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Arts Archive: Arts

November 5, 2009

Over And Under Embroidered Art Show in Austin

I can't wait for the opening of Over and Under, an embroidered art show curated by Jenny Hart, this weekend here in Austin at Yard Dog Art Gallery. Jenny has been featuring some of the artists' work on her blog, and I'm really looking forward to be able to see it in person. Featured artists include Annie Aube, Deborah Baker, Kate Bingaman Burt, Dana Carlson, Diem Chau, Orly Cogan, Emily Eibel, Veronica Fuentes, Takashi Iwasaki, Joetta Maue, Michael Aaron McAllister, Johnny Murder, Christopher Niver, Jennifer Porter, Shannon Rankin, Richard Saja, Kate Westerholt and Kathie Sever. The show opens with a reception Friday from 7 - 9 pm and runs through December 6.

Over and Under Art Show Opening
Friday, November 6 from 7-9 pm
Yard Dog Art Gallery
1510 S. Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704

October 30, 2009

Sculptures from Packaging

package craft 3.png

Kazuma Takahashi made these little sculptures out of common packaging materials. [via BoingBoing]

October 29, 2009

One Day: A Collective Narrative of Tehran

San Francisco's Intersection for the Arts is hosting a thought-provoking group exhibit that opens this upcoming Wednesday, November the 4th. From the site:

Featuring the work of eight artists living in Tehran, Iran — Nima Alizadeh, Saba Alizadeh, Mohammad Ghazali, Ghazaleh Hedayat, Abbas Kowsari, Mehran Mohajer, Neda Razavipour, and Homayoun Sirizi — alongside new work by San Francisco- based artist Taraneh Hemami, this exhibition compiles a collective narrative of everyday Tehran, the largest city in the Middle East and the 16th most populated city in the world with close to 8 million residents. Representing the current unpredictability of each day in Tehran and also the hope that comes from imagining a better future, the artists chronicle narratives of place and time, demystifying life in a country that has been misunderstood and maligned for decades.

One of the best ways to get a window into a culture is through its art. Here's to the power of art and craft to unite.

Laser Engraved Skull in Dollars

Scott Campbell made this skull art by laser engraving into dollar bills. [via who killed bambi?]

October 28, 2009

Combo: A Collaborative Animation by Blu and David Ellis

As part of the summer-long Fame Festival in Italy that culminated in a final show last month, artists Blu and David Ellis spent a long week collaborating to create this amazing animation clip, made by filming morphing hand-painted murals. The video loops twice, in case you are beyond astounded the first time around.

October 27, 2009

Intricate Paper Maps of NYC

Sean @ MAKE points us to studiokmo's 3x4 feet panels, each intricately cut maps depicting Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx, down to the block level. Holy wow! The collection is for sale as a complete set only.

Brian Jungen's Strange Comfort

CRAFT's graphic designer Katie Wilson wrote about Brian Jungen's show, Strange Comfort, at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. (through August 8, 2010):

Native American artist Brian Jungen (Dunne-za) creates perceived icons of Indian culture from commonplace utilitarian objects -- an igloo from trash cans, a whale skeleton from plastic chairs, an animal mobile from suitcases. Frequently, his materials are selected for their power to comment: "Much of Jungen's work is created out of sports paraphernalia -- a suit of armor made of catcher mitts, a skull crafted from baseball skins, blankets woven from jerseys, and totem poles of stacked golf bags. It's a deliberate choice, Jungen says, to make art from materials belonging to an industry that has claimed names such as The Chiefs, Indians, Redskins and Braves."

More:

October 26, 2009

Heart Embroidery

Andrea Dezso is an artist in a wide variety of media (animation, sculpture, book design, fibers), and while her heart embroidery from 2004 isn't new, it is certainly impressive.

More:

Pricked: Extreme Embroidery

October 25, 2009

Completed Fiber Book

I'm in awe of the detail in this newly completed fiber book from Million Little Stitches. She's included pages for each month, and the intricate stitching, gorgeous design and meticulous attention to detail is stunning. Be sure to click through to see each month's page - they are all beautiful and have fascinating stories behind them. [via Beefranck at Mr. X Stitch]

October 23, 2009

Vinylville's Mac Laptop Stickers

Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Vinylville definitely has the most clever handmade Mac-specific stickers out there. I just got my Snow's Revenge (pictured above and also available in white) in the mail, and I love it. You can actually apply these to any glossy surface, so I'm inclined to smack it onto my Subaru and put an Apple logo sticker in her hand, just so I can see Snow White actually in the snow. They have a number of awesome design offerings (see four other variations below), and you can also check out more of Vinylville's artwork on their Flickr page.

Shrines, Just Because

Crafty Chica Challenge: Create a Day of the Dead Shrine

My neighbor Teresa Cuseo is an amazing artist and crafter -- every time I talk to her or go over for a visit she's doing something creative, from terrific mosaics to yummy baked goods to cool jewelry and clever shrines.

She recently bought a Day of the Dead crafting book and has plans to make some Day of the Dead altars, but the shrines and altars she's created thus far pay homage to the various incarnations of the Virgin Mary, bicycling, her loved ones, other religious figures, and roses. I like each and every one of them, and think they offer a lot of inspiration for our Day of the Dead shrines, too. Check them out after the jump and see what you think!

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October 22, 2009

Jeffrey Thomas' Dark Princesses

Since Disney bought Marvel comics, there have been a number of artists offering up creative image mashups. Perhaps my favorite is character designer/story artist Jeffrey Thomas' Dark Princesses series. Thomas reinterprets iconic Disney female characters with a seriously dark twist. Looking at these is providing me great inspiration for twisted Halloween costumes.

Janet Echelman's Her Secret is Patience

Janet Echelman is a public artist who makes large-scale fiber works. This one, called Her Secret is Patience, is in Phoenix, Arizona, and is made from painted galvanized steel and recyclable high-tenacity polyester braided twine netting. Janet is featured in the latest issue of Fiber Arts Magazine.

October 20, 2009

Solar System-Inspired Quilts from Jimmy McBride

This collection of solar system-inspired from artist Jimmy McBride have left me breathless. What really has me excited, though, is his post about his next project. I'll give you a hint: Pillars of Creation. Check out the diagram and fabric selection he's put together. Amazing. [via Apartment Therapy Boston]

October 19, 2009

Plush Breast Cancer Cells Sculpture

Amy of Glitter, Vinyl and Thread came up with this fascinating entry for the Craftster Good Cause Challenge. Inspired by the vibrant and "deceptively beautiful" images of breast cancer cells she found while researching the subject, she designed this plush version of breast cancer cells. She created the piece with stretch velvet, reclaimed pillow filling and wool embroidery floss. Read more about its construction and the picture that inspired the piece over on her blog.

72 Pencils

Collin @ MAKE points us to fdecomite's recreation of George Hart's geometric sculpture 72 pencils.

Pictures from Plush You! 2009

Kristen posted up pictures from this year's Plush You! show in Seattle at Schmancy, and it looks so great! If you're around Seattle, be sure to check out the show through the end of October!

October 17, 2009

Nesting Eyeballs

I like this creepy take on Russian nesting dolls, The Watchers by Jason Brammer. [via EMSL]

October 16, 2009

Intern's Corner: How to make sand art with kids

CRAFT: Intern's Corner
Every other week, CRAFT's awesome interns tell about the projects they're building in the Craft: Labs, the trouble they've gotten into, and what they'll make next.

By Ed Troxell, photo intern

Looking for some entertainment that kids will love? Try sand art.

I not only work as a photo intern at MAKE and CRAFT, but I also run my own magazine. Well, on top of that I work in the afternoons at an after-school day care center.

Every Wednesday -- it's our long day because the kids get out of school early -- we try to come up with a craft project they'll actually want to do. If you've ever worked with kids, you know that when it comes time to do arts and crafts not everyone jumps at the opportunity to get started. However, this simple project turned out to be one of our best yet: it keeps kids entertained while allowing them to be creative.

How-to:

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October 15, 2009

Impressionist Cake

PT on the MAKE blog points to this Starry nom edible masterpiece...

Arts Home | Next >

Craft:

Over And Under Embroidered Art Show in Austin

Sculptures from Packaging

One Day: A Collective Narrative of Tehran

Laser Engraved Skull in Dollars

Combo: A Collaborative Animation by Blu and David Ellis

Intricate Paper Maps of NYC

Brian Jungen's Strange Comfort

Heart Embroidery

Completed Fiber Book

Vinylville's Mac Laptop Stickers

Shrines, Just Because

Jeffrey Thomas' Dark Princesses

Janet Echelman's Her Secret is Patience

Solar System-Inspired Quilts from Jimmy McBride

Plush Breast Cancer Cells Sculpture

72 Pencils

Pictures from Plush You! 2009

Nesting Eyeballs

Intern's Corner: How to make sand art with kids

Impressionist Cake

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