Ten O'clock Scholar

Sya — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:27:00 -0400

Here's two for Tuesday...

More videos by artist/photographer William Wegman.

Aaaaaand, just cuz I'm feeling goofy tonight... I needs me some Diamond Dave.

The Art of Michael Salter

Sya — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:21:00 -0400

"Michael Salter's work is a massive and in-depth response to visual culture. A self proclaimed "obsessive observer" he culls through the avalanche of mass media and corporate branding to find poignant, absurd and baffling pieces which become part of his work. His work bridges all disciplines from product and toy design, to kinetic sculpture, logotypes, animation, and signage. He is currently interested in cognitive behavior and its relationship to particular visual stimuli, and the continued construction of styrofoam robots." - UO Department of Art

Two Favs from Texas Country Reporter

Sya — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:44:00 -0400

I love these videos because they are a testimonial to the power of tapping into those creative forces we all have within us - the desire to change our own lives, as well as those around us, by doing something positive with the resources we have despite the limitations and road blocks. Here are two stories of men who have found meaningful ways to connect to others. They are truly inspiring and edifying...

SDID's New Interactive Web Galleries

Sya — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:12:00 -0400

I just set up a couple of new galleries while I was reviewing Image Compressor 2008 for Tucows. Turns out, it's a fun but powerful software that does more than just compress images. It also has a photo editor that can import Photoshop filters and it's web album creation tool can recognize templates for Picasa. I found some really cool free ones over at Paul van Roekel's site that were super easy to implement and use.

The article I've written about Image Compressor went live over at Tucows on Friday.

And check out my new totally stellar interactive showcase galleries by clicking on the images below!

Fractal Showcase

Traditional Showcase

ANSI Art Exhibit

Sya — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:04:00 -0500

Via Sixteen Colors - Thanks Dave.

The Amazing Art of Ben Tolman

Sya — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:08:00 -0500

Ben Tolman's talent and ambition are awe inspiring. I met Ben over at deviantArt in 2004, about a year after I became a member. Since then, he has inspired and amazed me time after time with his detailed, psychedelic ink drawings and collaborations. I think you'll agree that they are bizarre, compelling and beautifully executed.

Oh, yes! There's more!

Pavement Artist, Julian Beever

Sya — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:34:00 -0500

Thanks for sending this my way, Zoe! Julian Beever has amazed us all with his legendary talent. Did you know it usually takes about 3 days to finish a drawing?
Links and more videos -->

Alena Wooten (aka MumboJumbo)

Sya — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:25:00 -0500

Alena Wooten is one of my favorite sculptors. I've been keeping an eye on her amazing progress over the years as she has built up a remarkable gallery over at deviantArt. This young woman has an uncanny ability to take a picture of something and make it 3 dimensional. She's definitely an inspiration to many and a real sweet girl too!

Glassblowing - Alex Petrakis

Sya — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:13:00 -0500

Art in Our Private Collection Part 1

Sya — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:39:00 -0400

Below I have shared a picture of a piece that was given to me by artist, technologist, and friend, Sebastien Dion that presently sits on our mantle.

(closeup view)

There is a little story behind this treasure. A photographer I modeled for invited my husband and I to a party at his studio where we were introduced to Sebastien and his significant other, Amber Reed (note: Amber shares our last name! Grooveh!) who also modeled for our photographer friend. The four of us became quick friends and found we had a lot in common to talk about, specifically, we are all interested in the use of technology in art. Luckily, I brought along my portfolio that had some of my fractal images within. Of particular interest to Sebastien was a print of Strange Specimen and he asked if I'd be willing to allow him to use the image for a project he was working on...

Jen Stark

Sya — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 20:25:00 -0500

I am in love.

Time Elapsed Art

Sya — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 22:26:00 -0500

Diatom Art

Sya — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:34:00 -0500

Diatom are single-celled photosynthetic organisms, one of several groups of algae that biomineralize silicate. They inhabit both fresh and marine water. Deposition of the silicate creates rigid cell walls which can take on a complex variety of geometric shapes.

In victorian times, hobbyists and enthusiasts would create arranged slides, microscopic pictures only a millimeter or two across, made out of individually placed diatom shells and butterfly scales. Some antique slides still exist today in personal and museum collections, but it was considered to be a lost art until Klaus Kemp of Microlife Services came along. He makes both traditional and contemporary designs, my favorite are the mandalas like the ones pictured here.

I live in Michigan so I found this site interesting as well: Great Lakes Diatoms

Artist Showcase - Larry Kagan

Sya — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 11:46:00 -0500

My husband and I went to the Flint Institute of Arts last week and saw a really cool sculpture hanging on the wall by artist, Larry Kagan. It appeared to be just a bunch of chaotic twisted metal pieces welded together, but it was casting a shadow on the wall in the shape of a perfect box! We came home and looked him up online. I find his artwork fascinating in that there is more than meets the eye, form from chaos, the familiar derived from the abstract. You'll want to check out his gallery to see the variety of objects he has cast in lines of shadow.

"I found out that I could make continuous forms out of discontinuous kinds of steel elements; I found that I could make whole and complete forms out of pieces of steel that looked like they were flying every which way away from a center. It's amazing, because what I discovered was, I mean, in retrospect obvious, was that the shadow isn't just a line on the wall, but it's really a volume in space..." - Object/Shadows: The Work of Larry Kagan

Watch a short movie of Kagan discussing his work and see him at work in his studio.

Fractal Origami

Sya — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:00:00 -0500

These fractal origami models were folded and photographed by Michał Kosmulski. Shown on the left is the Sierpinski Tetrahedron. You can see many more examples of balls, polyhedra, intersecting planes and the like at the Modular Origami homepage.

Artist Showcase - Miguel Chevalier

Sya — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 09:09:00 -0500

French artist, Miguel Chevalier is known internationally as one of the pioneers of virtual and digital art. Currently, he has an interesting fractal installation which can be experienced at Wood Street Galleries in Pittsburgh, PA. Motion detectors allow the viewer to interact with the growth of the fractal "plants" which simulate nature. There are 8 varieties, ranging from flowering vegetation to cacti. Some say it's like walking through a living jungle because each plant seems to have a life of it's own.

I sure wish I could go see it but it ends December 31st and my schedule/pocketbook will not make allowances for traveling.

Also check out his monumental sculpture, Fractal Cloud that serves as an astronomical clock at night. This guy is sheer genius.

Setpixel

Sya — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 14:56:00 -0500

I love this site and everything in it. www.setpixel.com - I've blogged about the Interactive Waterfall before, but this time, I was particularly taken by the simplicity of Charles Forman's statement, "the tools that the artist uses are always the least important part of their creative process." Charles uses processing to make his art interactive and magical. You can see some of his genius at work in this video, I Love Water.

The entire site is completely entrancing so don't be surprised to find they've sucked you in with their genuis, creativity and smooth design... it's both eye and brain candy!

Detroit City Rocks

Sya — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 14:39:00 -0500

We went to a Halloween party in Detroit last night! This is Mike and I all dressed up to go out. We also saw a concert at the State Theater the night before - Crossfade opened for Buckcherry! We were front row, baby... I got beer splashed all over my hair by a guy in a Jesus costume but we rocked on and didn't suffer much hearing loss. Oh yeah, and "happy birthday" to the guy who was standing by us who was surrounded by beautiful womens. Ya'll made being crammed into a tight space a little more enjoyable.

On a side note, if you have never seen Rivera's Detroit Industry up close, you are truly missing out. It must be seen in person to be fully appreciated because it truly is overwhelming. Rivera even considered it the most successful work of his career! Yeah, baby! Just one more reason Detroit rocks!

Modular Origami

Sya — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 15:52:00 -0400

I know how much you love interesting origimi, so feast your eyes on these beauties! An entire page filled with origami balls and polyhedra that were folded and photographed by Michał Kosmulsk. This one is called an icosidodecahedron - you can find folding instructions here.

Crocheted Hyperbolic Models

Sya — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 11:01:00 -0400

The Institute For Figuring started a collective project to crochet a coral reef, calling it "a wooly celebration of the intersection of higher geometry and feminine handicraft, and a testimony to the disappearing wonders of the marine world." Here is a gallery of these beautiful handmade creations. Also see the Hyperbolic Cactus Garden.

"Until the nineteenth century, mathematicians knew about only two kinds of geometry: the Euclidean plane and the sphere. It was a deep shock to their community to find that there existed a completely other spatial structure, one whose existence was only discerned by overturning a two-thousand-year-old prejudice about “parallel” lines. The discovery of hyperbolic space in the 1820’s and 1830’s marked a turning point in mathematics and initiated the formal study of non-Euclidean geometry. Almost two centuries later, Daina Taimina a mathematician at Cornell University made a physical model of the hyperbolic plane – a feat many mathematicians had believed was impossible – using crochet. With hook and yarn the properties of this unique space become manifest to our eyes and hands, enabling tactile exploration of a structure once thought impossible." - IFF

San Francisco in Jello

Sya — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:20:00 -0400

Just when you thought San Fran couldn't get any more fruity...

Elizabeth Hickok created the entire city out of jello, from City Hall to Alamo Square! I wonder if that wins some kind of Guiness World Record.

Yum.

Kinetic Sculpture of Tim Prentice

Sya — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:24:00 -0400

Amazing sculpture and hanging mobiles by Tim Prentice! Check it out!

Interactive Waterfall

Sya — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 20:59:00 -0400

This piece of art is a waterfall with panels behind it that reactively light up whenever motion is detected. The project was created for Hackensack University Medical Center, Children's Center in New Jersey. This article tells more about the artwork.

Oh, and here are some related links to cool shizzle:

Stephanie Andrews - Hydrokenetic Installation
Liquid Sculpture
Martin Waugh's Liquid Scuplture
William Pye - Water Sculpture

The Art of Willard Wigan

Sya — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 10:33:00 -0400

The sculptures of Willard Wigan might be overlooked, not because they are insignificant, but because they are so miniscule most can fit within the eye of a needle. These intricate sculptures, measured in thousandths of an inch, can be viewed through microscopes with a magnification of x100. They are painstakingly fashioned from gold, specs of dust, precious gems, droplets of glue and paint along with numerous other materials including eyelashes and spiders webbing.

His work has been described as "The eight wonder of the world" and "Truly a gift from God."

The Animated Sculpture of Gregory Barsamian

Sya — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:41:00 -0400

"In a darkened room I present sequentially formed sculptures on a rapidly spinning armature. A synchronized strobe light supplies the illumination. The images exist in real time and viewers are able to share the same space with them. The conflict between sensory information and logic recreates the state of dream reality." - Gregory Barsamian

Make sure you go to the sculpture gallery and watch the videos for each artwork. Bet you've never seen sculpture like that before!

The Fractal Art of Steve Lareau

Sya — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 14:32:00 -0400

Steve Lareau of Hilltop Design is a fellow fractal artist who recently shared some of his interesting and strange fractal flames with me. He's a friendly guy with a great online gallery, but what I'd really like you all to see is this animated flame fractal, with music Steve created from random samples. The 13 minute video shows an animated transitioning flame fractal created through ElectricSheep.Org and distributed under a creative commons license.

Unquiet Visions Demo Reel- Extended mix

The Art of Sya Titia

Sya — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 13:59:00 -0400

A while back I received a comment from another Sya. She said she was Dutch and that she was an artist also. Woah, cool! My grandfather is Dutch! She linked me to her gallery online and I wanted to share it here. She has posted many pictures of her beautiful ethereal paintings that seem to transport the viewer to a heavenly, surrealistic plane. It's like walking through a dream. She does portraits and she takes commissions too so check out that gallery as well.

Hello Sya, wherever in the Nederlands you may be... I wish you great success!

Senseless Acts of Beauty

Sya — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 16:18:00 -0400

All over the world people are committing senseless acts of beauty every day. It's all about good graffiti, and the site was started with a collection of images from an exhibition of Urban Pictographs and Petroglyphs by Frank Foreman. Now visitors to the site can submit their own images of "good graffiti" which can be viewed as a slideshow by clicking this link.

Creatives of the world, unite!

OMG, I didn't just say that.

Three Years of Pictures

Sya — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 09:56:00 -0400

In November of 2001, artist Ahree Lee began taking pictures of herself once a day. This video montage, titled Me, is the result after three years of pictures. Each second of screen time represents about one week's worth of pictures. The short movie was screened at a number of festivals including L.A. Shorts Fest, the Silver Lake Film Festival in Los Angeles, and Film Fest New Haven, where it won audience and jury awards.

A is for Amy

Sya — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 00:03:00 -0400

I've been slacking on my blog lately. My life has been crazy for the last month or so... my apologies. Lots of travel, lots of partying, making new friends, house repairs, art fairs... I haven't had time to work on my dragon either. Bah.

Who needs sleep? I'm having a blast!

This one is for my sister, who regularly reads my blog because she loves me! Her name is Amy too. Oh yeah, and one time, she even fell down some stairs and hurt herself pretty bad. She didn't die though.

Ars Moriendi - How to Die in a Proper Way

She Dreams In Digital