Art Quote of the Day

Friday, November 09, 2007

Beautiful Maps

The Opte project has amazing static and dynamic maps of the Internet ... another example of how life gives us opportunities for art in the most unexpected places. Opte is art!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Netsuke: Big Things in Small Packages



I fell in love with netsuke at the Victoria & Albert musuem's Japan section. The Contemporary Netsuke Society has lots of links to interesting netsuke artists.

This one is a depiction of an aging Kirin, the mythical beast that is the Japanese answer to a unicorn.

Speaking of unicorns ... hope to upload shots soon from last month's trip to the Musee National du Moyen Age in Paris ...

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Autism and Art



Stephen Wiltshire has been the subject of several news stories and documentaries regarding the remarkable artistic abilities that have accompanied his autism. The BBC did a story a few years ago on some scientific work being done to try to identify the parts of the brain that influence artistic ability in savants (and others) ... wonder when we will all be able to tap into that.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Artist Exploration: Friedrich Karl Gotsch


My ladyfriend picked up a Gotsch woodblock print for me last summer on a swing through Geneva. The Petit Palais, which was in the process of closing for renovations, was basically clearing out the inventory in their gift shop, and she picked up a few nice items for a song.

The pic above - Adam and Eve - is not the one I have, but gives a sense of some of Gotsch's style. Mine is a delightfully simple Charlie Chaplin image ... I'll try to scan a copy when I get a chance.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

A Blast From the Past

Lots going on here ... over Christmas I got not one but two lumps of coal in my stocking, as it were: an African parasitic infection - picked up 12 years ago in the Peace Corps - surfaced and put me in the hospital; also, I received a threat of legal action (delivered Christmas Eve).

There are stories behind both of those lumps of coal, but afraid I don't have the energy right now. More later. In the interim, go make some art.