Zatista The premier source for original art online

Mattise | Image: http://www.pebblebeachartheist.com

It’s gotta sting just a little bit to find out that the local sheriff is closing your case when $27 million worth of art from your art collection is still missing. That just happened recently in the exclusive California coastal enclave of Pebble Beach. As is often the case, the theft proved to be a dramatic one, full of intrigue, twists and turns – what is it with drama and stolen art?

Pollock | Image: www.pebblebeachartheist.com

The very valuable collection in this case belonged to a retired Harvard Medical School physician and his associate, and included “substantial works” by Jackson Pollock, Vermeer, van Gogh, Rembrandt, Renoir, and Miro, among other artists. At one point, the owners themselves were considered suspects, which complicated their somewhat significant insurance claim.

Miro | Image: www.pebblebeachartheist.com

Now, in the wake of an election of a new sheriff in Monterey County, the investigation has been closed due to a lack of physical evidence. Apparently, the owners are still hoping their art comes home. They have set up a website dedicated to the crime, where you can browse through the missing works and bone up on the details of the case. A $5 million reward is up for grabs if you’re inclined to do a little art sleuthing on your own.

Renoir | Image: www.pebblebeachartheist.com

Related articles

• Sheriff suspends investigation into CA art thefts (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Art Heist: The Top 7 Stolen Paintings (abcnews.go.com)
• $500M Heist: Home Yields Guns, No Art (abcnews.go.com)

Last December, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama created one seriously amazing installation at Australia’s Queensland Gallery of Modern Art.

image: thisiscolassal.com

After constructing a very buttoned up, pristine, white, shining beacon of IKEA-ness, the artist turned thousands of young museum visitors loose on her work with thousands upon thousands of colored stickers. No strings attached.

image: thisiscolassal.com

Can you imagine the fun? The result is nothing short of amazing – like an outward projection of the inner workings of a child’s mind itself.

image: thisiscolassal.com

The installation, aptly-named “Obliteration Room”, proved to be very popular with visitors both young and old before talking on a life of its own on the Internet.

image: thisiscolassal.com

 &

image: thisiscolassal.com

The rest of the exhibit was similarly whimsical and brilliant, which really isn’t much of a surprise given the fact that its creator dresses like this:

© Yayoi Kusama / Image courtesy: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo

Read more about the artist and her work on the QAG website, where you can play Kusama’s World of Dots Kids Interative game and also view the online show catalog, which is pretty cool on its own.

&

Related articles

• Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama – Infinitely Kusama Website(freshnessmag.com)

  ---

• Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama(artdabali.wordpress.com)

  ---

• Yayoi Kusama – in pictures(oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com)

leaf art by Lorenzo Duran

People are making art out of everything these days, and I always appreciate the use of unusual materials. Take Lorenzo Duran from Guadalajara, Spain. He takes his process to the utmost, using a scalpel to cut designs into leaves of all shapes and sizes.

leaf art by Lorenzo Duran

leaf art by Lorenzo Duran

Inspired by ancient Chinese and Japanese paper cutting techniques, Lorenzo has updated his own approach with modern technology. First, he dries the leaves, then he gets to work with surgical tools and some seriously powerful magnifying glasses.

leaf art by Lorenzo Duran

The results speak for themselves. Details, designs, trees within leaves – Lorenzo has it down to a science.

leaf art by Lorenzo Duran

Even more amazing is what Lorenzo says on his website: “I have decided not to put a price on my work, but to leave it to your will to do what you should – only take into account what my work inspires you to pay for it.”

leaf art by Lorenzo Duran

Very inspiring art – he’s clearly invested not just in his work, but in his practice. Poke around his website, and any other fabulous original art websites you may come across (wink, wink!). We’ll go out on a limb and bet you’ll be glad you did!

Related articles

• Cutaway Leaf Campaigns – The Sa Acao Solidarity Movement Ads Feature the Art of Lorenzo Duran (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
• Su Blackwell’s Book Sculptures (walltowatch.com)
• Coffin in the Library (zatista.com)

image of William Second Gallery seen in USA Today: Richard Drew / AP

Before you hire just any artist to paint a portrait of your beloved schnauzers, you might want to consider the artwork’s potential impact on your future estate. That’s right, dog art is fetching (hey-yo!) big bucks these days, so think about hiring an artist who’s really going to capture Scrappy or Muffin’s essence – for your kid’s and grandkid’s sake.

Image: William Second Gallery dogpainting.com

Two such pieces by William Henry Hamilton Trood (1860-1899), “Dejeuner” and “Hounds in a Kennel”, sold for $194,500 and $212,500, respectively at a recent auction. Granted, the auction was the only one of its kind, specifically limited to the dog art market. The event is held each year after the Westminster Dog Show, so they’ve certainly pegged their demographic.

Image: William Secord Gallery dogpainting.com

In all seriousness, if you missed the show and want to take in some lovely dog art you’ve got a few options I can think of right away. The first is right at your finger tips – Zatista artist Leah McCloskey offers pet portraits by commission:

Pet Portraits by Commission, Leah McCloskey on Zatista.com

Next, Zatista artist and animal lover Georganna Lenssen also has some stellar canine portraits available:

Spotted Dog by Georganna Lenssen on Zatista.com

Finally, the next time you’re in New York, make your way to the William Secord Gallery in Manhattan. It’s the only gallery in U.S. devoted entirely to the subject, so you’re guaranteed to get a lot of bang for your bark. Er, buck.

Related articles

• Dog paintings fetch big bucks (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Crazy For Cats (zatista.com)
• For the Birds (zatista.com)

image: guylaramee.com

It’s not what you think. This has got to be one of the most amazing uses for books that anyone has ever come up with (besides reading them, of course). Canadian artist Guy Laramee painstakingly carves intricate landscapes into old books, an act that is steeped in commentary.

image: inspirationfeed.com

Specifically, Laramee is concerned with notions of progress and the erosion of culture that is an inherent part of it. Hence the amazing, but also destructive feat at hand.

image: inspirationfeed.com

image: guylaramee.com

It takes real vision to recognize the potential of an unconventional medium such as this. The pages, all in an immense variety of muted pulp tones, some yellowed with age or grayed with years of dust, lend themselves to transformation. The result is topographical, substantial, and I would guess, quite profound in person.

image: inspirationfeed.com

When you have a free moment or two, I strongly recommend browsing around on art websites (hint, hint). You never know what you’ll find, and you’re bound (no pun intended) to find work that will blow you away!

Related articles

• Coffin In The Library (zatista.com)
• Guy Laramee (itsnicethat.com)