New Media Monday : Latte Art

Trying to find art in the everyday brings me to the art medium of espresso and steamed milk; latte art. This may not qualify as art with a capital 'A' in most books, but it's Monday - who couldn't benefit from a cup o' joe?

Click photos for links to several flickr sets devoted to this specialty.

Zeng Hao Paintings

12:00 pm, 11 June 2005
Zeng Hao
200 × 240cm
Oil on canvas
2005

6:00pm, 27 June, 2006
Zeng Hao
250x250cm (200x200cm)
Acrylic board & multimedia
2006

Found Friday on a Sunday

"Little Jokes" by Brad Troemel

Two images by Brad Troemel from his "Little Jokes" project.

Abstract Aerial Photos

The contrast is blown out a little, but it enhances the brush-strokes of snow. These were taken this morning just east of Denver where they still have some snow from a few days ago. It looks like caligraphy or gesso. Images copyright Nathan Abels, 2007.

Alex Paik - Nintendo Paintings

Alex Paik, "Super Mario Bros. 2 (Sunshowers)"
acrylic on canvas
60 x 60 inches
2006

Alex Paik, "Super Mario Bros. 2 (Mountain of Sound)"
acrylic on canvas
60 x 60 inches
2007

See also:
Amy Chan: Works on Paper, and my New Media Monday: Nintendo feature

David Fried Rainscapes

David Fried, "Rainscapes" Installation View, 2003

David Fried, Rainscape No.45, 2005, archival c-print, diasec, aluminum, 86 x 115 cm

David Fried, Rainscape No.41, 2005, archival c-print, diasec, aluminum, 86 x 115 cm.

David Fried, Rainscape No.1, 2003, archival c-print on aluminum, 125 x 256 cm

Rainscape No.1, 2003, archival c-print on diasec, aluminum, 125 x 256 cm. (Detail View)

Normally I try to keep the images on each post limited to two or three images, but these were just too beautiful and appropriate for a spring day like today. These are actual large-format photos of falling rain. These have a lot of painterly qualities as well, and I must say - these are inspiring pieces.

Vija Celmins Star Field III 1983Graphite on acrylic ground on paper 53.5 x 68.5 cm

These photographs also remind me of the starfields that are often subjects of the paintings and drawings of one of my favorite artists; Vija Celmins.

New Media Monday : Rubik's Cubes

RUBIK KUBRICK-POW POSTER MATRIX -
2006RUBIK'S CUBES ON BOARD 60 x 88 x 5,5 cm

"RUBIK FLORENCE REY "
2005, RUBIK'S CUBES ON BOARD 96 x 72 x 5,5 cm


The artist "Space-Invader" has made some recent mosaics using Rubik's cubes. Via coolhunting

Review/Write-Up in Savannah Morning News

Allison Hersh wrote a nice article about my exhibition at 2 Car Garage Gallery with Hannah Jones. You can read it here. Above is an example of one of the night paintings she referenced.

Meteors

In other news, last night while on the rooftop of a club in Boulder, we witnessed a large meteor. Everyone on the rooftop was taken back. Boulder is located a the base of the flat-irons/mountains so we were able to see the meteor disappear into the blackness. It was extremely bright with a huge green glow - so much so that many of us thought it may have been a firework. We concluded that the trajectory was too far off to be a firework (there was no arch either), and came home to find out that this weekend marks the Lyrid Meteor Shower.

According to SkyTonight.com; "The Lyrid meteor shower comes to maximum during the predawn hours of the 23rd. The waxing 6-day-old crescent Moon will be a distraction until it sets soon after 2 a.m., when the Lyrid radiant (near the Hercules-Lyra border, a few degrees southwest of Vega) will be about halfway up the eastern sky. Although the meteor count should increase as the radiant rises, expect only modest activity. Even under a relatively dark sky, an attentive observer can expect a dozen or so Lyrids per hour." It was really quite amazing to see. It was similar to the photo above, but clearer with no background at all - just mountain darkness.

The Animal/Botanical Morphs of Amy Ross

Amy Ross, "Cow Birch", Watercolor and Graphite on Paper

Amy Ross, "Goat Magnolia", Watercolor and Graphite on Paper

Amy Ross, "Cow Birch", Watercolor and Graphite on Paper

for related work see: The Bird Girls of Amy Alice Thompson, and Theresa Sapergia "Marksmanship" Drawings

Found Friday

Leo Linehan Sculpture

Leo Linehan, "Reflection to Soul", Cast of Floor, Trolley and Other Parts of the Room, 2003

(detail)

(detail)

See also: a post on cast multiples and the work of Yoshitomo Saito and Chris Faller

Shelley Hoyt's Landscapes

Shelley Hoyt, "Greenwood Common I"
Shelley Hoyt, "View from Euclid Ave 11", 2001, Oil on panel 15 x 25 inches

I guess its no surprise that I like these paintings. The other work I found of hers online (click images or links) is foggier, but I really enjoy these two.

Tom McGrath Paintings

From a current exhibition at Cherry and Martin Gallery
via Fette's Flog

New Media Monday : Projection

Amazing "Laser Tag" - c/o the Graffiti Research Lab - watch the video to get the full effect:

Jenny Holzer's word projections in London

"At night projections from moving cars are shone on the buildings downtown. Each car projects a video of a wild animal. The animal’s movements are programmed to correspond to the speed of the car: as the car moves, the animal runs along it speeding up and slowing down with the car, as the car stops, the animal stops also. " created by Karolina Sobecka from her Wildlife Project - go to the website and watch the video - it's pretty amazing.

other resources:
Urban Projections
Wooster Collective

And now big-budget movies are getting in on the action; like this projection in Brazil for TMNT:

New Painting!

Nathan Abels, "Potential", acrylic on panel, 36"x60"



(detail)

Here is my latest large format painting finished 30 minutes ago. All images copyright Nathan Abels, 2007.

Great New Aerial Photographs from This Weekend

This is just a sampling of the many photos I took yesterday. I went to Farmington, NM twice (morning and afternoon), and around Denver in between. Click on any photo to link to my flickr site set of aerial photography.

Storage facility in Denver

Snow in the Mountains

The wing of our plane looking at Pike's Peak - 14,100 ft elevation - so high that we flew beside/below it

A close up/aerial shot of Great Sand Dunes National Park

Farming fields in San Luis Valley, Co just before the Great Sand Dunes

The Bird Girls of Amy Alice Thompson

Amy Alice Thompson, "White Moths" (Bird Girls)

Amy Alice Thompson, "Gretel" (Bird Girls)

Amy Alice Thompson, "Golden Egg" (Bird Girls)

5 Albums for Rainy/Overcast Spring Days

I have "music, and inspiration" under the heading of the blog but I haven't posted anything about music yet. Given the current weather conditions, I'll highlight some great albums to listen to on a overcast or rainy day.

Slowreader "Slowreader" - this self-titled album by former members of the Impossibles is one of my all-time favorite cds. Recommended for fans of Elliot Smith, Beck's "Mutations" album (if there were more piano than guitar), and a hint of Simon and Garfunkel, this album is perfect for a quiet day.


Blonde Redhead "Misery is a Butterfly" - sophisticated and symphonic with beautiful vocals by Kazu Makino - they were recently featured in Domino Magazine for their interior design style which compliments their sound very well.


The Radio Dept. "Pet Grief" - melancholy guitars, soft digital drums, and what one reviewer on amazon described as "electronic warmth". Well put.


The second half of this short ep which includes "Monterey (Lounge Version)" and "Droned (In Love Version)" is very quiet and spacy. I prefer shoegazer/hazy music for hazy days.


Starflyer 59 "Fell in Love at 22" ep - a short, blurry, soft album with a 14 minute instrumental epic "Traffic Jam" that I've played over and over again. I would recommend most Starflyer 59 albums, but these brief eps are right on the mark for a day like today.