Category Archives: artist

snowflake.

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2500 hours across 5 years – “The Snowflake,”

featuring more than 400 snowflakes, all in relative size to one another.

photography by *don komarechka

*Don Komarechka is a nature & landscape photographer located in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Don is no stranger to cold winters. From auroras to pollen, insects to infrared, much of Don’s photographic adventures reveal a deeper understanding of how the universe works. Snowflakes are no exception.

Don began studying the science of snowflakes the same day he first photographed them, nearly four years prior to the publication of this book. Since then, snowflakes have been a non-stop passion.

Each one of Don’s snowflake images is photographed on an old black mitten at his home. Barrie, Ontario is known for higher levels of winter precipitation, making it a great location to capture hundreds of beautiful specimens.

Always science-minded but never formally trained, Don uses photography as a way to explore and understand the world around him. Photographing something unusual or unknown is the perfect excuse to learn something new.

“nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.”
-henry david thoreau

from the garden to the heart.

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using locally foraged plants, artist kayla powers
taught us to make our own botanical watercolor paints
not a quick process
with many steps along the way
what an incredible experience
from the garden and the forest, to the art, to the heart.
  —
“use your own paint; colour your world”
― israelmore ayivor, author

stuck.

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the kinder are learning about the magical powers of glue.

 

coffee art.

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on international coffee day

Meet the Italian Artist who creates Incredible Works of Art From Spilled Coffee

Italians are known for their love of coffee, but while most enjoy espresso for its taste, artist  Giulia Bernardell appreciates it for its creative potential. She turns spilled coffee into works of art that look like detailed watercolor paintings.

Many of us start our day with a cup of joe, but Bernardelli indulges in a dose of inspiration, too. Her bio reads, “My future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I find something creative to do with my life.” Bernardelli’s journey to creating coffee art began by chance. One day, the artist accidentally spilled coffee over her canvas as she was working. But rather than clean it up, Bernardelli grabbed a spoon and used it to guide the brown liquid around the white space.

Today, Bernardelli continues to use spoons in lieu of a paint brush, but she also uses matchsticks to achieve intricate details. From architectural sketches to studies of the human face, Bernardelli takes inspiration from everywhere. She even recreates Italian Renaissance masterpieces in her coffee art style. She’s “painted” the  Mona Lisa and The Creation of Adam,  using spilled coffee as pigment.

Since making a name for herself as a respected “coffee artist,” Bernardelli has branched out into new, edible mediums. She also creates art from melted ice cream, fruit, vegetables, and much more.

“coffee is the best thing to douse the sunrise with.”

-terri guillemets

 

art credit: spilled coffee art, guilia bernadelli

source credit: mymet, emma taggart

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Giulia Bernardelli

 

 

 

 

 

brie.

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my very creative and talented niece

just on the cusp of teenager-hood

presented me

with this lovely fairy

 made on her way to come for a visit

with plaited hair

a hand-painted face

and fashion-forward attire

 she was such a joyful surprise

due to her acorn cap beret and sense of style

i’ve decided to give my new fairy the french name of ‘brie.’

“the world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.”

-neil gaiman

kinder-kat.

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What better place to learn your ABC’s and 123’s than inside of a giant building shaped like a cat?

The kids who attend Kindergarten in Karlsruhe, Germany, do so in a giant feline.

Constructed in 2011 and designed by artist, Tomi Ungerer and architect, Ayla Suzan Yöndel, the whimsical kindergarten is in a big white cat building that includes a door for a mouth below a whisker-lined nose, windows for eyes, and a classroom in its belly. For added fun, kids can even ride down its tail that doubles as a slide.

In terms of architecture that inspires a playful imagination, the Kindergarten Wolfartsweier is remarkable for its embrace of an alternative, animalistic design for what a school can be.

“design is where science and art break even.”

-robin mathew(s)

 

source credits: Atlas Obscura, My Modern Met, Milk magazine, inthralled.com,

 

 

leon loft.

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what a lovely experience – attending a taping of singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian performing at *The Leon Loft, featuring soulful songs from his new album Love You Anyway , a bit of Marvin Gaye, and some of his other favorite originals, all while chatting with  local radio’s Rob Reinhart in between songs. a portion of the session aired live on ann arbor’s 107one and will air later, in its entirety, on Rob’s Acoustic Café show. this was an intimate setting, 75 seats, perfect acoustics, all close to the stage, tickets won on-air or by invite only, an eclectic mix of music lovers. meeting up outside, then moving in to share this space and time on a weekday afternoon.

“art is how we decorate space; music is how we decorate time.”

-jean-michel basquiat

*At Leon, we mix art with audio, design with technology, and business with bohemia. We’re a group of artists, designers, engineers, and craftsmen who are dedicated to producing the finest quality bench made American audio. For over 20 years, we’ve been meticulously handcrafting a full palette of custom speakers and technology concealment solutions that bring sound + style to any space. Leon products are available world-wide, exclusively at high-end audio/video retailers. And because music is our first love, we have a dedicated performance space, the Leon Loft, at our headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In this intimate, live performance venue, we’ve had the privilege of welcoming some of today’s biggest recording artists for a live recording of Acoustic Cafe with Rob Reinhart. For more information about the Leon Loft, visit leonloft.com

meraki.

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painted rocks left on a tree stump in our courtyard

our science teacher

retiring after many years

has lovingly hand painted

180-ish unique and detailed rocks

one for each of the children in our early childhood  program

all having to do with science, nature, kindness, joy

our children were absolutely thrilled

with this lovely legacy.

meraki is doing something with total love, and pure soul.

it is leaving a little piece of yourself in your creative work.

(greek origin)

 

 

new.

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when you combine things together in a different way:

magna tiles, fresh flowers, a light table, and wonder

you can’t help but create beautiful art that is new, even to you.

 

“art must take reality by surprise”

  • – francoise sagan

sailing off.

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mac does its part with loose parts: an earth day art show

the children have been learning for weeks

about recycling, reusing, and repurposing

many kinds of materials

in honor of tomorrow’s holiday (earth day)

 using the voice of art as expression

each child created an original sculpture

repurposing used items

finding new beauty in these discarded things 

putting them together in new ways

 inviting their families 

to their ‘gallery opening’

each child filled with pride in their work

and a realization that they are artists. 

“art is a form of exploration, of sailing off into the unknown alone, heading for those unmarked places on the map. if children are not permitted-not taught-to be adventurers and explorers as children, what will become of the world of adventure, of stories, of literature itself?

– michael chabon