I've talked about Brooklyn artist Dan-ah Kim a few times before but when she wrote in about some of her new work and I clicked on this, I knew I had to share with you a few of her most recent creations.

I love animals so The Lights Guided Us Here really touched my heart. I'm a girl who frequents pet stores, zoos, animal parks and rescue shelters just for comfort visits - I love petting and even talking to all the sweet animals. I have to say though, zoos where I live are pretty depressing, but the one in my new city is amazing! I can't wait to go back to purchase a family card for the year so I can drop in whenever I want to. They take such lovely care of the animals and though I don't like to see anything in captivity, there is a difference between poorly kept animals and happy, thriving ones that have good relationships with their trainers, handlers and other animals. There is also a lovely petting "forest" (tiergarten) with deer to feed, my husband went there all the time as a child. I surely will be visiting it in August (for the first time) as soon as I land on the other side of the pond. Here's a map of what it looks like.

I could not live in a world without animals, in fact when people annoy me I often head to a pet store for stress relief. Sometimes others can disappoint us or flake out, which deeply annoys me when someone doesn't hold up their end of an agreement. Animals are very loyal and what you see is what you get, there is no pretending or games. I felt annoyed recently and so to the pet shop I went and instantly I forgot my feelings and haven't been bothered by the situation since. Visiting animals is my therapy I guess. That's why I love seeing them in art and design; this print shown above with the pretty fox and the girl laying next to it reminds me of how comforting having a pet can be.

One thing about moving and no longer living between two countries as we've been doing for years now is that I can finally adopt a dog from a shelter. I need to learn more about this and how it works in Germany, but I'm excited about the idea of pet ownership again. I haven't had one since 1994 so I'm ready to take on a new friendship with a furry critter. :)

(images: dan-ah kim)