<a href="Sink or Swim," The Smallest Forest (CC BY-NC 2.0)">

"Sink or Swim," The Smallest Forest (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Whimsical Worlds: Artists to Follow Now

Get lost in the wild, imaginative worlds of artists on WordPress.com.

August 5, 2015

Cheri Lucas Rowlands

From colorful journal pages to creatures made of salvaged materials, here’s a glimpse at the imaginative worlds of textile and multimedia artists on WordPress.com.

The Pale Rook

We discovered Glasgow-based textile artist Johanna Flanagan after stumbling upon her post, “Artist’s Statement: Part Two,” and were immediately pulled into her curious world of dolls that are hand-drawn, sewn, and embroidered. We love her delicate, narrow-waisted figures in cross-legged positions, many of which are created with recycled fabrics and threads she’s collected over the years.

"Odette," The Pale Rook, Johanna Flanagan

“Odette,” The Pale Rook, Johanna Flanagan

The free Sketch theme and built-in portfolio feature showcase Johanna’s characters in a simple yet sophisticated grid, which is separate from her blog posts. (You can enable a portfolio on a number of free and premium themes.)

Anouk de Groot

The world of Anouk de Groot, a folk artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland, is full of fantastic creatures — ones you’d encounter in fairy tales or eerie dreams. Think mermaids on jaw bones. A sheep skull with gold and black illustrations. A textured painting of a folk tale bride.

"Horned Mermaid Jaw Bone," Anouk de Groot

“Horned Mermaid Jaw Bone,” Anouk de Groot

Anouk’s imaginative world spans multiple sites: in addition to her website, she houses her label of textile and paper art dolls (Pantovola: Cabinet of Childhood) and a blog “where wild things are drawn” (Baba Yaga Land) both on WordPress.com. It’s important for artists to establish their brands online, so we like how the winged woman illustration on her website’s left sidebar transforms the premium Studio theme into her own, via Studio‘s custom logo feature.

Busy Mockingbird

Mica Angela Hendricks’ blog name says it all: she’s always busy working on art projects, from custom portraits to resin monster puppy dolls to her well-known series of collaborations with her young daughter. She often shares her own takes on characters in popular culture, too (check out her recent Mad Max illustrations).

"Collaborating with a 6-year old," Busy Mockingbird

“Collaborating with a 6-year old,” Busy Mockingbird, Mica Angela Hendricks

On her blog, Mica displays a custom background of select illustrations in circular frames. A custom background is a simple, immediate way to showcase your style (and it’s a free feature on many of our themes).

The Smallest Forest

“I feel compelled to articulate living and loving with my hands,” writes Nat at The Smallest Forest. The bookbinder and illustrator, who is currently exploring Venezuela with her husband, observes new places and cultures and translates them in vibrant ways, splashed across personal journal pages.

"Making Money in My Spare Time," The Smallest Forest (CC BY -NC 2.0)

“Making Money in My Spare Time,” The Smallest Forest (CC BY -NC 2.0)

Like Johanna at The Pale Rook, Nat uses the Sketch theme, but her front page displays her recent posts in a traditional blog format — so, you can see how this theme works in different ways. Nat also publishes photography of her wanderings, and Sketch‘s full-width template displays both her images and artwork beautifully.

Get inspired by more art in the Reader, and explore related tags like textile art or multimedia art.

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23 Comments

Comments are closed.

  1. taphian Aug 5th at 3:18 pm

    beautiful, fantastic pieces of art

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Ivery Arie Aug 5th at 3:47 pm

    Very informative and exquisite!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Scott Aug 5th at 3:59 pm

    Very unusual and interesting photos.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. (b)ananartista SBUFF Aug 5th at 4:02 pm

    very energetic creations

    Liked by 1 person

  5. judithbarrow1 Aug 5th at 5:57 pm

    Love the face of the Mockingbird!

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Soul n Spirit Aug 5th at 6:18 pm

    Talent at its peak. Very creative and unusual work.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. egoecho Aug 5th at 7:37 pm

    Another great one: tuhba.wordpress.com

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Paul Erickson Aug 5th at 9:22 pm

    Inspired ORIGINAL work!!!

    Liked by 2 people

  9. H. G. Robert Aug 5th at 9:48 pm

    Great artists. Very inspiring. Check out my original art – “Poetry Panels” here: http://hgrobert.com/category/poetry-panels/

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Margie Aug 5th at 10:32 pm

    Thanks so much for introducing us to these artists. I particularly like ‘The Pale Rook’. The artist’s comments about how women struggle to value themselves, their talent and their work are very instructive and inspiring.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Carmen Cacalano Aug 5th at 11:26 pm

    I love the doll. And I see I sort of make my hands sometimes the way they are in the painting.

    Liked by 2 people

  12. gbemisoyetijani Aug 6th at 11:35 am

    Nat and Johanna are in a special class of fulfilled artists oozing out artistry instantly.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Chie Aug 6th at 12:03 pm

    They are very inspiring *O*

    Liked by 1 person

  14. paulapederson Aug 6th at 12:43 pm

    What a feast for the eyes for someone like myself who lacks visual creativity.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. jeffhankins01 Aug 6th at 3:06 pm

    Loved these. Made me want to go and try to create something too…!

    Liked by 3 people

  16. carleendesign Aug 6th at 7:53 pm

    I like “Odette”!

    Liked by 3 people

  17. southamptonoldlady Aug 7th at 9:40 am

    Lovely innovative artists.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. prakash7900 Aug 7th at 1:28 pm

    Art is inspiring in any way, shape, or form…mermaid on a jawline is fantastic!

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Zipporah A. Aug 7th at 3:14 pm

    Great artistry. I recognize the image of Yemanja in your cover photo.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Lauren Aug 7th at 5:33 pm

    I love seeing other artists. It inspires me to post more of my own work; I have made some illustrations for my blogs.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Gabrielle Aug 9th at 9:40 am

    Thanks for featuring these artists- very inspiring!

    Liked by 1 person

  22. HusbandAndHusband Aug 9th at 6:23 pm

    This was great stuff. I love the art. Whimsical and dark…right up my alley. Thanks for posting.

    Liked by 1 person

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