Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category

Ula Einstein: Builder, Alchemist, Artist

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Ula Einstein speaking in front of one of her installations, PULSE, featured in Line, Gesture, Space

Ula Einstein’s work is, in a word, ephemeral. While it looks impressive in photos, they are also somewhat deceptive by failing to capture its intricacies: filmy layers, delicate threading, fine surface slices or topography-like depth. If you have the pleasure to view her work in person, it beckons you to move closer, to reach out and touch. (more…)

Live Art: Interview with Kris Davidson

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Hyperintegralism. Art by Kris D.

After my last brief interview with live artist Kris Davidson, he and I decided that we hadn’t drilled quite deep enough into the mystery of what compels us both to paint. So over two weeks, while Kris was on the road in India (more…)

More Than A Little Green

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Wilkinson Residence. Oregon.

Instead of just trying to build environmentally, some people now are trying to build as part of the environment. (more…)

The Excluded Man

Monday, March 29th, 2010

A Serious Man.

No Country for Old Men might have seemed an unlikely film to fall under the influence of the Coen Brothers – for one, it’s an adapted story – but on further introspection, Cormac McCarthy’s famous novel is a proper reflection of the brothers’ style since it deliberately rejects all sense of order in the universe (more…)

The Making of a Mattocaster

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

bellamy-1.jpg

Before ever actually witnessing the spectacle of watching Muse guitarist Matt Bellamy play the guitar, I assumed that all of the hype about how the British musician was comparable to legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix was just that––hype. Pure rubbish, as Bellamy and his fellow countrymen would say. (more…)

Live Art: Painting While Dancing

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Closed Kaledoscope Eyes. Art by Michael Garfield. Copyright 2010.

My motivation for performance painting developed over the last few years from “Jeez, I can do that!” to “I am in this to inspire people.” Consequently, it is evermore important to me that I share what I am learning through all of this. (more…)

Maverick Monk: Man of Many Moods

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Thelonious Sphere Monk.

It is fitting that one of the most recognizable symbols, images, of jazz, is the headshot of the High Priest himself, hunched over his piano keys smiling, singing Epistrophy or Round Midnight. Thelonious Sphere Monk captivated, but sometimes personal situations and most of all his high regard for originality (more…)

A Little Less Frank: The Evolving Design of Atlantic Yards

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Atlantic Yards

Frank Gehry is known for his easily identifiable style: big, swooping titanium and glass forms that seem to float like sails on the wind or the skirts of a dancer. Some compare his architecture to Disneyland, larger than life and a bit too whimsical (more…)

The “Chucks” Story: What’s Behind the Converse All Stars

Monday, January 25th, 2010

http://www.flickr.com/photos/welcome2bo/

If you don’t own a pair yourself, you probably know someone who does. That probably has something to do with the fact that over 750 million have been sold. Their look is unmistakable: a simplistic combination of cheap canvas and rubber (more…)

A City of Islands: Reshaping New York’s Shoreline

Monday, January 18th, 2010

© 2005 Len Jenshel

New York is a city of islands: Manhattan, Roosevelt, Governors and Staten, not to mention Long Island, which is anchored on the west end by Queens and Brooklyn. In fact, the Bronx is the only borough attached to the mainland. (more…)