Study for Blue Water, Silver Moon, 1991

Lost Boys: AKA Black Johnny

Lost Boys: AKA Black Al

Lost Boys: AKA Baby Brother, 1992

Beauty Examined, 1993

KERRY JAMES MARSHALL

I checked out the MoMA site this morning, and came across this stunning image (at top) of what was upon first glance, a mermaid-woman, half-submerged in water. Mystical, mysterious, haunting, heavy, lovely.

Born in 1955 in Birmingham, Marshall pulled inspiration from his surroundings and the Civil Rights Movement.

 “You can’t be born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1955 and grow up in South Central [Los Angeles] near the Black Panthers headquarters, and not feel like you’ve got some kind of social responsibility. You can’t move to Watts in 1963 and not speak about it. That determined a lot of where my work was going to go...” 

— Marshall (thx PBS.org) 

Lucky for me, Study for Blue Water is currently on view at the MoMA as part of their Contemporary Art from the Collection exhibit, until May of next year.

Read more about the artist here.

I'LL BE WATCHING YOU

So what if I'm a few seasons too late? I still have to comment on this HILARIOUS piece of fashion by the one and only Karl Lagerfeld.

I sort of need this.

I probably wouldn't wear it, but I'd certainly be happy with little Karl propped up somewhere in my apartment.

Even his site makes me giggle.

Tee hee.

...just a few things I'm lusting over this morning...

Queen of Hearts, Acrylic Painting on a 5.8x8.3" old book cover

2006

Queen of Hearts, acrylic painting on a 5.8x8.3" old book cover, (detail), 2006

Hide Seek, pencil drawing on paper, 2007

Whatever It Meant To Be, pencil prawing on wood board, 2008

Whatever It Meant To Be, pencil drawing on wood board, (detail), 2008

Whatever It Meant To Be, pencil drawing on wood board, (detail), 2008

QUEEN ME.

Just some cute-n-creepy work from Brazilian illustrator, Eduardo Recife.

I discovered him a few years ago, and sort of haven't been able to shake him from my memory.

Doesn't that head of hair on Hide Seek seem awfully cabbage-like ?

See more from Recife here.

ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT...

I've been officially missing in action, I know. What can I say? Lots of things happening, changing and shuffling. But I'm officially back (yay!)

I came across this LOVELY little thing a few weeks back while googling "stamps" for research on a project I was working on. I really have no clue what it says besides "blah blah...this design....blah blah...would be precisely...". But I can't help but think that the "C" at the top indicates that it was totally meant for ME.

In a world where books are being replaced with Nooks and letters have been replaced with emails, and emails have been replaced with texts, and texts have been replaced with BBMs, I can't help but appreciate ink and paper with more gust than ever.

If only.

From German collective Inges Idee (which translates to "Inge's Idea"). See more of their work here.

SIDEWALK FINDINGS:

UNION SQUARE EDITION

Yes, people. This is for real.

Joe Mangrum makes these masterpieces on NYC sidewalks (often at Union Square) by taking a handful of colored sand and using his clenched fist as a sort of funnel through which the sand gets finely distributed. Color by color, line by exquisite line. It's a process that he calls "sand painting".

I stumbled upon the artist in action tonight, and I watched in awe alongside a growing group of spectators. 

COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY INSPIRING.

And to think, each intricate piece of work as its being completed is also being formed by outside elements: wind, rain, the occasional passerby's misstep. Only to soon be wiped away and begun again. 

See more of this AMAZING artist's work here.

LEON LEVINSTEIN

@ THE MET

Also on Sunday, I stumbled on a small exhibit of Leon Levinstein's at the MET. I swear, every time I visit the MET, I discover a whole new wing, a whole new gallery. That place is simply gargantuan.

The show is called Hipsters, Hustlers and Handball Players: Leon Levinstein's New York Photographs, 1950–1980, and few of the above images are included. My favorite mmmmay be that very regal Coney Island queen...

But they all are literal jaw-droppers. So New York. So gritty. So lovely in its grit.

The good news is, although the Picasso show is no longer up, this one's up until October 17.

Read more here.

Two Seated Women, 1938 (Printed 1961)Pablo Picasso

Etching

Printed by Jacques Frélaut

Published by Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris

Head of a Woman, 1933 (printed 1961), Pablo Picasso

Drypoint

Printed by Jacques Frélaut

Published by Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris

PICASSO @ THE MET

I caught this exhibit on its last day (to be more specific, its last hour!) on Sunday.

Though my visit was super rushed and the gallery was ridiculously crowded, the top portrait caught my eye. The colors are so luscious in person, I had to resist the urge to touch it. Inspired by Lucas Cranach II's Portrait of a Woman (1564), Picasso's version just makes me smile. I absolutely fell in love with it.

Read more about the show here.

Just some sticks. That have been painted. Painted sticks. Painted sticks by Ginette Lapalme that I'm obsessed with at the moment.

THE LAGOON IS GONE / ERIC HU

The Lagoon is Gone, 2010

"A 200-page investigation on the Sleepy Lagoon Murder case, which began on August 2, 1942, when the body of Jose Diaz was found at a reservoir in southeast Los Angeles. Press hysteria and bigotry fueled the arrest of up to 600 Mexican American youths and guided a trial in which the judge and prosecutors displayed routine disregard for fundamental civil rights. Despite a complete lack of evidence, including no proof that Diaz had in fact been murdered, twelve defendants were convicted of murder and five were convicted of assault and sent to prison. This was one of the events which lead to the infamous Zoot Suit Riots in LA." – (From Eric Hu's website)

Swirly, watery type coupled with noisy, distressed photos help to tell Diaz's story, as Hu manages to escape the dangerous territory of making this book too cute for its subject matter. Its serious tone comes through in the color choices and bold, sparse type.

Well done, Hu. Wellll done.

See more on his site.

MITHILA PAINTING / GANGA DEVI

Snake diagram for worship, by Ganga Devi, Nagapanchami festival, 1987-88

Unfortunately, I can't find much info on Ganga Devi herself, but it seems that her style of Indian painting, Madhubani (or Mithila), is quite intriguing. 

Stemming out of an area close to the Indian-Nepal border, this art form was originally practiced by women only, but in current times has expanded to include men. Mithila artists decorate their huts during religious and important social occasions. For instance, when a couple marries, the walls of a room are painted with fertility symbols: lotus flowers, fish, snakes and birds in union, bamboo, etc. The couple spends 3 nights in this room without being intimate...only consummating on the 4th night.

Fascinating!

Read more about the history and methods of Mithila painting here. 

...just some juicy packaging design bits (except for the Liz Taylor one. That's a self-promotional poster) from New York-based design studio, Mogollon.

I love the very graphic touches (b/w stripes, symmetrical shapes) and how they interact with the gold foil and photography.

yumyum.

See more from Mogollon here.