New Year's Eve Ball, 1978. Photo credit: The New York Times.

What did you do to celebrate the New Year? If you haven’t ever been to Times Square on New Year’s Eve, odds are you’ve at least watched the ball drop on TV from a party or two. That moment when we collectively count backwards and sing “Auld Lang Syne” is one of those times when art fuses seamlessly into our existence, a cherished tradition.

Over the years, the ball itself – a fanciful amalgam of sculpture, craft and technology – has changed from time to time. The materials used in its construction relate directly to the era, so the ball is a beautiful physical manifestation of the passage of time and our status as a nation.

Millennial Ball | Image: TimesSquareNYC.com

Here’s a little time line, courtesy of Wikipedia:

• 1907 – Walter F. Palmer, chief electrician for The New York Times, creates the first New Year’s Eve Ball with iron and wood materials with 100 25-watt bulbs weighing 700 pounds (320 kg) and measuring 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter.
• 1920 – The Ball was replaced with an iron material Ball and weighing less than the original, only 400 pounds (180 kg).
• 1942 – 1943 – During World War II, the descending of the Ball was stopped due to wartime lighting restrictions in case of enemy attack.
• 1955-1980 – The Ball gets replaced with a lighter version made from aluminum weighing 150 pounds (68 kg).
• 1981-1988 – Due to the I Love New York campaign, there are red light bulbs and green stem in a design of an apple.
• 1989-1994 – The traditional white bulbs again get put on the Ball, except for 1991 and 1992, as a symbol to salute the troops in Operation Desert Shield, the ball is covered with red, white and blue light bulbs.
• 1995-1998– The Ball gets computerized, aluminum coated, rhinestone, and has a strobe light system.
• 1999 – The aluminum Ball gets replaced.
• 2000-2007 – The Ball gets an overhaul for the new millennium celebrations with a design from Waterford Crystal and new technology. It weighed 1,070 pounds (490 kg) measured 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter and installed with 504 crystal triangles, illuminated externally with 168 halogen light bulbs and internally with 432 light bulbs of clear, red, blue, green and yellow colors.
• 2008 – For New Year’s Eve 2008, the ball gets a makeover in honor of its 100th Anniversary. Brand new state of the art LED lighting provided by Philips is featured instead of the less efficient halogen bulbs. The new LED fixtures produce over 16.7 million colors and can be programmed to create special effects.
• 2009 – The 2008 design is maintained, but its diameter is doubled, and it is 20% more energy efficient than the previous one.
• 2011 – Energy-efficient LEDs are again used to light the ball. 32,256 little Luxeon LED bulbs, to be exact. According to Philips who manufactures an ever expanding line of LED bulbs, they are commercially available and they consume 80 percent less energy when compared to traditional incandescent lightbulbs.

The Kaleidescopic 2009 Design: Image: ArtDiamondBlog.com

Sadly, photos of the actual balls are hard to find online. Perhaps they became scarce when MTV announced last year that it would be putting Snooki from the cast of Jersey Shore inside a ball. Notice they said “a ball”, not “the ball” – very tricky none the less!

Zatista wishes all of our WallSpin readers a very Happy New Year!

Related articles

• Gallery: a sneak peek of Times Square’s 2012 New Year’s Eve Ball (dvice.com)
• LEDs power Times Square ball on New Year’s Eve (news.cnet.com)
• Energy-Efficient Philips LEDs Light the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball – PR Newswire (press release) (prnewswire.com)
• 2012: Year Of The LED Light Bulb? (earthtechling.com)

Hero from Miguel Endara on Vimeo.

What?! Another crazy-great video about an unusual art making process? This one also seems like an advertisement for a pen company, but it’s not.

I find these types of videos to be fascinating – especially when they’re this well made. They can give you a great window into an artist’s method in a very short period of time. Of course, with our rapidly diminishing attention spans, we now demand to be shown every bit of information that a video like this has to give in less than three minutes, which can be problematic.

An example of stippling via Wikipedia.

Simplicity and succinctness are cool and everything, but in some cases, pared down filmmaking leads to heavy editing. What I’m getting at here is that I think I learned more about the video and what was happening once I read the “FAQs” added by the artist/filmmaker Miguel Endara on Vimeo.

Hero by Miguel Endara miguelendara.com

For example, the ongoing tally of dots on the screen is pretty amazing, but I was floored when I learned that the piece took Endara 210 hours to complete. I also learned the term for his process: stippling. Similar to pointillism, in which dots of different colors come together to create the appearance of a single color, stippling limits artists to just black.

An example of stippling via Wikipedia

Artists who focus on stippling alone aren’t tremendously prolific because the style is so time-intensive, but it’s hard to argue with the outcome. If you’d like to learn more about how Miguel does what he does, visit his Vimeo page. There are all sorts of goodies there, including how he estimated the final dot count (3.2 million). It’s also a nice reminder that even in this age of ever-increasing digitalization, it’s good to read up on what you’re seeing online from time-to-time.

You can also check out Miguel’s website here.

Related articles

• Miguel Endara needed 3,2 Million ink dots to create the Hero portrait (designmadness.wordpress.com)
• Miguel Endara (charcoalmellowed.wordpress.com)
• Definition: Stipple (bellasugar.com)
• Round and Round (zatista.com)

James Alex after Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth

Odds are you’ve heard of a meme, defined by dictionary.com as, “an idea or element of social behavior passed on through generations in a culture, especially by imitation.” Wikipedia defines an Internet meme as, “a concept that spreads via the Internet.” Pretty ambiguous, I know. But, these days most Internet phenomena, from Barking Cats, to Double Dream Hands, Honey Badger (and its parody), to stuffwhitepeoplelike.com, fit into the meme category. If you are still confused, reference this guide.

James Alex after The Gross Clinic by Thomas Eakins

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James Alex after Arcadia by Thomas Eakins

Last week when UC Davis police pepper sprayed student protesters on campus, one result was the near-instantaneous creation of a new Internet meme. In this case it happens to be art related, which we love here on Zatista.

James Alex after The Spirit of '76 by Archibald Willard

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James Alex after The Luncheon on the Grass by Édouard Manet

After watching lengthy videos of the UC Davis event on YouTube, an American artist living in Scotland named James Alex, Photoshopped some quick alterations of several masterpiece paintings. The idea caught on quickly and within a few hours, Lt. John Pike – by that time notorious around the world – appeared to be pepper-spraying his way through canvas after famous canvas.

James Alex after A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat

Alex “mashed” up The Gross Clinic and Arcadia by Thomas Eakins, The Spirit of 76’ by Archibald Willard, Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth, and The Luncheon on the Grass by Édouard Manet. Then, other Internet denizens took up the torch altering Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, and John Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence.

James Alex after Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull

Where does it go from there? Well, Abbey Road, for starters:

image: The Dissenter

Next stop, Star Wars:

image: The Dissenter

Where it ends is another question all together. What are your favorite memes? Share with us here on WallSpin.

Related articles

• ‘Casually Pepper Spraying Cop’ Meme Takes Off (npr.org)
• Pepper-spray incident takes on own life on the Web (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• The joy of viral art inspired by UCD pepper-spray video (news.cnet.com)
• Pepper Spray Cop Becomes an Internet Meme (mediabistro.com)

Image: TwentyTwoWords.com

It’s hard to say much more than “Wow!” while watching the video below from Faber Castell:

It’s also a pretty good example of the power viral video advertising, but given that it was created by an art supply company, it’s a whole lot less lamentable than some of the hair brained stuff on the internet these days.

Personally, I’m just enjoying being in awe of the talent involved. I’ve always heard artists say things like, “I just find the art within the medium” – especially sculptors – but in this case, it seems pretty literal. Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring slowly appears here, almost as if she had been there all along, but came out to take a peek at the artist, Chan Hwee Chong.

The stills above indicate that Chong was also able to replicate the Mona Lisa in the same single line spiral fashion. How one arrives at the conclusion that such things are possible, I don’t know. The detail and accuracy are uncanny. Of course, they could have made it a bit more unforgettable by setting the clip to Ratt‘s epic 1984 hair band jam “Round and Round” – but that might also have been terrible.

Nice work to Faber Castell for creating a fun ad with an artistic engine. If this doesn’t make you want to buy their pens, I’m not sure what will!

Related articles

• Famous Paintings Recreated with Just One Spiral Line (weirdasianews.com)
• Faber-Castell Pen Portraits (design-milk.com)

Artist Tom Otterness Photo: Gawker.com

Animal Lover Advisory: Explicit Content Herein

Gawker dropped a bomb on legions of animal lovers in San Francisco earlier this month: New York based artist Tom Otterness, who was contracted by the city to create a series of statues for a local subway station, is known to have shot a dog ‘in the name of art’ back in 1977.

Otterness publicly apologized for his gross act of animal cruelty (documented on film, no less) in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 2008 saying, “Thirty years ago when I was 25 years old, I made a film in which I shot a dog. It was an indefensible act that I am deeply sorry for. Many of us have experienced profound emotional turmoil and despair. Few have made the mistake I made. I hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me.” The question is, can San Franciscans forgive this man? Then give him public funds for a large commission?

"The Herring Eater" by Tom Otterness at Dutch museum Beelden aan Zee Photo: Wikipedia

The artist’s deceptively whimsical bronze sculptures depicting politically-spiked characters have found homes in New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Sacramento and Minneapolis. Hardly the most judgmental cities in the US, but still – supporting a dog killer?

For now, the San Francisco project is on hold pending an investigation of the artist. It’s a tough call: everybody deserves a little forgiveness, and Otterness’ work is both culturally relevant and distinctive. Still, we’re more-or-less a nation of dog lovers here in the US, and we don’t take kindly to anyone – artist or otherwise – mistreating our toothy, tail wagging, four-legged friends.

Art by Tom Otterness Photo: zine.Artcat.com

The good news is that it shouldn’t be too hard for the City of San Francisco to find another talented and worthy artist in need of $750,000.

What’s your opinion? Voice it below in our comments section.

"Meditation 5" by Marion Henrion on Zatista.com

I grew up watching my mom make quilt after quilt for everyone in my huge family. It’s always been her art form of choice – an appropriate one to embrace in my small home town in New England. I know for a fact that piecing a quilt together is no small feat: divining a design, cutting out each intricate piece, and sewing it all together calls for a serious commitment and heaps of intention.

That’s why I was so taken with Marion Henrion‘s work here on Zatista. I particularly like her geometric “Meditation” series. Drawing on all those nights of monitoring my mom’s progress as I slogged through homework in our living room, I’d say these pieces are very appropriately named.

"Meditation 6" by Marion Henrion on Zatista.com

Utilizing fabric – especially silk, as Marion does – calls for an extra level of consideration. It’s a bit more of a process than using paper in the same application, and hand quilting is obviously a undertaking unto itself.

It’s hard to say if the same pieces rendered in paint would move me similarly. Part of the equation is color choice and composition, but there’s just something else about the art and the effort in these works that really speaks to me.

"Meditation 7" by Marion Henrion on Zatista.com

Considering the fact that Marion’s works are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Arts & Design in New York, the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and represented in the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art in Washington, DC, I guess I’m not alone.

"Under the Bridge" by Klaus Rossler on Zatista.com

Photography, as an art form and a science, was first invented with the intention of capturing moments. A snap, a whir, and maybe a flash, and there you had it – one second of one minute of one hour of one day of one month of one year in time.

"Heading Home" by Kim Weimer on Zatista.com

It can be easy to think of photography as only that – a means of capturing static instants, a finite increment of time in the perpetual cascade of millennia.

"Tourist Port, Study 1" by Tugrul Yasarcan on Zatista.com

However, the thing I really love about photography is that it’s actually possible to play with the very notion of a moment. Many photographers experiment with adjusting their settings, drawing what could be seen as a dot into an extended line. Water transforms into milky ether and motion draws itself out in the air.

"Tail Branch River" by Carlos Roedan on Zatista.com

Pulled like taffy by a masterful technician of the photographic arts, time becomes a ribbon that you could almost wrap around your fingers. In the midst of the fog, that same, singular moment still lurks, but for once, we also get to see all the in-betweens.

Image: 148apps.com

If you haven’t been hibernating for the past two plus years, odds are you know who Banksy is. Well, actually – not who he is specifically, because somehow the elusive street artist has remained anonymous, but rather what he does.

Banksy LA billboard photo: Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

All of the controversy he generates with his often politically oriented graffiti was actually eclipsed for a moment during this year’s Oscars, where his film Exit Through the Gift Shop was nominated for Best Documentary. All motivations aside, part of the allure of street art is the way in which we do – or sometimes don’t – find it. Stumbling upon a “piece” is part of the game; there’s just a certain thrill that goes along with finding a piece of art completely at random.

Image: 148apps.com

It happened to me about three years ago in a tiny town in Florida. I was on my way to the airport with a friend when we stopped at a Cuban restaurant for a quick meal. Then, on the way back to his car, we spied it: a bona fide Banksy mural in the middle of nowhere.

Bansky street art photo: http://weblog.evasee.com/

The release of a Banksy iPhone app this week throws a wrench into that happy mechanism. Now you can pinpoint locations of works by the British artist in almost any city around the world. Want to check out what he has on tap in Barcelona? Look no further. Spending a long weekend in Cleveland? He’s probably hit there, too.

Image: 148apps.com

Part of graffiti is definitely the artist’s desire to have his or her work found and appreciated (and maybe even hated). But doesn’t this kind of take the fun out of it? A case could be made for “cities as galleries” but I think I’ll stick to finding art in the streets the old fashioned way – with my own two feet. What do you think?

"Against the Grain" by Kaley Rhodes on Zatista.com

Choosing the right frame for a piece of art can be a hard (and expensive) decision. A great frame won’t make a piece something it’s not, but it can help make some great work look incredible in your home.

Fortunately, some Zatista artists take it upon themselves to handle their own framing. That’s something special because when it comes down to it, the artist’s original vision for the piece carries through all the way to the final presentation. Take the piece above, for instance. The minimal one inch black frame complements the composition and doesn’t steal any attention away from the work itself.

"Evaporated Salt Water" by Erynn Rademacher on Zatista.com

Here, in Erynn Rademacher‘s photo of salt crystals (taken through a microscope – how cool is that?) the frame and inlaid double matting mimics the image itself.

"Artichoke" by Kimberley Koonce on Zatista.com

I often find myself looking through stacks of incredibly ornate frames in antique stores. At this point in my collecting experience, I don’t think I have any art that is befitting of a frame that’s a piece of art in and of itself. Good thing Kimberley Koonce is here to show us how it’s supposed to be done.

"Lao Buddha" by Martin Wachter on Zatista.com

Martin Wachter’s “Lao Buddha” won my award for Most Compelling Frame Description. In the words of the artist himself, “Framed with handmade (by artist) weathered steel frame. Set behind Conservation Glass,” sounds divine! Alas, this artwork has sold.

"Transition" by Rich Moyers on Zatista.com

Last but not least, Rich Moyers shows us how it’s really done. His beautiful piece “Transition” – nicely framed and offset within the matting – won 1st Prize, Blue Ribbon at the prestigious WVAC Southwestern Regional Mixed Media Exhibition held in Glendale, AZ. Nice work, Rich – on all levels!

Search for more fabulous framed original artwork on Zatista.com, today. Have fun shopping!

"Brooklyn Bridge" by Sharon Sieben on Zatista.com

A bridge is one of those subjects which captures an artist’s imagination. Just search for “bridge” here on Zatista and you’ll find many great images. It’s no wonder, really, because bridges are incredible creations.

"Fisherman on Bridge" by Norman Lerner on Zatista.com

Architects and engineers do some pretty crazy things, but spanning massive chasms has got to be up there with the craziest. Just think about all that heavy material hanging in the air.

"Bridges II" by Leandro Sanchez on Zatista.com

The fact that people manage to build bridges so beautifully is also remarkable. So many curving lines – swooping in such different ways – accented with the square edges of industrial practicality. I’m sure that there were people who lamented the addition of the Golden Gate Bridge to the epic local landscape at first, but how can you not warm up to such a structure?

"Fog Eats the Golden Gate" by David Page on Zatista.com

Then there’s the bridge as a metaphor. They bring us together, crossing great geographic divides which would otherwise be quite pesky. Look at old maps – natural features defined boundaries. They still do for the most part, holding over from antiquity, but just think about it: San Francisco and Oakland could have been separate countries if things had panned out differently.

"Harbor View 01" by Dominique James on Zatista.com

Yep, bridges make powerful images. If I was a mediator, I’d have images of them all over my office. Who knows? All that union and continuity might rub off on my clients.

Mural by David Choe at Hotel des Arts | Image: HoteldesArts.com

This summer, be sure to cash in on a growing trend – the artist-designed hotel room. Boutique hotels are popping up everywhere right now and more and more of them are paying artists to deck their walls with original creations. I’m not going to enter into the contentious debate on who started the trend, and where – that’s a bear trap if I’ve ever seen one – but I will gladly point out a few of the more compelling cases in the U.S.

Mural by Chris Rubino at Ace Hotel NYC | Image: PaperMag.com

Ace Hotel: Now in Portland, Seattle, Palm Springs and New York, the Ace might just take the cake for the most stylish boho haunt around. Artists are integrally involved in all of their design choices, but for the sake of brevity I’ll just focus on the New York location. The owners brought in emerging NYC artists to outfit the rooms with murals and some individual flare. The result – a relatively affordable, infinitely hip place to lay your head in the city.

Kate Neckel at the Ace NY | Image: Diana212m.blogspot.com

Hotel des Arts: San Francisco’s art hotel also focuses on emerging artists, but with more of a street art/graffiti bent (and an AOL era website). The roster is pretty impressive, with rooms done by Shepard Fairey, David Choe, Maya Hayuk and Jeremy Fish. An onsite gallery also hosts shows, and the location is close to many downtown galleries and artist studio buildings.

Mural by Maya Hayuk | Image: HoteldesArts.com

21c Museum Hotel: The name of this southern home-away-from-home for art buffs is not a turn of phrase: it’s both a museum and a hotel. Located on Louisville, Kentucky’s Museum Row, it’s in the thick of it when it comes to cultural offerings. The 9000 square feet of gallery space is free and open to the public 24/7, but for the more intimate experience, book one of its adjoining 90 rooms.

Image: http://www.21cmuseumhotel.com

That’s hardly the end of the options for art loving travelers. Soon, you’ll be able to catch your z’s under a masterpiece in almost every major city in the country. For now, finding a destination boutique hotel within your destination can still be a bit of a challenge, but one that’s well worth the effort.

donnafleischer.wordpress.com

It’s hard to say what’s more intense: Werner Herzog‘s choice of subject matter or his voice. Listening to his droll, deadpan narration is like watching a ship sink — but I mean that in the best possible way. His latest documentary, “Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” applies his trademark intensity (in 3D!) to an uncharacteristically sublime topic: ancient cave paintings.

In 1994, incredible paintings were discovered in a cave above the Ardèche River in southern France. The images, mostly of Ice Age animals, are far more detailed and realistically rendered than most cave art. Whoever the ancient artist or artists were, they had some natural talent.

frontrowreviews.co.uk

The images are estimated to have been created as long as 33,000 years ago, predating other known cave art by roughly 7,000 years. Owing to a landslide that occurred about 20,000 years ago, blocking off the entrance to the cave, it has gone virtually untouched by modern man. After its discovery in the mid-nineties, it was promptly seized by the French government in order to preserve the images for posterity.

wegotthiscovered.com

By all accounts, Herzog’s film is an accomplishment simply in and of the fact that he and his crew gained access to the ancient art gallery. I haven’t seen the film, but judging from the trailer, I’m guessing that once inside, Herzog fires his free-associative existential mental motor up to a fever pitch, musing about what art this old says about our collective imagination and human history.

“Cave of Forgotten Dreams” is now playing in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, but should be coming to a theater near you soon.

"Day at the Beach 3" by Kevin Brewerton on Zatista.com

Say what you will about winter (and I have), it’s certainly good for creative productivity. There’s nothing like long nights and freezing temperatures to keep you anchored at your desk or easel for long periods of time. My wife and I whiled away more than our fair share of hours during the winter months – me typing away, her painting diligently.

"Summer Shade" by S. Josephine Weaver on Zatista.com

But now that it’s getting nice out I have a question for all you artists out there – how do you do it? It’s torture for me to be indoors right now, but at least I know I’m in good company. In studios all around the world, artists are forgoing the vitamin D they need and staying indoors in order to create.

"Mirror Mountain" by Jennifer Childs on Zatista.com

Obviously, there are many artists out there who prefer to work en plein air, probably for this very reason. That, and they find landscapes particularly moving. For the rest of you, fill us in on your motivation – what do you do to stay on top of your work when the sun is shining, streams are gurgling, and barbecues are firing up on nearby patios?

"Untitled Landscape #11" by Steven Miller on Zatista.com

Personally, I could really use some insight because the closest I can get to working outdoors is to write articles about landscape artists. And truthfully, after a long New England winter and spring, I need something to keep me honest. Knowing that scenes like these are just out there waiting for me is a bit much!

"Zen" by Nicholas Bell on Zatista.com

So, don’t be shy. Step up and tell us how you do it!

"V" by Dominique James on Zatista.com

Have you ever looked at wood grain? I mean really looked at it? It’s gorgeous – blond, amber, molasses and faint red hues all blending together. Each and every piece of wood is really a composition in and of itself, complete with depth and compelling angular elements.

Spellbound by April Henderlong zatista.com

I’m jealous of artists with an eye for the stuff, they find such creative ways to utilize it in their work. Finding good grain is a talent in itself, never mind being able to incorporate it into a great piece of art. It’s symbiosis at its best: the art accents the wood, the wood accents the art. There are so many possibilities!

"Crosscut" by Arthur Davis on Zatista.com

Photographers just have to have the eye. There’s a lot of wood out there, and not all of it’s magical. However, people like Arthur Davis fortunately have a knack for finding the right piece at the right time.

"Horizontal Perch" by Laura Browning on Zatista.com

Some painters are bold enough to sluff off the 70′s-induced stigma of painted wood grain. Laura Browning created a very natural looking background in this piece – awesome attention to detail!

"The Sprinkler" from Kasia Kay Art Projects Gallery on Zatista.com

Tool Shed – Planers by Justin Wheeler zatista.com

Wood grain also has amazing sculptural elements. I might even admit to being a little bit obsessed with kitschy road-side chainsaw art if interrogated sufficiently.

It was this photo by Justin Wheeler that made me realize I’m most jealous of my friend Peter. He’s an artist and a carpenter, and he’s recently turned his eye, aesthetic, and skills into a little furniture business. He makes farm tables and desks out of wood he salvages from old barns.

Image: StructureDesignandBuild.com

He’s got and eye for grain and patina – the natural weathering process that gives wood even more character. He somehow manages to put boards together to form compositions out of the grain and even old nail holes.

Image: StructureDesignandBuild.com

Enjoy more furniture here, and be sure to check out art by other “grain elevaters” here on Zatista. Just type in “wood’ in the search field.

skowheganart.org

It’s that time of year again – at least in my neck of the woods – when artists descend upon quiet hamlets to make the most of the summer months ahead. Take a look and you’ll be surprised, odds are there’s an artist residency program near you.

A studio space at the Penland Resident Artist Program | Image: Penland.org

If you’re an artist, you probably already know about these types of programs. For the uninitiated, it’s a pretty simple arrangement. Basically, artists apply for grants which allow them to escape their normal zones of creation and get a little change of scene. They strike out for schools and farms and even warehouses in previously unexplored cities, supplies in tow. Here, they can live and work on their art for a time, expenses paid by the program.

The Chinati Foundation's Artist Residency Program | Chinati.org

Three of the more well-known residencies are in Maine, North Carolina and Texas. I’m seriously not just tooting my home state’s horn – Maine’s Skowhegan residency is pretty high up there with the best of them.

If you’re not an artist, it’s well worth your time to make a trip out of heading to Skowhegan, or Asheville, or Marfa to take in a little nature and soak up some culture. Conveniently, these three locales couldn’t be more different.

"Shin Pond Maine" by Thurston Howes on Zatista.com

Skowhegan isn’t real close to much, other than scenic natural splendor. Combine that with some art and you have yourself one heck of a vacation.

"Appalachian Trail" by Nicholas Bell on Zatista.com

Penland is only about an hour from Asheville, North Carolina’s outdoor recreation destination. Plan to stay there and make a day trip to Penland’s gallery. On Tuesdays and Thursdays a campus tour is available, just be sure to make your reservations in advance.

"Something New" by Jeremy McKane on Zatista.com

And Marfa, well… Marfa’s in a league of its own. Aside from the grandiose Texas countryside, the area boasts an incredibly high concentration of artists and writers these days. You can scarcely throw a bottle cap without hitting one (not that you’d want to, unless they asked you to for a video art piece they’re making). Hotelier Liz Lambert recently opened up the Thunderbird Hotel here, so you can even get some bohemian accommodations nearby.

Try one or all three this summer – any is guaranteed to be worth the gas money.

Take this story in USA Today on art in airports. What could be better when you’re in mid-baggage schlep than feasting your eyes on a little aesthetic treat? The offerings run the gambit of styles and mediums – what a good way to introduce art into people’s lives.

Installation by Ken Ragsdale | Image: USA Today

In Albany, a series of installations by seven artists entitled “Keeping Time” focuses on our complicated relationship with nostalgia.

Arcs created by Melanie Walker & George Peters | Image: USA Today

At Jacksonville International Airport, artists Melanie Walker & George Peters created a site-specific installation. The arcs invoke the flight paths not only of airplanes, but also of the many birds in the area.

William LaChance "Slipstream" | Image: USA Today

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport’s Public Art and Culture Program commissioned nine artists to create glass screens to be displayed in the terminals.

Sara McCormick "Infinite Creature" | Image: USA Today

Portland, Oregon’s airport art melds math and art with a fractal exhibit.

There’s more to see in the gallery on the USA Today site. I’d finish this post up with one of my usual “Get out there and check out some art” rallying cries, but I’m not sure that’ll work in this case. Maybe I’ll just say, “Get out there, and check out some art when you come across it” – because you will, and it’s awesome.

Image: Nina Boesch via www.subwayartblog.com

Ubiquity has a funny way of figuring into art, particularly when it comes to art made from recycled materials. Whether overtly “eco-art” or something that falls into the “found art” category, the great over-abundance of any one material can inspire people to create.

In New York, sometimes it seems like everything is ubiquitous – people, taxis, skyscrapers, the list goes on. However, one thing that’s a true constant in the city is the subway. Since 1994, part of the New York subway experience has been the MetroCard – the slim little ticket to ride.

Image: Yana Paskova for The New York Times

The things are everywhere, which is no surprise considering how many people ride the subways and buses of the city on a daily basis. Recognized as a great way to “reach” the pubic, the tickets have been turned into officially sanctioned art, emblazoned with the word “optimism”by Reed Seifer for his “Project Optimism” in 2009.

More than 170 million tickets are printed every year, though, and they’re not particularly useful once they’ve lived out their days in the service of transit. More often than not, they end up in the trash or on sidewalks or littering New Yorker’s apartments, which has prompted several artists to reconsider their functionality all together.

Image: Nina Boesch via www.visuallingual.wordpress.com

Nina Boesch (above and top) drew the mosaic connection. Why smash tiles or glass when you can get used MetroCards for free?

Image: Thomas McKean via Inhabitat.com

Thomas McKean goes a more sculptural route.

Image: Stephen Shaheen via Inhabitat.com

Stephen Shaheen made a bench that’s eco-friendly, artistic and functional.

Image: Stephen Shaheen via Inhabitat.com

Reusing stuff, especially the mundane detritus of everyday life, is great. Transforming it into something beautiful is truly awesome.

Art and technology are on a collision course these days and it’s getting harder and harder to separate the two. More and more artists are adding technology to their quiver of creative instruments, and the way we’re conjuring fantastic new devices out of thin air is an art in an of itself.

In art and innovation, the good always comes with the bad. For an example of the good, take the iPad light art mentioned here on WallSpin a few month ago. And for an example of the bad, check out this video for Range Rover.

Range Rover teamed up with the band OK Go to market their new GPS system. In general, that’s a smart move – OK Go is elevating the craft of creating viral videos to an art form, and anything they touch blows up on the web.

The video itself is pretty nice, and according to Range Rover, the art component comes in when you use their special app to plot your movements on a given day. The result for OK Go was spelling their name out electronically on the GPS grid, which they did by passing through the streets of LA with an impromptu marching band in tow.

Additionally, Range Rover worked with a slew of visual artists in various cities, all of whom created what look like very technologically involved Etch-A-Sketch drawings. Is this a novel idea? Yes. Is it art? I’m going to go ahead and say “no.” It’s certainly a concept, and probably a pretty fun one at that. It must be pretty neat to look back at a night on the town and see your movements mapped out. Artistically, I’d say the old Etch-A-Sketch allows for a greater degree of expression and subtlety.

Better luck next time, Range Rover.

"Gypsum" by Tracy Burke on Zatista.com

Have you seen this video of the Aurora Borealis created by Norwegian landscape photographer Terje Sorgjerd? It’s absolutely magnificent.

"Paranoia2" by Rosa Migliardi on Zatista.com

I’m known around the Zatista neighborhood as a bit of a sucker for sunrises and sunsets. What can I say? I like pretty colors, so I might as well admit that the Aurora Borealis is another “unsophisticated” thing that inspires me to buy art.

"Aware" by Tracy Mewmaw on Zatista.com

The really cool thing about being able to look at a lot of art all at once (as you can here on Zatista, conveniently enough) is that you may find yourself drawn to pieces by association. You don’t have to limit yourself to just buying direct representational images of things you love, you can branch out into the abstract.

"The Summer of 1990" by Jon Bidwell on Zatista.com

All of these pieces reminded me of the Northern Lights. And when an image reminds you of one of your favorite things, it doesn’t start and stop with the first impression. All of these pieces will always tangentially remind me of Sorgjerd’s video – like an aesthetic memento. And while having a still shot of one of the world’s great natural wonders is pretty cool, sometimes having a piece of art jog to your memory is even better.

"A Break in the Clouds" by Karen Hansen on Zatista.com

Right now, with winter fading away and all the color in the world returning, I feel like I’m driving down a very long, very dark tunnel. The exit is still a ways off, but I’m driving very fast. In a short time, I’ll come shooting out, surrounded by all that has been missing.

"Ocean Dawn" by Simon Fairless on Zatista.com

Of course, it’s impossible to see the moment that Spring actually arrives. There’s no threshold to cross – suddenly the brush is just moving. It spreads forth, ever-expanding, like a painting started at some random spot on a canvas.

"Trends" by Sharis DeJaynes on Zatista.com

A lingering sense of a beginning endures, but everything blends together as in a perfect composition. The season is the ultimate creative act, like the colors themselves are invented for the first time each year.

"Disarray" by Tracy Mewmaw on Zatista.com

Before we know it, the new tones and hues will be too numerous to acknowledge individually anymore, so enjoy the anticipation – or at least try to. The first brushstrokes today will soon be the masterpiece of summer.
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