COOL ART: cre8tivesilence MJ Portraits
Two things we definitely love here at ThatDame.com…. art and any and everything Michael Jackson.
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A Peek Into the 2013 DC Design House
The first thing that struck me about the DC Design House this year was how much bolder it is than in years past. I wouldn’t call any of the rooms risky per se, but there’s a hint of edge in most, and some sweet ideas to glean from each. For example, Iantha Carley’s morning room (seen above) is design sunshine — a mix of textile patterns, bold artwork, and oversize light fixtures, all tempered by a generous amount of white in the high wainscoting. (Apt Therapy) You feel a bit more sophisticated just stepping into Nestor Santa-Cruz’s dining room. He’s a master of restraint and scale. My favorite element is the Cannon/Bullock wall covering that reminded me of wet cement. He left the edges untrimmed, which blurs the line between art installation and wall treatment. There is not a single mundane element to Regan Billingsly’s teenage boy’s bedroom. The bold Farrow & Ball Broad Stripe paper grabs your attention from the hallway, but it’s the array of vintage finds and locally sourced accessories that make you want to linger. I think it’s one of the few showhouse teen rooms I’ve seen that balances believablilty with intrigue. And finally,Jessica Parker’s breakfast area is destined to be a favorite spot in the kitchen. …
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PLACES WE WOULDN’T MIND CALLING HOME: Guest House in Dutchess County, New York
Not your typical weekend cottage, LM Guest House in Dutchess County, New York, is a study in minimalist elegance. The 2,000 square-foot (approx. 187 Square meter) house was designed by New York-based Desai/Chia Architects on the private client’s working farm that had no existing buildings. What must have been a rather sizeable budget gave Desai/Chia Architects’ founders, husband and wife Arjun Desai and Katherine Chia, an opportunity to create an updated interpretation of the iconic Farnsworth House, that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe completed in 1951 in Illinois. Although Farnsworth House was considered by some at the time to be cold and characterless, an aquarium or a pavilion rather than a dwelling, it has held its place steadily as a superior example of understated sophistication and as a timeless expression of van der Rohe’s desire to create balance and discourse between the indoors and the outdoors. Similarly, the LM Guest House allows the residents an expansive view of the landscape by framing it with the triple-pane glass windows that are 20 feet wide and more than 10 feet high. And although the LM Guest House is deceptively simple in appearance, it is a marvel of engineering and sustainable features. Geothermal heating and cooling, …
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ART APPRECIATION: Gerard Stricher
LOVE this particular series of abstract paintings by French artist Gerard Stricher. There is a fantastic mix of nature and industry in them. We see waterfalls and ships at sea, cities and factories, all dynamic and slightly dangerous yet somehow limitlessly beautiful. Dreamlike, not nightmarish. Stories full of drama and feeling. Perhaps his one-time studio, an old mill in the French Vexin, has given him inspiration for some of these. The 65 year-old abstract painter creates mostly large-scale works of vibrant color on multiple themes, including people as seen here. Stricher has become better known in the U.S. in the past few years and he is now represented by Gallery Schwab Beaubourg in Paris and the Canfin Gallery in New York where his work will be exhibited this May.
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ART: Snow Flakes, Up Close & Personal
Here’s an amazing series of macro-photos taken of individual snowflakes. Andrew Osokin, a Russian-based photographer is responsible for the pics. Go ahead, give them a peep. They’re sooooo pretty! Source
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ART: Nic Fiddian-Green – The Horse Sculpture
Check out Nic Fiddian-Green’s heart-stopping sculpture located at Castello Di Reschio in Umbria, Italy. Fiddian-Green was at Reschio, working on a commission for the owner, Count Antonio Bolza. And, of course, the subject matter of his massive sculpture was the horse, in this case Count Antonio’s favorite stallion, Punto, born and bred at Reschio. We say “of course” because the British sculptor, who normally works at his hilltop studio near Guildford in Surrey, UK, has been obsessed with the equine head for nearly three decades. Ever since he saw a fifth-century B.C. carving of the head of a horse of Selene from the Parthenon at the British Museum he has worked at perfecting the form of the horse’s head, as well as mastering the ancient ‘lost wax’ technique. He works in clay, plaster, beaten lead and marble, and he oversees the casting into bronze himself. Fiddian-Green’s colossal, classically inspired equine heads are exhibited around the world in prominent locations, including ‘Still water ‘, the 30-foot head of a drinking horse right next to the Marble Arch in London. Celebrities have also found his work irresistible and collectors include J.K. Rowling, Ringo Starr, Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe. Of his work at Castello Di Reschio, Fiddian-Green said in a …
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Help Others + Halloween Fun: UNICEF Create-A-Character Contest
For many adults, Halloween triggers memories of toting around a plastic pumpkin in search of the season’s finest sugary snacks, but for some it recalls those classic UNICEF boxes used to collect change for children who not only won’t receive candy for the holiday, but who go every day without any food at all. In an effort to put a creative spin on UNICEF’s Trick-Or-Treat program this year, the non-profit is asking artists at all levels to participate in their first Create-A-Character contest. Simply decorate one of their blank cardboard boxes before 26 October for a chance to have your design included as one of three chosen for the limited edition 2013 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Box Collection. The money raised from the donations will assist in providing nutrition, clean water and education for the millions of kids around the world UNICEF strives to support. Entering the Create-A-Character contest is as easy as ordering a blank box, putting your imagination to work and then snapping a photo of your final product before 26 October 2012. While we thoroughly feel personalizing a box is the best way to have a little Halloween fun, those with little time or a dominating left brain can still donate to the …
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ART: Hello Kitty, Hello Art!
Continuing to captivate the world with her kawaii cuteness, Hello Kitty is the focus of the new hardcover collectible book Hello Kitty, Hello Art!. The book features more than 200 full color pages of Hello Kitty and her Sanrio friends My Melody, Keroppi, Badtz-Maru, Little Twin Stars, Tuxedosam and Chococat, including art from Sanrio’s 50th anniversary celebration, Small Gift, and Hello Kitty’s 35th birthday. Many artists have been drawn to Japan’s favorite feline over the years, finding fun in the opportunity to collaborate with Sanrio or create pieces of art for the thematic gallery shows. “Hello Kitty says a lot about popular culture today even without a mouth,” suggests Gary Baseman, who has created several Hello Kitty themed images. “Sanrio seems to have a natural ability to remain young and playful as its own characters, embracing fully current trends in fashion, product design, and art. When your product is youthful, it is important to remain youthful too.” Curated by Roger Gastman, “Hello Kitty, Hello Art!” represents an impressive range of hundreds of artists. “It wasn’t easy!” Gastman says about organizing the images in the book. “I wanted to do my best to pick a good mix of artists from the toy world, fine art world, street art …
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Vintage Halloween Decor: Stylish, Not Scary.
Vintage 1980 Beistle Co. Halloween Paper Cut Outs, $22.00 I can’t wait to decorate for Halloween. I’ve just discovered these vintage Halloween products, and I had to share them. These would be great to decorate your house without scaring your kids, and they’re more unique than a lot of the decorations you’ll find in the stores. The Beistle company has been creating decorations and party supplies like these since 1900. (They sell some of these items (in quantities of 12 or more) on their website, but if you’re in the market for smaller quantities, you can find some of their (new) products by searching for Beistle on EBay.) You can also find real vintage decorations, for that bit of weathered charm, by searching for ‘Vintage Paper Masks’ or ‘Beistle’ on Etsy or Ebay. Shown above are a few gems we found, and there’s many more. 1. Vintage 1980 Beistle Co. Halloween Paper Cut Outs, $22.00 2. Retro Biestle Cuotuts, $6.75 3. Scat Cat Band, $9.99 4. Classic Witch, $4.99 5. Set of 8 Retro Decorations, $3.50 6. Vintage Halloween Masks, $64 7. Black Cat and Honeycomb Pumpkin, $11.95 8. Honeycomb Cat and Turkey, $15.00
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ART APPRECIATION: The Mystery Behind the Mona Lisa Painting is Revealed
Pascal Cotte, an engineer and inventor, has developed a special camera that is able to capture the evolution of the famous painting known as the Mona Lisa. Ever since the original painting of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci was stolen from Louvre museum in 1911, there has been a hidden mystery behind the painting that has been inconceivable until now. Cotte’s special camera uses a multi-spectral technique to see every layer of the painting. His camera records over 240 million pixels and 13 wave lengths of light, which allows him to capture the very first layer of the painting and so forth. Cotte’s groundbreaking technology uncovers da Vinci’s unique layering technique, known as “sfumato”. Professor Martin Kemp from University of Oxford describes his layering technique. “He painted in a very extraordinary way. He would take a glaze, that’s to say a binder, made from oil and he put very little pigments in it. So you have very thin skin of tinted oil. And that you would put on a white background so you get this thin veil of color. He’d then put another veil of color on, another veil of color on.” Kemp compares this complex technique to stained …
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