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.

GHETTI GOT ME

So, my friend posted this on his studio's blog yesterday, and I HAD to share. It's the most incredible thing. Possibly ever.

Connecticut-based, Brazil-born and bred Dalton Ghetti carves these delicate little masterpieces out of pencils. And he does it all WITHOUT a magnifying glass.

He started carving them about 25 years ago, but was experimenting with pieces of wood, stone, soap, candles and broom handles before he discovered his material of choice. 

Crazy! Makes me remember this.

See the original post here (thanks E!).

BEETLE + JUICE...

Simultaneously cute and unsettling!

BEETLE CUP: Designed and produced by Idee Liu, crafted by Ching-Tian Cai. See more of Idee Liu's work here.

RABBIT CUP: Designed by Hsiao-Ying Lin, crafted by Jun-Ching Tang

This black clay cup is a representation of a well-known Chinese tale of a rabbit on the moon, which is celebrated every year with the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in Taiwan. See more photos here.

These two pieces were on view as part of the Taiwanese sector of Dwell on Design's "Asia Now" June show in LA.

DROP ME A LINE...

...won't you?

Aren't these just lovely? Yellow Owl Workshop thinks so, and that's why they designed them. My fave? Probably the last one. 

AND the San Francisco-based studio uses non-toxic water-based inks and 100% PCW recycled paper, making them eco-friendly.

BEAM ME UP SCOTTY

This dreamy little artist's studio was designed by A31 Architecture in one of my favorite places in the world, Greece.

Nestled between olive and cypress trees, it lies on the North-South axis with the wall openings reflecting the trajectory of the sun.

In other words, it's heavenly.

Check out more of the studio's work here.