We Are Made Out Of Stars

Loving Meera Lee's illustrations, especially the one above. You can find her work for sale here, & there's an interview with her on the Poketo blog (along with the illustration above on a pullover). xoxo

(illustration by Meera Lee; hat tip to Lori)

Stars, Planets, Heavens

"December 2012 presents a great big plateful of planetary delights, with all five visible planets shining in the night sky in the first half of the month...That’s only the start of what’s to come this month, as the new moon leaves a dark sky for watching the prolific Geminid meteor shower on the nights of December 12, 13 and 14, and the full Long Night Moon beautifies the night of December 27." ~ EarthSky Tonight

Things are a bit crazy here & it cannot all be blamed on the cat. Meanwhile, looking up at the clouds during the day & the night sky (or the online stand-in, oh my) is some relief. So, too, is reading through the stars, planets, heavens label on the Poetry Foundation website. xoxo

(mixed media print by Catrin Welz-Stein via My Modern Met)

Fractal Flowers

"Fractal art is a type of digital art that's considered new media. It's not drawn or painted by hand, rather, fractal-generating software is used that relies on mathematical calculations to visually display objects." ~ via My Modern Met

Italian-born Silvia Cordedda's flower images are gorgeous; see many more at My Modern Met & on DeviantArt.

Go Vote

There's just nothing else to say (although much is being said, of course:). 

If you're not in the States, the BBC's US election coverage is a good place to watch what's going on today & tomorrow.

A take on the poetry of Barack Obama's campaign. Has he rediscovered it in time?

From the Poetry Foundation, twelve Presidents & the poets who inspired them.

If you are in the States & have not done so, think seriously about calling campaign headquarters & asking how to help. People need rides to the polls & voting assistance. Thanks!

xo/gg

(illustration by Lisa Congdon for the #GoVote project via Swissmiss)

Origami on Walls

French artist Mademoiselle Maurice creates art for the open air. She uses origami & lace (among other media) & installs them in the streets of Paris. In this origami installation she pays homage to Hiroshima victim - and anti-nuclear weapons activist -Sadako Sasaki. Here is a lovely (short) vimeo about that project.

How to make origami cranes; for origami roses, here are simple instructions & a helpful video.

ciao/xo

(photograph by Mademoiselle Maurice via Illusion)

Dreamy Mixed Media Art

"A large part of my work is the search for license-free images, illustrations or photos, for which copyright has long expired. Old books, magazines and the Internet are my primary resources for that. Once I have found the fitting image, I break it into pieces and then weave it back together mixed with other images. I transform, assemble and retouch the pieces, until the original image is no longer recognizable and an entirely new image is created."~ graphic designer Catrin Welz-Stein

Click through to read an interview with Ms. Welz-Stein & see more of her images (based on surrealism, folklore & fairy tales. She has a shop on Redbubble, as well. Very cool.

A rainy, sleepy Monday here. Time to put the kettle on.

ciao-meow/GGCM

(image via My Modern Met)

Wind Map

An invisible, ancient source of energy surrounds us—energy that powered the first explorations of the world, and that may be a key to the future. This map shows you the delicate tracery of wind flowing over the US. --from Wind Map

We're off into the windy world tomorrow (to the flower festival). Back here on Saturday. Cheers. Update: Back on Monday; experiencing computer problems.

ciao/xx

(photograph by Richard Ramirez, Jr., screenshot via swissmiss)

Snapshot: Painters & Photography

The invention of the Kodak handheld camera in 1888 gave post-impressionist artists a new source of inspiration. Investigating the techniques and compositional strategies made possible by the new apparatus, artists captured their private lives, as well as their public domains, in surprising ways. The exhibition debuts many previously unpublished photographs taken by seven European artists, renowned for their paintings and prints. Approximately 200 photographs and 80 paintings and works on paper by artists including Pierre Bonnard, Félix Vallotton, and Edouard Vuillard explore the dynamic relationships among the various media. - The Phillips Collection

If you live in the DC-area (or will be visiting before May 6th), scamper on down to the The Phillips Collection to see Snapshot. If you're so inclined, this photography contest in which you use one of 9 images from the exhibit as inspiration, looks like fun (& you could win a Nikon 1). In fact, even if you won't be able to attend the exhibit, why not use the contest as a guide for a photography project of your own?

ciao-meow/GGCM

(painting by Maurice Denis & a photograph that informed it via Phillips Collection's Flickr)

Animal Alphabet

A Monday morning smile for Casey Girard's typographic series "Animals in Alphabet." We bring you the letter G for Giulia. And giraffe. See more here.

ciao-meow/GGCM

(photograph by Casey Girard via Illusion)

Sandwich Artist

This Mondrian sandwich made us smile (just like Lori at automatism). Check in with Brittany Powell to see sandwiches based on Christo, Hirst, Pollack, Duchamp, O'Keefe & more. We're off to think of additional possibilities.

ciao-meow/GGCM

(photograph by Brittany via Swiss Miss)

The Art of Victorian Photocollage

Sixty years ahead of the avant-garde, aristocratic Victorian women were already experimenting with photocollage. The compositions they made with photographs and watercolors are whimsical and fantastical, combining human heads and animal bodies, placing people into imaginary landscapes, and morphing faces into common household objects. With sharp wit and dramatic shifts of scale akin to those Alice experienced in Wonderland, these images stand the rather serious conventions of photography in the 1860s and 1870s on their heads.--from Playing with Pictures, Art Institute of Chicago

So sorry that we missed this 2010 exhibit (curated by Elizabeth Siegel) but were reminded of it this morning on Retronauts. Read a review of Playing With Pictures in the New York Times. Not all bunnies & hearts, those Victorians.

ciao-meow/the Management

(photographs via Retronaut)

Haiti, Two Years On

Two years ago, on January 12^th, a powerful earthquake hit Haiti. The quake left approximately 3 million people in need of emergency aid and destroyed or damaged more than 300,000 homes. Americans responded generously to this disaster. So generously, in fact, that one poll reported that half of American households had donated to Haiti relief efforts. - Charity Navigator blog

Please click through to read the rest of this short but important update from Charity Navigator's blog. There are a few links & also a suggestion, which we strongly second, that if you gave in 2010, if you can, please follow up with another.

The art of Haiti continues to inspire. These gorgeous flags by Evelyn Alcide of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. You can see more of her art here & here.

ciao-meow/GGCM

(photographs via Indigo Gallery)

Book of Life Butterflies

Artist David Kracov was commissioned to create an award to be given in honor of, and named for, the late director of Chabad's Children of Chernobyl. Called the "Book Of Life," it was inspired by the extraordinary life of Rabbi Yossi Raichik, a man who saved thousands of children's lives from the devastating effects of the Chernobyl disaster. The metal sculpture has pages filled with words from those he touched, and also features a flurry of butterflies, each representing the 2,547 children he helped save and give new lives. --via My Modern Met

The rest of the post & David Kracov's website. The photographs there are much larger & gorgeous. So beautiful & inspiring!

ciao-meow/GGCM

(photograph by David Kracov via My Modern Met)

Beagle Candy

That is: beagle eye candy. This is a pointillist art work by Canadian Joel Brochu. He based it on an image of a beagle by Shingo Uchiyama, a Japanese photographer. (We can absolutely understand why Joel chose this great photograph, appropriately titled 'Be Patient.') This time of year, we have beagle cravings, probably stemming from our Snoopy love. If you're on Twitter, you should follow him. Even GG loves Snoopy. Read the full scoop here; thanks to Hazel at The Clever Pup for posting it on Facebook.

ciao-woof-meow/GGCM

(photographs by Joel Brochu; see the whole Flickr set)

Whitney Museum's For Kids

The Whitney Museum of American Art has a For Kids site for ages 8-12. It's in beta (testing) so they'd love your participation. It cannot get better unless you use it. Visit & be inspired. Plan a trip to the museum if you're in the city or not. Planning a trip has a way of making it happen (trust us). Check with Budget Travel magazine; they have excellent ideas, links, & planners.

ciao-arty-meow/GGCM

PS: The Whitney teens' site is very nice, too. Visit here.

(photograph via quarter life coe via julia)

Degas & Dancers

If you're in the Washington, DC area (or will be by January 8, 2012), definitely stop in to the new Degas exhibit at The Phillips Collection. There's also a Degas exhibit on at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. There are some good articles in the New York Times & a good slideshow on The Guardian. Here's the Degas label on The Guardian, too, so you can see all the article titles at once.

Can you tell we're rushing? Yes.We're dragging our laundry in & out of the rain & up & down the stairs. At least that's a bit of exercise. Growl.

ciao-meow/GG's beleaguered editor

PS: If you have little ones around, remember these New York City Ballet link coloring pages.

(Dancers at the Barre/Phillips Collection via Wikipedia

The Graphics Fairy - Instant Art

Visit Karen at The Graphics Fairy. Right now. Too bossy? You'll thank us later. Karen is amazingly generous in a world of generous bloggers. She posts lovely images every day & you can print them. And use them. For free. Yep.

Right now, though, attention should be paid to her Instant Art series. Karen posts downloadable PDFs of a variety of flora & fauna. We just printed out a rooster, some geraniums (yay), pears, & onions. So fire up the printer, check the cartridges & go for it. (Note: the rooster is quite clear in person...the image here is via our crummy scanner.)

ciao-meow/GGCM

(rooster via The Graphics Fairy)

Fragmented Flowers

Singaporean photographer Fong Qi Wei went deeper than just taking photos of flowers and created an amazing series of Exploded Flowers – images that show the radial symmetry of flowers.--from DeMilked (via Illusion)

A lovely & clever art project. See the entire series, here.

ciao-meow/GGCM

(photographs by Fong Qi Wei)

Light Painting

The “Ball of Light” is an inspiring photographic project by Denis Smith. The glowing spheres are made by the photographer at night, using the technique of light painting. (via Illusion)

ciao-wow-meow/GG's editor

(photographs by Denis Smith via Illusion)

Doodle for Your Noodle

Who knew? Doodling is good for you & your brain. We'll take any excuse we can get! Take a look at the tutorials on DrawingNow. We're off to make some Giuli-doodles. It's been a busy week but we'll be back over the weekend.

ciao-meow/GGCM

(adorable doodle by Deborah Leigh)