Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

Musical Movie Candy Part 1-Marie Antoinette

Posted in Art, Creativity, Film, Music, Photography, tagged , , , , on November 6, 2011| 3 Comments »

Behold one of my favorite scenes, favorite movies, favorite soundtracks:

Marie Antoinette – I Want Candy – YouTube.

You want candy? I want candy! I realized today that some of my favorite musical movie scenes have fantastical CANDY themes. So I decided to bring you as many as I could as part of a series. I can’t explain it. Maybe candy is inherently whimsical and inspires great film. I’m not sure I care.

Please just delight in the masterpieces I have presented you today. You simply must watch the video above; I have seen a lot of artistic movies and this scene stands out as one of the most memorable.  And yes, there’s a point…what if a teenage girl were running your country? (Of course if you watched the film you’d know it was really the foreign war–by which I mean the American Revolution–that was bankrupting the country.)

Now click here  for a stunning collection of stills from the film. Pure eye candy! I can’t encourage you strongly enough. Click! click! click!

Utter gorgeousness! Delicious! You must witness this rococo masterpiece of a film! Please validate my excessive use of exclamation points! This atmospheric character study was directed by Sophia Coppola, director of Lost in Translation. She is the woman who introduced us to Scarlett Johansson and, incidentally, ran an art gallery at UMass while I was there in the late nineties. I even met her briefly as part of a questionable film project we wound up shooting in her gallery. (As I recall the exhibit included a soundscape that repeated phrases like “Everything’s plas-tic, fan-tas-tic…Bubble chowder!” Even then she was intrigued by creating atmospheres with music and film. Trust her judgement…on the former, if not the latter.

Lest you think I am done, mais non! Attendez! This movie inspired one of my all time favorite Vogue covers as well, shot by master photographer Annie Leibovitz:

Here is an excerpt from “Annie Leibovitz: Life Through A Lens” which shows her process during the Vogue photoshoot for this Marie Antoinette:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNyIUlra9LU

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is this yummy or what?

Read Musical Movie Candy Part Two–Hedwig’s Sugar Daddy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read Full Post »

Fluorite Rocks!

Posted in Art, Creativity, Earth, Photography, Science, tagged , , , on November 5, 2011| 3 Comments »

There are a ton of reasons why I love fluorite. One, it’s a gorgeous mineral.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fluorite-Quartz-226207.jpg

Two, it comes in rainbow colors. Three, it feels soothing to have it around.

Four, it’s good for your teeth, and five, certain types of fluorite actually glow in the dark!

Can you see the unusual way the light moves through this crystal? Fluorite works with light in a very different way than most other minerals. According to The Beading Gem’s Journal:

Just recently China put on display in Wenchang, Hainan, the world’s largest luminous “pearl”. These are not really pearls as we know them but a rare kind of glow in the dark (phosphorescent) fluorite. The Chinese call them legendary luminous pearls or yemengzhu and believe touching one will bring good luck and fortune. The first yemengzhu fluorite was discovered in a Guangdong tungsten mine back in 1982. Since then, new and larger deposits have allowed several giant pearls to be made. This latest, the largest so far, has been valued at 2.2 billion yuan or about $331 million.

"This giant luminous pearl specimen, which weighs in at 6 tonnes and is 1.6 m (5 feet) high, took 3 years to grind into a sphere! " --from The Beading Gems Journal

Six, apparently it is good luck…and is supposed to aid in the development of intuition and creativity.

Mostly though, I just think it is captivating and I could stare at it for hours…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is a video of the giant luminous pearl. (Yeah, sorry, it’s in Chinese.)
西瓜波值 22 億　唔係 啩 – YouTube

And since they oddly chose not to show the five foot phosphorescent bead actually glowing, here is a very rough approximation of what it would look like. (Wait for it…!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F-JubniQ68

[Laugh all you like, but I dare you to find a better video of glowing fluorite anywhere on the internet. ]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are there any particular minerals you seem to have a fondness for?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read Full Post »

Piano Keys and Snowdrops–Jazz Legend Cecil Taylor

Posted in Art, Music, Photography, Spirituality/Religion, tagged , , , on October 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The first snow arrived and now the melting water drops are playing percussion on my skylight. It’s reminding me of free jazz master Cecil Taylor on piano, when I saw him play one cold winter’s day in Amherst.

Cecil Taylor in a brilliant blur

[Visit Photographer Mary Gaston’s Flicker page  (some rights reserved)]

Free jazz requires you to learn how to listen to it–unless you, like most babies, love it straight away. You have to learn to love it as a wall of sound, or a texture, and let go of expectation from one minute to the next. For me it’s an exercise in zen. It is pure listening, with each moment unique to my ear. It is a physically felt experience, and as different notes and tones hit different pieces of my body, it is as if I were that keyboard with all different keys. From the number of free jazz shows I attended –and dating a DJ, there were quite a few– I’ve learned that they are like a pure exchange of energy from the musician to me. If the man playing is filled with light and has a good heart, as in the case of Cecil Taylor, I feel it. If he is angry, or sad, or stagnated, I feel that. The music fills the room and entrains me to it, and as this musician pours himself out into pure sound, I become immersed in it until I am the same. It is as close as you can get to pure communication.

Try to listen by feel, and watch how Mr. Taylor dances as he plays. I think it makes more sense that way.

Remarkable for a man in his eighties, isn’t he?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Were you able to let go of the need for continuity and just experience it as it happened?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read Full Post »

Molly Crabapple Gets Locked Away

Posted in Art, Creativity, Film, tagged , , , , , , on October 26, 2011| 1 Comment »

Molly Crabapple…with a name like that you would think she’d be a beautiful nymph-like creature with jet black hair and a penchant for drawing fantastical creatures whilst being locked up for a week in an antique hotel.  Oh wait, she is.  Look here, I guarantee Miss Crabapple does not disappoint.

Miss Crabapple’s intricately decorated hotel room took my breath away. I loved watching her imagination take over and explode all over the walls. I loved hearing her talk about her process, being confronted with her own art, and the reasons she needed an online community to make it happen. Read the article telling the background to her tale here on her Kickstarter page:  http://www.kickstarter.com/blog/inside-molly-crabapples-week-in-hell

What’s that? You’ve not heard of Kickstarter? Well, it’s only the most remarkable way for artists to get fantastically creative projects funded simply because they are cool. You wouldn’t believe the delightful, whimsical, groundbreaking and important projects that are happening now because any random individual online can be a patron of the arts, for mere pennies and a few mouse clicks.

Now, on the subject of secrets, apples, and dark haired nymphs locked away for a very long time, let’s revisit a favorite fairy tale. Remember this one? The pursuit of beauty sometimes comes at a cost.

[This clip is from Snow White: A Tale of Terror.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How far would you go to bring more beauty into your world?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read Full Post »

I Love Lawn Art and So Should You

Posted in Art, Creativity, Spirituality/Religion, tagged , , , , , , on October 25, 2011| 2 Comments »

Not content with a smiling garden gnome or some crudely carved pumpkins, this guy really took the suburban tradition of lawn art to new levels with his intensely engineered tribute to Tim Burton’s animated classic, ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’.

I thought his daughter running out was part of the show, but apparently it was just a happy accident!

Personally, I have always loved elaborately decorated properties. The highbrow art establishment usually scoffs at yards filled with bathtub altars, goofy ladybug statues and other forms of exuberant tackiness. Unless of course it is in a foreign country, and then of course it is laudable folk art. I have seen more delightfully creative constructions on backwater drives than I ever have in galleries, where so often the tedious idea of ‘what art is’ pretty much sucks the life right out of you.

A lot of lawn art encourages viewer participation.

I love the quirky personalities you see fully expressed in the best lawn art extravaganzas. Look at the beer bottle chapel built by artist Martin Sanchez…right in the middle of his taco restaurant (Martin’s Tio’s Tacos) in Riverside, California!

Martin Sanchez's Beer Bottle Chapel Dome

The beer bottles allow light into the chapel. Hallelujah!

Click here to see a full article about Mr. Sanchez and his chapel/taco restaurant, including the remarkable Jesus and bald eagle mosaic dome above.

http://unusuallife.com/riverside-folk-art-installation/

Interior of Martin Sanchez's Beer Bottle Chapel

Now don’t even get me started on the glories of flamingo art…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you feel comfortable letting your freak flag fly, or do you worry about what the neighbors will think?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read Full Post »

Poetry in Motion–East Meets West on a Tricycle

Posted in Art, Creativity, tagged , , , , , , on October 23, 2011| Leave a Comment »

This Canadian artist translated Chinese street calligraphy into a more Western form. I think it is delightfully creative…though I find the brushwork poems are much more beautiful!

Read Full Post »

Dancing with Skeletons

Posted in Art, Creativity, Film, Myth, Spirituality/Religion, tagged , , , , , on October 21, 2011| 3 Comments »

The Day of the Dead is something I celebrate a bit earlier than everyone else.

Traditionally for me, it consumes me during the middle week of October.  I’m always a bit agitated. I fall asleep with the lights on. I get restless and stuck at the same time, both introspective and prone to drowning everything out with movie marathons.  I get sad, I take stock of my life, and areas I find wanting really start to piss me off. When I was younger I didn’t understand why six weeks into the semester everything would suddenly fall apart. Finally Halloween would come, and my favorite holiday would always cheer me up. After a while the pattern began to emerge… I wondered why. It became clear one day when my mother mentioned October 20th was the day my father died.

Beneath the Halloween revelry, there is a tradition of communion with those that have passed. The Celtic roots of Halloween, or Samhain, mark it as a time when the veils between the worlds are thin, making it a prime time for divination and communicating with dead family members.

Dios de la Muerte

Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations line the stores of Colorado with cartoon skeletons living life: riding bikes, getting married, getting drunk.  Basically it’s one big party, when the living and the dead dance together all night because their worlds finally intersect. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one hanging out with ghosts, and it’s more fun to celebrate it as a time of passing than to just sulk in my bedroom.

I love the caricatures of ghoulishness and the way people become who they secretly believe themselves to be, or want to become. A well-chosen costume plays on some element of the personality, drawing it out of the dark and into full glorious view.  Like Batman, we embrace and identify with what terrifies us, and it makes us stronger. Or what inspires us, unnerves us, delights us. To me, it seems the perfect celebration of life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For an absolutely jaw dropping collection of Dia de los Muertos art go to: http://eldiadelosmuertos.tumblr.com/

For easier viewing go here: http://eldiadelosmuertos.tumblr.com/archive

(This is where I found these beautiful images.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How do you celebrate this time of year? What does it mean to you? Anything?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read Full Post »

Go Directly to 99% Jail–The Occupy Wall Street Monopoly Board!

Posted in Art, History, Money, tagged , , , , , on October 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

When Mike passed me this week’s New Yorker cover, I thought to myself, “Monopoly! I bet the Occupy Wall Street folks have already updated it.” And lo and behold, they have:

Flavorwire » The Occupy Wall Street USA Monopoly Board.

The Occupy Wall Street USA Monopoly Game

Editorial cartoons can have a huge impact on popular opinion. By clarifying issues in a visual format, drawing on popular symbols and myths, these artists manage to say something everyone can sense but can’t quite verbalize. “Yes,” we think, “that’s exactly it!”

New Yorker cover October 24, 2011

Click here for an overview of the history of political editorial cartoons:

Columbia University Press » Blog Archive » The New Yorker Cover Controversy and the History of Editorial Cartoons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you have any favorite political cartoons? Include them here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read Full Post »

Water Bending for Beginners

Posted in Creativity, Digital Art, Magic, Science, TV series, tagged , , , , on October 17, 2011| 2 Comments »

To become a water bender, first you must learn the art of water bending from the masters. Get inspired! See what you can do! Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender kicks ass…maybe you can too?

Katara vs. Master Pakku Music Video – YouTube.

Then, once you are really depressed by your lack of magical water bending abilities, look here for help. Five simple skills to master. Hey, you could do that in an afternoon. Now you just need to work on attuning to the elements and pulling distilled water out of the atmosphere. I mean, if you were going to pull water out of the air, I imagine you would be pulling out pure water, right? Ok, then you’ll need some electricity. I mean, fire! Then some wind. (Master the element of air, grasshopper.) And, finally, you will need some dirt. Er, a seed. An earth seed. Then go for it! You’ll be water bending in no time.  (Maybe.)

5 Scientific Ways To Make Water Do Magic | Cracked.com.

#5 Water Can Explode

Water Can Explode, with No Explosives

#4 Water Can Climb Walls and Make Bridges

Water Can Climb walls and Make Bridges

AND THERE ARE 3 MORE…check this out at:

5 Scientific Ways To Make Water Do Magic | Cracked.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And thanks to MP for this awesome cartoon:

http://xkcd.com/965/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Admit it. You have tried at least once in your life to attune to the elements and do cool tricks. You have, haven’t you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read Full Post »

Dissecting a Salmon! No, For Real This Time…

Posted in Art, Creativity, Science, tagged , , , , , , on October 15, 2011| 1 Comment »

In a previous post we discussed dissecting unicorns. That got a little complicated, what with them not actually existing and all. This should be a little more straightforward for you.

Play the Salmon Dissection Game!

(Warning: It’s kind of gross…yet fantastically awesome at the same time.)

http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00548/DissectionGame.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isn’t it refreshing to talk about something so clear cut for a change? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »