Because it's Cool

Switch plate planters! What a great idea. How many of these have you thrown away, or have tossed up to the top shelf of the hall closet?

This is such a smart way to reuse, and they look pretty amazing. Maybe use eco-friendly paint and glue too.

Thinking inside the box? Why can’t a piece of kiwi be a perfect rectangle? Takes a special mind to envision it.

Kind of looks like it is smiling!

outrahorapenso:

thingsiwantinmymouth:

This kiwi sure is edgy.

(via beefandbacon)

Amazing So Cal artist Brandi Milne on Sketch Theatre. Check out the video to watch her create a story in pencil. Brandi recently had a show at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. My favorite piece at the gallery was Shadow of Your Smile, which I believe is a very touching tribute to her mother.

If you want to check some of her work out in person, she’s part of a show called Art on the Edge, going on now through July 27th in East Hampton, NY at the Vered Gallery.

Went to Natalia Fabia’s opening for her new show last night at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, CA. “Fasionable Aftertaste Without End” is an amazing series inspired by Kawaii, blending Japanese pop culture with Fabia’s Western girls.

Fabia is part of LA’s “new progressive” movement, but none of that matters to me. What matters is that she was super sweet when we met and her brilliant paintings are seductively sugary with a hint of gritty rawness (the latter others might not agree with, but I always feel that as a back layer when I see her work).

If you are in the Los Angeles area, go see her work. The show runs from July 10th - August 11th, 2010.

No he doesn’t just throw art down on trash bins, but what a great canvas to work on - art in the round. Jeremiah Garcia uses stenciling as a main part of his art, layering spray paint, creating expressive and impactful pieces of art that often lives on the streets and not on gallery walls (though he probably has some of that too).

Check out this stop motion vid of him making the norm, beautiful.

Artist Ben Heine has some great ideas, just check out his flickr photostream and you’ll see what I mean. One of my favorite though is his series called Pencil vs. Camera. It’s visually stimulating, but what I like best about it is the idea of interpretation layered upon interpretation. It also speaks to the imagination, and that anything is possible. Your mind can take an ordinary scene and interpret it as is, or it can take the scene to places yet to be seen.

Paint, clay, pencil … staples? Baptiste Debombourg creates amazing pieces of art right on the wall using nothing but staples. Innovative, creative, genius. I wonder if he has to constantly step back from the wall to see his progress after manipulating each tiny piece of metal.

Andrew Topel at Avantacular Press isn’t writing poetry … he’s designing it. Check out this word artist at http://avantacular-press.blogspot.com/.

Spice things up a bit.

Fresh herbs and spices are always nice, but they only last so long. Some I won’t substitute for the powder stuff, like ginger (fresh makes all the difference in this case). But it’s vital in our kitchen to have dried herbs on hand when we cook. We  love to cook so many different cuisines, and that means lots of spices. Cumin, red pepper flakes, cardamon, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and so on.

That all takes up a lot of space in the cupboard, so we decided to take it out of the cabinet and use it to our advantage … in a different way.

Yes, your spices can also be art. You’ll need some sheet metal, a frame (sans glass), magnetic containers, and well, something tasty to put inside those containers. If you want to brush the metal like I did, make sure you spray it afterwards to seal the metal, otherwise it will rust.

I want some of these now! Why do bowls have to all be standard sizes? I should have a choice of what size I want my bowls to be even if they are 5 different sizes. How cool is this. Loyal Loot takes reclaimed trees and makes these one-of-a-kind bowls. Eco-friendly and an instant conversation starter.