Girl Meets Deer: Wall Vacationing

As summer (finally, slowly) approaches, I once again find myself longing for the beach. Since I wisely used every single one of my vacation days in March (that's a whopping 3 out of the 12 month calendar, for those less strong in math...), I'll have to satisfy this craving through sunbathing sessions on my black tar roof. When sunburn or an ogling neighbor forces me to turn inside, I'd like to continue my oceanside fantasy, so I'm currently lusting over art that will transport me. Luckily, I have plenty of options.

As inspiration, I'm tacking up the May Issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Read on for the rest of the beachy images I'd like to ~~enter~~ hang on my wall...

If I stand really close and squint I can almost believe I'm at the back of this umbrellaed paradise.

Going Gray

I first discovered Gray Malin's beach photographs a few months ago, back when I was even further into the dregs of winter. Malin has an excellent sense of composition; he arranges each photograph so that the bodies in them become stylized, no longer human forms, but almost decorative elements scattered across their background. In this way, I think, his work is not dissimilar to some schools of Abstract Expressionism: the elements are boiled down purely to shape and color and the image remains remarkably emotive. While Malin has series set in several locations (la montagne, le parc, Antarctica), his à la plage series is my favorite, and the jumping-off point for my quest for beach vacation substitutes attainable with mounting screws.

Some Malin favorites:

ST. TROPEZ BLUE UMBRELLAS VERTICAL

BONDI BEACH CLOSE (VERTICAL)

COOGEE BEACH DIAGONAL

Since discovering Malin, I've been noticing more and more of his style of photography popping up in the design world, probably because this flat, colorful aesthetic can add a great sense of depth to a room without overwhelming it. Here are some more of my favorites: