Arts & Crafts For Those With A Lot of Patience
Do you remember trying to make origami art in grade school? You’d get this one little square of paper that you were supposed to fold into an 1/100th of an inch crane or flower or something like that. My fingers were too pudgy to fold that tiny square of paper that many times – and my patience far too thin, even as a kid – so I always just ended up wadding it up and joking that I made a paper ball.
Well, artist Sipho Maboba has much more patience, and far better paper folding skills. He still creates birds, but has gone on to amazing installations of humans, fish, trophies, abstract art and more. Here are a few of my favorite pieces from him, and a video of his “Invisible Foes” show that debut last year in Switzerland.
INVISIBLE FOES from MABONA ORIGAMI on Vimeo.
All images courtesy of www.mabonaorigami.com
These Are My Kind of Peeps – Easter Candy Dioramas
There are so many Easter traditions that I love. Buying the same PAAS egg-coloring kits that I did when I was little and dyeing eggs. Eating my body weight in Easter candy. Watching my dad dress up in a creepy Easter bunny costume and scare the young neighborhood kids.
But for the past few years, one of my new favorite Easter traditions has been the Washington Post’s annual Peeps diorama contest.
Each year they invite people to construct a diorama using Peeps candy – the marshmallow fluff shaped like chicks and bunnies – as the “Peep-le” (sorry, I just can’t resist a good pun). These extremely creative (and slightly masochistic) people construct elaborate and detailed dioramas, with subjects ranging from pop culture to current events.
I collected a few of my favorite Peeps diorama pictures for you (most, if not all, entries from the Washington’s Post previous Peeps contest). To see the full gallery of this year’s entries, click here.
Andy Warhol Peeps
Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" Peeps
"Gentleman Prefer Blonds" Peeps
Super Mario Bros. Peeps
"The Office" Peeps
Star Trek Peeps
Need more Peeps action? Take a look at this article on creative uses for Peeps (including a Peeps wreath and Peeps s’mores).
Speaking of weird uses for Easter candy, check out this post from Cakespy showing you how to make Deviled Cadburry Creme Eggs. Yum!
The Sublime Art of Conrad Ruiz
If you’ve ever wondered what a painting of Barack Obama riding a giant Corgi while explosions went off in the background would look like… wait a minute, nobody wonders what that would look like. Except, of course, Conrad Ruiz.
The artist himself.
The SUICIDE Series
A Houston native, Bill Thomas is a photographer known for photos of elaborate, morbidly humorous ways to commit suicide.
The Artist in his own words:
“The SUICIDE series attempts to deal with the taboo social-psychological content in an ironic way, looking at suicide from both serious and humorous perspectives. The photographs consist of self-constructed and directed tableaux in which I am seen committing suicide by a variety of outrageous means. I attempt to further the believability of the scenarios through use of the hyper-real information available from the 8″ x 10″ format, together with their presentation as large, 32″ x 42″ black and white prints.”
“RATS AND SYRINGES”
“DOG AND SHOTGUN”
Live Statues on Display in London
Today started the first day of the 100-day live sculpture exercise created by sculptor Antony Gormley. The “One & Other” project allows for individuals to stand for one hour on top of a plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square. A total of 2,400 people are needed for the project, and so far 14,500 people have applied; however, the applications are still open. Gormley wants the project to reflect on everyday life and show the vulnerability of each individual in contemporary society.
Grocery Receipt Creates Modern Art
Next time you go to the grocery store, think of it as an artistic experience. If you do, you may receive $62,000 (£30,000) — in Britain at least. In London’s most recent Tate Britain exhibit, a grocery store receipt entitled Monochrome Till Receipt (White) is on display.
The ‘conceptual’ piece is a Morrisons receipt that lists 36 items worth $150 (£70). All of the items are white, including boil-in-the-bag rice and pickled eggs. To make the ‘masterpiece’, the artist gave a list of instructions, requesting that a new receipt be used every time the artwork is shown. Exhibition curator Andrew Wilson was the one to actually purchase the items and follow the instructions dictated to him, which included asking the cashier to ring up the items in a certain order.
The artist, Ceal Floyer, graduated from Goldsmith’s art college in London in 1994. She describes her piece as a modern still life that encourages objects to be imagined rather than shown. Wilson agrees, calling the piece “an imaginative leap of faith from the daily drudge of going to the supermarket to the idea of the domestic still life painting.” Whether or not you believe it’s art, many people apparently do. To me, a receipt is a receipt, but what do you think?
Dollars of Art
A picture is worth a thousand words … or maybe a thousand dollar bills. These pieces of art take inspiration from the American currency, transferring it into something beautiful. Whoever said that American money was boring anyways? (more…)
Funny Money
Writing on money is illegal in most countries, but that sure hasn’t stopped a few people from doing it anyway. Of course, Offbeat Earth does not condone writing or doodling on legal tender; but viewing the creations of others is highly encouraged. Here are a few amusing additions to the portraits featured on American and Canadian currency. (more…)
Play With Your Food!
Don’t freak out! These body parts are actually just pieces of bread. In fact, many would call it art. Some of these pieces may be a little more appetizing than others, but whoever said food was for eating anyways? (more…)
Green art
Would you have guessed that this sculpture, by Chakaia Booker, was made completely out of old tires? It’s amazing what all people have created out of the old pieces of rubber.
