It's that time of year again when we celebrate change and the impermanent nature of life (also the move into deep freeze for those of us in New York at least.)

We could not think of a better edition than Dolly Madison Zebra Stripe Death from our beloved Dirk Westphal to mark the occasion.

Halloween's fun is all about tricking the eye, and with Dirk's amazing work it's all about treating them too.

In his second exclusive edition from the dessert series, Dirk continues his love affair with how common everyday products are manipulated into attractiveness through application of color and texture.

Furthermore, he recognizes that there’s a slightly darker side to it, in that, what’s attractive isn’t necessarily good for us. Cool Peppermint Fresh Stripe V2.0 isn't just about toothpaste afterall, Little Debbie Frosted Fudge Recycle isn't really about chocolate, just as Dolly Madison Zebra Stripe Death isn't really about cookie dough, or is it?

Got it? Chew on that one for a while....

Happy Halloween, and happy collecting!

Laurence

ABOUT DIRK WESTPHAL

Dirk received his Masters in Fine Art from the California Institute of the Arts. His photographs have been shown throughout the United States and abroad at such galleries and institutions as the Tim Olsen Gallery (Sydney), the CatStreet Gallery (Hong Kong), Baldwin Gallery (Aspen), DesignWithinReach (Los Angeles), the New York Historical Society, Art in General (New York), Exit Art (New York), Glenn Horowitz (East Hampton), and Mixed Greens (New York). His artworks are included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute (New York), the Progressive Collection (Cleveland, OH), the New York Times Photo Archives (New York), Pfizer, Corel, and Sir Elton John.

Dirk’s images have appeared in a wide array of publications and books including The New York Times and New York Sunday Times magazine, V magazine, The Village Voice, The New York Observer, Marie Claire, and der Spiegel.

Architect turned perfumer Carlos Huber is a charming New York City-based Mexican-born cosmopolitan gentleman who can switch from Spanish to English to French or Italian all in one conversation. A world traveler and history buff, it’s no surprise that he owns three ArtWeLove artworks in his collection (Alumix Dust 1937-2008, Present and Paris.)

Trained as an Architect and Preservationist, Carlos has distinguished himself most recently as a perfumer in his own right. Tapping into his background as a historical preservationist (Carlos studied with architect and artist Jorge Otero-Pailos while at Columbia and was involved with some of his experimental projects), he recently launched Arquiste, a line of 5 unisex historical perfumes. He meticulously researched rare ingredients to create five olfactive sensations that each evoke a specific time and place. The venture has received rave reviews from W Magazine, GQ, Refinery 29 and Daily Candy, and can be found at Barneys and the Webster.

Carlos' personal style is as sophisticated, vibrant, and inspiring as his perfumes. We recently asked Carlos for a tour of the New York home he shares with partner Nate Berkus to see how he integrated his ArtWeLove prints. While visiting, we could not help to ask the rising talent some rather Proustian questions. Answers to which follow.

ArtWeLove: What do you do for a living?
Carlos Huber: Architect, preservationist, and perfumer

AWL: Why do you buy art / collect?
CH: Art, in all forms, nurtures life.

AWL: What was your first art piece?
CH: My childhood sketches that my parents would frame and hang for my bedroom.

AWL: If you could own any piece of art, what would it be?
CH: I would love to own a masterpiece of architecture: a house by Legorreta, an interior by Jean Michel Frank, or a property like Charles de Beistegui’s Chateau de Groussay where I could build pavilions and follies. The Wounded Cuirassier by Theodore Gericault would make me very happy too.

AWL: When and where are you the happiest?
CH: When visiting a Museum that I love with someone I love.

AWL: Which artist do you admire?
CH: All artists devoted to making something out of nothing.

AWL: Which gallery, museum, or art-related space makes you the happiest?
CH: Here in New York, the Metropolitan Museum; in Mexico City, the murals of the San Ildefonso Museum; in Paris, the Musée de la Chasse in the Marais.

AWL: What quality do you most admire in a piece of art?
CH: The sublime: the ability to take your breath away.

AWL: What artwork would you love to see in person?
CH: Picasso’s Guernica

AWL: Pen or pencil?
CH: Pencil!!!!! I need to be able to erase when I write/draw/design

AWL: Abstract or Pop Art?
CH: Neither really. I like complexity.

AWL: Dark or milk chocolate?
CH: Milk chocolate

Works from Carlos’ collection:

Alumix Dust, 1937-2008 by Jorge Otero-Pailos

Paris by Ambroise Tezenas

Present by Midori Harima

Meet other ArtWeLove collectors:
Rick Webb
Roz Morris

-- Miya Ando

Following our March fundraising for the American Red Cross, I am deeply honored to bring you another opportunity to help Japan with two new inspiring editions from New York artist Miya Ando, each one benefiting Direct Relief International, an organization dedicated to relief efforts in wake of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Two months exactly after the earthquake, Japan's devastation is still overwhelming, and less in the media spotlight. That is why we feel it’s even more important to continue to support their efforts to rebuild. So when Miya approached us with the idea of creating two special benefit editions and donating all of her proceeds to Direct Relief International, we felt honored to support her.

Stemming from Miya’s paintings on steel and commemorative public projects, hamon drawing [meditation 1] and hamon drawing [meditation 2] are tranquil companions that promote peaceful contemplation and introspection.

A descendant of Bizen sword makers, Miya was brought up in two worlds: a Buddhist temple in Okayama, Japan, among swordsmiths-turned-priests and the coastal environment of Santa Cruz, California. This melding of ancestral serenity and craft, West Coast sensibility, and an apprenticeship under master metalsmith Hattori Studio of Okayama forged a skillful set of hands and spiritual frame of mind.

Horizontal and vertical marks featured prominently throughout Miya’s steel-and-aluminum pieces are reflective of the horizon at dusk and its transition into night. Understanding these inspirations, it makes perfect sense that her name translates to “beautiful night”.

Miya approached these special editions with the same sensitivity and dedication she brings to all her artworks. In her steel pieces, she uses fire, acids, and patinas to create the subtle gradients reminiscent of those seen in hamon drawing [meditation 1] and hamon drawing [meditation 2]. You can see the intensity of her process for yourself in this video excerpt.

For these editions, what began as experimentation with powdered nickel, graphite, and the cherished Sumi ink inherited from her grandfather, resulted in numerous studies to choose from, each simple in form but pure in nature. Our final selection of images were carefully picked because of their ability to evoke what we immediately felt about Miya’s art: a sense of harmony, embellished with delicate stains of color.

Both of these specially created editions, hamon drawing [meditation 1] and hamon drawing [meditation 2], are available in two sizes: 14 x 11 inches (edition of 250) for $50 and 20 x 16 inches (edition of 100) for $200. Plus, as a special touch to express her gratitude for your purchase, Miya has stamped each certificate of authenticity with her personal Japanese signature seal in red ink.

ABOUT DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL

Direct Relief International provides medical assistance to improve the quality of life for people affected by poverty, disaster, and civil unrest at home and throughout the world. They work to strengthen the in-country health efforts of their partners by providing essential material resources - medicines, supplies, and equipment.

Last year, we had the pleasure of starting a collaboration with Clive, during his stay in Washington D.C., as part of his recently awarded Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship.

Today, you’re the first to view the result of our fruitful collaboration, an exclusive edition titled Fugitives.

A contemporary to Willliam Kentridge, Clive is deeply influenced by the post-apartheid era in South Africa. He has created some of the most iconic and thought-provoking public art projects in his home country.

A provocateur of public space, van den Berg does not shy away when describing Fugitives as “suggest[ing] our unseen companions, those we recall in memory, or sense during our everyday activities, the ghosts who pass through our thoughts unbidden.”

Fugitives draws comparisons to his public-art projects: its formality as well as its themes of human rights, history, memory, and identity, all central to Clive’s body of work. Here at ARTWELOVE, we’re incredibly proud to be making his work available to a broad international audience.

Fugitives is an exclusive ARTWELOVE production, supervised directly by Clive, with something for everyone in terms of sizing: A brilliant 11x14 inches at $50 (edition of 500), a phenomenal 16x20 inches at $200 (edition of 100), and a triumphant 24x30 inches at $1000 (edition of 10).

Speaking of May, Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Why not give your mother the gift of art? You’ve probably done it before, with your childhood paintings.

Now, with ARTWELOVE on your side, you can show your mother just how much you appreciate her--with a very different, but just as heartfelt, type of art: stylish, contemporary, limited-edition, museum-quality artworks.

Our Mother's Day Collection makes browsing our extensive catalogue of affordable fine-art editions easy.. effortless... fast yet thorough. That’s because we’ve curated our Mother's Day Collection to reflect the tastes of all mothers, from quiet, reserved, and conservative to wild, colorful, and expressive.

Can’t make a decision? Unsure of your mother’s artistic sensibilities? Treat her to a shopping spree with an ArtWeLove gift certificate. Available in denominations ranging from $15 to $2000, she’s sure to find what she needs to spruce up any room in her home, office, or haven.

Launching to coincide with Earth Day on April 22, Wild reminds us of the importance of preserving our land, its animals, and the habitat in which we live. It does this with a gorgeous, wild naturescape, consuming a past that is either disappearing or no longer exists.

Victoire’s combination of abstraction and hyper-realism provides us with, in her own words, “the necessity to grasp reality”. Subjects such as birds, moons, stars, stones, and foliage remind us of Mother Nature, enabling a powerful message that we must take an active role in our environment.

Finally, this edition, like many in ARTWELOVE’s catalogue, delivers on the intentions of Earth Day by using eco-responsible paper, made from tree-free cotton linters, salvaged from the textile industry. (For some of our other earth-centric and eco-responsible editions, please view our Eco-conscious collection.)

Wild comes in four sizes: a compact 8 x 10” at $25 (edition of 250), a flourishing 11 x 14” at $50 (edition of 500), an expansive 16 x 20” at $200 (edition of 100), and a magnificent 24 x 30” at $1000 (edition of 10).

Happy Earth Day--and, of course, happy collecting!

Want to know about our weekly new releases? Join our First View newsletter to get the latest news about our exclusive, museum-quality limited editions.

Dirk and his art are personally significant to me. When I landed in New York City, I made a fortunate entrance into the art world. Through my first gallery job, not only did I get the opportunity to meet him, but I was also introduced to the team at ARTWELOVE.

So then, you might ask, what’s the appeal of Dirk’s photographs to those not so close to his practice?

Well, his large-scale photographs are captivating for their detail, clarity, and presence as sleek visual candy. The beauty reels you in and upon closer inspection, his process, wit, and concepts keep you wondering.

Because his distinctive humor and fresh perspective radiate through each image, he offers the viewer new ways of seeing by taking ordinary subjects and re-contextualizing them.

It's no surprise, his photographs have enlivened the pages of V Magazine, Marie Claire, The Village Voice, and The New York Times.

At the same time, his artworks have long held the attention of the art world by being included in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute, the Progressive Collection, the West Collection, and the renowned photography collection of Sir Elton John.

Specific to Cool Peppermint, which is part of Dirk’s Toothpaste series, it’s an in-depth investigation of artificial colors and his interest in the point where science and psychology meet.

By photographing commonplace items like toothpastes, cough syrups, mouthwashes, and pre-packaged desserts in his ultra-organized, conceptual manner, Dirk creates patterns of beauty where there was once banality.

With its bright, saturated hues--so timely for Spring and Easter--the highly collectible Cool Peppermint Fresh Stripe V2.0 is printed on 100% cotton paper with a gloss finish and available in three sizes: a glistening 14 x 11” (edition of 250) at $50, a luminous 20 x 16” (edition of 100) at $200, and a brilliant 30 x 24” (edition of 10) at $1000.

Want to know about our weekly new releases? Join our First View newsletter to get the latest news about our exclusive, museum-quality limited editions.

Last month, we introduced Nina with Globe and Blossom, a first glimpse of her exquisite textures and patterns. Inspired by textiles and organics, Nina creates beauty and balance through dynamic geometric shapes, petal motifs, and a meticulous net of dots.

Furthering her artistic exploration with ARTWELOVE, Nina’s Petal, Pixel and Stain suggests another abstract landscape. This joyous work is reminiscent of sunset dunes with stalks of swaying beach grass cast in warm sandy hues of burnt orange and splashes of deep emerald.

As a compliment to its predecessor, Petal, Pixel and Stain comes in 3 sizes: A perfectly pair-able 14 x 11” (edition of 500) at $50, a grand 20 x 16” (edition of 100) at $200, and a stately 30 x 24” at $1000 (edition of 10).

PS! Next month, Nina will be exhibiting her masterful paintings at The Affordable Art Fair in New York City. For those of you in the area, we highly encourage you to attend the show and experience Nina’s uniquely gorgeous artworks in person!

Until next week, happy collecting!

Want to know about our weekly new releases? Join our First View newsletter to get the latest news about our exclusive, museum-quality limited editions.