Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
World's Most Creative Bookshelves
In a world where e-books are consistently outselling their hard back counterparts, I guess it is a little ironic to feature book shelves on my blog. I have always been the type of person, however, who finds that your book shelf (and the contents thereof) says a lot about who you are as a person. When I got my first apartment, I can remember looking at my own book shelf, analyzing what it read about me as a person, and then quickly driving to Barnes and Noble so that my shelf would "read" a little better! Below is an assemblage of some of the most awesomely innovative and creative bookshelves I was able to find on the web! I hope that you will enjoy looking at the photos and be inspired by what you see.
Shopping with Celebrities
For those of us who aspire to look like celebrities, but lack both the time to shop for those show stopping pieces and the budget to support our good tastes, celebrity shopping sites like justfab.com (by Kimora Simmons) jewelmint.com (by Kate Bosworth) and shoedazzle.com (by Kim Kardashian) offer the perfect solution. Each of the sites follow the same basic formula and provide members with custom monthly product recommendations based on your individual style aesthetic. Joining the sites literally requires following just 3 easy steps and I was able to join all three sites in less than 15 minutes. Because the sites market directly to their customers, they are able to offer their product at insanely low prices. Both shoedazzle.com and justfab.com offer their inventory to members at just $39.9 per item and jewelmint.com offers its accessories inventory at 29.95 a piece. Whats more, is that there is no obligation to purchase, and if you dont find any must have item this month, you dont have to buy a thing!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Drawing Autism
Drawing Autism is a book that celebrates the artistry and self-expression found in the drawings, paintings and collages created by individuals diagnosed with autism. The work of over 50 international contributors exhibits unique perspectives on how these individuals see the world and their places in it.
The author of the book, Jill Mullin, is a behavior analyst and educator. Within the book, she has assembled a staggering array of work from both popular and unknown artists who fall under the autistic spectrum. Their creations, coupled with artist interviews, comprise a fascinating and compelling book that makes visual how autism manifests itself differently in every diagnosed individual.
Donna Williams, The Outsider
What was the inspiration for this piece?
"The Outsider" is about joining in from the periphery. It's about being able to join because one has retained the right to also leave. It's about treading the boundaries between two worlds. I think it's universal. We have all been the outsider.
An excerpt from the artist's answer to the question, "At what age did the act of creating art enter into your life?
I was deeply mesmerized with all things aesthetic and sensory from at least 6 months of age. Being meaning deaf, I saw musically. Being face blind, I was attuned to movement patterns. Being object blind and context blind, I'd tap everything to make noise, to hear its "voice," flick it to feel its movement, turn it to experience how it caught light, toss and drop and shred and snap and sprinkle grass, sand, twigs, leaves. I'd lick and run my hands and face over surfaces, wrap myself into fabrics. I'd align myself with symmetry and lines, mold myself into forms to feel their shape as them, stare at colors and lights and shapes trying to become one with them.
Felix: Imaginary City Map, Age 11
What was the inspiration for this piece
Generally I start drawing one street on different spots on the edge of my paper. I make the streets grow toward one another.
Who are some artists that you like?
None. I study road maps and atlases in detail and generally I scroll the full track of our trips on Google Earth.
Eleni Michael, Dancing with the Dog, 1995
What was the inspiration for this piece?
This was painted in 1995, not long after I had moved into a housing project for people with special needs. I was euphoric about my new home—a self-contained flat surrounded by a huge garden in a rural setting. (This idyll did not last long.) I brought my dog Jasper with me. He was the only lively animal there and brought great pleasure to me and all of the residents in the project. They loved him too and enjoyed playing with him and petting him. Jasper was a healthy presence and completely indiscriminate with friendships.
Wout Devolder, Werewolf (2008, at age 14)
What was the inspiration for this piece?
On May 8, 2008, my nephew Ben and my niece Sanne died in a fire. I was very sad and desperate. Because I didn't have words to express my despair, I drew this werewolf. I dedicate my drawing to Ben and Sanne.
Josh Peddle, Changing Seasons, 2006 (at age 12)
Do you think your art helps others understand how you view the world?
It feels weird when you have autism. I feel silly. It makes me sad thinking about it. People do not understand. Strangers cannot tell by looking at me that I have autism. If I am having trouble, they often want to tell my mom how I should behave. I wish I had more friends that liked me for who I am.
Jessica Park: The Mark Twain House with the Diamond Eclipse and Venus, 1999
Vehdas Rangan: A. (India)
Shawn Belanger, Stone House, 2007
Shawn's mother: The intensity that Shawn draws with is amazing. There is a look of concentration on his face that is intense, one gets the feeling that for that period of time the world ceases to exist.
David Barth, Vogels ("Birds" in Dutch), 2008 (at age 10)
from an email from David's mother to Jill Mullen:
His drawings often represent his current obsessions. In the attachment I send you, it's not hard to guess what's keeping him busy right now. There are almost 400 birds on it and he knows the names and Latin names of most of them.
D. J. Svoboda, Big Field Friends
How do you choose your subjects?
I always think of each Imagifriend and I write a name and story about each one. It all comes from my imagination.
Monday, September 26, 2011
The Book Surgeon
Using nothing but knives, tweezers, and surgical tools, The Book Surgeon, Brian Dettmer precisely crafts these amazing works of art from recycled encyclopedias, medical journals, illustration books and dictionaries. Nothing is added to the books to create these pieces. Instead, Dettmer simply carves away one page at the time. Amazing.
