Artista Blog

Jack MackieThe famous steps on Broadway might not be here for long.

Jack Mackie who created the famous Broadway Steps on Capitol Hill in Seattle is currently embroiled in a very complex copyright dispute with a photographer who took a shot of a woman dancing on the steps several years ago. Apparently, Jack Mackies owns the rights to the photograph because of an earlier case, but has since written letters about the use of the photographs for 2 days on a stock photography site and might be seeking thousands of bucks from the photographer, who claims that he received $80 at most for the shot.
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"Tuesday's Child" by Michael Parkes

The best art of the 20th century reflected modernist and postmodernist ideas of mutable perception, playing with the way the eye attends to light and how the mind processes concepts with near-automatic preconception. Where surrealists like Salvador Dali pushed these quirks to the extreme, juxtaposing unrelated images and delving into the idiosyncrasies of their own dreams, a subsequent movement known as Magic Realism attempted to take the same sense of fancy and apply it to more recognizable themes. From painters to filmmakers, the idea of incorporating the unrealistic into the familiar without a knee-jerk shock reaction resonated then and continues to capture imaginations today.

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Lights, camera—taffeta! Okay, you don’t have to make your Oscar party look like a high school dance, but you can definitely add some artistic flair to jazz it up and impress your guests.

First, you’ll need a red carpet. What would Oscar night be without one? If you’re lucky enough to already have one on hand, perfect. You’re set. If not, you can create your own by cutting a red flat sheet to size or making a large pot of red gummy goo. If nothing else, use red tablecloths around the room for a similar effect. Read more

Photos by BePak via Flickr

January 13 is Rubber Duckie Day. Sure, you can buy a squeaker and give it to some random kid—“Merry Belated Christmas, Stewie”—or buy your own child yet another one…but what’s the fun in that? Rubber ducks are just another one of nature’s (okay, man’s) gifts to play with, deface, and use for art projects. Don’t believe me? Try one of these ideas.

Deface a duck. Go ahead—you know you want to do it! Cut it up with a knife and reassemble it in a funky way. Glue the parts on canvass as a trippy quacktastic collage.

Gather up all of the rubber ducks in your house and put them in the bathtub. Now splatter them with paint, glitter, whatever you’ve got to make a really wild new creation. Read more

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As an artist, you have the opportunity of making and keeping the most fun resolution ever—making art! This year, try making a resolution to make something every week—if not every day. Here are a few specific ideas to get you started.

Take a photo every day. This is an especially good idea for those who find themselves unable to really go out there and take a bunch of pictures at a time. Should you still schedule such a photo shoot? Absolutely. But until you can do that, one cool picture of the snail on your doorstep or you kid just waking up or your neighbor reaching for the newspaper in his underwear will suffice. Read more

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Yes, you can definitely give your own gift of art, or something your children made. My family and I are making ornaments and advent calendars for the special people on our list this year to go along with a small gift, and I know they will all love the creative projects we’ve come up with.

That said, if you have the funds and you know of an artist who could really use a creative break, why not splurge a little and provide the means to create his or her art? Not only will you be giving him or her a lasting gift, you’ll also be gifting the world by enabling someone to share his or her creative vision. Isn’t that a beautiful concept?

 Here are some ideas to make this an artful holiday for someone you care about. Read more