carol carmichael - 21.7.08

Unlike other photographers, Carol Carmichael mainly focuses her photography towards the rural area... aka the "country." She captures her love of rural life through various digital techniques. A true artist finds beauty in everyday things and her images of cows, deers, flower- all fairly common, becomes exquisite through her lens.

Though her subjects are "ordinary" from peoples perspective, she boasts noteworthy awards. "In February 2008, her mixed media image won Painter Magazine's website challenge. In January and February 2007, her work won 10 medals or honorable mentions, and 63 juried acceptances in Photographic Society of America-accredited exhibitions. In 2006 , Carol had 145 works (54 works in 2005) accepted or awarded medals. " And in 2006 and 2007, she was in the list of "Who's Who in Photography" from the Photographic Society of Americas.

So, who's to say common images are just "common"? Ms. Carmichael surely doesn't.

rachel freire - 18.7.08

The Bride and Grooms
The Wedding Of The (Leap) Year (Of The Rat)
Photo credit: Absolute Queer

When someone thinks of costumes, images of Halloween, broadway theatres, ballroom dancing, etc. comes to mind. But who ever thought that these costumes/costume making is a profession? This is where a costumiere like Rachel Freire comes in the picture.

"Hailing from the wonderful port of Liverpool, being educated in a convent school, then relocating to London via New York City to study at Central Saint Martins is enough to drive anyone of a mildly insane disposition just a little bit more loopy," writes Ms. Freire about herself. With this background surely would peek someone's interest... sure did mine! Find out yourself as to what kind of costumes this gal comes up with.

sho murase - 17.7.08

Illustrator, digital artist, graphic designer... whatever you want to call her, Sho Murase is as a diverse an artist in the world of illustration and design as you can get. Her work stretches from traditional pencil sketches to animation films to modern graphic novels.

Officially started in 2003, her work has been exhibited in many galleries around the world including two museums. You can currently see her work presented in Deutsches Film Museum (Frankfurt, Germany) from 27 February 2008 to 3 August 2008. She also has an upcoming show in Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (Denmark) from October 2008 to 22 February 2008.

danny ghitis - 16.7.08

Danny Ghitis is a photographer and multimedia producer who believes in journalism as a catalyst for social change. A recent Journalism graduate, he travelled to Idia in 2007, in which he documented the country's culture, happenings, and adventure. His photographs tell stories of certain truths, eventhough at times they can sometimes be hard to look at.

dosa kim - 26.6.08

His name is not typical, but then again, his illustrations are not typical either. "Although much of Dosa's work has shadowy undertones he emphasizes the notion of hope; the notion that outside forces will carry the subject matter and the viewer to his or her enlightened destination."

Dosa Kim is an American designer and illustrator, whose works are bold and graphic and tends to employ primarily black, white, and red colors. Also, his compositions tend to be sophisticated, striking, and full of movement. Although he was born and raised in the United States, his graphics are reminiscent of Asian influence.

john tilton - 25.6.08

What would make a mathematician working towards his Ph.D. turn around and pick up pottery? According to John Tilton, one day, he went over a craft shop and thought it was interesting. From then on, he was hooked.

Through the years he, "developed a deep love for historical and traditional pottery." Not many

people nowadays are living off of artistic pottery the way he is. In his works, he successfully captures the spirit of the items, which he strives to do everytime he creates them.

In his own words: "What I'm striving for is that kind of perfection that makes my pots see BORN, not made or contrived; an organic quality that comes from attunement rather than merely expertise."

chester french - 24.6.08

Want to know the next big debut album of 2008? or an 80's soft rock meets new wave sound?

Well, come listen to the retro sounds of Chester French made up by Harvard alums, D.A. Wallach and Maxwell Drummey. The duo wrote, arranged, produced, and engineered thier tentatively titled Love the Future album in their dorm's basement while they were seniors in college. They were signed by Pharrell Williams in the spring of 2007, although Kanye West, Jermaine Dupri, and Jimmy Iovine were also after them.

After listening to several songs, it shows the duo's innovative, refreshing, and captivating individuality in the music. Their lyrics are clever and tight and their use of instruments are unexpectedy brilliant. There's an overall great vibe to their songs. Check out their album coming sometime this year. In the meantime, listen to some of their songs on: http://www.facebook.com/chesterfrench.

steve penley - 23.6.08

An artist from Athens, Georgia named Steve Penley is best known for his paintings of historical icons. He takes clippings from magazines and newspapers then skillfully collages and paints them in such accurate portrayals of famous people. Mr. Penley's unique ability lies in his reinterpretation of familiar subjects by using bold color, vivid imagery, and strong brush strokes.

brian dettmer - 22.6.08

Brian Dettmer is a contemporary artist who alters used media. He lifts up old books, encyclopedia sets, maps, etc. from antiquated to something new, fresh, and awe inspiring. It's not just that he transforms these medias into something grand, he makes intricate art from it and creates new works of fine art.

“Old books, records, tapes, maps, and other media frequently fall into a realm that too much of today’s art occupies. Their intended role has decreased or deceased and they often exist simply as symbols of the ideas they represent rather than true conveyers of content. ... When an object's intended function is fleeting, the necessity for a new approach to its form and content arises,” explains Mr. Dettmer.

roberto bolle - 21.6.08

"...a dancer of Greek-god proportions and virile intensity who also has a plush, feline grace and beautiful line," was a description from the New York Times about this Italian ballet dancer.

This primo ballerina assoluto should need no introduction since he has been one of the most popular ballet dancers in the world in the last decade. Roberto Bolle, an Italian ballet dancer, trained at Theatre LaScala ballet school in Milan, Italy. His brilliant career took off immediately following his entry in to the Theatre Company along with invites to the most important theatres in the world. This includes the Royal Ballet, the Tokyo Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, the Stuttgart Ballet, the Finnish National Ballet, the Staatsoper in Berlin, the Vienna Opera House, the Staatsoper in Dresden, the Munich Opera House, the Wiesbaden festival, The 8th and 9th International BalletFestivals in Tokyo, the Rome Opera Theatre, the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, the City Theatre in Florence, and his recent conquest, the American Ballet Theater in New York. Mr. Bolle has also danced with the likes of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 and for Pope John Paul II in 2004 and was featured in the opening ceremony in Turin, Italy during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

james sanborn - 20.6.08

Can you crack the code? Sculptures by an American artist, James Sanborn, cannot be seen in galleries like other sculptures. Most of his works are found in odd places like the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Langley, Virginia or the campus of the University of North Carolina, both in the United States of America. But it's not just the location of his sculptures that is interesting. These"puzzle-sculptures" contains encrypted messages that even to this very day eludes cryptologists or code-breakers.

Sanborn is famous for his work with American stone and materials that evoke a sense of mystery and hidden forces of nature. He is well known for works located all over the world with more than 125 and counting pieces since the early 1970s. His sculptures includes Kryptos at the CIA in Langley, Virginia, All the Ships Sailed in Circles at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan, the Cryllic Projector at the University of North Carolina, Coastline at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration in Maryland, Atipodes at Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C. and Binary Systems at the Central Computing Facility Internal Revenue Service in West Virginia.

laurent koller - 19.6.08

French artist, Laurent Koller, makes dynamic abstract compositions in bold, expressive, and energetic strokes. These high-contrast pictorals rouses touching anecdotes from the artist. It creates a dramatic tension through his use of black and white. His markings are engrossing and exquisite, which elicit feelings of lonliness and eroticism all at the same time.

What kinds of feelings does this pictoral novellist draw out from the depths of your heart? It's very curious to know...

matsuo basho - 18.6.08

I think I need a little bit of explanation before I present the artist of the day. First, this type of art is called haiku, which is a kind of Japanese poetry. It is usually written in three lines to equate to the three parts of a haiku in Japanese that traditionally consist of five, seven, and then five on (the Japanese count sounds, not syllables). In English, it produces a poem that is actually quite a bit longer, with more content, than a haiku in Japanese.

This type of poetry is more of meditative, a more objective art. Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) was the most famous poet of Edo period in Japan. He mastered the art of haiku through meditation and putting himself as part of the action. He wrote about 2,000 poems even on his death bed.

The before an after poem is captured: the silence before you see the frog… the sound of the water… and even greater silence afterward…

So don't be alarmed... here is the short and simple haiku poem:


An old pond!
A frog jumps in-
The sound of water.

denis collette - 17.6.08

Who do you think painted this? Does a Vincent Van Gogh come to mind?

What if I tell you this is NOT a painting... but a photograph? Would you believe me? Well, believe me-- it is! This was a photograph by a man named Denis Collette... a graphic designer and a consultant in communication and marketing... an unlikely artist, but what a remarkable thing he has done!

He uses his lens as a canvas and paints using what nature have provided. This collection of his was inspired by the river where he lives. Everyday, he takes a walk with his camera and lets inspiration and nature engulf him leaving grand pieces like this one before us.