Shout out!

I was looking at my good friend, Tong's new website... And i came to realise, i have some REALLY artistically talented people in my life - that i am privileged enough to call friends!! So i thought i'd use this space to show-off some of my friends amazing artistic endeavours [click on their names to be taken to their site] ♥

I'll start off with the one who inspired this post...

Ladies & Gentlemen...

TONG ZHOU

Chinese born & raised, Tong has to be one of the most amazing free-hand artists i have ever met. I stayed with Tong for 2 weeks while in Vancouver, and was lucky enough to witness his talent first-hand. We'd be sitting there talking, laughing & being silly, and Tong would have a sketch-pad in front of him just drawing away like its no big deal. And these were no sketches... these were incredible works-of-art! And he just pulled them straight from his imagination. He didn't have to copy from anything... every crease and wrinkle on an old ladies face, every twist & curl in a poodle's coat - straight from his imagination! INSANE! I stole these images from his website http://www.tong-zhou.com/. OH, his website is 100% Tong-made too. ANDDD he's an origami expert!! Talent seeping out of his pores!

Love how these 3 beauties show his diversity as an artist. Check out his website (noted above) for more. He is drawing everyday, so keep your eyes peeled for new Tong!

KARYNN BROWN

Ahh i adore the guts out of this girl!!

Karynn Brown - creative mind behind 'Karynn's Keepsakes & Kupkakes' - is possibly one of the most genuinely sweetest people you will EVER meet! Even sweeter than her gorgeous 'Kupkakes' ^.^ (that's a Karynn smiley). Her kupkakes are so exquisitely beautiful, that i don't know how one can bare to eat them. In fact, my friend Michael just said to me, after i showed him her page "wow, do you get to eat those or do you have have to keep them?!...seriously, because i'm not sure" I guess they just smell so scrum-didli-umptious, that they just magically make their way into your mouth (yes, i'm speaking from experience) whether you want to part with them, or not!

Not only is Karynn THE cupcake MASTER, she also has mean photography and photo-editing skills! This is where 'Keepsakes' comes into play! Her shots all have a romantic and whimsical feel to them. Now since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm going let her photo's do the rest of the talking...

The Canadian Keepsake & Kupkake Kween conducts her magic in Vancouver, BC. She bakes Kupkakes and makes Keepsakes for all occasions. Check her facebook fanpage for deets.

HENRY MURPHY

One of my favourite quotes is "Beauty dwells and is awake in each thing... we must look for it." by Rainer Maria Rilke, and i think you can apply this quote to many of Henry's photographs. That's one of the things i think seems so romantic about being a photographer, that seeing and living life through the eyes of a photographer must be beautiful. Beauty truly IS everywhere! You just need to open your eyes, put on your rose-coloured glasses and look for it! Or, if that's too hard... just head to Henry's website and let him show you how it's done.

This is probably my favourite Henry Murphy photograph. I can't put my finger on why, but I can just stare at it forever!

I feel the same about this one.

"Beauty dwells and is awake in each thing... we must look everywhere." - Rainer Maria Rilke

LOVE the contrast in this one!

Dreamy

SITJI CHOU

Sitji, like Tong, is an absolutely amazing artist! I've never had the privilege of watching Sitji at work with my own eyes, but i can only hope that one day i will, and in the meantime lose myself in his masterpieces. Sitji encompasses an imagination that most people, even artists only dream of having, and it shows through in his works. Check it.

Self Portrait

LLLOOOVVVEEE

This is all i can get my hands on for now, so will have to suffice. But as soon as i can get more, they'll be up! Isn't he brilliant?!!!

Now I do have many other amazingly talented friends, but i've been working on this blog for wayyy too long now due to super duper slow internet. So how about i do a 'Part 2' with everyone else on it?! Cool? Cool!

Well I'm finally tired enough to go back to sleep now (I had a 'nap' from 4p-9p this evening, that was full of nightmares and has kept me up til now - 3:40a) so i'm going to peace out & pass out!

I hope you've enjoyed my friends artworks, and have been inspired by them just as much as i have been :)

We live in a beautiful world, all. Take a minute to stop, and smell the roses!

Nighty night

♥