PIXELATOR & ABSTRACTOR

A sweet video art collaboration in the streets of New York - PIXELATOR.

A fun creative idea by Jason Eppink, carried out by anonymous artists who want to Do It Yourself. Here are some variations on the idea too - TV Filter, Light Criticism, and ... Abstractor.

Local Color - The Movie, Coming Summer 2009

The movie - Local Color - looks beautiful!
It supposed to come out sometime this summer.

Arthur Ganson - Kinetic Sculptures

I went by the UT School of Architecture Mebane Gallery last week and was pleasantly surprised to find an exhibit called "Machines" by Arthur Ganson. There were all kinds of fun, interactive mechanical toys/art that you could connect and play with. It was wonder-full and fun. They somewhat reminded me of the miniature scale and child-like quality of Alexander Calder's mobiles or circus work, but more movement through mechanics - rather than just balance. (They also had similar veins to the Mouse Trap board game.)

Reuben Margolin - Beautiful Moving Sculptures

Reuben Margolin does some amazing work - combining wood, metal, geometry and precise mechanics to make beautiful kinetic artwork! Check out his other projects too. They're amazing! Thanks for the inspiration Reuben! You reminded me how beautiful geometry and shapes can be ... especially when combining woodwork, string and gears! (It has a similar spirit to the artwork of Alexander Calder too.) Beautiful. Fun. Simple. Playful. Mechanical. Mathematical. Artistic. Inventive. Creativity at it's best.


Here's another fun example of Reuben's collaborative inventions - a PARKcycle. PARK(ing) Day seems like a cool event too. Maybe I could do another sand castle? :)

Scott McCloud: Understanding Comics

I thought this was a cool video of Scott McCloud sharing a story about comics as a visual form of story-telling, and where it could go when translated onto the web (keeping the spacial relations intact/using the web window as a page-viewer rather than a movie screen). I think this is interesting from a design standpoint too.

Check out his comic Zot! Online: "Hearts and Minds" or some of his other web comics to see his explorations of sharing comics online. They're really fun!

bloxes

bloxes
Originally uploaded by linoleum jet

beautiful bloxes!
:)

Jen Stark's Paper Art

Yeah! Jen Stark, who does some amazing Paper Art, is getting recognized. Ever since I first saw her work - I think on Wired - I've enjoyed her work and kept up with her. It's fun to see what Jen's up to. I like paper craft as an art-form, and she does some beautiful work. I love the new work too!



Jen now has a fun shop to buy some of her art too.
Keep up the awesome work Jen!

finding Inner Sanctum

I recently wanted to explore graphic novels - to see if I might find any illustrators and writers who I might connect with. (I had just finished reading The Picture Bible, illustrated by André Le Blanc, and surprisingly enjoyed it!) ... So I went to the library to explore other graphic novels and see if I might find anything interesting. ...

I happened to pick up Flight, v2 - which is a compilation of various short-stories in graphic form, from different illustrators/writers. I was amazed when the first story I read was Inner Sanctum by Michel Gagné!! Wow!! I was amazed. The whole short story is available online. You should check it out. It's amazing!

I also really enjoyed:
• "Destiny Express" by Jen Wang
• "The Orange Grove" by Kazu Kibuishi (who also organizes the Flight books)
• "The Ride" by Rodolphe Guenoden
• "Ghost Trolley" by Rad Sechrist
• "Impossible" by Herval
• "A Test for Centri" by Amy Kim Ganter.

Now I'm onto Flight, v3. So far, so good!!

Thanks Kazu and Michel!
I'm really getting into graphic novels because of Inner Sanctum and the Flight books!

Steampunk Moves Between Two Worlds

I read this article - Steampunk Moves Between Two Worlds - today on the New York Times website about Steampunk & its subculture - wow! Amazing! ...

It's an aesthetic of the industrial age - brass, gears, burlap, time travel, adventure, creativity, etc. ... It reminds me of Waterworld, The City of Lost Children, Matrix, Around the World in 80 Days, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the video game Myst. ... I found Abney Park - a band that promotes themselves at "steampunk", Tom Sepe - who built a steampunk motorcycle(with lots of other cool inventions!), Gypsy Moon, a steampunk fashion site, and even SalonCon, a victorian/steampunk ball.

I really enjoyed looking through all of it ... I was even seeing the world through a sort of steampunk vision - pretty cool to think about! :)

The Reverse Graffiti Project

The Reverse Graffiti Project - a beautiful art project in San Francisco - a reverse graffiti mural of indigenous plants in an urban space.

The artist - Moose - has some other great design projects/creative ideas of communication in the city. Check 'em out! :)

My friend Matthieu Brajot also helped out on this cool project.

Davey Dance Blog - fun stuff

Check this guy Davey Dance Blog. I really like how he just picks a public place – showcasing a city or something – and dances to the music. I love it when the music plays off the city surroundings ... kinda like dialoging with the city about how it makes you feel. Great idea Davey!

Imagine! France sings for USA

Wow! Check this out ... France sings to the USA - "land of the free" is the part that really struck me ... France is the nation who gave us the Statue of Liberty. They know what freedom is all about, and we need its fullness! :) ... Bravo! beautiful!

(There's also a longer version.)

A great idea by Johannes Leonardo for Pangea Day, a global event bringing the world together through film. I love the other films they made about countries singing other countries' national anthems too, especially these two - USA sings for Mexico, and UK sings for Argentina since I'm more familiar with those countries.

Imagine! USA sings for Mexico

Imagine! UK sings for Argentina

Keep it up Johannes! I'd love to see more!

Hope for America

What is Hope for my generation - the young people of America? Everything has been given to us, and yet it's still not enough. Everything is available at our fingertips, and yet we're still looking for more. Our leaders have stretched themselves thin by overextending their arms into other people's lands - without even acknowledging that we have problems here at home. Our systems have been built to encourage young companies to grow and increase their profits, but there is little reward for steady leaders who choose to give back to their communities and families. We are a country of adventurers, of pioneers ... but when we've come back from the highest peaks, the deepest seas, and have experienced it all, what's left to discover? What's left to hope for? We are left dry and despairing, with a world that seems to be falling apart.

The vision of glory that we sought after – that was passed down to us – has faded. We see the cracks starting to crumble in the statues, the pursuits and the systems. They are simply facades. Who can we trust? Who is truly good enough to revere? Their character must be flawless, but is that humanly possible? So many search for the cracks. If they look hard enough, they will find them. But do the cracks diminish the whole? If that's what you're focused on - yes. And then it becomes a sad world because all you see are the cracks, the dirt, the brokenness and you feel completely useless. The Dark seems inevitable.

If you choose to look at the heart though, I think you'll find Hope when you see people giving of themselves so that others might live ... and not the giving out of abundance, but the giving of what is precious, of laying down treasures and dignity to serve others. Is it not the lowly, the aliens who do that for us now - without us even appreciating them? There is real beauty in their gifts - it's choosing to pursue wholeness for another at the expense of our pride. It's learning to honor other people's decisions, sometimes even if you disagree. It's learning wisdom in how to pursue your passion - with patience, humility and compassion. It's learning to appreciate what you've been given - the uniqueness of the people in your life, the serendipity of events that happen throughout the day and the idiosyncrasies which give things their definition and personality. It's learning to enjoy the simple things, the intangible things, the things close to home. Indeed, it's making Home and inviting others into it.

Who are we though? Where is our Home? We are a mix of so many cultures, so many backgrounds, so many nations. What does it mean to be "American?" If you're in America, you are always expected to say where you came from BEFORE ... somewhere in your family's history, they're expecting that a relative came from some other place, some other Home. Some people are able to keep parts of that history with them, and that's what they claim as their Home here ... but it's really more of a home away from Home at that. The USA is one of the few countries where the Name is "to find a name for yourself." People can start over here. They can search for who they want to be. They can sail the high seas looking for the coast of their Hope. Anything is possible. Any Hope is acceptable to strive for. It's even encouraged. There is beauty in the freedom of allowing others to discover their hope – whereas in many places it's dictated to you.

Where is the resting place though? If our Name is "To Find a Name," what then do we have to offer? If the Adventurer has no Home to return to, then he's really more of a Wanderer - lost without a Home. The wilderness can make you strong and resilient, but there's also a place of comfort, enjoyment and family that are so important for Life. What would the "American" family look like? Where is some common ground? The Home of the past is fading. The memory has quieted to a whisper. We're Here now – which is a much different land. We are becoming more like our neighbors - mixing cultures, hats, foods and family names. It's a much different world now then where our parents grew up.

Now the world is limitless. Names are less Names. Heart streams start to flow together - apart from space and time. To someone looking for a Name, the voices are endless and can drown you out. It takes learning how to say "no" and where your boundaries are to find peace within you. It's growing in wisdom - of who you are, of what's realistic for you, of what you desire to do and finding out how to make it possible. There can be personal hope to go after, but Hope must help you get there ... an eye that notices your Name and gives you the opportunity to share it. It takes someone who is willing to wash away your dirt, to patch your cracks - someone who chooses to see you whole and helps you to remember your beauty. They give you your Name - even though you might have faint memories of what it sounds like. It takes someone else to call your Name out and make it be ... and then you start to know it for yourself as you experience the walk of those shoes.

Hope is in finding the one who helps you find your Name - for it is your Home, your resting place - a place of comfort, enjoyment and family. There is always more fullness to the Hope. It always seems to be a journey. But when you find your Home, it changes things. From then on the Adventures you go on become reminders of what makes Home so special.

I hope that America finds it's Hope, it's Name in this generation ... That one could say "I'm an American!" and be filled with Hope, Honor, Delight and Purpose. It's much different than the old Names. But I believe the glory will be more beautiful - once Wisdom is learned and Pride is laid down. Then one can start to see and gently give room for the Name in others to blossom. Then Hope will be shining brightly - even into the past.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

I've been reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis for the first time, and I'm really enjoying them. I haven't enjoyed reading that much since jr. high - when we had to stop at every chapter and evaluate every little detail. It's been a long time since I've read for pleasure ... and now I've been getting back into it with "The Monument" by Gary Paulsen and "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis. I love how imaginative the Chronicles of Narnia are. They're richly creative and I can sit reading for hours without noticing the time fly by.

I look forward to seeing Prince Caspian as a movie too. I think they did a great job with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." I do enjoy the books - since I have to use my imagination to see the fantastic worlds - but the movies are awesome too!

mural mosaic: hundreds of paintings, one masterpiece mural

This is a great collaboration project for fine artists - a mural mosaic - a beautiful idea by illustrators Lewis Lavoie & Phil Alain. I like their idea for the Wildlife Ark Mural-in-a-Book idea ... it makes buying a piece much more affordable, fun for the buyer to put together and goes well with content – seeing the beauty of each piece individually and then seeing how they synergize to form a different beauty when they're all-together.

harry ransom center - photo booth

I'm really enjoying the playful photos of people who have visited the Harry Ransom Center Photo Booth. It accompanies an exhibit and involves a Victorian backdrop setup with a foot pedal switch in a semi-private room. All you have to do is go in the room and stand in front of the camera. There's a live video feed of what the camera sees so you can see how the photo might come out. There's a few instructions on the wall - asking folks to please limit themselves to 5 photos (although some people were having a lot of fun & took a few more), that by taking the photos they're releasing the HRC to publish their photos, and that the HRC has the final say on what's put online/published. The switch is a foot pedal–similar to a sewing machine pedal-that is hooked up to the camera. Usually people play a little bit–seeing that they're on camera–and then they press the pedal to take a photo. It takes a few seconds to focus & take the picture. So you have to hold a pose for a few seconds to get a clear picture.

I think it's a brilliant idea! I love the way you get to see ordinary people playing - jumping, hugging, kissing, hiding, acting, smiling, laughing, moving, with loved ones, by themself, elderly, little children, college students, adults, etc. It's so fun to see other people in play - being themselves or just having fun. Even shy people who normally wouldn't do something like this have a chance to be expressive because there's no one else in the room (it is open on one corner to the gallery but it's hidden). I like the diverse cultures represented and the range of emotions shown in the photos. It seems that a lot of people have had fun with the installation.

Wonderful art! Great idea David Coleman. :)

Fun with Camper

Fun with Camper
Originally uploaded by raondo

I was reading this nice article in Metropolis Magazine describing the Camper brand & design-thinking. It was cool to hear about they're trying to keep it a family business - even globally - and how they taylored the design of each store to reflect & enhance the area it's in (not some cookie-cutter franchise).

I was amazed when I saw the Camper website!! ... I was laughing & wanting to dance (as much as you can in an office chair). Their site has so much fun energy – a celebration of life & personality – playfulness with color & objects. I can really feel the Spanish culture influencing this design, which I love about it! Their animations are well done & playful/entertaining. It reflects their thinking that design can be fun & not-so-serious. The objects they chose to include are fun combinations and the animations with the shoes do a great job of reflecting each shoe's personalities.

I enjoyed looking at the different Camper store designs that are uniquely suited for the area it's in. I think that's an awesome idea, and they've done a great job at the environmental design of each store. I like their randomness too. I think it's cool how they taylored the London store to have random stories of Majorcan donkeys ... since the British seem to like to read a lot, why not give them something fun to read about? In Germany they encourage visitors to write on the wall, which I would think would be really fun. In Madrid they came up with this idea of a "info-shop" where the decoration would be random images & information - that would be a cool store to visit. Their Camper for Kids section is also a playful way to communicate why kids might like campers & all their different uses.

I really love this site. I'm amazed at how much joyful life it carries in the design, the art & the ideas. I think their could be some minor improvements, like the transitions between different sections. It did take me a little bit to discover the useful parts of some sections ... but I think it goes perfectly with the idea that everything doesn't have to have a point, a meaning ... sometimes we just need to take in life & enjoy the moment!

It also reminded me of the beautiful, joyful illustrations of Spanish artist Catalina Estrada, which I admire also.

[For those people in Austin, I have seen Camper shoes & that same fun/playful design-sense at Creatures Boutique on South Congress.]

"garden in transit" art project

Garden in Transit is a beautiful art project I read about in the NY Times earlier this week. I am inspired & in awe of what they're doing - inviting children to help make colorful art that covers all the taxi cabs in New York city. What a way to brighten a city & bring joy to people!

[Check out the other projects Portraits of Hope have done too - airplanes, blimps, towers, boats and buildings. Very cool! Keep up the great work!]

a heavenly trip

wild flowers over the alps
Originally uploaded by raondo

Last month I went on a trip to Europe – the south of France and Switzerland. It was amazing! I spent hours of quality time with friends – playing, relaxing, meeting, planning, thinking, swimming, biking, hiking, and enjoying life. It was wonderful to meet friends over there that could show me the ropes of getting around in Europe (without knowing much French). I enjoyed it so much! I took this photo on a hiking/camping trip to the top of some of the Swiss Alps. What a fantastic view!

Now I'm back in Texas so refreshed and rejuvenated. I'm ready for new things and looking forward to new adventures this fall.

Behold - beautiful note cards

My friends Jeanette & Sam opened up a business - Behold Cards selling beautiful note cards with photography that Jeanette has taken. ... joyful, special, unique, colorful, travel, latin american, mexican, brazilian, spicy, bold, playful, intimate, grand, beautiful views & perspectives on life.

If you're looking for colorful, joyful, artistic note cards to send out - as thank you cards, invitations or personal note cards, check their site out. They're reasonably priced & they would love to be connected with people who might enjoy their cards. If you like any of Jeanette's photos & would like to use them for a project, you can contact her too. She's a talented & wonderful photographer.

Mangola taking shape

I would like to share with you some news about an art event/production I am helping to put together – here in Austin, Texas – called "Mangola." Our objective is to create an event that mainly reflects the identity of Austin – through film, fashion, music and visual art. It will encompass several venues and be open to the public.

I am hoping to join others in a chance to explore some topics close to my heart and express it creatively. I know it will take quite a bit of time (outside of my full-time job), but I would like to invest some of my time and energies into this. I think it will be a worth-while production because we have a high-caliber team of creative people –15 artists and creative leaders from America and Europe – with diverse perspectives and experiences in art/event productions.

I'll be working on this for quite a while in my off-time, and I'm taking a trip in a few weeks to Europe for a Mangola planning/production meeting. I'm really looking forward to what transpires at the meeting and the shape of things to come. I'll probably post some photos of the trip within the next month.

{If you enjoy some of the artwork I do and would like to help support us in getting this going, you can visit our fund-raising site: https://www.fundable.org/groupactions/mangola}

a sandcastle on campus / guerrilla art

I was walking home for working out yesterday when I saw this big mound of sand just sitting there beside the sidewalk. I thought "wouldn't it be fun to make a sandcastle?" "I haven't done that in forever." I thought about it for awhile & what people would think of me, but then I just went for it – right in the middle of the University of Texas at Austin campus at 25th & Whitis. The sand was there because they're doing a little construction at the Communications building. They're a dumpster & some fence on the road beside this big pile of sand ... it was really fun.

It took me a few hours to build the castle (a half-castle really - the rest of the sand pile is still raw & natural). I know that it will probably be destroyed soon - either by the construction crew using the sand or some random person going in and squashing it. It'll be neat to see how long it stands there. I made a little flag out of a scrap of paper I found on a poster kiosk. I thought yellow would be good color with some green tacks - to represent joy & playfulness ... bringing that playfulness to a campus that can be pretty serious & adult-like. That's where all the beauty-full artwork comes from - in the architecture, in design, in film, in writing, etc. ... when folks are being playful and experimenting with their medium/environment ... looking at something in new ways with fascination, curiosity and a little creativity.

Maybe I can bring that to the UT campus, if not a few smiles as people walk to class & work.
:)

ART SHOW AT JP's JAVA

So here are photos from my art exhibit at JP's Java in Austin, TX.
It was my first fine art exhibit, except for one photo I had in a juried exhibit at SWT ... so it was pretty exciting. It was good to have a deadline & a reason to push me to produce some artwork from my heart. It was cool. I was a little over-ambitious the couple days before the exhibit was supposed to go up (I tried to do another painting, but it didn't work out). I was pretty happy with what I did produce & get framed though.

So here are some shots of the room:







Here are the photos I framed (all from my fine art photography class at Texas State Univ. a couple years ago):
















That was also the order they were in, from right to left.

Here are a couple shots of my paintings. They don't do them full justice, but they give you an idea. You can also click the link below them to see/download a bigger version. (I tried to collage images where you could see more, but they still didn't come out like the real thing.)


"I love you Dad"



"I love you Mom"



All of the photographs are in 11x14 frames and the paintings are 32x40.
It was really fun. Maybe I'll do more of this in the future.

Let me know your thoughts.

a birthday drawing

here's a fun picture I drew for my friend Christin

J-bird

I finished a portrait drawing of J-bird. This is the graphite sketch, but I gave him a version finished with marker. He's a really good friend.