I am absolutely in love with %100 wool felt boots, valenki. Traditional Russian footwear. A great alternative to Uggs.

December 30, 2010

Above: From series titled “Deserted States of America”

December 23, 2010

Moths and butterflies illustrations by Eugene Seguy

December 22, 2010

Steven Siegel is a New York based artist noted for creating large boulders/sculptures from recycled and found materials - newspapers, branches, tree trunks, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles.

“Siegel’s first attempt with newspaper structures was for the Snug Harbor Sculpture Festival on Staten Island, New York. He noticed that the largest landfill in the United States was located on Staten Island. At the Fresh Kills Landfill, garbage is buried under mounds of earth. Newspapers will remain intact and readable for long periods of time. Here, Siegel thought that humans were creating a “new geology” with the human waste being buried under mounds of earth. Thus, his first attempts in this kind of sculpture were titled “New Geology #1” and “New Geology #2,” both were constructed in 1990. Since the sculpture has been allowed to be overgrown with vegetation, “New Geology #2” remains intact and the newsprint is still able to be read.” - wiki

December 19, 2010

“Vladimir” or “Pallet Mirror” by Karl Zahn is made using two partially destroyed shipping pallets. “The scars on the lumber tell a story of its travels. While the form is reminiscent of old victorian french mirrors, its origin is far from gold leaf” -Karl Zahn

December 17, 2010

The CitiCar was a small electric vehicle, first produced in United States in 1974 by a company Sebring-Vanguard partly in response to the mid-1970s fuel crisis. The CitiCar was a tiny golf cart sized car that could go at a top speed of about 39 mile per hour.  At about 4,300 C-Car variants produced, it still holds the record for most road-legal electric cars made in automobile history.

Photographs by Rob Hann. From “The Plant that Ate The South” project.

“Anyone familiar with the American South will know that throughout the summer months large parts of the countryside are swathed in a green leafy plant that will cover anything in its path. It smothers abandoned buildings and drapes over trees, large and small, giving the landscape a magical, dreamlike quality.” - Rob Hann

Kudzu is a plant native to Souther Japan.  Kudzu was introduced from Japan into the United States in 1876 and is now common throughout most of the southeastern United States. Kudzu has been spreading at the rate of 150,000 acres annually and is considered invasive species.

http://www.robhann.com/project-kudzu.htm

December 16, 2010

Parquet Table by Bouf. Easy shipping and assembly. Good design but also great do-it-yourself idea…...

December 15, 2010

Above slogan was hung between two treetops in the countryside, 1978. It reads: “I do not complain about anything and I almost like it here, although I have never been here before and know nothing about this place”

Collective Actions is an art-group founded in early 70’s in Russia that was part of Moscow Conceptualist Movement.  Collective Actions is responsible for series of art performances and installations in forests and suburban parks outside of Moscow.  They call their happenings “Trips Out of Town”(«поездки за город»)

Above photo was taken by Collective Actions not far from the “Slogan” installation.

Above: Twelve canvas paintings by N.Alekseev were sewn together into one single piece, installed in the shape of a tent and left in the forest. 1976.

Above slogan installed and left in the forest: “I waited for you at the appointed time and left. You know the road yourself. Come, if you want to see me.”

December 14, 2010

I was happy to find this online snowflake library: The Bentley Collection  Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Thousands of snow crystals available for view online for free:

December 11, 2010

Moss terrariums are fun and easy to create and maintain.  Decorate your moss terrariums with precious stones and twigs you find.  Above are do-it-yourself moss terrariums created with vintage listerine bottles found on Bottle Beach, Brooklyn and moss from Upstate New York.  Bottle Beach is a great place to find old bottles. If you are not afraid to dig through Brooklyn’s vintage garbage:

“Keep the moisture in. The moss will use the CO2 provided by the decomposing and dead plants in the soil. Sometimes, there’s algae and seeds from other plants in the mini-ecosystem, which will overgrow the moss over time [...] Seal the jar off completely making sure, that there’s enough moisture in it. Try to supply the jars with enough light without exposing them to direct sunlight”
- from experienced moss terrarium owner, Henry K Miller

You can always use old wine bottles and jars, or buy ready-made moss terrariums. Below: Moss terrariums at Cog and Pearl.

December 09, 2010

Vanished Forest by Bo Yang Zang.

December 08, 2010

December 06, 2010

Antonello Fuse coat hangers made from old recycled chair backs.

Some drawings inspired by grapefruit pulp, dragon fruit, eyes and sky:

- http://mareikeauer.com/iam/anastasia_ugorskaya.html
- http://www.i-am-artist-designer.com/

December 04, 2010

Community garden on Albemarle Rd in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. Photo taken on December 2, 2010.
Read more about it on Sustainable Flatbush:

http://sustainableflatbush.org/2010/05/03/flatbush-community-garden-2010/

at Cog & Pearl in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Clayton Merrel is my new favorite artist. “In my recent work I have been experimenting with peeling the paint film from my own large oil paintings, then manipulating them by folding, tearing, stretching, etc. before remounting them to canvas in the manner of the old conservation process of ‘lining’.[..]It makes the painting process appear infinitely fragile, tenuous and contingent.  by analogy, the painting’s subject, the sky or rather our perception of the sky, our eyes, our coherent world view), becomes human, skin-like, and in need of care.” - Clayton Merrel

December 02, 2010