Political Cartoon

What will happen to the political cartoonists if papers go under? 

Ed Stein, this author, is one of my favorites. I guess I'll have to look on line if that happens.

The good news is then they could be in color all of the time!

Surprise!

I found this monkey in a tree on the west side of town. It is the work of a resident who just likes placing surprises around the community.

The interesting thing is when I mentioned it to folks who lived in the area, they hadn't noticed it. I assume these people also don't have art on their walls. 

How can you not see this? That is, unless art is not important to you. And those poeple are probalby confused that I would call this art in the first place. 

Folks need better imaginations!

Moving Art!

These kinetic sculptures are constructed by Andrew Carson from Washington state. He says his interest is not in metal itself, but in what it can become if assisted by the wind, water, or the environment. All of the materials used in the installations are intricately cut, forged, hammered, and patinated by hand. He designs each piece to fit into the environment it is going to be placed in.

There is a mesmerizing video showing pieces displayed in Vail, Colorado in action. They are not these pieces, but better. Click here to see them.

You never know what you'll find....

I found this while I was taking a short cut through an alley in downtown Ann Arbor the other day. I have mixed feelings about graffiti. I personally love well done pieces like this one. I get very annoyed at tagging for taggings sake. 

But the real dilemma for me is when this is done on private property. No one has the right to deface another persons building. Imagine the outcry if this was done on someones car. No doubt someone would notify the authorities quickly. But would they do the same for a building? Oddly we don't take the vandalism as seriously when it occurs to fixed property. Why is that?

Currently Ann Arbor is entertaining the thought of adding a graffiti removal ordinance. It would require property owners to remove graffiti within a proposed amount of time or face a fine. Ypsilanti has one of these in place currently. This seems to be punishing the wrong party for the defacement. I understand the importance of removing graffiti as soon as possible as it is a deterrent to repeat hits. But what if you like the graffiti? What is you consider this a piece of art and you like it? I'll bet no one has considered that aspect. 

In fact that is how Jean-Michel Basquait got his start. He painted walls in alleys and anywhere else he could. They became so valuable that people looked at removing portions of buildings. Unfortunately he died of a heroine overdose when he was 27, otherwise who knew what would have happened?

North Pole Express

I spotted this mailbox the other day. It seems to have appeared out of no where. Santa must have delivered it in the early morning while everyone was asleep. Or perhaps the post office handles this? I'm unclear on this. In either case, I hope the letters to Santa arrive on time. 

On that note, I'll have to check on Christmas day to see if it is still there. What happens if it is? Do things posted after the 24th counts for the following year? I suppose that depends upon if you have been naughty or nice! 

This topiary is found at the National Museum in Bangkok. I've always been found of this type of art. It takes patience and time with a good imagination to envision what a plant could be. 

I also love elephants, so it was a no brainer for me!