Thursday, October 17, 2013

Drill team

Donna McCollough takes vintage oil and gas cans and refashions them into cheerleader inspired dresses. I love how feminine they are, and the contrast between the rusted, industrial material and the dressmaker details. Seriously, are those darts at the bustline?
Images from Donna McCollough. Via Make.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

...by its cover

As our reading becomes digital and the paper book becomes obsolete, I'm seeing more and more artists using old books as raw materials. Brian Gennett is one of these, and his mosaics stand on their own as stunning works of art. It's not until you look closely at the details that you see the raw materials--book covers and end papers. Click through to his site for more furniture, objects, and even tile. Each piece is sealed with layers of poly acrylic.
Thanks to Design Sponge for highlighting this work.
Images from Brian Gennett. Via Design*Sponge.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Shards of glass

My beloved Oakland has a crime problem. As I warily parked my car in a neighborhood where the sidewalks sparkled with the evidence of previous car break-ins, I had a bad feeling. My instincts proved right, and I returned to my car to find my front seat littered with broken glass and the contents of my glove box. By the next day, the window was repaired, the car was freshly vacuumed, and I was moving on.
Going through this process, I kept visualizing all that broken glass and its artistic potential. Today's post features the work of Ellen Blakeley, who specializes in beauty made from shards. My favorites are the ones with images imbedded behind the glass. Enjoy.
Note to locals: Ms. Blakeley occasionally teaches at the Institute for Mosaic Art, if you are inspired.

Images from Ellen Blakeley (top = New Yorker tile; all others = Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy mural and details).