archigram

i have always been inspired by artwork that i sort-of fantastical-- the kind that looks as if it could sort-of be based in reality but has these elements of unreality that are so clearly rooted in somebody's intensely imaginative vision that it just stops me in my tracks.
archigram's work is does that for me: i am floored by this work.

here is a little info about archigram, in case you want to know more:

"ARCHIGRAM dominated the architectural avant garde in the 1960s and early 1970s with its playful, pop-inspired visions of a technocratic future after its formation in 1961 by a group of young london architects – warren chalk, peter cook, dennis crompton, davd greene, ron herron and michael webb." (excerpt from design museum website)

i think this is leading to a new feature on my blog.... sort-of like an art history feature in a way, so i can learn (and thus you can learn, too!) about inspiring artists or movements from the past. there are so many artists from the past that are worth knowing more about-- how did they live? how did they work? who were their inspirations?

i think it would also be inspiring to see how these artists/movements have inspired artists in the present. like a pas & present kind of thing. ooh, i'm so excited now!!

keep you eye out for this new column....

seowoo and her pink things

this is amazing. i wish i were so dedicated to just one color. (well, not really, but how fun would it be to have such a monochromatic collection of everything?)

i saw this image on fffound, one of my fave sites as of late, and it was originally on art info. the artist is jeongmee yoon.

love it!

total lunar eclipse

did you see the eclipse last night? what a sight! ryan and i laid out in the yard for about an hour watching as the earth's shadow covered the moon, and it was beautiful. this was the last total lunar eclipse until december 21, 2010, and it was perfectly visible from this southeastern part of the country where ryan and i have found ourselves living these past 6 months.

click here to find out more about eclipses...
there will be a total solar eclipse on august 1st of this year; we will see it as a partial eclipse, but read about the eclipse path here-- you might be lucky enough to be living somewhere where you'll see a total eclipse of the sun! (that always reminds me of that part in little shop of horrors when they sing about a total eclipse of the sun, and that's when the crazy plant appears... remember that?)

signs from afar

i am quite amused by these signs i found in the stick people in peril flickr pool this morning via fffound. (maybe i'm amused because it's 6:30 in the morning and i've already been up for an hour...?)

the caption above this one was "punch your way down the stairs!"

YES

i just came across this photo by alexis wheeler on artnlight, and i had to post it because i find it amazingly inspiring, and now i want to cover my studio (and my home) with the word YES. what an affirming space!

see more of alexis' photos on her flickr page here.

the layers of our history

this photo is an extreme close-up scan of a photo taken by amy mckenzie at the belmont art park in los angeles. it is 1 cm thick, and has 150-200 layers of paint. isn't that amazing?

it reminds me of when i worked at bmoca doing installations, and we would paint this one front wall over and over and over, and i always wanted to know how many layers were under there. it also reminds me of that saying 'if only walls could talk'...

[found via ruben miller via fffound]

i love me some tiny pieces of art

i can't get enough of this photo. i found a new blog this morning (ali loves curtis), and she posted this photo from kayo gallery in salt lake city, utah. i checked out the gallery's website, and they have so many great artists!

bertel bager: nature images

i wanted to share a few images from bertel bager's book, nature as designer: a botanical art study. the images are unbelievable. unfortunately, i don't own the book (yet!), but photocopied many of the images from my friend caroline's copy! you can buy it on amazon right here if you are so inclined...

enjoy!

georgia weekend: part 3, the aquarium

i am fascinated by jellyfish. have i ever mentioned this? i think they are just incredible, and i spent about 15 minutes staring at them at the georgia aqaurium this weekend.

there were many many other delights of the sea to view:

sea turtles...


tons of fish, of course...


sea horses (another fave)...


beluga whales (4 of them!)


and a 63 foot long viewing window into a tank that had an unbelievable array of fish in it, including 3 whale sharks (the biggest fish known to man), a hammerhead shark, and some sawfish in it. i love this shot with the silhouetted people.

it was awesome.

howard finster, visionary artist

in my quest for fun and interesting things to do while ryan's parents are visiting next weekend, i have been thinking a visit to howard finster's paradise gardens might be on the agenda.

howard finster was a folk artist who began his career as a bicycle repairman and part time traveling preacher. one day he got some paint on his thumb, which took the form of Jesus and told him to "paint sacred art," in a vision that changed his life forever.

he proceeded to live the life of an amazingly prolific and inspired artist, creating tens of thousands of pieces, and the house he created (paradise gardens) supposedly attracts tons of visitors. i can't wait to see it!

i think it's a bit of a trek out to summerville, ga from atlanta, but well worth it i'm sure.

a couple of fun facts:

finster gained national fame after his collaborative work on the album "reckoning" with athens, georgia-based rock band R.E.M.. the group filmed the video for their debut single "radio free europe" in finster's paradise gardens in 1983!


he also collaborated with the talking heads and created the cover for the album "little creatures", which was selected as cover of the year by rolling stone magazine in 1985.



a few more things made by finster...

san francisco in jello

the things that people do. amazing.

liz hickok creates san francisco landscapes out of jello, i am not joking. i simply cannot imagine sitting in my studio thinking "hey, i know! i'll make landscapes out of jello!" i am constantly amazed by how different other artists' minds are than mine. you have to check out the whole series-- they are absolutely gorgeous. i would love to see this in person. she also did jello models of scottsdale, arizona, which you can also see on her website.
enjoy!

{via bust magazine}

this image makes my world complete.

i cannot get over this photograph. i think my world just shifted, knowing that things like this exist somewhere out there. i was looking for images of hanging lanterns and came across this image of floating chinese lanterns at the botanical gardens in montreal, canada. i would give just about anything to see this in person. the website says that this is the 15th year that the chinese garden in the botanical gardens will be aglow during september and october, for people to come visit and learn about chinese legends.

why don't i live in montreal?

the swan image came from an unbelievable site called trek earth (i'd never heard of it before, but am clearly hooked already.) these images below are from the site. for those of you who love to travel (as i do), this is a must see. there are some truly spectacular images from all over the world. you will want to visit each and every one of them. have fun browsing!

party on the ceiling

i can't decide about this chandelier by stuart haygarth. apparently it is made of 1000 exploded party poppers found after the millenium celebrations in london. bizarre, eh? i love what people are up to! the chandelier was recreated, too, in an edition of 20, with new party poppers, after the original.

what do you think? like it? yes? no? i really like the idea, but i'm not so sure about the aesthetics. there's also a version in black...


{via nohea interiors lookbook}

gregory alan isakov

i was introduced to gregory alan isakov's music a couple of summer's ago by my friend jeff, and i have been enamored with him ever since. his music is perfect. his voice, his guitar..... i'm telling you, i could listen to it all day. i've seen him play around town several times, too, and it's always just so lovely and soothing and wonderful. and the coolest news: he's opening for ani difranco in a few days! how cool is that? i have a soft spot in my heart for ani difranco, as she was the inspiration for my songwriting and guitar-playing days (more about that long-ago life later...)

anyway, check out his website (which is super creative, i must say!), and his newest cd, "that sea, the gambler." so so good.

and isn't he adorable??

the 2007 periodic table of elements printmaking project

[lana lambert, pistole press]

[perla pequeno]

i am loving this project! organized by jennifer schmitt (azuregrackle.etsy.com), the project consists of over 85 printmakers from around the world each contributing a print about one of the elements on the periodic table.

i've always been sort-of intrigued by the periodic table, even though i'm not really the science-y type so much, so i think this is really such a great idea. i also really like the idea that ryan and i can both enjoy something for very different reasons! (me= art, ryan= science).

check out the website here, the flickr group here, and the blog here.

enjoy!

[steffan ziegler]

[jon gregory]

[lynn a. mcintyre]

[found via poppytalk...]

boutique camping...?

have you heard of this? pop-up hotels, also called boutique camping? one of the more bizarre things out there in my opinion, but i guess people could really go for this. imagine getting to a music festival, and instead of spiking your tent into the ground and tossing your sleeping back into it, you walk up to your posh pop-up tent waiting for you, with a staff of people waiting to check you in. i think it would alter the festival-going-camping experience completely. i don't know that i'd ever want to leave my gorgeous tent! it seems to me that it's a bit over the top, but what do you think? personally, i like the feeling of getting dirty and living in nature, but i guess there are people out there that find this disgusting. for those types, i suppose these boutique tents would be a grand solution. their website is very informative- you can visit it right here. they'll even let you book a tent if you so desire!

[ps- they are based in the uk...]

[via springwise]

bjork is the coolest person on the planet for sure

have you seen this? if not, watch it.

and this? watch this, too.

who doesn't love bjork??

miranda july

miranda july, filmmaker, performance artist, writer... her work is truly inspiring, and i just came across a website for her new book of short stories, no one belongs here more than you. (thanks to sia!) this is definitely on my looooooong list of books to buy!

check out the clever website right here, as well as miranda's interactive website learning to love you more, which is so great. you can also visit miranda's official website right here.

clay beauty

i am completely smitten with these ceramics pieces by andy rogers. i saw andy's work (in person!!) at the cherry creek arts festival last summer, and it was by for my favorite work that i saw. i came across a business card the other day that i'd picked up from him, and was immediately sucked into his website. i love his work.

you can see a lot of his work on his website right here, and it looks like he's got a lot of festivals lined up this year, so you may just get to see him in a town close to you!