It's back to school time, which for many means a new way to reinvent yourself. Forget the usual mass-produced attire, teachers gifts and run of the mill home decorating solutions. Indie art, nerdy gifts and cool dorm decor will provide a better outlet for personal expression.
For the dorm, one might need a new shower curtain. Whether you're a math major or not, this cool shower curtain featuring 2000 digits of the Pi value is a fun way to dress up the bathroom. Kind of minimalist really, but also a little nerdy:
You might be more of the survivalist or prepper and prefer to turn your shower into a bomb shelter:
Expressive tee shirts are always a sure bet for expressing yourself. To find the most unique t-shirts, consider shopping at any of the following sites, where some of your dollars spent go to indie artists:
http://www.gurugoods.com A variety of designs from the irreverent to academic to political
http://www.cafepress.com/omshanti1 Yoga, buddhist and positive thinking
http://www.cafepress.com/antiquitees Vintage, pin-up, nerdy and classic art tee shirts
These are just a few of the many places one can find fun tee shirts on the web. At any rate, the uniquely self-expressive is easy to find in this great big artsy world on the internet.
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Fractals, Lichtenberg Figures and Visionary Art
Can the forces of nature be captured and made into an art form? Take lightning, for example. It can be argued that lightning is art. Many of nature's own templates follow the same forms found in lightning. In fact, every living being is, in a sense, lightning in a bottle. It fascinates me that these forms, known as Lichtenberg figures, are inherent to and happen every second in nature. Before I get too esoteric here, let me show you. Take our anatomical layout for instance. The respiratory system, the lungs in particular; the vascular system; trees and plants; river tributaries and most anything that grows takes a fractal path.
If you haven't been able to tell already, this natural synchronicity excites me. It all began when, as a child, I found a rock that appeared to have a black tree etched into it. What I later found out was that this was a Lichtenberg figure, an etching made by lightning. How I wish I still had that rock. What a find! It is one of the things that set my artsy planet spinning.
Though the Lichtenberg figure seems to have its own category with its more "tree-like" form, it really falls under the larger category of fractals. Fractals can take many paths and like Lichtenberg figures are found throughout nature. This is evident in crystal growth, like snowflakes and geodes and even the most minutia of specimens as viewed through the electron microscope.
Fractals and Lichtenberg figures inspire me because they are seemingly spontaneous, yet they follow an underlying rule of order. This blend of order and chaos ignites all sorts of image-making potential and often inspires visionary art such as that of the artist, Olivia Curry. Visit her website www.DreamNectar.com for more of these beautiful images.
Fractals in general, whether formed through lightning, other forces of nature, or science crafted into art, evoke awe and inspiration. Here are just a few more examples:
Nerds like me would love to own one of these: electron charges, lightning, literally captured in glass.
From the Etsy Shop, Element 83, named after chemical 83 (Bismuth) on the periodic chart, comes beautiful Bismuth crystals that make stunning jewelry pieces or sculptures for the home.
The Lung
The Tree
The Amazon River
If you haven't been able to tell already, this natural synchronicity excites me. It all began when, as a child, I found a rock that appeared to have a black tree etched into it. What I later found out was that this was a Lichtenberg figure, an etching made by lightning. How I wish I still had that rock. What a find! It is one of the things that set my artsy planet spinning.
Though the Lichtenberg figure seems to have its own category with its more "tree-like" form, it really falls under the larger category of fractals. Fractals can take many paths and like Lichtenberg figures are found throughout nature. This is evident in crystal growth, like snowflakes and geodes and even the most minutia of specimens as viewed through the electron microscope.
Fractals and Lichtenberg figures inspire me because they are seemingly spontaneous, yet they follow an underlying rule of order. This blend of order and chaos ignites all sorts of image-making potential and often inspires visionary art such as that of the artist, Olivia Curry. Visit her website www.DreamNectar.com for more of these beautiful images.
Olivia Curry
Olivia Curry
Fractals in general, whether formed through lightning, other forces of nature, or science crafted into art, evoke awe and inspiration. Here are just a few more examples:
Nerds like me would love to own one of these: electron charges, lightning, literally captured in glass.
Available from Stoneridge Engineering
From the Etsy Shop, Element 83, named after chemical 83 (Bismuth) on the periodic chart, comes beautiful Bismuth crystals that make stunning jewelry pieces or sculptures for the home.
$349.95
$24.95
Oh, what our artsy planet creates!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Design Your Own Fabric and Homegoods and Send the Artsy World Spinning!
With the latest advances in technology, the artsy planet has carried us into a whole new galaxy of creative possibilities. There's no limit to what one can design with little more than a few clicks of a button at one of many different print-on-demand websites. You can design anything from iPhone cases to pillow cases to fabric you can then use to sew into other creative wonders.
If you're an artist, you'll have an edge when designing at these websites and you may even be able to generate some additional income for yourself. Even if you aren't an artist, with a good eye for aesthetics and an image manipulating program such as PhotoShop Elements or Illustrator, you can create designs to be imprinted on tee shirts, gifts or create material that can be used in your next handmade sewing project.
Here are just a few of the many websites where you can do this.
Cafepress:
Always adding new items to their products, Cafepress offers tee-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, the usual line-up at most print-on-demand websites. But they also have some extraordinary products such as Gaiam yoga mats, pillow cases and duvet covers, shower curtains and stadium blankets. One can have a ball decorating their home with coordinated designs you create yourself. Take a look at this home decor set!
Zazzle:
Zazzle has some pizzazzle in that they offer Keds sneakers, skateboards, and now teapots too! The fun you can have at zazzle is endless. A favorite of mine is a coffee mugs that's made of thermally sensitive material. Your design disappears when cold. Your designed image suddenly appears on a plain white mug when filled with hot liquid. These Morphing Shakespeare mugs feature a Shakepeare quote on one side and an image of Shakepeare on the other when filled with hot tea or coffee.
Another fun item is the neck tie you can design, or choose from those designed by others. You'll never be at a loss for unusual ties to lighten up that serious business suit with ties like this one, a field of waves populated by rubber duckies:
Imagekind:
Here you can upload high resolution images of your artwork for reproduction. The cool thing about imagekind is that art can be matted and framed and previewed with their virtual tool. You know how hard it is to pick out and visualize those mats and frames at the frame shop? Here you can see it before you buy. Fun!
Society6:
You'll never be at a loss for the coolest iPhone cover ever again, because at Society6 you can design your own. You can pick other's designs or create your own. I think it's more fun to create your own. It kind of makes the fact that you are one of a billion people to own an iPhone seem just a bit more unique.
Here's my latest design on Society6...my Quan Yin painting on an iPhone. Whoever thought I'd float her from her 4 foot canvas onto such a high-tech little gadget? But I did and I like it.
Spoonflower:
This is the go to spot for crafters and quilters. Here you can find fabrics with just about any theme and if you can't find it, you can design it yourself. Everything from mid-century to cutesy to downright bizarre is at your fingertips. I especially like the designs created by the fabric designer Leah VanLutz.
So if that's not enough to get our artsy planet spinning, here are a few other sites worth a look.
http://www.threadless.com
http://www.spreadshirt.com
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com
http://www.printfection.com
http://www.skreened.com
http://www.designbyhumans.com
If you're an artist, you'll have an edge when designing at these websites and you may even be able to generate some additional income for yourself. Even if you aren't an artist, with a good eye for aesthetics and an image manipulating program such as PhotoShop Elements or Illustrator, you can create designs to be imprinted on tee shirts, gifts or create material that can be used in your next handmade sewing project.
Here are just a few of the many websites where you can do this.
Cafepress:
Always adding new items to their products, Cafepress offers tee-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, the usual line-up at most print-on-demand websites. But they also have some extraordinary products such as Gaiam yoga mats, pillow cases and duvet covers, shower curtains and stadium blankets. One can have a ball decorating their home with coordinated designs you create yourself. Take a look at this home decor set!
Indian Woodcut Peacock Queen Duvet
Indian Woodcut Peacock Matching Pillow Case
Indian Woodcut Peacock Matching Shower Curtain
Zazzle:
Zazzle has some pizzazzle in that they offer Keds sneakers, skateboards, and now teapots too! The fun you can have at zazzle is endless. A favorite of mine is a coffee mugs that's made of thermally sensitive material. Your design disappears when cold. Your designed image suddenly appears on a plain white mug when filled with hot liquid. These Morphing Shakespeare mugs feature a Shakepeare quote on one side and an image of Shakepeare on the other when filled with hot tea or coffee.
Another fun item is the neck tie you can design, or choose from those designed by others. You'll never be at a loss for unusual ties to lighten up that serious business suit with ties like this one, a field of waves populated by rubber duckies:
Imagekind:
Here you can upload high resolution images of your artwork for reproduction. The cool thing about imagekind is that art can be matted and framed and previewed with their virtual tool. You know how hard it is to pick out and visualize those mats and frames at the frame shop? Here you can see it before you buy. Fun!
Society6:
You'll never be at a loss for the coolest iPhone cover ever again, because at Society6 you can design your own. You can pick other's designs or create your own. I think it's more fun to create your own. It kind of makes the fact that you are one of a billion people to own an iPhone seem just a bit more unique.
Here's my latest design on Society6...my Quan Yin painting on an iPhone. Whoever thought I'd float her from her 4 foot canvas onto such a high-tech little gadget? But I did and I like it.
Spoonflower:
This is the go to spot for crafters and quilters. Here you can find fabrics with just about any theme and if you can't find it, you can design it yourself. Everything from mid-century to cutesy to downright bizarre is at your fingertips. I especially like the designs created by the fabric designer Leah VanLutz.
So if that's not enough to get our artsy planet spinning, here are a few other sites worth a look.
http://www.threadless.com
http://www.spreadshirt.com
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com
http://www.printfection.com
http://www.skreened.com
http://www.designbyhumans.com
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