Contemporary Art Strives for Something Other Than Beauty!

Interesting question: Does Art have an Obligation to Engage the Viewer?

An Extremely Creative Animation

Contemporary Fine Art Photography

These photographs are done by Gregory Crewdson using staged scenes with elaborate lighting techniques. He often juxtaposes the real with the surreal and beauty with mystery. The scenes are often disturbing and surreal.

Aged Paper

My very own aged paper!

creative animation

Still Painting

This is a painting I was working on over midterm break of a Jamaican Couple.

How to Use iStopMotion Animation Software : How to Make Basic Movie in i...

Reusing Wine Bottles, Cool!

LAURENCE BRABANT HAS TAKEN REUSING WINE BOTTLES TO WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

Filed under: Recycled Art,Recycled Products � admin @ 2:17 pm

Laurence Brabant has taken empty wine bottles and turned them into some of the most amazing serving utensils and glasses RecycleChicken has ever seen.

Similar to the beautiful Transglass by Artecnica, wine bottles are cut and chamfered to make serving spoons and glasses. Handles are made of beech and the cork base for the glasses are “health treated”.

From Laurence Brabant Editions Cold Cuts Collection.

I just came across this while I was looking for easy ways to etch on glass. 

How to Etch on Glass Bottles

EditStep 1 — Select and prepare bottle 

• I've been holding onto this bottle of 2006 Coppola Encyclopedia Tempranillo for a couple of years. The wine itself was really only suitable for cooking, but I love the bottle because it has a representation of theresveratrol molecule molded into the side.
• This process probably requires a bottle with an adhesive plastic label. A sure sign that the label is suitable is is that parts of it are transparent.
• If you're going to cut your bottle, do so before attempting to etch a design on it, as the cutting process is considerably more failure-prone than etching.

EditStep 2 — Draw design on label 

• Use a permanent marker or whatever you can find that will stick to the label.
• Try to choose a design that complements your bottle. I chose a ball-and-stick model of the ethanol molecule to complement the resveratrol molecule molded into this bottle.

EditStep 3 — Cut out positive areas of design 

• Using your hobby knife or razor, carefully cut around the edges of your design.
• Lift the edges of the cut-out areas using the blade of your knife or razor.
• Finish peeling off each positive cut using a pair of tweezers.

EditStep 4 — Clean up stencil 

• Wipe down the cut stencil with a paper towel generously soaked with rubbing alcohol. This will remove any residual ink and, most importantly, clean any remaining adhesive from the cut-out areas.
• To make sure the remaining stencil is firmly adhered to the bottle everywhere, wrap a scrap of paper around the bottle, over the label, and rub it briskly with the side of your marker.

EditStep 5 — Apply etching cream

• Generously daub etching cream over the exposed positive areas of your design using a brush.
• Leave the etching cream in place 5 minutes, or whatever the label says, and then wash away all traces of the cream with plenty of warm water in the sink.
• Glass etchants are toxic and should be handled with care. Wear gloves and goggles and follow the label directions closely.

EditStep 6 — Remove remaining label and clean 

• Using your hobby knife, or just your fingernail, lift one corner of the label and peel it off.
• Give the etched design one final cleaning with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel to remove any leftover adhesive.
  
  

Aging Paper

A tutorial on how to make paper appear old:

Necessary: whole milk, an oven, a baking sheet 

1. Heat the  oven to 400 degrees.
2. Fill a 9×13 baking pan with whole milk. (2% milk might work, especially if you would like the paper to brown but not get too splotchy. Skim and 1% don’t work well.)
3. Immerse your paper* in the pan with the milk. You don’t need to be very gentle. The paper is stronger than you think and a tear here or there will only enhance the final effect. You may have to weight the paper with a spoon to keep it from floating up.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment. If you don’t, you will be very sorry.

What sorry you forgot the parchment paper looks like

5. After about ten minutes (no need to be precise) lift the paper out of the milk. Hold it above the pan for several seconds to let the excess milk drip away.
6. Arrange the milky paper on the parchment paper on the baking sheet. If there is a wrinkle here or there, that will probably just enhance the look you’re going for (to do two pages at once on one baking sheet you will have to wrinkle them a little to make them both fit).
7. Cook the paper on the lowest rack for about 4 minutes. Remove it from the oven and carefully turn it the other side. (This helps to distribute the darker spots more evenly and makes the final result more legible.)  It is fragile at this point.   This step is only necessary if you’re fussy.
8. Cook for about 6 more minutes.
9. If flatness is important, immediately put a heavy book on the aged paper while it is still hot from the oven.

*Paper: If you want something written on the paper, write it before aging it. Black ink handwriting will look best. Test a small sample to make sure your ink isn’t water-soluble.  Computer printing is also an option.  I was surprised and relieved to discover that my inkjet printer ink didn’t run–it turned the milk pinkish, but it didn’t smear.

Lastly: If you are hoping for a specific look, repetition may be key. The paper never turns out exactly the same twice. Allowing more milk to pool on the paper in the cookie sheet will lead to more splotches as will higher fat (cream makes dark globs). As you would guess, longer cooking time will lead to darker and harder to read results, shorter will lead to lighter results.

Have fun!

Bottle Art

Just some research on bottle art for my first project

Contemporary Metal Wall Art

Birds Eye View By Jon Allen

Contemporary metal wall art is a great way to give a room that WOW factor without breaking the bank. While with everything in design the sky is the limit when you look at pricing you can get really stunning pieces for a couple of hundred dollars.  You can be sure that they will draw the eye and be a talking point for guests to your home. We sometimes think of metal as something cold, but it can be very chic and stylish when used in the correct way. Metal wall art often incorporates color so the correct piece can really compliment your design scheme.

In terms of the pieces I have chosen to accompany this post, I have focussed primarily on art pieces that come in multiple panels. This particular style of contemporary metal wall art is particularly flexible with a number of the pieces providing you with options. You can for example decide to hang this type of wall art vertically or horizontally depending on your space and indeed your own personal preference. Another alternative would be to split the panels to create two or more smaller pieces. This may not have the same impact but if you are decorating a smaller room, it can certainly work very well from a design perspective, not to mention giving you more bang for your buck.

Artist’s Description: This 7 panel metal wall sculpture by artist Ash Carl will mesmerize you and your guests! The handsanded finish on the metal creates a unique 3 dimensional effect. As you pass by, the artwork seemingly moves by reflecting any light in the room. Lighting brings out amazing movement and texture in each panel! paint is applies to protect the metal and it features an amazing array of colors and detail. These pieces cannot be justified by pictures. The reflections that are hand carved into each piece can only show there best qualities in person.If you are looking for other color combinations, check out the other 80 designs of painted metal wall art by Ash Carl. Ash’s artwork is collected by thousands worldwide and is MADE IN THE USA!

Appearance Emptiness

Appearance Emptiness II by Sukhi Barber.

Zebra Pattern

The elements of this piece reminds me of the Hair Salon we saw in Speightstown.