this week's favorites...

In 2011, Chicago artist Joseph Baldwin and volunteers decorated an El train with lush plants and more than 400 pieces of sod. The project, Art on Track was aimed to raise awareness about environmental responsibility. 

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this week's favorites...

In his series titled Neon, Brazilian photographer Hid Saib creates portraits with neon paint which is illuminated by a single ultraviolet light. For more stunning photography, check out his site. What are you loving this week?

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Leading Ladies

Five Things to know about Marina Abramovic:

1. She attended college at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade and received her post graduate work at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in Croatia in 1972. She taught at the university in Nova Sad, while working on her first solo performance. 

2.  After she escaped Belgrade at 29 years old, she knitted sweaters for a living.

3. The Artist is Present ran from March 14 to May 31, 2010. The Museum of Modern Art held a major retrospective and performance creation of Marina's work, it was the biggest exhibition of performance art in MoMA's history. During the run of this exhibition, Marina performed a 736 hour and 30 minute static, silent piece in which she sat immobile in the museum's atrium while spectators were invited to take turns sitting opposite her.

4. She played Russian Roulette with her mother's pistol when she was only fourteen years old.

5.  She inspired an art performance for an episode of Sex and the City. Carrie Bradshaw meets Aleksandr Petrovsky at an art gallery opening, the performance artist is sleeping in a gallery without food or water. It was inspired by a piece where Abramovic did the same at Sean Kelly Gallery titled The House with the Ocean View. 

(her site and image)

this week's favorites...

a daily calendar depicting scenes with diorama styled figurines surrounded by everyday things.

(images via miniature calendar)

Saturday Happy

Searching the web for new books to order for the Children's Room at the library where I work, I somehow came across this amazing and comical book of art titled, Big Art for Small Connoisseurs. Classic and timeless paintings transformed into art for children, I am a fan of Thais Vanderheyden already. I need to get my hands on this book!!!!!!!!!! What is making you happy this week?

(images via thais vanderheyden)

Buddy Editions

Katie Armour is back with a new little treat for us called, Buddy Editions. It's an affordable art gallery that features artists from around the globe who sell their work at reasonable prices. Fresh out of college, I simply cannot afford the artwork I want to collect, inevitably I resort to searching the web but even then I find very little of what I actually want and like. The co-founder of Matchbook Magazine, Katie has curated a space that features exclusive photographs and paintings as well as new and upcoming artists. In short, I am more than excited to announce the launching of Buddy Editions :)

(images via buddy editions)

The City

 

Last week I took to Pinterest in a mad search for inspiration on diorama building. With the ocean floor I created for the Summer Reading Program (and it being a hit), my mood for do-it-yourself projects and creativity is in full force, I'm anxious to make something new for the kids to look at. I figured  'Back to School' scenes would be appropriate and fun to  scatter around the Children's Room at the library. During my pursuit, I came across one of these amazingly intricate designs by the artist, Lori Nix. I was completely transfixed by the detail and precision of the models and had to find out more about her. The Kansas native has a love for climatic disaster which inspired Accidentally Kansas and a small obsession with the Apocalypse led to The City. These photos above are a few of my favorites from her city designs. With a degree in Ceramics and Photography, Nix explains her desire was to construct the image rather than find an existing image. Go to her page and be amazed at this incredible talent!     

(images via lori nix)

Leading Ladies

Five Things You Must Know About Dorthea Lange

1. Graduated with a degree in Photography from Columbia University and worked with Professor and infamous American Photographer Clarence H. White.

2. Contracted Polio at seven years old which left her with a permanent limp in her right leg.

3. In 1945 she was asked to teach for the very first Photography Department at the California School of Fine Arts (now known as San Francisco Art Institute) by Ansel Adams.

4.  Wanting to get out of the studio and into the streets, Lange focused her work on unemployed and homeless people, which led to her work with the Farm Security Administration. 

5. She and second husband, Professor of Economics at the UC Berkeley, Paul Schuster Taylor spent five years documenting the lives of migrant workers. 

Bonus: Her most famous photo! 

(image via anthony luke)

Saturday Happy

 

Going to the water park was a big treat for us growing up. Living in a small and rural community that meant driving an hour and half to Palm Springs and hitting up Knott's Soak City during the summer. I could handle most of the rides like relaxing and tanning on inner tubes down the lazy river and running back to the top to go down the winding and twisting slides over and over. There was one particular slide I just couldn't push myself to try. Once I got a little older and finally had the courage to go down that tall and intimidating slide, I wanted to go again and again. 

This artist, photographer Krista Long wanted to capture a particular moment for her I Love Summer photo series. You know that moment when flying out of the slide and catapulting into the air before hitting the water? She wanted to catch that frame!  Do you remember if you would purposely make a funny pose or did you just go with the flow?! I'm so curious to know! Here are a few of the images she pinned to her summer series :) So what's making you happy this week?

   

(images via my modern met)

Jacqueline Humphries

When in New York, the art history buff will always venture into The Guggenheim, The Met, The Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney. In all the time I've spent in New York, I have never been in the Whitney, not acceptable I know! So this last trip I spent nearly half the day on the Upper East Side in complete heaven touring the Whitney Museum. Marveling at the greats and some of my personal favorites like O'Keefe and Lichtenstein, I couldn't help but hang around the Jacquleine Humphries collection. Her work is simply mesmerizing, inspirational and makes me want to study every stroke of paint. 

(images via jacqueline humphries)

this week's favorite...

Being the paper source queen that I am, my desk is currently filled to the brim with stationary, an assortment of pens, markers and pencils and plenty of notepads and personalized stationary sets. But I have to say, nothing comes close to Anna Bond's creations, the founder of Rifle Paper Co. Enjoy perusing her site and have a great weekend. 

(image via rifle paper co) 

Janet Hill Gallery

Janet Hill's artwork has appeared everywhere from Tiffany and Co, Matchbook Magazine, Design Sponge to bloggers like Oh Joy!. I've been a long time fan and the first piece of work I invest in for my home will be a few pieces from her collection. Do you have a favorite artist, share, suggest and let me know!! 

(images via janet hill)