We came across this artist via another blog entitled We Love You So, a worthy blog to read if I ever saw one. I haven’t taken the time to watch all of his animations, but I’ve already concluded that if I were in this field, he would be a prime source of inspiration. The geometric aesthetic has never been taken to such heights, nor used so dynamically as in his video, The Seed, embedded below. I agree with the comments made on We Love You So, mainly that this is precisely the kind of imagery and educational art that we should be showing to children, and everyone else for that matter. To see more of his videos, visit his vimeo page, and I implore you: share share share!
**Ok, so for some damn reason I am not at the bottom of, the video will not embed here, so you must follow the link below or above. Thank you for your patience and understanding**
Is it from the 60s? The 20s? A Victorian under garment? These days I can never quite tell. Wherever it came from, it’s taking the maxi dress to a whole new level. And that level looks really comfortable. Oh I wish I were taller.
Because I liked the “analogy” of a poem barreling through the sky like god’s wrath towards a poor farm girl. And I’m impressed with Gilbert’s style of speaking – no note cards necessary. Plus all the other stuff..
Richmond, Virginia artist Allison Andrews softens her voice so that her work may speak for itself.
I was first drawn to Allison Andrews’ sculpture installation Zen Garden, pictured above, due to the piece’s ironic profundity. The juxtaposition of a Hummer frame with a Japanese Zen Garden speaks volumes about the globalization of cultures and the influence Eastern philosophy has on the West. In short, I saw it as peaceful commentary, a quiet reflection of commoditization and spirituality, begging our own questions of meaning and purpose as we advance into the future.
After meeting Allison, I discovered that my interpretation was not far off from her own. I also learned that, for her, the success of the piece was simply that it made me think. While she has strong concepts which lead her in the beginning of a project, she feels strongly that ultimately, her responsibility is to the viewer. When creating, the first thing cut away is her opinion, allowing the work to speak for itself, and leaving the viewer to interpret freely.
Through the use of iconic images, Allison is capable of creating juxtapositions which suggest meaning to the viewer, rather than spell it out. Minimal amounts of information are best, considering that during the artistic process, she finds herself forced to go with the flow. The artwork often takes off in its own direction, becoming something completely different from the original concept upon completion. In her work, she must leave room open for the message to take its own shape, empowered by her choice of materials and her technical skill.
Humbly, Allison told me, “I don’t know why I make the stuff I make.” It is as if the art is using her as its means of manifestation. “Anytime I force anything, it doesn’t work. Anytime I cling to anything, it doesn’t work.” For artist Allison Andrews, both her art and her life alike are a practice in discipline, service and letting go.
I encourage you as readers to take the time to look at the following works and ruminate on the meanings they have for you, or simply appreciate their success or failure in the case of stimulating your thought process.
So, I’ll just be upfront and confess. I have an unhealthy addiction to Bravo’s reality shows – namely all the Real Housewives of where ever, and newly – Millionaire Matchmaker. This season, there was an episode featuring millionaire Daniel Maltzman who is a thirty-something artist in the LA area looking for none other than his soul mate. Patti Stanger is infamous for her bluntness when dealing with these hopeless daters. Her comments to him mainly consisted of: “Stop being a fame obsessed bloodhound – women don’t want to hear you name drop.”
Anyway, the episode was typical besides one thing: we were taken into his studio by the cameras, which is fabulous and filled with larger than life canvases colored with portraits of his famous clients, such as Paris Hilton and Madonna. He also mentioned something about some famous twins that were “rather cute” – The Olsens?? Many of the articles that have featured an interview with Mary-Kate speak of her art collections and I would certainly invest however many thousands it would take to have a portrait of myself painted by Maltzman – if I had that sort of money.
I mean, if he can make Paris Hilton look this good, and I mean good as in good person, with a loving pet and a dose of modesty, just imagine what else he is capable of artistically.
On his website, you can browse through images of his old and new works. The categories include abstracts, bright panel abstracts, women, celebrities, faces, shadows, kids, in spaces (photos of his art within galleries), and tv’s ditry sexy money (which actually consists of pictures of him with important people in important places…). His abstracts are rather typical of work being made these days, but he certainly seems to have talent that is worth attention within his portraiture and the weird shadow figure paintings.
While he might be hooked on the holloywood scene like I’m hooked on Bravo, I don’t deny good looking art when I see it. Seems to be doing him well on any right. Happy browsing.
Also, I have to add this one cause I like it. Walt Disney? Who knows, but Mickey sure looks happy as ever. I enjoy the use of color to create juxtaposition between the subjects and message, and the play on perspective and depth. Yeah, I like his work.
HOWEVER a fixie that can be converted to a single speed with a simple flip of the back wheel is a wonderful idea. republic bike is a wonderfully colorful company that custom makes bicycles fitting the prior description according to your very own chromatic preferences. they come in three sizes (although those of us under 5′ 5″ are sadly and wistfully out of luck) and are only $344, which really, is not too shabby. darewesay this might be one of the better uses of $344 dollars. buy buy buy.
i continue to make my way through the aforementioned a supposedly fun thing i’ll never do again by david foster wallace, deterred only momentarily by a four-day backpacking trip where daylight was spent hiking up mountains not reading books. now i am back in civilization, and back to ravenously eating up every word davey f walls puts down.
in his essay “e unibus pluram: television and u.s. fiction” he quotes a dude named lewis hyde (oh man, how i love the footnotes) as saying “irony has only emergency use. carried over time, it is the voice of the trapped who have come to enjoy their cage.” adbusters, eat your heart out.
he also shares a passage by novelist don delillo, whom i am now inspired to read as soon as i finish this book and then infinite jest because really how can i consider myself an obsessed fan of dfw without reading his biggest book i mean really i should be ashamed of myself.
this is from delillo’s 1985 white noise:
several days later murray asked me about a tourist attraction known as the most photographed barn in america. we drove twenty-two miles into the country around farmington. there were meadows and apple orchards. white fences trailed through the rolling fields. soon the signs started appearing. THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED BARN IN AMERICA. we counted five signs before we reached the site . . . we walked along a cowpath to the slightly elevated spot set aside for viewing and photographing. all the people had cameras; some had tripods, telephoto lenses, filter kits. a man in a booth sold postcards and slides — pictures of the barn taken from the elevated spot. we stood near a grove of trees and watched the photographers. murray maintained a prolonged silence, occasionally scrawling some notes in a little book.
“no one sees the barn,” he said finally.
a long silence followed.
“once you’ve seen the signs about the barn, it becomes impossible to see the barn.”
he fell silent once more. people with cameras left the elevated site, replaced at once by some others.
“we’re not here to capture an image. we’re here to maintain one. can you feel it, jack? an accumulation of nameless energies.”
there was an extended silence. the man in the booth sold postcards and slides.
“being here is kind of a spiritual surrender. we see only what the others see. the thousands who were here in the past, those who will come in the future. we’ve agreed to be part of a collective perception. this literally colors our vision. a religious experience in a way, like all tourism.”
another silence ensued.
“they are taking pictures of taking pictures,” he said.
. . . “what was the barn like before it was photographed?” he said. “what did it look like, how was it different from other barns, how was it similar to other barns? we can’t answer these questions because we’ve read the signs, seen the people snapping the pictures. we can’t get outside the aura. we’re part of the aura. we’re here, we’re now.”
he seemed immensely pleased by this.
david foster wallace has much to say about delillo. lots of intruguing insightful ideas. i will not tell you what they are. i am such a literary tease, eh? you should really, really really read this book.
this outfit is to dieeeee for; switch the purse for something a little less fringe-y, and consider this chick to be the epitome of my sartorial dreams.
these are some books we’ve read in the past year or so that have made an impression on us. all titles on the list guarantee many hours of delectable literary enjoyment. some of them are lifeeee chaaaanging. oprah shmoprah; here are our recommendations.
the top, we are not super crazy about (it belongs on an 80s career woman with feathered bangs and walk-to-work sneakers) (ie, melanie griffith in working girl), but the skirt, rules.
we know, we know, we said we were sick of already-done sheer styles. but these are just too good. both are for wearing all the time but especially to fancy and romantic italian dinners in small candlelit restaurants with dark red booths lining the walls and a man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth playing the cello mournfully yet tastefully in the corner . . .
if botticelli’s (the birth of) venus was going out for drinks on the lower east side.
if botticelli’s (the birth of) venus had to study for an exam tomorrow.
jessica stam makes me swoon, as do the dress + shoes she sports.
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mr. kane’s torso gets eaten by a gorilla.