Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba
We’ve been busy the past few days preparing for the second round of this summer’s 7th Wave Artists’ Studio Tour, which culminates on this Labour Day weekend (Saturday and Sunday) when “the public is invited to tour the studios and participating artists of the Interlake… essentially a self-guided tour enabling visitors to speak with the artists and view their work in very picturesque locations.” Ev’s one of the participating artists who will be flying a distinctive blue-and-white Wave flag outside her studio in Winnipeg Beach.
“North of Winnipeg, take the scenic route through cottage country along Lake Winnipeg’s western shore, experience the vastness of Netley Creek and Oak Hammock Marshes, leave the beaten path for charming country lanes, and take a trip inland to Stonewall. Cover the whole tour in a round trip loop, or make it a day or a weekend adventure. Great restaurants, picnic sites, sandy beaches, a refreshing dip, inspiring historic sites, first class accommodations, and of course, an art experience close up and personal!”
Images: three of the 25 “What?” greeting-card designs that will debut at Evelin Richter’s studio on the weekend (ranging from nonsensical and cheeky to puzzlingly contemplative…).
(from SwissMiss; thanks Adrian)
“In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it. Using the original interview recording as the soundtrack, director Josh Raskin has woven a visual narrative which tenderly romances Lennon’s every word in a cascading flood of multipronged animation. Raskin marries the terrifyingly genius pen work of James Braithwaite with masterful digital illustration by Alex Kurina, resulting in a spell-binding vessel for Lennon’s boundless wit, and timeless message.”
Enjoy the moment… here and get the back-story here.
Beijing, China
Check out Ethan Persoff’s GALLERY OF 35 ANTI-U.S. CHINESE POLITICAL CARTOONS (circa 1958-1960). “Culled and restored from reviewing hundreds of Eastern newspaper pages and illustrations, this set of 35 images represents what we consider the best late 50s editorial cartoons (Manhua) from China and Indochina. Set during a time of escalating western imperialism, these images react against U.S. military actions in Laos and Vietnam, and represent a unique moment of political commentary. It seems to be a hidden history, too.” Most of these comics have never before been re-published, and even fewer have ever been exhibited or documented… a real find for fans of period propaganda art.
Los Angeles, California (amidst the malaise)
If you liked Married to the Sea, there’s a good chance you’ll get a kick out of Wondermark.com… (thanks Ian McCausland).
Columbus, Ohio (USA)
Odd, quirky, ironic, and worth a look (if you like rhetoric)… here.
Bowen Island, British Columbia
I heard from the amazing Marian today (in her disarmingly direct way) about a project no one is likely to see unless they are a subscriber to Creative Review—this issue’s accompanying “Monograph” features 14 new works of illustrated text in a series she calls “‘Love Stories,’ because each one was an illustrated text of the story of someone I love.”
Those who know and admire Marian will appreciate her quirky sense of humour and the inimitable intimacy (unapologetic, and often startling in its directness) with which her work is imbued—those who don’t will be drawn in by the originality and obsessive, painstaking nature of her exquisitely expressive typographic renderings. Thanks for sharing, Marian—as your “Love Stories” once again reveal, you continue to be a creative powerhouse, and a real Mensch! See more (and larger) works from this series on Marian’s website, here.
Image captions (from top): “Gillian Muir, my best friend (watercolour); My dentist (watercolour & ink); Rod Bantjes, my brother (acrylic paint).”
The human brain can and does (re)construct internal 3-dimensional worlds modeled on flat retinal images…
From Michael Bach’s ‘Optische Täuschung’ (Visual Illusions): “The upper contraption consists of the so-called “devil’s fork” (top right, also known as “blivet”), the “Penrose Frame” (centre) and the “hexnut” (3 of them at bottom left, an enlarged specimen at bottom right)—mind-boggling to envisage building such an object.”
M. C. Escher’s 1960 lithograph “Ascending and Descending” based on the Penrose stairs.
Melbourne, Australia
Spark was recently commissioned by Australia Post to develop a series of stamps utilizing landmark modernist architecture. Their successful design depicts the buildings in their purist form, expressing each as a sculptural piece and focusing on the play of light, shade, and form.
To learn more about Australian graphic design, you can access a PDF of the feature article “Design down under…” that I wrote for Communication Arts magazine last year here.
London, U.K.
Furniture designer William Warren has come up with a practical set of solid plywood shelves that… when your time arrives, can be taken apart and reassembled as a coffin. As Warren explains: “We’re all going to die and we will need a coffin in the future, so why not make your coffin from something you’ve owned and loved for years and save your bereaved family having to choose one (and pay for one) at an already difficult time?” Why not indeed.
The Shelves for Life retail for £350. (seen in a back-issue of Wallpaper)
London, U.K.
Banksy, the mysterious guerrilla artist famed for his lightning graffiti art attacks, is a 34-year-old former public schoolboy called Robin Gunningham, the British newspaper Mail on Sunday claims… to be determined: how this may affect the man’s remarkable work. I’ve long admired his satirical take on politics, culture, and contemporary ethics… and I’ve posted re: Banksy before, here and here.
