How Cool Is This?

I have so much respect for a family that truly encourages their children to express their creativity. This is my friends front porch wall. She told her two girls to paint whatever they wanted. She didn't tell them anything expect that painting on brick would be more difficult than they expected. Then she let them do whatever they wanted.

How cool is this? You have a love a woman that doesn't stifle her kids with, "honey, paint in the lines", or "this color would look better than that color". Go Kelly and kids! I can't wait for the finished piece!

Another treat from Tree Town Murals

Mary Thiefels is the brain and talent behind Tree Town Murals. They adorn many walls, planters and train trussels around town. This is an example of her latest work.

Enjoy!

Creative and a cause

This catches your eye doesn't it? I have a true respect for window painters. Especially ones how can paint at this detail. 

I found this on the window of a downtown hair salon named Anneke's. I like it that they are promoting a cause that is near and dear to their clientele. Smart advertising with a creative bent. Nice.

High School Mural

This is outside the parking lot of one of our High Schools. The school is located in downtown Ann Arbor and is a difficult one to get into. They have a limited number of openings each year and one has to enter a lottery to get into the school. 

It is renowned for allowing kids to develop curriculum's that are of interest to the student. For kids who are looking for alternatives to regimented schedules this is a nice alternative. I wish I had known about this option when I was in high school.  

Anyway, this mural is a result of a collaboration of these creative and lucky students.

Horses in town?

I love a surprise! I've been meaning to document this for some time. This is at the end of a short alley in downtown Ann Arbor. I love this little treat that cheers me up every time I walk by. Little unexpected finds (even if they are now known) make an urban area more appealing and fun. The fact that this appears to be a horse family makes it that much more charming. 

Oh, it is a scary time here in the U.S.A.

I find this kind of funny. Especially since I am from Michigan, which, of course, makes it all the more personal. Sarah Palin is one scary woman. I've been referring to her at this generations Phylis Schaffley. She most certainly does not speak for me. I find her policies and beliefs almost always contrary to mine and completely inflexible. 

I don't want someone who can't negotiate and work with folks making decisions in the white house. This to me is her greatest flaw. Along with the appearance that she is just a puppet that has been manipulated to the point that she has allowed herself to appear stupid to the public. At some point one needs to decide that answering a question as simple as "What newspapers do you read", is okay and there is no wrong answer unless it is the National Enquirer. 

It baffles the mind. For more unflattering portraits click here.

Ledger painting lost or worse fate?

It seems during transportation to another museum during remodeling of it's home, this painting by French Cubist Ferdnand Ledger has gone missing. 

While Wellsey College's Davis Museum was remodeling they loaned the painting to the Oklahoma City Art Museum. Somehow when it was returned it was misplaced and may have been thrown out. (!)

The museum has filed an insurance claim which has been paid but not disclosed. In fact they don't want to talk about it at all. Seems it is a bit embarrassing to realize that you may have thrown out a painting by an artist that fetches on average $2.8 MILLION dollars. 

Wow. How does that happen? Never underestimate the incompetence of the general public. I wouldn't talk about it either if this had happened under watch.

Wall Art

Room 411 at the Hotel Des Arts in San Francisco. This wall was created by a L. A. artist named Kinsey.

I've always loved wall art, meaning art that has been painted or papered onto the wall. 

This is what I would do in my bedroom if I had the talent or money to paint something along these lines. Although I've always envisioned that the installation would involve wildlife. 

As a child I spent Thanksgivings at a home that had a black and white photo of a remote beach with large boulders along two of it's walls. I loved this image. I imagined that I would go to sleep in this room, dreaming of small waves softly cascading onto the beach. It is still a dream of mine. The images change, but the concept remains the same. Maybe some day....

Stolen Art: Is It Yours?

When William M.V. Kingsland, a threadbare eccentric and an amateur genealogist of the Upper East Side in New York, died in 2006, officials found an apartment full of stolen artwork, including works by Picasso, Copley, Fairfield and Giacometti. The F.B.I. continues to search for owners of more than 100 works of art. 

Here is a sampling of the work that was found. There are four first cousins and an uncle claiming to be relatives that would be happy to divvy up the proceeds from the pieces that he did own.

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!

Discovering Tin Tin!

I know it is difficult to see this painting well, but look close. It is a painting of one of my favorite childhood heroes... Tin Tin! His faithful dog, Snowy is prominently shown in the middle surrounded by other characters from the series. 

Tin Tin was created by Belgian artist, Herge. He developed the comic strip into a series of graphic novels long before the term was well known. Tin Tin is a young crime solver who went on wild adventures! He was a favorite of mine in sixth grade.

This painting is in a Mexican restaurant on Boston University's campus. When I asked why a Mexican restaurant had a Tin Tin picture, I was told it was left over from when it was a French restaurant. It was an oddity to discover and unfortunately (in my eyes), not well known (Tin Tin, not the restaurant which was mediocre at best). 

Paintings by Lola

I found these while surfing the web. They have such a feeling of innocence and remind me of my early childhood when one could run out their back door and play for hours with the neighborhood kids. Time was easier then it seems. Life was slower and people were able to enjoy the little things, like wild life. My walks with my dog beget short interactions with bunnies and deers which remind me to slow down. Thanks Lola. I like your art.