Carly Waito

I love these works by Carly Waito for several reasons. I love her ability to capture the luminous qualities in the rocks and gems. I love that the works are small (some around 5 or 6 inches tall). And most of all, I especially love that these are paintings. I tried to keep that part a surprise as long as I could. In seriousness though, Carly’s paintings are beautiful, and I love the little peeks into her process, like here on her blog. Smudges and dots of paint form together to create fantastic photorealistic geological wonders. Makes me wish I hadn’t slept through all my geology classes in college!

Visit Carly Waito’s portfolio here.

Sveta Lambi – Kunst Type

Kunst Type is a typeface designed and drawn by Sveta Lambi. I really enjoy the obvious nod to 19th century renderings of flora and fauna. These would make fantastic drop caps for an article about the oceanography or perhaps as chapter heads for a new version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

You can see more of Kunst Type here.

1200 Posters

A project created by NYC based idea/design firm Big New Ideas , 1200 Posters kicks off with the poster created above, by artist Mando Veve. Each month, 1200 Posters will release a series of 100 limited edition prints (thus the 100 x 12= 1200 posters) by a new artist. Each poster will be created around a central theme of community and based on a different quote from Margaret Wheatley’s “Turning to One Another.”

Visit 1200 Posters here.

9 Eyes tumblr

They say “truth is stranger than fiction”, and indeed Jon Rafman’s 9 Eyes Tumbler is not only showcasing the strange, but also the intensely beautiful. The images on his tumblr are taken directly from google street views from around the world, showing the best (and sometimes worst) pictures of our everyday lives and landscapes.

Visit 9 Eyes here.

Design Philadelphia – Light Drift Installation / Reception

Last night I ventured to the Schuylkill river banks between Market and Chestnut Streets for the opening of Light Drift, a public art installation by artist Meejin Yoon of interactive light orbs. The entire piece was quite large, utilizing the concrete bank and extending into the river itself.

What I enjoyed most about it was that not only was it “interactive”, meaning when you sit on one of the orbs on the bank it initiated different color sequences that progressed outward through the orbs in the river, but that it was uncomplicated and enjoyed by old and young alike. Children were playing and touching and sitting on the orbs and older visitors were engaged in the light fields they could create.

It’s great to see public installations like this, sponsored by Philly’s Mural Arts Projects organization, especially in less likely environments like the riverbank. If you get a chance go down and check it out, Light Drift will be lighting up the river for the next two nights.

Read more about Light Drift here.

Stephen Zirwes

The above works are aerial photographs, some at taken at extreme altitudes, by Stephen Zirwes. Soccer fields, lone skiers, cargo holds, sun bathers and more all get the birdseye treatment. They are beautiful in their abstraction, some reminiscent of works by Color Remix artists from the ’60′s, others vividly stark and contemporary. While some of the lone figure shots remind me a little too much of the work of Richard Misrach, Stephen’s pieces covering construction, shipping and other industries are completely refreshing.

I recommend everyone take a few minutes and view his portfolio here.

weekly stimuli – vol. 24

Here’s the latest installment of Weekly Stimuli – a batch of images from inspiration archives.

Enjoy the visual candy after the jump!

Indianapolis Museum of Art – 100 Acres

I just watched on PBS an in-depth look at the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s: 100 Acres, a large outdoor art sanctuary nestled among beautiful nature. The works on display in 100 Acres are all either hands-on (as in Los Carpinteros’ playful basketball court) or meant to invoke and interact with the natural surroundings. There are more artworks to come in the future, evidently, making a trip to Indianapolis more appealing than ever.

Visit the IMA’s 100 Acres website here.

Tim Simmons – Rock Pools

British photographer Tim Simmons portfolio landed in my inbox, and his RockPool collection instantly struck me. Completed in 2008, RockPool is a set of photographs of bodies of water inside caves. Using reflections and artificial light sources, he creates otherworldly landscapes, often giving the impression the images are of night-time mountain ranges and vast lakes.

Visit Tim Simmons’ portfolio here.

new nasa images

NASA has released new images of the Earth taken from it’s space orbiter during 2001 and meticulously pieced together from thousands of smaller images. Amazingly beautiful. Check them out here and also in the image gallery at NASA.gov.