Happy 4th of July

I was recently able to feed my interest in photography and my fascination with graffiti and how it continues to influence our culture at the same time. One of the locations for the photography course that I took, offered by Naturescapes Photography Workshops (with a focus on the Lensbaby camera lens) was Cameron, NC - a remote tobacco farming community that is being resurrected as an antique center.

The location is an intersection with an abandoned house and about 10 tobacco barns, that were painted several years ago by a group of prolific graffiti artists that call themselves the "barnstormers." You can see more of their work on a fun you tube clip.

And...don't forget to enjoy Maira Kalman's charming art/essay piece "And the Pursuit of Happiness...Time Wastes too Fast" on Thomas Jefferson in the New York Times in honor of the day!

So Happy 4th y'all.

Why classical styles continue to endure

I rushed to see the Samuel McIntire, Carving an American Style exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum before it closed and was justly rewarded. The exhibit explores Samuel McIntire's contributions to the American design vocabulary. As woodcarver, architect and designer, he was among the first to carve eagles in wood to ornament buildings, furniture and other decorative art objects. The eagle came to signify the power of a nation, what came immediately to my mind- what does today's obsession with skull motifs signify? What does it mean that someone paid $122M for Damien Hirst's diamond encrusted skull? Why do Heidi Klum and Seal travel with a $2000 bag covered in skulls?

The following day, the inside cover of the NY Times magazine had a Honda ad with the American eagle dominantly featured. Graffiti will inform design in the short term, but on this President's Day I'm convinced that the powerful iconic symbolism of the classical will continue to endure.

LED throwies Demo

And can light graffiti be far behind the serious use of LEDS? Today things happen in a heartbeat and it is hard to know which will push the trend to expanded use faster. What I could have done with this at those famous Rehobeth parties in the 70's?