I love large scale installations. Throw some nature into the mix and I'm sunk! Hinrichsen's snow spirals are elegant and whimsical all at the same time. The scale that they're done at are dizzying!
I have been a huge fan of Amy Wilson for a long time. I even got to interview her for my Inspiration of the Month feature back in 2008.
She has managed to delight me yet again with her interactive flash game, It's Like This Every Day. Its a small point and click game that is deceptively harder than it first appears. Her watercolors draw one in and the narratives hidden within the game carry you to times past and inner landscapes that are haunting and mysterious. The game has everything that is wonderful about Wilson's art.
If that wasn't enough, she has a limited edition of art stamps that shes giving away to the first 10 people who complete the game (and take screen shots of the game items). As of this writing, there were still 7 stamp sets left!
It feels wrong to admit that I am not a fan of Jackson Pollock's artwork. He was such a pivotal force in the art world and I cannot deny his impact. While I am grateful for his vision, I'm just not fond of his paintings.
I adore this film though. What an intimate and loving portrayal of Pollock's incredible career as well as his struggle to really live. Its a finely crafted film with incredible performances and rich characters. I highly recommend it, and you can find it on Netflix Instant.
Its no secret that I love birds, but when you add their emergent behavior its a visual feast for the soul. This video is a stunning example of the power and beauty that nature provides us. What appears to be a simple canoe trip becomes transcendent as the girls run across a flock of thousands. No matter how many times I watch it, it always takes my breath away.
I gasped when I watched this video. What initially appears like some lovely paint work transforms into fleshed out fish the moment the resin is poured. Its truly magical and I am itching to pull out my own resin to try my hand at this technique. (my previous resin experiments here and here)
I sent this postcard to Tessa Hulls, another artist who is currently working in Antarctica. My husband and I are applying to work there ourselves for the next austral summer, so its been fun to see the ice through her creative eyes.
I've always enjoyed the photos from folks who participated in Project 365 and DITL. There is something really intimate and telling in such pictures and I always feel that I know the individual better than I otherwise would have.
Jonathan Harris takes his project to another level in this short film. He narrates as all of his gorgeous and otherworldly images pulse from one to the next. We get to hear his feelings on the work, the process and how it evolves into its own philosophy. Its moving and all together wonderful.
Origami is far more than paper cranes these days. With a thriving community that pulls the best of art and engineering together, the boundaries are getting pushed further and further in ways that are both beautiful and exciting.
The documentary is a little slow paced, but I recommend sticking with it because it really does deliver. Just seeing what can be done with a single fold is worth the price of admission.
To add to the story, there is a copyright dust-up between popular origami artist Robert Lang (seen in the documentary) and contemporary artist Sarah Morris. Morris took the folding patterns from dozens of origami creators and turned them into vibrant 2D paintings that have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Lang and others are suing Morris for copyright violation.
Copyright in the artistic domain has always been a tricky issue. It will be interesting to see how the issues of derivative vs. transformative work shake out in front of a judge.
Outsider art is a term often used to refer to primitive stylized work. Real outsider art is more rare than what is found in the marketplace these days. These are artists who create for motivations purely their own, without feedback or compensation from the greater art world.
Henry Darger is just such an artist. With a tragic childhood behind him, and a difficulty relating to people, he created his own world in order to confront his demons and live out his fantasies. When he passed, he left behind 15 large tomes (he liked to collage phone books) totaling 15,145 pages of his illustrated novel!
The documentary is a vivid summary of his life and his work. The filmmaker animates Darger's wonderful characters to make his novel come alive in a way that Henry's real life never could be. Its a poignant and sad story that is beautifully handled and I marvel at the strength of Henry's spirit as he tried to rework his bleak existence.
The Avett Brothers are one of my favorite bands. We classify them as "punk-grass" for their frenetic energy in concert and their bluegrass leanings.
In addition to being a remarkable musical artist, Scott Avett has a BFA from East Carolina University. His drawings, paintings and relief prints are all wonderful. (although not easy to find, now that he's taken down his art website)
This video shares a behind the scenes look at some of his print making, as he creates the 2011 tour poster for the band. Its impressive in its detail and its size - definitely worth watching.
My husband is an IT guy and my eldest son is a hardcore math/anime/video game kid. I have a love for science fiction and more - so its not a stretch to say that the geek dynamic runs pretty strong in our household. I have found so much overlap with art and geek culture, and its really special to find both highlighted in this film.
Josh Harris was an early dot.com millionaire that took his payout and turned his focus to blending art culture and internet broadcasting. The movie starts out normally enough, but as Harris's obsessions grow, his goals and the movie begin to take a dizzying turn.
Harris's love for art turns him into a creator, using the public as his canvas when he sets up a closed community in NYC - where absolutely *nothing* is private. When that project ends, he turns the tables and broadcasts his own private life into a public spectacle. Both are fascinating experiments that exemplify the relationship between art and the viewer, and how each role impacts the other.
I love love love this documentary and like all converts, think everyone should watch it. There is just so much to glean from this movie! It's not hard to find - you can watch We Live in Public on Netflix streaming, or Hulu has the whole film available now.
The idea that art is subjective is certainly true, but I think it's also important to realize that each picture has its own story, independent of the viewer. This video poignantly reveals the life behind the snapshot and reminds us to look beyond our first impressions.
I skipped across this feature of Chris Sauter's work and was entranced. I so empathize about the pain he goes through during creation! Sometimes its only the promise of the result that keeps me going.
His juxtapositions are also sublime - the patterns of our universe from the tiny to the expansive being made of the same stuff, the literal framework of our world. I love it!
This feature was gorgeously created by filmmakers Mark & Angela Walley. Be sure to check out the rest of the art films on their channel, sooo worth watching.
I feel very lucky to live where I do. We have a thriving arts community here, and there are so many free public events to keep me inspired and invested.
Last week we got the chance to see Nora Chipaumire. Shes a dancer from Zimbabwe who blends traditional steps with modern choreography. Her work draws from current affairs, feminism, and cultural heritage.
We were first treated to a screening of the art film based on her life. It was visually brilliant, the story was touching, and I enjoyed the pace and texture of the movie.
For me, the real prize was watching Nora dance. We saw selections from three of her works; Chimurenga, Welcome to Zimbabwe, and Black Swan. I found her style very powerful and seemed to draw from breath, dirt, and a guttural desire.
(you can see her in action, as well as some clips from the movie here)
I loved the fantasy and heart found in Pixar's movie Up. What a treat it was to see that a team from National Geographic engineered a way to make the fantasy reality.
With the help of volunteers they built a lightweight house, attached a bunch of ginormous helium balloons, and let two brave souls fly their creation 10,000 feet into the air!
I find so much hope in this project. You really can imagine anything and with the right resources and determination, make it happen. That's a wonderful message to carry with me to my studio today.
Oh my gosh - Aaron Zenz and his kids are the cutest family ever! After watching Exit Through the Gift Shop, they decided to participate in their own public art show.
I have always felt that you can learn *so much* from watching people create their art. There is nothing I'd like to do more than travel the country and just sit in peoples studios and watch them work. I just know I would be a better artist as a result!
Thank goodness for youtube and time lapse video. Here we get to peek in on Mark Ryden at work, creating a large and luscious painting from his 2010 series The Gay 90'S: Old Tyme Art Show.
I don't know about you, but seeing masters at work like this makes painting seem achievable. I can't wait to reach that level of ability.
I love seeing inside artist studios. I think it reveals so much about the personality of the artist, which is then reflected in the work they create. It also gives a peek into the process the artist uses as well. How cool is that?
I thought I would jump on the bandwagon, and share my own palette! I paint with acrylic and LOVE lots of color. I use a cut piece of plexiglass for the palette itself, and always keep old towels nearby. My water dish is a bit gamey, but has served me well all of these years.
I had a family Oscars party last night, and in spite of the lackluster show, we had a glorious evening. I cooked all day long and provided lots of foodie fare, complete with champagne. (thanks Tastespotting!)
We had seen all of the Best Picture films this year and two of the feature documentaries, so we were pretty invested in the lineup.
One of my favorites was Exit through the Gift Shop. Its really a movie within a movie, that might just be a hidden conspiracy.
It starts out innocently enough, featuring a filmmaker who stumbles upon the shadowy world of graffiti artists - which is interesting within its own right. But then the film takes on a life of its own when the filmmaker becomes an obsessive collaborator and eventually a 'mass market' graffiti art world elite. Its a lot like falling down a rabbit hole.
The movie is produced by Banksy, a notoriously anonymous graffiti artist who is highlighted in the film. His work has heavy political and satirical tones, and one begins to wonder if the filmmaker in the documentary is just another one of Banksy's social commentaries about art and consumers. That subtle tension just adds to the color of the movie, and makes for a glorious romp.
I had really hoped that the film would win an oscar, and we might be graced with some of Banksy's spectacle onstage.
(Exit through the Gift Shop is available to watch on Netflix instant queue!)
