Palais Ideal

I wonder if I can get a mortgage for this place. This is the incredible work of just one man, postman Cheval who collected rock by rock and spent 35 years building the palace. Cheval was inspired by the French former colonies printed on the postcards he delivered.

It was after reading this I understood the deal with Chuck Palanuck's novel Choke, the parallel is there, no?

I find this so touching - the hard work of one man, pushing himself to the limit on his pilgrimage to build his church, and dying at the ripe old age of 88. Imagine the house party he had when he finished!

New York Art: The Velvet Underground

Today, I've had my nose burried in The Velvet Underground book, published by Rizzoli. Anyone remotely interested in The Velvet Underground or any of the musicians, artists and performers connected (there sure were a lot) is bound to find this fascinating. It is full of the incredible artwork that went hand-in-hand with the music. It also has more than just a bit of Warhol-based contributions - apart from the peel-off banana record sleeve, I can't say I'm convinced, surely he's the first of a long list of 'art chancers'? Anyway, it's amazing and uh oh...I think I'm obsessed with Nico.

Available at Artwords.

Dorothy Iannone

Look out for Dorothy Iannone's all-powerful women dominating her erotic paintings and prints. Looks like someone had too much free love in the summer of '67 -just joking. I love these. They're bright, free and most importantly...saucy.

Craving Craven

Ann Craven's painting's left an immediate impression on me the moment I saw them in Flash Art Magazine this month. Saccharine, hyper-real birds smile out at us almost like glamour girls. It echoes the feel of the 'unknown' artist painting you'll find on a market stall -the kind that make you laugh.

Read a more eloquent and accurate review of Craven's work in this months Flash Art Magazine, available at Artwords.

Wayne's Allwhite

Please ignore the terrible pun title ( I don't even think that counts as a pun). How many strings can a man have to his bow? Wayne White's name usually precedes the list of illustrator, fine artist, set designer, art director. As well as art directing numerous children's programmes, Wayne White also designed the set for one of the best music videos of the 90s -Smashing Pumpkins Tonight Tonight.

Todd Oldham compiles and designs a smashing book of White's work and his transition into a painter. He now works purely typographically over existing prints. The result is completely cosmic. What is astounding about this book of how much of it there is. Wayne really is prolific.

The book is titled 'Maybe Now I'll Get The Respect I So Richly Deserve' and includes an interview with the man him self . Available at Artwords -HALF PRICE!

Twin

Captivating me on the magazine/journal front this month is Twin. I believe it is produced by some of the team behind Lula ( I could be mistaken). Substance shines through with this and it's much more art and culture heavy than Lula. This, the second issue, is one that I hold close to my heart as it celebrates 40 years of the Women's Liberation Movement, taking us back to the women that used art to respond to changing times.

I love the rather tender piece on different female artists' take on 'womens' intuition'. The issue sounds a more positive note on the liberation as apposed to dwelling on past oppressions. It also showcases some beautiful work of current female artists including photographer Kate Tempest, painter Pearl C Hsiung and Linda Brownlee. All bound together in hardback with Liberty print end papers. Phew, take a breath.

Get it at Artwords of course.

Cult Classic, Elizabeth Peyton

I really love this self-compiled book of Elizabeth Peyton. The portraits of greats such as Jarvis and Kurt and whimsical and unrefined, completely personal. They resonate a timeless quality. I can't quite put my finger on what makes these work so well. Is it her choice of picture? (they're definitely not from life). I'd love to see her working process. Anywho, I find them rather touching and would love to have a Jarvis for my non existent art collection.

The book 'Elizabeth Peyton' is published by Rizzoli and available at Artwords.