Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
The President's Day Cupcake Mosaic Extravaganza!
Monday, February 16, 2009
yes, these are cupcakes. pretty cool looking, but they're still cupcakes; so they probably still taste like dry-ass cake dust in typical cupcake fashion.
[check out more pics of the progress of the mosaic via cakewrecks] Read more...
I Really Dig This Painting. [Way More Than I Probably Should]
Friday, January 09, 2009
Check out that grid of fluorescent lights on the ceiling, organizing everything in the frame, like the grid of a Renaissance painter. Now hanging at the James Harris Gallery.
[via slog] Read more...
HOPE. [Shepard Fairey]
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Shepard Fairey’s HOPE Original at the National Portrait Gallery
Every single person who at least tossed a cursory glace at 2008’s election campaign knows this poster.
It’s likely the first image people remember when they think of Obama, because it was reproduced in so many different ways…ways that are traditionally reserved for rock bands and underground art. This piece virtually spurred a micro-renaissance in political art, inspiring a completely separate and extremely valuable community of creative minds, unlocking the support of many that wouldn’t have cared otherwise.
On the day of Obama’s Inaguration, the National Portrait Gallery (operated by the Smithsonian) will display the original mixed media piece. I find this to be such an amazing feat, considering Fairey’s roots wheat-pasting and stencil-spraying OBEY Andre the Giant images all over Los Angeles 20 years ago. It’s even more remarkable that the Portrait Gallery normally only displays Presidential portraits at the end of their term. Now, I wouldn’t know this for sure, but it seems like something that would be unprecedented… And that is really awesome. Good work, Shep!
[usatoday via geekadelphia]
"An image of Santa and Mrs. Claus in a state of ecstasy, replete with Santa's downy thighs and both of their spindly Cranach legs..."
Thursday, December 25, 2008
a portion of a note from the artist, jesse higman, as sent to the staff of the stranger:
I made this Christmas print to give to friends and the people I meet each year who I hope will appreciate it. Please accept it as a gift from the painted streets for the work you do to make our culture so rich.[via slog] Read more...
I had a vision of this ideal couple up there on their own. It seems possible, to give, to have love and be proud, naked and getting old. It's one of those moments when you know what's important and nothing else matters. It felt like a dance to me, with grace. I mean it with all the commitment I can muster.
I drew this over eight years with a technical pen. The original is five feet tall. I drew it in the negative with black ink on white paper, then reversed it on a color copier and glued the pieces together again. Obviously, a computer has become the way to go for assembly but I would still draw it with a pen. The scribbles on the sides were to get the ink flowing in my pen. In the end they seemed like snow to me, so I kept them.
I hope you have happy holidays and a loving, productive year.
--Jesse
Advice from Lao Tzu.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
The year is 2016. We glance at the television one morning and see Obama having another of his many press conferences. He has now been in office for almost 8 years.
It hasn't been perfect, but things are way better than when he took office in January of 2009. You notice that his hair has whitened and he still has that winning smile and that take charge/positive energy that he had when he was campaigning way back in 2008.
You remember back to how concerned you were about whether or not he would win in 2008 and you feel deeply contented that he has been safely in office for such a long time.
He and Congress have done much to address global warming, health care, development of alternative energy sources and a variety of other important matters to the country and the planet. You feel deep gratitude for the past eight years and how things have unfolded.
See it...Feel it...
Breathe it...
Lets stop fighting 'against' McCain and Palin, and start working 'for' Obama-Biden. Lets stop driving ourselves crazy with all of the outrageous mind upsetting details about them and start remembering all of the wonderful reasons we want Obama. Pass it on.
THE CHALLENGE: Take 30 seconds right now. Close your eyes and imagine exactly what our country will feel like with President Obama. Imagine how good it will feel. Imagine whatever it is about him that you desire. Imagine the pride. Imagine the diplomacy. Imagine the peace.
Imagine the wind mills and the clean cars. Imagine the citizen groups. Imagine the earth being healed and revitalized. Imagine being very proud of your country and its leader. Imagine whatever it is that draws you to support Obama. Imagine what your life will look like.
30 seconds. Do it several times a day. We can shift and change the vibration of this country with positive visions just like this. It's only 30 seconds a few times a day.
'...stay at the center of the circle and let all things take their course...'
[via jasonmraz]
Republibots. [Eeek]
Thursday, October 23, 2008
am i the only one that is totally freaked out by this guy's face? is he about to be abducted by aliens in roswell? "step into the light..." or is he at a jim jones rally? "drink the kool-aid if you believe..."
both guesses are close, but it's actually a republican convention.
check out this pretty awesome photojournalist's gallery on vii, (just click on christopher morris).
[via slog]
Green [Brendan James]
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
the photo that i used above is from a new book by an artist/photographer named david maisel. the canisters in the photograph have an amazing story behind them, check it out below.
"Esteemed photographer David Maisel has created a somber and beautiful series of images depicting canisters containing the cremated remains of the unclaimed dead from an Oregon psychiatric hospital. Dating back as far as the nineteenth century these canisters have undergone chemical reactions causing extravagant blooms of brilliant white green and blue corrosion revealing unexpected beauty in the most unlikely of places. This stately volume is both a quietly astonishing body of fine art from a preeminent contemporary photographer and an exceptionally poignant monument to the unknown deceased." --Library of Dust Read more...
The change that we seek. [Potent Quotables]
Monday, October 20, 2008
[via bed time] Read more...
19 More Things [Bored on Sunday]
Sunday, October 05, 2008
the spleen made me do it. 19 more things about me...
1. Do you like blue cheese?
indeed i do. typically, when it comes to cheese, my feelings are "the stinkier, the better." however, when it comes to blue cheese, i enjoy strong flavored cheese, but strong scented blue cheese makes me want to hurl.
2. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
only the dentist. i despise the dentist. my dream is to have all of my teeth yanked out and replaced with implants, so that i never have to go back to the dentist ever again.
3. Favorite Christmas Song?
i have two. i have a favorite celabratory christmas song, and a favorite sentimental christmas song. my favorite celabratory song is 'merry christmas, happy holidays' by, don't laugh, n'sync. and my favorite sentimental christmas song is 'the spirit of christmas' by ray charles. two serious musical gems.
4. Do you work with people who idolize you?
at the risk of sounding cocky, i actually have to say yes, i used to.
5. Do you have A.D.D.?
everyone has a.d.d. some people just have no self control, and they let it control their lives. or they just take drugs for it, because they are too lazy to control it.
6. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
"i'm getting a fucking headache."
"i wish i could get this song out of my head." (suite: judy blue eyes, AGAIN!)
"it looks like i'm not going to fall asleep until 5am again tonight."
7. Name something you bought yesterday.
a half gallon of milk. nothing more, nothing less.
8. Current worry right now?
take your pick, but they all come back to being broke.
9. Current hate right now?
john mccain and/or sarah palin. i have horrible election anxiety. i can't wait until it's over.
10. Favorite place to be?
i'd love to be in vermont right now. it's almost leaf changing time.
11. Where would you like to go?
vermont. key west. back to vegas. vietnam. cambodia. san diego. seattle.
12. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
no, i find satin to be really itchy. you can keep it.
13. Favorite girl's name?
i better be chocked full of boy sperm, because i can't think of any girl names that would suffice.
14. Favorite boy's name?
ty, thayne, gideon.
15. Last thing that made you laugh?
david letterman and brian williams making fun of sarah palin on the late show.
16. Worst injury you've ever had?
when i was little, i slipped off a huge rock and landed on a piece of slate. it sliced halfway through an ankle bone.
17. Does someone have a crush on you?
seriously? who doesn't?
18. What is your favorite book?
everything that anthony bourdain has ever written is on the top of my list. other recent reads: naked by david sedaris, a wolf at the table by augusten burroughs, heat by bill buford, and white heat by marco-pierre white.
19. What were you doing 12 AM last night?
i was screwing around on the computer because i couldn't fall asleep, and i was most likely youtubing every imaginable video of crosby, stills & nash singing suite: judy blue eyes. i have a serious obsession with that song lately.
a change IS going to come.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Last year Bob Dylan compiled a song list for Starbucks' Artist Choice Series. In addition to offering up a keen selection of country, blues, and jazz, he also supplied notes and commentary as to why he held the songs in such regard. BUT, the best part was the forward.
He wrote, "When I was asked to put together this collection of songs, I wasn't sure what to do. So I just grabbed a bunch of things I was into recently. Some people have favorite songs, but I've got songs of the minute -- songs that I'm listening to right now. And if you ask me about one of those songs a year from now, I might not even remember who did it, but at the moment it's everything to me."
I bring this up as today's lesson: Nothing is final. One day you're high. The next day you're low. You might have a funky, expressive, or awful haircut today, but soon it will grow into something else, something new and random. Maybe you grew up liking pop music and boy bands, but now you like a specific mash up of electronic & classical. You might decide you don't want to smoke cigarettes anymore; that it's just not who you are. Maybe you were a staunch republican but now have curiosities about the well-spoken and well-organized democratic nominee. Perhaps you were madly in love last week, but woke up today feeling comfort in solitude, without a desire to be held.
Everything is fine. Not finAL.
We tend to instantly identify with "things." And we believe in them so much, when in fact, a belief isn't known to be true. It's a hope for the truth. We hold grudges because of what someone said when we were young. We store hurtful words and replay them in our minds until we think it to be true. And some of us believe a TV commercial and think we need a faster computer, a smarter phone, a stronger pill, a more relaxed-fit jean, etc. We think that certain things, thoughts, or actions make us who we are and sometimes we become addicted to those thoughts or behaviors and then become too afraid to let them go.
I write and post a lot therefore many people assume I have every self-published word memorized or that I live these shared thoughts constantly. This is not the case. My brain doesn't reference myself very well actually, and I'm sure I contradict myself every other day in one way or another. One day I feel like I have all the wisdom of the world and the next day my soul wears thin and I stutter just ordering ice cream.
And everything is fine.
Because I trust in the ever-changing climate of the heart. (At least, today I feel that way.) I think it is necessary to have many experiences for the sake of feeling something; for the sake of being challenged, and for the sake of being expressive, to offer something to someone else, to learn what we are capable of. These meanderings, rants, and blogs for instance, provide a great deal of comfort just sharing it, even though i put a part of myself on the line to be criticized or considered an ass. Oh well, courage is triumph of the soul is guess. And an ass can still be of great service.
So remember, you have the right to change your mind.
About anything.
Anytime.
This is not the ending.
P.S. – No doesn't mean forever. It simply means, "Not right now."
And on the topic of not right now, whatever happened to you in the past is not happening now.
You will be safe behind your honest decisions and mood swings.
I promise.
[via the journal of jason mraz, 10.2.08]
Hungry Fella? There You Go...
Monday, September 22, 2008
you know what's gross? germs. you know what's even grosser? a cupcake made out of hamster. this ad for lifebuoy soap features an incredibly lifelike rodent dessert, to send the message "you eat what you touch." you can't deny it's an effective way to get the point across, although if you're anything like me, you get distracted from the picture trying to figure out what the hell "lifebuoy soap" is. well my dear readers, as the self-proclaimed king of useless knowledge, i feel obligated to give you the 411.
1.) lifebuoy is a brand of soap that was originally marketed by the lever brothers in england beginning in 1895. it was popular for over 100 years, and is still available in the united states through specialty shops. it is the leading brand of soap in india as well as in some other south east asian countries like pakistan, bangladesh and indonesia. (not to be rude, but that doesn't say much for the "leading soap" in curry country. i sure hope the word 'deodorant' does not appear anywhere on the packaging.)
2.) when the philadelphia phillies played at the baker bowl in the 1920s, an outfield wall advertisement for lifebuoy stated, "the phillies use lifebuoy." one night, after the phillies lost, a graffiti artist sneaked in and added to the ad, "and they still stink." variations of that joke have been employed by detractors of other losing teams for decades since. (just like the soap, i've never heard of that saying either.)
3.) the term "b.o.", short for "body odor", was coined by lifebuoy for an advertising campaign. (ironic, no? that the brand that coined the term 'b.o.' is the national soap brand of india. go figure.)
4.) lifebuoy soap was notably used in the lamest holiday film of all time, 'a christmas story', after ralphie said "fuck."consider yourself in the know.
[via gawker] Read more...
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