustrations are gorgeous depictions of travel destinations. It would be great to see modern airlines return to advertising that motivates one to travel rather than photos of aircrafts and details of bargain deals. From the star-filled city of Los Angeles to the romantic layers of a Spanish flamenco dress, David perfectly captures the essence of colour-filled travel spots. I don’t think I have ever seen an illustration of New York that I love more!

(images via flavorwire)

I seem to have a thing for punchy pastels this week. Perhaps because of all the spring colours floating around? The shots above by photographer Elle Moss are the definition of strong but ethereal hues. Elle has a fantastic colour sensibility and style that makes all of her photos feel dreamy. There is also this amazing vintage feeling to her work. It’s as if you suddenly discovered a colourful photo album from decades ago.

(See more work on Elle’s Flickr and buy prints in the Elle Moss Etsy shop.

There are few holidays that celebrate one colour more than Saint Patrick’s Day. Every year on March 17th, the world seems to glow green as shamrocks, leprechauns and four-leaf clovers mark the celebration. Ireland, known as the Emerald Isle, is a nation of rolling hills and lush landscapes that only further highlight the dominance of green in Irish life. Interestingly, blue was the traditional colour of Ireland and Saint Patrick. Even today, Saint Patrick’s blue (a sky blue) and Presidential Blue (a dark shade) are the official colours of the Government of Ireland. The original Ireland flag as well as the current Coat of Arms and the Standard of the President of Ireland feature a gold Irish harp on a Saint Patrick’s blue background. There are plenty of theories of how green took over but most agree that Saint Patrick used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans which forever linked wearing the green symbol to the holiday. Hundreds of years later, Saint Patrick’s Day is a celebration bathed in shades of bright green and unbridled merriment.

For over 40 years, Chicago has been famous for dying the Chicago River a vivid shade of Emerald Isle green for their St. Patrick’s Day Parade celebrations. Intriguingly, the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union (who began the tradition) don’t use green dye. In a feat of colour theory and/or magic, orange dye is mixed with the river water to create that famous green hue. I have heard that recipe for the non-toxic orange dye is a closely guarded secret within the Plumbers Union which certainly explains why only Chicago has really succeeded in creating a green that brilliant. Wishing you a wonderful Saint Patrick’s Day celebration full of colour!

(images via bass_nroll, alexander noe, kathy, nechaiphoto, bluemarla, paul swortz, sébastien b, richard milnes)

This photo, ‘Girls in the Windows’, is jaw-dropping. Even more amazing, it is from 1960 so its brilliance is clear of any Photoshop enhancements or trickery! Ormond Gigli dreamed up this photo when he realized a brownstone across from his New York apartment was being demolished. He quickly organized 43 models in formal attire to pose in the windows and ended up with an iconic photo that perfectly captures 1960′s architecture, fashion and colour. What an incredible image.

From Ormond’s personal description of the shoot: “We had to work quickly to secure City permissions, arrange for models which included celebrities, the demolition supervisior’s wife (third floor, third from left), my own wife (second floor, far right), and also secure the Rolls Royce to be parked on the sidewalk. Careful planning was a necessity as the photography had to be accomplished during the workers’ lunch time! … the 43 women appeared in their finest attire, went into the buildings, climbed the old stairs, and took their places in the windows. I was set up on my fire escape across the streeet, directing the scene, with bullhorn in hand. Of course I was concerned for the Models’ safety, as some were daring enough to pose out on the crumbling sills.”

I always wondered what was going on inside a Polaroid camera and this photo finally explains it – that each instant photo is being hand painted inside the camera! I love this shot by Juan Cruz Buenahora and how the rainbow graphic on the front of the camera compliments the colours poring out. After being briefly discontinued, Polaroid cameras are thankfully available again.

(photo by juan cruz buenahora)