An old weathered owl....

This is in my neighbors front yard. I love it when nature is incorporated into an art piece. Especially when it is only slightly modified.

How cleaver when a dead tree is turned into an outdoor sculpture. Love it!

Is that a bike?

I walked by this every day while I was in Charleston, SC on my way to a conference I was attending. I loved that it was randomly placed and different components needed for bicycles were used to make this. Just what was the inspiration? Who knows, but it made me smile every time. Love random.

A chair for your butt!

Brought to you by paul m. hickman. 

Take a closer look. Those are indeed hundreds of cigarette butts glued to this chair. It was a piece he put together while in graduate school. It toured a bit, but the galleries complained about the smell. Go figure.

Anyway, he found this when I mentioned a friend was trying to quit. So I forwarded it to my friend as a bit of encouragement. 

I wonder what ever happened to it....?

A small collection

I rescued these from a neighbors patio when he moved out of my condo complex. He had a 3 year old son and had painted these for him. Unfortunately the father was diagnosed with lung cancer (never a smoker) and he was forced to move. 

When he left I didn't want to see these buried or lost so I brought them home. I've always loved painted rocks. They are such an unexpected pleasure when looking at a garden. Right now they are waiting for warmer weather, just like the rest of us....

Bubble Gum Alley

Take a close look. It will become evident why this space has been nicknamed bubble gum alley. Yep. There are hundreds of pieces of bubble gum stuck to this wall. 
So the question is, does this count as graffiti? The new ordinance passed making it the owners responsibility to remove graffiti in several days (I can't remember the exact number). 

But back to my question. Is this graffiti? It is located in an alley that had paintings done on the walls that were someones artwork that had been approved. It survived in pretty good shape until someone came and "white washed" some of the walls and then all kinds of stuff I would call graffiti appeared. Then it started to spill over into this area. Personally I love this and think of it as art on a collaborative level, even if ones only contribution is a wad of gum. 

But again, is this graffiti? I'm at a loss as how one defines that? I guess I should read the ordinance to see how they define it. I'll look into that and check back in. Hopefully with more images of "graffiti".

Art in winter

My dog, Cooper passed away a couple of weeks ago which means I haven't been out walking anymore. I used to carry my camera with me and would snap shots on our walks all over town. Hence, I haven't had much to report as I have been hibernating in my house. 

It was been really cold, tops 20 degrees, so even going for a short walk seems unnecessary. And frankly after walking three times a day, every day for the past 14 years, it seems natural to want to stay in. I'll get another dog - I will always have dogs in my life - but for now, until I'm ready, my art finds have been limited.

This chicken in not one of them. I found this on the Internet on one of my favorite blogs that I follow. But I loved this. I've always been intrigued by recycled art. Who would have thought that old curlers would make good fodder for sculpture? Apparently this person and I think he/she was right!

World Largest Bird Feeder

What is this, you ask? Why is the title the worlds largest bird feeder? 

Well, the building exterior is made of corn husks. It is found in Mitchell, South Dakota. Each year, a new design is drawn on the walls and corn that is grown for this yearly event are used to create the image. The photo of the mural is one of the latest creations.

There is a specific farmer that is in charge of growing the corn. It is a specific careful process to keep the colors true to form and that all of the kernels are the same color. They are sawed in half, the ends trim and air gunned to the wall.

Come the colder months, the birds eat the corn off of the walls. Then it is time to start over again. How is that for an example of public art?

Theo Jansen

This is an picture of Theo Jansen standing in front of one of his works of art. The piece on the bottom shows his walking creatures. They are made from recycled electrical wiring from the Netherlands. 

I had the opportunity to hear him speak today in Ann Arbor. Watching his pieces move is like watching a prehistorical animal move. Or how you would imagine it would have moved. It is mechanical yet graceful in an almost unmeasurable way. 

Here is his website. This video explains how his work is made and functions. It is amazing to watch. Here is a shorter version just showing the movement. And here, another piece that is covered, as shown in the top photo. 

Amazing work! Love it!

In honor of Shakey Jake

Last year an Ann Arbor icon passed away. His name was Shakey Jake Woods. He was known around the world. When I was traveling and would tell people I was from Ann Arbor, I would get a response along the lines of, 'Oh! Then you know Jake!" 

In fact I did know Jake, more than knowing of Jake, I helped him with his medications regularly. He was a kind a gentle soul who just wanted to live his life in peace. 

After he died, the funeral home had to accommodate an overflow crowd with live feed to a television in the parking lot. There isn't anything that would have pleased him more. Except perhaps seeing this lovely tribute to him. This is an amazing likeness of a man who made many smile. R.I.P. Jake. You touched many and still are my friend.

All that's missing is his guitar.

Wonderment in the Arb

When one wanders upon beautiful unexpected treasures it warms the heart. This is a big thank you to all who leave their mark in a positive way in public places for all to enjoy. I found this installation in the Arb a week ago and have been sharing my find with everyone who will listen. This is one of the reasons I love the Arb as much as I do. Art among nature is way cool.

More Arb images

Art in unusual places....

I'd heard about a person that had placed ceramic chard's into poured concrete around town, but had never encountered one until the other day. I was walking to the post office and came across this piece. I was so excited I pulled out my camera to snap this shot. 

When I was done, I looked up to see several people with puzzled looks on their faces. They, no doubt, had not idea what I was doing! Why was that crazy lady taking pictures of a curb? This is why! Kind of fabulous in an unexpected way I think.

A fun find!

Nature as art once again. I found this bird nest after a rain storm. It fell out of a tree and was adjacent to the path in the courtyard behind my home. I placed it atop this stone and it was left in place for weeks. It eventually fell off and is next to the rock. I've left it as is. It is beautiful to look at in detail as it it constructed of twigs, mud and other small found items. Finally, I'm happy to report that when it fell, the family had long since grown up and moved on.

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!

Canstruction

These sculptures are part of an art competition that is held yearly and regionally called Canstruction. It was started as a foundation by the Society for Design Administration. 

The participants use canned food items to produce each sculpture. Once the judging and viewing are complete, the cans are donated to local food banks. Thus far this organization has donated over 10 million pounds of food to needy food banks that distribute the food to the emergency feeding programs, soup kitchens, the elderly and day care centers. 

This coming year there are around 100 different competitions scheduled in North America. Keep you eyes open for opportunities to compete and support this wonderful cause!

The ever morphing rock sculpture

These rock and concrete sculptures are ever changing. Why? Because there is a war between the builder and the destroyer. 

They are just outside my office door and the builder recreates them after the destroyer tears them down. 

What on earth does the destroyer get out of this transaction? What does it say about a person who takes pleasure in demolishing the work of another? Sad commentary to be sure.

I'm keeping my eyes open to see who both of these folks are. A mystery to be solved! Stay tuned....

Recycled art...

Isn't it great how creativity kicks in when time is running out? 

Take for example this incredible and beautiful installation by sculptors Dan Havel and Dean Ruck. A few months before this house in Houston, Texas was to be demolished they decided to do a little remodeling. I'm guessing they saw an opportunity to do something freaky crazy cool to a space that was going to be destroyed and turned this old house into a trippy wooden warp zone!

To see more pictures, click on the link above. What an awesome example of public art. Gets you thinking doesn't it?