pleasant dreams

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Lotan Center for Creative Ecology

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:11:00 +0000

I like what Kibbutz Lotan is doing with their Center for Creative Ecology. It looks like they're having fun with fun, creative alternative and natural building techniques - geodesic domes, straw bale structures, creative recycling and more!

I might be volunteering over there next month ... we'll see. :)
You can read more about my adventure to Israel here.

Their Green Apprenticeship looks really cool too!

PIXELATOR & ABSTRACTOR

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:36:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:01:00 +0000

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

Arthur Ganson - Kinetic Sculptures

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:54:00 +0000

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.)

World Garbage Dump Tour - Joy Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:52:00 +0000

I love what Benjamin and Stephanie Dunn of Joy Revolution are doing! Keep rockin' it with all your funky, free, spontaneous LOVE! Great music, great video and great JOY you're igniting! :)

Reuben Margolin - Beautiful Moving Sculptures

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:34:00 +0000

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? :)

Stoney @ Caffe Medici Austin - Glory Days

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:46:00 +0000

Stoney @ Cafe Medici Austin - Glory Days from Nina Spink on Vimeo.

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.
Great job Stoney!

U2 - Magnificent on David Letterman

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:51:00 +0000

U2's "No Line on the Horizon" is a great album!
You should check out Anton Corjbin's film for it - "Linear." He does some beautiful work.

Scott McCloud: Understanding Comics

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:30:00 +0000

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!

Spirit Soldiers On

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:22:00 +0000

"The hazard avoidance camera on the front of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this image after a drive on the 1,806th Martian day, or sol, (Jan. 31, 2009) of Spirit's mission on the surface of Mars." - Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Wow! I found this image on the NASA Image of the Day Gallery. Amazing to think that we ACTUALLY are exploring the face of Mars! ... This American spirit to pioneer and explore the unknown - it's something else! ... The photo also reminds me of alien landscapes & deserts - what you feel like you're exploring your own thing. It's hard & lonely at times. It's strange & foreign/alien. ... It's where fear & courage meet, and you have to make a choice to keep on exploring. You have to look at the adventurous side of things and not let the fear of being alone & alien consume you. You've got to keep going & looking forward.

Wow! Look where we are! :)

Monte Silo / Gigaplex Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:03:00 +0000

I thought of using silos as architecture yesterday while driving home and found this beautiful house on the web. This article at ArchDaily gives a good overview of the Monte Silo project by Gigaplex Architects.

I like the idea of having a circular home and using inexpensive materials in a creative way. (There would be some challenges, but it could be worth it.) This is pretty cool! Nice job Gigaplex!

Character artist Jack Kirby

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:43:00 +0000

An interesting interview with Jack Kirby, creator of quite a few famous comic book super-hero characters. (From A chat with...PJ Holden and Al Ewing (part four))

I'm also reading Watchmen right now. (I'll tell you how it goes.) It's got a lot of acclaim, plus they're releasing Watchmen as a movie in March. It looks pretty intriguing. (Great website design too!)

bloxes

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:42:00 +0000

bloxes
Originally uploaded by linoleum jet

beautiful bloxes!
:)

White Winter Hymnal

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:28:00 +0000

White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes. Simply beautiful!

Esquire's E-Ink Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:17:00 +0000

I've never heard of E-ink before today, but I thought this was pretty impressive. I found out about this Esquire issue through Pop-Up Studio NYC. Here are some good photos also. I thought it was pretty sweet ... can't wait to see when Graphic Design gets to use more Animation/Motion Graphic techniques for print! :)

Jen Stark's Paper Art

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:02:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:22:00 +0000

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!

Vote for Freedom's sake!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 04:04:00 +0000

"United States of America portrait, Oct 2008" illus. by Paul Pleasant

America is "land of the free, home of the brave." People come from all over the world to the United States – for freedom, for hope, for the chance to make a name for themselves, to start fresh. It's so beautiful to have such a wonderful nation on earth.

Freedom involves risks. Things are not all figured out. Generally, someone does not dictate what is right and wrong - unless it can harm someone else. The glory of America is personal freedom - which many people have enjoyed and appreciated over the years. Our nation has stretched itself thin though recently - in it's pride and selfish-ambition. The pain is at the surface. We can't ignore it (or cope) much longer. Something must be done. Why didn't we listen when the pain was still tolerable?

Some see the US as a rebellious teenager or young adult. ... There is a healthy exploration time in that part of life - to make a name for themselves/to break away from parents (who can be controlling or impose their own expectations). It is an emotional time - the thrill of finally being independent and getting to choose your own adventure ... but if you go too far down the path of rebellion, the teenager may find themselves feeling isolated, lost & confused. They're not able to receive love or wisdom from others - only to cope in their self-sufficiency. The teenagers fought against the system which they felt confined in ... only to figure out a new system for themselves (although they wouldn't call it that). They denounced authority because all the examples they've seen seemed to have holes, secrets, and were just facades hiding (or not) something much worse. They saw the weaknesses and wanted the leaders to expose their secrets - their vulnerable places. Rebellion has no mercy though. It tries to pry open - not to cherish but to kill and rape. It has no love.

There are the freedom fighters though - who see the wisdom in the old ways but also gently want to share new, creative ways to look at things - in love. They have a humility to accept when they might not be completely right and the courage to take on things that lurk in the dark. They have the vision to see what things are out of order & need to be changed - in justice.

It takes mistakes - running yourself too thin, trying to be passionate in a place you're not supposed to be (or just coping with where you're at) to know your boundaries. And boundaries can be hard to learn experientially - it will probably come through wounds. ... Sure you can allow someone to dictate your "do's" and "don'ts" and impose their rules on you, but it may not work for you - they don't honor who you are or respect how you're made. ... It is painful to give up freedom - although sometimes it's necessary to learn wisdom & self-control.

What is just punishment for those who were too bold, too prideful, too selfish? ... Pride hurts other people. It doesn't listen. It thinks its way is right and will try to convince everyone else that they're right. They will even go so far as to kill those who don't agree with them (smirking in their evil ways). It's not pretty, and it's not right. On the outside, Pride will try to have a perfect appearance, but inside them resides decay and anger (which this generation has been pretty good at noticing). Pride-who-wants-to-Control-others is more dangerous, I believe, than some-Pride-who-desires-to-honor-Freedom ... who wants to respect other individuals' motivations & trust them with Freedom ... to let them find their own way, even if it means falling & scrapping your knees a few times. (I would much rather have that kind of parent & authority residing over the USA at this point - although that parent must be BOLD in declaring safe boundaries for society in general, to be okay in their own humanness but at the same time not fearing to speak the way things should be.) This year - 2008 - is a complex election, but an important one, I believe - how will we choose to clean, cut & stitch the big wound we have - that has been ripped open by Pride, Selfish Ambition & Intellectualism (thinking we have it all figured out).

The hooks of Pride will be removed eventually. It's ripping us apart. It's not what America was made for. It was made for the Humble - those who were being persecuted, for desiring freedom, equality in human rights, justice & democracy - for everyone to be able to pursue happiness in their own means, to dream anything & see how they can make it happen. America is beautiful, and we cannot forget who she is, what her glory and Name is about. It's written in the books, in people's hearts, memories & blood - even if today is just a remnant of who she was at her marriage. She's still in there. The humble will draw her forth, will see her whole - despite all her wounds & scars. The Humble will be given authority in the house & Pride will be evicted. It must happen. It will happen - as long as we keep letting the sun shine through the windows. ... Pride must not be honored any longer though. For too long it's taken authority in the house. The children must say "no more!" We're adults now & we won't tolerate your bull shit! You are a lying hypocrite & your words are false. We will not allow you to be in our house any longer. We can SEE you & have seen the junk you're trying to hide in your closet. OUT, now!

... When that break is made though, the humble child must be ready to be made an adult, with names & weapons of authority. They must be ready to take on the responsibilities of running a household, of taking care of others, of keeping the house clean and free from any traps that try to rip our flesh/family/Name.

Then - when Humble have taken authority over the House of America - Freedom will reign again for those who desire to take refuge in her ... and the glory of America will be remembered. It will be in Wisdom, Self-Control, Love & Justice. ... We must stand up now to help her though - she is hurting, in pain & she needs Order to be restored in her house. With those who have eyes to SEE ... speak, vote & make your voice be known! Call her forth with what strength you have & do not be afraid of the wounds Pride might try to give you.

Call forth Life & Freedom (even if it means laying down yours for a moment)!

Jimiyo’s FREE Motorcity

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:16:00 +0000

YouWorkForThem has some great stock photos, vector images, fonts, brushes, etc. I happened to find this great freebie download of bird illustrations by Jimiyo. Beautiful birds!! Free to download. Thanks Jimiyo! :)

The Octopus Project - Music is Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:19:00 +0000

Great video (directed by Nick Smith)! Check out The Octopus Project and their other videos. Surprise, surprise - they're from Austin too! You can also download Music is Happiness and some other great songs from their site. :)

Hamsters are cute, but now they're got missions too! (They also seem to be close relatives to friendly squirrels.) :)

Stoney - Sheffield Rock Star

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:06:00 +0000

Here's a video on a friend of mine - Mark Stoney. I really enjoy his music. It has a wide range – from the battle scenes, the victories, the failures, and what we learn in between. Sometimes tender & intimate, at other times wide & deep, but always singing to hearts with honesty, humor & hope. ... A great display of fireworks!

Nice work Stoney! Glad you're getting to help the Sheffield musicians get a stage to be heard on too! :)

Font Conference ... If fonts were people

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:38:00 +0000

Here's a great video with design humor about typography. It made me laugh. :)

Steampunk Moves Between Two Worlds

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:53:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:02:00 +0000

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.