Celestial Feats of the Night Sky

Jez Burrows
Edinburgh, Scotland

Celestial Feats, Jez Burrows, 2008 limited edition Gocco four color print
photo permission: Jez Burrows

Jez Burrows is a 23-year-old designer and illustrator originally from south Devon, U.K. now living and working in an Edinburgh, Scotland. 

I own this delightful print. I bought it from Tiny Show Case, see their website here.

See more of Jez's work on his website here.

And his sweet blog, Wood,  here.
And his thrilling small independent press, Sing Statistics, here. 
Jez is a regular contributor to arts blog, It's Nice That,  here.
I like what this dude does.


Happy New Year, Dear Readers!

Portal to Self-Inquiry: Resolutions

Chris Jordon

Seattle, WA, USA

Gyre, 2009
8x11 feet, in three vertical panels

Depicts 2.4 million pieces of plastic, equal to the estimated number of pounds of plastic pollution that enter the world's oceans every hour. All of the plastic in this image was collected from the Pacific Ocean.

Detail

Viewed up close

all photos: Chris Jordon

Chris Jordon's photography helps me to focus on the changes I wish to make in my own life while being mindful of my place on planet earth. 

Chris says, "I have heard it said that in risking self-awareness, at least we know that we are awake."

See read more and see more on his site here.

Frozen Water Chapel

Ice Chapel
Jukkasjarvi, Sweden

This image is apropos of how I feel today as our family mourns the passing of a deeply loved family member. We will deeply miss a man of great love and warmth and life. 
The ice in this Chapel was created from the frozen water of the River Torne in Sweden. 

Happiness

via Blint

Legacy. Tradition. Family.

Barbara Kohl Spiro

Twins I

Mixed media

29 1/2" x 25 1/2"

"Mainly About Love, Twins"

mixed media on handmade paper

26" x 24"

"Mainly About Love II"

mixed media on handmade paper

45" x 25"

One of my very favorite artists. I treasure her work and have seen it at SOFA Chicago. 
See more of her works on paper here. 

Sending warm thoughts for a Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Fresh from the Oven

photos C. Mauersberger, 12/24/09

Mini Gingerbread House to perch on the edge of your cup of warm. Made these today  for family  with my good friend, Christy and her mom, Lynne, and her daughter Audrey. See inspiration/recipe here.

What's Your Favorite Christmas Color?

Christmas by Colour asked it's readers to submit their own Christmas Colors and assigned personal meaning to them. 
They hand-picked the best from 1000's of entries.
I like this idea. They're selling posters, cards, stickers and wrapping paper. 
See more here.

Reflecting Pools of Our Time

Edward Burtynsky
b. St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada

Densified Scrap Metal No. 3a,
Hamilton, Ontario 1997

Oxford Tire Pile #9a
Westley, California, USA, 1999

Tailings # 1,
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, 2007

Nature transformed by Industry.

Burtynsky finds images of  places in which we each take part in the making. 

Recycling yards, mines, tailings, railcuts, quarries, ships, and oil fields throughout the world. 

These photographs are reminders that we require the use of natural materials from planet earth while being concerned about the future health of our planet.

These beautiful images are unsettling. 

See his website here.
In 2006, he made an award-winning documentary film, Manufactured Landscapes, see here.

Compressed Chaos

Michael Johansson

Sweden

Green Piece, 2009

Green garden equipment

0.6 x 0.6 x0.6 meters

Monochrome Anachron, 2008

Brown furniture, brown objects, glass objects

1 x 1.8 x 1.3 meters

Rubik’s Kitchen, 2007

Kitchen table, kitchen equipment

 1.1 x 0.7 x 0.8 meters

Michael Johansson's sculptures are an attempt to make sense out of the chaos of collecting things. 

See more on his website here.

Looking for Small Miracles in Objects

Anu Tuominen
Helsinki, Finland

Her website here.

Read more about her here.