(from a nice collection of German graphic art, found here)

London, UK

Mark Powell is an artist who draws with Biro pens (ballpoints) on old envelopes and such… he hails from Leeds and he often runs into the sea. That’s about all I know about him—other than that I really like his illustrative technique. See more of his Biro-portraits here.

(Thanks to Zelda Harrison for the link).

Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia

Nikita Nomerz is a graffiti and street artist who brings derelict buildings to life with his whimsical characters.

(source)

Moorside (Consett), UK

Tommy Craggs carves naturally-fallen trees using a chain saw. Imagine walking along a familiar path in the woods and the pleasure one might experience chancing upon a “dead” stump freshly transformed into a sculptural affirmation of life…

See more of his painstaking work here. Thanks to colleague Maggie MacNab for the link.

Budapest, Hungary

Frustro is a display typeface designed by Martzi Hegedűs based on the Penrose triangle, an impossible object.

Thanks to Bob Roach for the link.

Bangkok, Thailand

‘koh’ is a modular seating system designed for use in public areas such as lobbies, pools, spas, and courtyards. Capable of being customized in material and colour, and either movable or fixed, the sofas encourage dynamic interaction among visitors while offering organizations a flexible way to furnish various spaces. The word ‘koh’ in Thai means ‘island’… reflecting the way that the seating scheme appears as an archipelago when seen from above.

Conceived by Israeli designer Eyal Soodai (sooda-e studio), ‘koh’ is the winning design in the category of ‘hotel and hospitality’ for the TIFF 2012 Award, whose theme ‘inside outside’ celebrates designs in which aesthetics and the environment share an equal role. The competition included participation by 3025 designers from 87 different countries, and was organized by designboom in collaboration with the Thailand Department of Export Promotion (DEP), the Ministry of Commerce, Royal Thai Government, and TIFF — the Thailand International Furniture Fair.

Source: designboom

Manitoba, Canada

Spring arrived here with an uncharacteristic “bang” and “chirping” during the night, with the first rains and (freakishly-early) first thunderstorm—accompanied by the first frog songs of the year.

Best wishes to colleagues near and far on this vernal equinox (a day earlier than usual on the calendar, by dent of 2012 being a leap-year)… in particular to all my Persian, Kurdish, Turkish, and Zoroastrian friends; and Happy New Year to colleagues and acquaintances throughout the Indian sub-continent!

Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak!  نوروزتون مبارک

Painting: Return of Spring by William Adolphe Bouguereau, 1886.

San Francisco, USA

My friend David Peters (no relation) is involved in orchestrating an open online call for posters to support Occupy: What’s Next? The invitation is to “reach out to the world with an idea for positive change.”

The submission deadline is 30 April 2012. Read more about the call for posters, jury process, guidelines, etc. here.

Tel Aviv, Israel

Last night, an Israeli couple—two graphic designers named Ronnie Edri and Michal Tamir—decided to cut across the growing anxiety and fear over the possibility of an Israel-Iran war, and to address Iranian citizens directly. They created a slogan that people could impose over their Facebook profile picture (or any picture).

The reciprocal response online to the message of love and understanding from Iranians was almost immediate, and the social media-sphere is rapidly spreading this positive meme around the world… read more here.

Perhaps you’ll consider sharing in or spreading this movement yourself? Methinks it’s high time that the voice of common, peace-loving people be heard above the cacophony of manipulative leaders, their opportunistic backers, and the saber-rattling of mainstream-media.

Bravo to Ronnie and Michal!

—Rudolf Nureyev