Showing posts with label artists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artists. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Shuffle the Deck
Point of view...Think on this: What must it have been like for the Child? For the mother? For the angel? For the Father?
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Pixel Stained Glass Window
Last year, the historical Cologne Cathedral in Germany finally received a new stained glass window. When the original was blown out from bombings during WWII, it was replaced simply with plain glass - until now.
The design chosen for the new window is modern, beautiful, and geeky! The design by German artist Gerhard Richter is made from 11,500 squares of glass in 72 colors like pixels! The result is quite wonderful.
Spiegel Online International News
Wikipedia
Wired August 2007
Monday, August 25, 2008
MoPo at DroolontheFrog Blog
After spending a great deal of time in a certain field, you tend to develop a keen eye for things that others don't even notice. As the result of studying art, design, and illustration for several years, I've developed an eye for the small print. Mostly in magazines. Any time there's a photo or illustration, I look for the teeny tiny type that gives the name of the photographer or illustrator who created it. I'm a regular reader of WIRED magazine and am thrilled at their high quality of illustrators and photographers and their interest in hi-tech art. Besides marking interesting web sites and memorable quotes as I read, I'll also highlight any photographers or illustrators so I can find their on-line portfolios.Every Monday on my DroolontheFrog blog there will be a featured portfolio (MoPo or Monday Portfolio) of a current artist, illustrator, and/or designer I've found.
Today's featured artist is Jennifer Maestre. You can also check out the WIRED blurb here.
Jennifer does some amazing sculptures with pencils. That's right, folks, pencils. You have to see it to believe it. I love the creative take she has on such an everyday object.
(I have a personal rule that I will include at least one picture with my posts, but, since these are currently working artists and I value their copyright, I will not be including pictures of their work. I will, however, provide direct links.)
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Frederick Hart (1944-1999)
A sculptor I greatly admire is Frederick Hart. He is probably best known for my favorite of his works, the "Ex Nihilo" creation above the west entrance to The Washington National Cathedral.
Another of his wonderful works is "The Three Soldiers," near Washington's Viet Nam Memorial. Of it Hart wrote, "I see the [Viet Nam Memorial] wall as a kind of ocean, a sea of sacrifice that is overwhelming and nearly incomprehensible in the sweep of names. I place these figures upon th
e shore of that sea, gazing upon it, standing vigil before it, reflecting the human face of it, the human heart...The portrayal of the figures is consistent with history. They wear the uniform and carry the equipment of war; they are young. The contrast between the innocence of their youth and the weapons of war underscores the poignancy of their sacrifice. There is about them the physical contact and sense of unity that bespeaks the bonds of love and sacrifice that is the nature of men at war. And yet they are each alone. Their strength and their vulnerability are both evident. Their true heroism lies in these bonds of loyalty in the face of their aloneness and their vulnerability."
You can access the Hart web site by clinking on the link on his name above. Spend some time enjoying, reading quotes, admiring his work. Hart professed a conversion to Christianity, a decision he came to while working on the Cathedral. Sometimes art changes its creator... May that be true of us.
e shore of that sea, gazing upon it, standing vigil before it, reflecting the human face of it, the human heart...The portrayal of the figures is consistent with history. They wear the uniform and carry the equipment of war; they are young. The contrast between the innocence of their youth and the weapons of war underscores the poignancy of their sacrifice. There is about them the physical contact and sense of unity that bespeaks the bonds of love and sacrifice that is the nature of men at war. And yet they are each alone. Their strength and their vulnerability are both evident. Their true heroism lies in these bonds of loyalty in the face of their aloneness and their vulnerability."You can access the Hart web site by clinking on the link on his name above. Spend some time enjoying, reading quotes, admiring his work. Hart professed a conversion to Christianity, a decision he came to while working on the Cathedral. Sometimes art changes its creator... May that be true of us.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Not Just for the Refrigerator Anymore
In 2005, Korean artist, Yeondoo Jung, did a delicious photographic series called, Wonderland, which interpreted children's drawings.
In this case, it is life which mimics art.
In this case, it is life which mimics art.
Cinderella
The Magician Turned the Whale into a Flower
Miss Sparkle Sprinkles the Magic
Take a look at these other fascinating series by Yeondoo Jung:
Documentary Nostalgia
Bewitched
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Daniel Rozin mirror art
I'd like to introduce you to the art work of Daniel Rozin. Here is an exert from his bio:
Daniel Rozin is an artist, educator and developer, working in the area of interactive digital art. As an interactive artist Rozin creates installations and sculptures that have the unique ability to change and respond to the presence and point of view of the viewer. In many cases the viewer becomes the contents of the piece and in others the viewer is invited to take an active role in the creation of the piece. Even though computers are often used in Rozin's work, they are seldom visible.
Here's a sample of his work:
He describes this piece as follows:
Peg Mirror comprises 650 circular wooden pieces that are cut on an angle. Casting shadows by twisting and rotating, wooden pegs forming concentric circles surround a small central camera. The mirrored image produced in this work is activated by software authored by Rozin that processes video signals and breaks up imagery geometrically, seemingly pixel by pixel. The silently moving wood components in this piece flicker like jewels or coins in the spotlight, challenging our notions about what constitutes a “digital object”.
When you go to his site you can access Quicktime videos of almost all his pieces. Be sure and check out Shiny Balls Mirror and Video Painting Easel. This is another great example how that technology and art, in my opinion, are one in the same. I admire this guy as an engineer and an artist.
Daniel Rozin is an artist, educator and developer, working in the area of interactive digital art. As an interactive artist Rozin creates installations and sculptures that have the unique ability to change and respond to the presence and point of view of the viewer. In many cases the viewer becomes the contents of the piece and in others the viewer is invited to take an active role in the creation of the piece. Even though computers are often used in Rozin's work, they are seldom visible.
Here's a sample of his work:
He describes this piece as follows:
Peg Mirror comprises 650 circular wooden pieces that are cut on an angle. Casting shadows by twisting and rotating, wooden pegs forming concentric circles surround a small central camera. The mirrored image produced in this work is activated by software authored by Rozin that processes video signals and breaks up imagery geometrically, seemingly pixel by pixel. The silently moving wood components in this piece flicker like jewels or coins in the spotlight, challenging our notions about what constitutes a “digital object”.
When you go to his site you can access Quicktime videos of almost all his pieces. Be sure and check out Shiny Balls Mirror and Video Painting Easel. This is another great example how that technology and art, in my opinion, are one in the same. I admire this guy as an engineer and an artist.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Thomas Heatherwick
One of my favorite artists growing up was Leonardo da Vinci. My admiration resulted from a short documentory that showed da Vinci as a scientist, documenting, testing, and experimenting with his world. Thomas Heatherwick is the subject of a Wired magazine article, "Bright Stuff" by Tim McKeough, He is a designer whose work is "the intersection of art, engineering, design, and architecture." In a recent documentary, the BBC referred to Thomas Heatherwick as "the new Leonardo da Vinci". To see his work, you'd understand.
Check out Heatherwick's web site to see his indescribable work including a bridge that rolls up, a three-story rolling staircase, and the sculpture made from thousands of glass beads strung on over 26,000 steel wires.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
What is (Nude) Art?
WARNING: Links in this post lead to news articles containing artistic photographs of naked people.
It's a highly debated question: What is art? Many approach the answer by saying what art isn't. Is it art simply because it's shocking or disturbing, because it makes you think, or only if it's beautiful?
You may have seen and/or heard about the most recent photo shoot by American photographer Spencer Tunick. He is known for his nude photography. So here's my question to you - is it art?
I'll come right out and say I think it is. It's very provocative and creative. Artistically, the human body becomes an element instead of just the subject. I wonder if this might be a perspective our Creator has.
A definition of art that I use is that it's creating a new perspective on a familiar thing or the exploration of what things are made of by recreating them out of context. For example, drawing or painting a fish using nothing but black lines and still communicating the characteristics and environment of a fish. Or creating a picture of a fish out of macaroni by determining what characteristics macaroni and a fish have in common or in what new ways can you look at macaroni that can make it communicate "fish". Either way, you are either stretching the view of the subject or the medium.
Tunick describes his photographs this way:
"I aim to get a sculptural feel for groups of bodies, as well as create performance art." - Telegraph
He's scupting by exploring the use of a new medium.
So what do you think of his work?
Nudes were very common in works of the great masters. Is it different because Tunick uses photography?
At what point does nude art become pornography?
Has the church played a role in demoralizing art simply because of the nude?
It's a highly debated question: What is art? Many approach the answer by saying what art isn't. Is it art simply because it's shocking or disturbing, because it makes you think, or only if it's beautiful?You may have seen and/or heard about the most recent photo shoot by American photographer Spencer Tunick. He is known for his nude photography. So here's my question to you - is it art?
I'll come right out and say I think it is. It's very provocative and creative. Artistically, the human body becomes an element instead of just the subject. I wonder if this might be a perspective our Creator has.A definition of art that I use is that it's creating a new perspective on a familiar thing or the exploration of what things are made of by recreating them out of context. For example, drawing or painting a fish using nothing but black lines and still communicating the characteristics and environment of a fish. Or creating a picture of a fish out of macaroni by determining what characteristics macaroni and a fish have in common or in what new ways can you look at macaroni that can make it communicate "fish". Either way, you are either stretching the view of the subject or the medium.
Tunick describes his photographs this way:
"I aim to get a sculptural feel for groups of bodies, as well as create performance art." - Telegraph
He's scupting by exploring the use of a new medium.
So what do you think of his work?Nudes were very common in works of the great masters. Is it different because Tunick uses photography?
At what point does nude art become pornography?
Has the church played a role in demoralizing art simply because of the nude?
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Art Community: Community Art
Art is one of the few things in the world that builds community. Whether it's viewing a piece of sculpture in a sculpture garden, visiting a gallery opening, listening to a symphony at the concert hall, or watching a show in the theatre, art is created to be shared.
Shared in the enjoyment of a completed work. Sometimes even shared throughout the entire creative process.
Art is meant to be shared with others.
A wonderful example of art that is shared in conception, execution and enjoyment of the finished product, is Community Bridge, in Frederick, MD. This piece began as an effort to revitalize and restore a controversial sector of Frederick. The artist, William Cochran, proposed a collaborative art project using a bridge as his canvas. Not just any old bridge though, he wanted this specific bridge that divided the community into a quasi "right and wrong side of the tracks," both racially and economically. Cochran's vision was to use the very thing dividing the city in two and redeem it to become a point of unity, collaboration and community spirit. Hence it's name, Community Bridge.
Cochran asked 174,000 people (both locally and around the world) one question, "What image represents the spirit of community to you?"
In process from 1993-1998, and painted entirely in the trompe l'oeil style (meaning that the bridge surfaces are completely flat. Anything you see that appears to be three-dimensional is an illusion), Cochran and his art team incorporated hundreds of ideas contributed from the world-wide community. In the words of Cochran, "Imagination is the most powerful force available to humankind and everyone without exception has access to that force."
Cochran relied on a community to canvas the public for ideas. Cochran relied on a community of ten painters to assist in making the bridge mural a reality. Cochran now relies on the community of Frederick, and all the out-of-town visitors, to enjoy and experience Community Bridge together. Cochran's vision depends on community collaboration and serves to draw that community closer together. And one could even say that it creates community where there was none.
Cochran hopes to add still more symbols to the bridge. Click here to join the Community Bridge collaboration and submit your
answer to the question,
"What symbol represents community to you?"
Shared in the enjoyment of a completed work. Sometimes even shared throughout the entire creative process.
Art is meant to be shared with others.
A wonderful example of art that is shared in conception, execution and enjoyment of the finished product, is Community Bridge, in Frederick, MD. This piece began as an effort to revitalize and restore a controversial sector of Frederick. The artist, William Cochran, proposed a collaborative art project using a bridge as his canvas. Not just any old bridge though, he wanted this specific bridge that divided the community into a quasi "right and wrong side of the tracks," both racially and economically. Cochran's vision was to use the very thing dividing the city in two and redeem it to become a point of unity, collaboration and community spirit. Hence it's name, Community Bridge. Cochran asked 174,000 people (both locally and around the world) one question, "What image represents the spirit of community to you?"In process from 1993-1998, and painted entirely in the trompe l'oeil style (meaning that the bridge surfaces are completely flat. Anything you see that appears to be three-dimensional is an illusion), Cochran and his art team incorporated hundreds of ideas contributed from the world-wide community. In the words of Cochran, "Imagination is the most powerful force available to humankind and everyone without exception has access to that force."
Cochran relied on a community to canvas the public for ideas. Cochran relied on a community of ten painters to assist in making the bridge mural a reality. Cochran now relies on the community of Frederick, and all the out-of-town visitors, to enjoy and experience Community Bridge together. Cochran's vision depends on community collaboration and serves to draw that community closer together. And one could even say that it creates community where there was none.Cochran hopes to add still more symbols to the bridge. Click here to join the Community Bridge collaboration and submit your
answer to the question,"What symbol represents community to you?"
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Boris Artzybasheff
M.C. Escher
James Montgomery FlaggI love black and white art. The first medium I ever fell in love with was graphite. It is detailed and hazy, strong and gentle, and very convenient. Years later I was exposed to pen & ink. Some of my favorite black & white illustrators are M.C. Escher, James Montgomery Flagg and Aubrey Beardsley.
Aubrey Beardsley
Recently I learned about the illustrator, Boris Artzybasheff. Born in Russia, Artzybasheff came to the US after the Russian revolution and became the cover illustrator for Time Magazine from 1941 until his death in 1965. His work captivates me because it has a science fiction theme of merging humans and machines (which reminds me of H.R. Giger) and the first pieces I ever saw were in black & white. A book of his work, As I See, can be purchased at Ken's Publishing.
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