SheWalksSoftly

Etched Bottles Left by “Mystery Artist”

September 24th, 2008

Reading the news is never a pleasant experience these days, and I tend to dislike the “human interest” stories designed to be uplifting. But this story made my day.

A mystery artist has been taking empty milk bottles from the doorsteps of suburbia and returning them with elaborate glass etchings. The bottles clearly take time and effort, and idea that someone is willing to leave them anonymously gives me some hope for the beautiful gestures of which mankind is capable.

Of course, the response of one recipient shot that hope down instantly:

“Who knows, it might be worth something one day.”

Typical.

Still, I’ve left anonymous little gifts for people to find, Amelie style, and I just may do it again.

Source
Falstaff the Robot

September 23rd, 2008

Roman Sock just posted quite an accomplishment: Falstaff the robot.

This tiny crocheted creature has the most impressive range of emotion I’ve ever seen in a robot creation. Look!

Falstaff is joyful…all is right with the world.

But a simple turn of the head makes him pensive, perhaps nostalgic.

Turn him a little more and he’s positively dejected.

I just want to take him home and make sure he’s never sad again.

I definitely need to keep up with Roman Sock’s posts.
Barry X Ball

September 23rd, 2008

Barry X Ball has a way with melting and menacing faces.

I could comment further, but instead I direct you to the Salon 94 site. It’s rare that I insult anyone’s writing, but these descriptions have a severe verbosity problem. It’s like a thesaurus exploded all over the page. Seriously, see for yourself. For a moment I thought the commentary was a satirical part of the exhibit.

When the words get tiring (almost instantaneously), I do recommend clicking through the pictures.
Schaffas

September 23rd, 2008

What a great project concept. Invent a creature, give it a name, gather a group of talented folks to bring it to life.

“The International Fauna Dossier describes a schaffas (Marcum-Schaffidius) as a gentle and un-aspiring creature of great mystery…SCREAMDANCE have hand-picked art-friends from all over the world to customize their own breed of schaffas. They were each sent a similar blank shape and given free reign to add, subtract, paint or destroy these objects.”

Here is the template:

And a couple of examples of what people have done with it:

You can see the whole collection here, and it’s quite entertaining.

I love the emerging trend of DIY toys. Mildly anthropomorphic shapes have become a new canvas, and it’s lovely to see the variety of what people project upon them.
Igor Siwanowicz

September 22nd, 2008

Igor Siwanowicz has a collection of beautiful wild life photographs. Some of his subjects take on an almost human expression, like this sly fellow:

I particularly like “Mantis .v. Mealworm,” which begs the question “Is ignorance really bliss?”

More
Mao Songs

September 22nd, 2008

Aw, isn’t this nice? The “I Am a Sunflower” collection of children’s songs. Wait a minute, are those…rifles?

Why yes! These are the children of Mao’s communist regime. You can join the children in singing the classic hits “Criticize Lin Pioa and Discredit Him Completely” and “Little Red Guards Attend a Repudiation Meeting.”

Someone REALLY needs to design an album of GW Bush era lullabies. Maybe I’ll do it. Song title suggestions anyone?
Sushipot Art Objects

September 22nd, 2008

I felt very much at home on Sushipot’s Etsy site. She is a mixed media artist, whose work is very similar to some of mine.

This would fit nicely above my toy shelf.

She also makes jewelery out of vintage medical diagrams, like I do!

And lovely greeting cards with obscure ephemera.

Yep, Sushipot and I are cut from the same cloth. I wonder what we’d come up with if we each brought a bunch of supplies and sat down to collaborate!
Gummi Lights

September 21st, 2008

In a recent Rifftrax viewing of the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, my friend and I were quite fixated on our love of the giant gummi bears in Wonka’s factory. We began talking about what great light fixtures they would make.

I was delighted to find that JELLIO actually manufactures them!

JELLIO seems to have a monopoly on gummi bear light fixture production, therefore they see fit to charge $125 each or $500 for a set of five (which ensures that I’ll probably never own one). But I just like to know they exist. If I ever have children, I’d be tempted to seek these out again.

For the more sophisticated gummi bear enthusiast, there’s always the Gummi Bear Chandelier:

If I ever owned a candy store, I’d have to spring for one of these. Or make one myself.

Should you have the pressing need to see the gummi bears that inspired this post, they are in this scene:

The closest thing I’ve seen in real life came from Candy Blog’s review of the Big Bite Gummi.

They could be a fun item to share…creatively.

Note: Candy Blog is a fantastic site. Reviews of international treats from the most decadent to the most bizarre.

Thanks to Steph for sharing my gummi love.
Alan Jaras: Bending Light

September 21st, 2008

I don’t come across nearly enough people who blend art and science. Colour Lovers recently had an interview with scientist/artist Alan Jaras in which he discusses, at length, his process in creating incredible photos of Bending Light.

“Using only film, and without a lens on the camera, in what Alan says could still be described as a photogram, he shoots a targeted light source through and a piece of art glass or formed plastic to capture the created refraction patterns. The results, what could be described as ‘images of strange microscopic or deep sea creatures or even galaxies forming in deep space,’ pull at the viewers perception of digital and analog, art and science, all the while expanding our imaginations and understanding of the world around us.”

Interview

Flickr (with many other great sets)
Jason Freeny

September 21st, 2008

I’ve referenced Jason Freeny’s work over the years. How could I resist art so clearly obsessed with anatomy AND candy?

This was the image that first introduced me to his unique brand of genius:

And…

Are these the textbook images pulled from some fictional world in which gummi bears teach biology? Don’t you wish YOUR textbooks looked like this?

I was drawn back to Freeny’s site after Random Good Stuff posted his new Anatomical Skateboard Deck.

Sadly, if I tried to skateboard I’m sure my guts would be sprawled on the sidewalk in a much less appealing configuration.

Artists often simply go for the gore with medical imagery, but Freeny uses smooth surfaces, bright colors and a good sense of lighting. I enjoy the rather ominous sense of sterility…as if medicine is a giant mechanized entity.

Well, it is.

If I could give one suggestion, it would be to take “Visible Vinyl” (below) from a print to an actual model. I’d want one. Pretty badly.