Ballon Art!

What do you know? This came across my email and I don't know anything about it, but it sure is creative!

A Chance Meeting...

Imagine our delight when my friend Julia and I stumbled upon this fabulous find!

We both love to walk art fair the day before it opens to preview what is coming and we found this young woman painting this piece. (It sits on the former location of Pinball Pete's that recently burned down.) It is in the heart of the newest fair in the collection of fairs that occur in Ann Arbor from July 21st to the 24th this year.

Ellen Rutt is an art student at the University of Michigan and didn't want to see this wall unadorned. She spoke to the owner and convinced them to allow her create this cheerful piece.

We loved the drips on the circles and felt they took on a life of their own. If you want to see this up close and you are headed to the fairs, you'll find this on South University between Church St. and Forest. Stop by and see the finished piece as she was still adding the finishing touches.

Nice job Ellen!

More Sidewalk Surprises!

Here is another piece that I found on a sidewalk. Alas, once again, I can't remember where in downtown Ann Arbor I found it. I need to start keeping better records.

And no, this photo is not a reverse image. If you note the word on the forehead of this piece was actually written backwards. Why is anyone's guess....

Sidewalk art

Another find while strolling in Ann Arbor. I don't remember where I saw this, but it is another example of the unexpected....

Impromptu Art

What a fun find! I was shopping at the farmer's market when I got a great space that was free! Then as I exited my car, I found this lovely piece of impromptu art.

I love it when people take what is at hand and use it creatively to make something unexpected. In this case, the artist(s) used stick and placed them randomly in a sign post. How fun is that?

Unless we have more art in our lives, we will live a mundane existence. Here's to those that add unexpected joy to our lives!

Street finds

I was walking across the street the other day when I found this guy stuck to the street. I'm told they are all over town. How fun! 

One just has to be careful not to get hit by a car while looking at them. 

Floral Art

I've been considering adopting a dog over the past week. I went to the humane society today certain I had found the right dog. Unfortunately he has been through some trauma so it didn't seen right as he was literally unable to walk very far on a leash. 

I've decided to give it time and visit this dog for another day or two. I'm convinced he just needs to build a little trust before I take him home. There is little chance he will be gone anytime soon as he really won't go for a walk. Poor dog. 

Anyway, a friend forwarded me this picture. I'm taking it as a good omen that maybe I am making the right decision. A puppy bouquet for me. Maybe a new puppy for me, too!

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".

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!

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! 

Well, I guess it qualifies...

It is that time of year! Halloween is right around the corner, and that means lots and lots of kids of all ages up to mischief. 

Just take a look here. Quite creative and nicely done. It may not have been my preferred design, but it is cleaver.

It just might inspire me.... I've got a couple of weeks to churn the brain. (That seemed an appropriate pun considering the season.)

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

Graffiti vacation ends in arrests

These photos are examples of graffiti done by Jim Clay Harper (Ether) and Danielle Bremner (Dani). They toured Europe this summer tagging public property along the way. They left their mark in London, Spain, Paris, Frankfurt, Hamburg and other places they visited including New York City.

They caused thousands of dollars of damage and where arrested when they arrived back in the states. Due to the high value of the amount of damage, they are being charged with felonies and could spend up to seven years in jail. 

The charges for the alleged paint spree are being pressed in New York City. The NY authorities are working with European authorities to determine if more charges will be pressed overseas as well. Yikes!

Looks like this couple should have stuck to canvas' that they had permission to paint on. Destroying public property or property owned by others should never be permitted. As much as I enjoy well done graffiti, is is ruined for me when it is done without consent. Shame! 

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.

Bomb It!

Bomb it! 

For those not in the know, this is a term used by graffiti artists. It refers to moving in and quickly making your mark. It is also the title of a documentary about graffiti artists around the world. 

It begins in Philadelphia with Corn Dog, the daddy of graffiti. It quickly moves around the world from Tokyo, to South Africa, to Sao Paulo and many places in between. It discusses why people participate in the art and discusses distinctions about the art. The one thing it doesn't do enough of is actually showing the art. Fortunately there are other avenues to do this.

I highly recommend this for those interested in the art and it's evolution!

The artist shown here is named Lord Leigh. I prefer graffiti that does not use the artist name as the piece. Give me images any day over stylized letters.

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!

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.

Street art! Literally....

Julian Beever has been drawing on sidewalks for over ten years all over the world. This is an example of his work where he is real and the exposed water main is the drawing. You'll find he does this regularly in this pieces. If you click on this site, you'll find it has a repertoire of thumb nail images of his work that can be enlarged with the click of a mouse. Give it a try, it's fun!