Thursday, July 31, 2008

Play with your food, please!

This is Russell Timerman who entered the Creative Fruits and Vegetable Competition at the 51st Annual 4-H Youth show at the Farm Council Grounds in Washtenaw County.

He used cauliflower, black olives, black eyed peas, and four cinnamon sticks to create this flock. To hold the sheep together, he used toothpicks and cream cheese. They are standing on coconut dyed green for their pasture. He was awarded an honorable mention for the second best creative effort among 20 entrants. 

Next year I will have to make a point to go see this. What fun! Makes me wonder what first prize looked like.

Good job Russell! I love your flock!

Monday, July 28, 2008

More sidewalk chalk art!

This is David Zinn. He was featured in The Ann Arbor News today. He is an artist that draws for Recycle Ann Arbor ReUse Center. Anyone who uses the recycle bins has seen his art.

He also likes to draw on sidewalks, similar to Julian Beever. He does this around his home that is near Bach Elementary School. This is the only sidewalk chalk drawing of his that I could find. He has a website that shows his other work and is 'under construction', so we can hope that there will be more to come.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

An unusual flock


If you look closely you'll see that these sheep are made entirely of old recycled telephones. I love it when folks find a second use for an otherwise outdated item. 

These are the creation of Jean Luc Cornec's and were first featured at the Museum fur Kommunikation in Frankfurt, Germany in 2006. 
The ability to see materials outside of their traditional roles is key to reducing the mass of products our society currently consumes. It assists in helping people make the connection of what happens at the end of a products use. Rather than dispose of it, look for ways to reuse it or in the best of circumstances anticipate it's second use upon design. This work did a good job of the former. What a creative mind!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Nature is art!



I took this photo early spring and just found it. I have acquired a taste for Red Bud trees. Every time I saw one, I wanted to capture it in a photograph. This was one of my favorites as it has the buds on the trunk, which I have not seen before. With each passing year I appreciate nature more and more. It is the worlds canvas. (Yea. I know that's corny, but I couldn't help it.)

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Sitting Lion




Okay. So, is this a lion? Or maybe a chinese foo dog? I'm not really sure, but I love him. 

This piece can be found at the stairway adjacent to the Cranbook Museum entrance.

The walls are made of some type of marble (I think).  I'm not sure what he is made of.  In any case, I love the fact that he is out in the open and available to touch. One doesn't often get the change to feel art. 

The Cranbrook campus has many pieces of sculpture, but this is my favorite. Stay posted for future items.


Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Bizzaro blow up

Dan Piraro, creator of the cartoon strip Bizarro, has gotten himself into a little heat from this cartoon. Many a reader has misinterpreted this and have been offended. 

There was a letter to the editor in my local paper complaining about this. I decided to see what I could find about the issue and discovered a blog by the artist. He states, "contrary to what people assumed, this cartoon is not intended to make light of slavery or racism. My intention was to point out that modern "feel good" marketing techniques are no more honest than this kind of technique would have been during legal slavery in America. My earnest apology goes to anyone who misinterpreted it."

Mr. Piraro is a vegan and outspoken advocate for animal rights. He uses his art to make his position known and to help people understand the plight animals face in order to feed us. I am a big fan of his art. I find it humorous and right on the mark. Go, Dan, go! Those that are offended should take a closer look at their life and re-evaluate what is really offensive about this piece.

An American House

This is a pre-fabricated house designed and constructed by William E. Massie. He is an award winning Architect in residence and Head of the Department of Architecture at Cranbrook Academy of Art. The home was constructed his home in Pontiac, Michigan and then assembled on site on the Cranbrook campus. It is an example of Massie's innovative computer based fabrication technology used for efficient, precise and customized buildings.

The house will be on display until October 31st. The original plan was to allow folks to walk the inside and truly experience the feel of the design. Unfortunately, the museum was unable to secure a certificate of occupancy. Now why they couldn't get a variance is beyond me. Sounds like there was some politics going on here. According to the website, tours begin August 1st, so maybe they have worked it out. Meanwhile, I wouldn't make a special visit to see this until you can go inside. But if you are in the area, it's worth a look.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Slightly creepy art


These little tiny babies are made of polymer clay. The artist name is Camille Allen and her art has been the subject of a hoax. 

There is an email circulating claiming these are made of marzipan. The writer asks who could eat them? It was a good hoax because I fell for it. Then I looked a little further....

However, I have to say I do still find them a little creepy even if they aren't made of frosting.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Art & Bi Bin Bap!


One of my favorite places for a quick delicious place to eat is Kosmos Deli in a small shopping district called Kerrytown. The food is cheap, healthy and delicious! 

Plus there is some pretty fun art on the ceiling as shown here in this photo. The artist name is Dylan Straynski. It makes me smile every
 time I stop in for a bite. Plus, as a bonus, they serve grown up ding-dongs! Yum!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Garden Art


Cooper (my dog) takes me on walks that often lead me to this garden. The rats were left by a friend of mine that randomly places them in this garden. 

The sad news is they have either been running away or are being ratnapped as they have disappeared unexpectedly.

Now these new members live further away from the hub-bub so as not to cause too much attention. 

We're keeping our eye on them!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Hidden treasurer's


My neighbors recently remodeled their home and have incorporated a form of public art into the day to day use of their home. The archway has revolving art tucked into the open space. 
So far they have had a leprechaun and the bunny. They need other ideas, so I'm on the lookout for other hidden treasurer's for the unusual place.