Tag: art

Posted in Arty sparks

Oi, Picassohead!

Posted on by Cate

Ever looked at a Picasso and thought, huh, I could do waaaay better than that? Ok, me neither, but I kinda like the idea of painting Mr-Potato-Head-style, popping an eye over there, an ear up top, a cheesy smile next to eyebrows and finishing with a flourish of colours and abstract lines. But I’m not really an artist. Or, at least, I wasn’t an artist…until I discovered the excellent Picassohead site, where everyone can have a go at unleashing their inner Pablo. You can even add your new portrait to the online gallery.

The site is actually quite a fun time-waster. And now, without further ado, I present Blue by EverydaySparks. (Oh, and two other pics that were in the screen shot that I took – unfortunately, I couldn’t save my masterpiece to file.) I know you will find it hard to believe, but this is my first Picassohead work and it took me approximately two minutes. Totes professional, hey?

You can check out the work of far more talented peeps on the Picassohead website, where you can also create your own magic and add it to the virtual gallery. Enjoy, Picassohead.

Posted in Arty sparks, Home sparks

Cardboard Cutouts

Posted on by Cate

When you first think of cardboard, you probably think of big boxes, childhood craft projects and high fibre cereal. You probably don’t think about fancy sculptures that arrive as a flat pack and click together (without an allen key). Based in Virginia in the USA, Chris and Luis from Cardboard Safari make “neat stuff for your home”. The boys are committed to designing “fun and fascinating products for your enjoyment” as they draw inspiration from nature, using sustainable materials.

Here’s Jack – a laser cut sort of guy for your home or office. Or, as Chris and Luis describe him far better than I can: in the tradition of art masks, Jack is a dramatic wall art piece with a stunning visual appearance. Not bad for a guy who was delivered to your house in something that looks like a pizza box.

Or you might prefer Vince, who is apparently the most detailed design that Cardboard Safari have ever made. I’m not a big fan of skulls, but find this one pretty impressive. Friendly, even.

According to the website, you can keep your cardboard in its natural colour, or you can pimp your sculpture with “paint, glitter, wrapping paper or other craft materials”. Alternatively, you could paint a wall in your house a really bright colour, add some cardboard deer heads and create a fancy-hunting-lodge-meets-Night-at-the-Museum kinda vibe.

And last but not least, here are a couple of cardboard rhinos, grazing on the living room floor. And confusing that poor dog, who is wondering why his companions are not even remotely interested in playing.

For more info and to shop online for a new flat pack friend, you can check out the cool range of designs at Cardboard Safari here.

Posted in Arty sparks, Sparks in the wild

Way to play, crochet

Posted on by Cate

Frame magazine recently featured some amazing playground designs by Japanese artist Toshiko Horiuchi-McAdam. What’s so special about them? Oh, just that they’re made of crocheted yarn. Uh huh. Like giant brightly coloured spider webs that you can climb on and swing from.

Apparently Toshiko first came up with the crocheted playground idea back in the 1990s: ‘she was installing a piece made of crocheted yarn, when children asked if they could use it as a hammock’. Nothing like a live experiment to test the strength of the yarn – and it seems that the piece was actually stronger than expected.

Since then, Toshiko has turned her focus to creating public playgrounds and founded a company with her husband, ‘aimed at developing the concept of the play structure’.

The whole point of their work is ‘public art for kids’ – to design an artful experience that responds to the joyful engagement of children. Love it. For more info and pics of this fantastic idea, you can check out the Frame mag feature here.

Posted in Arty sparks

Pet Confessions

Posted on by Cate

Do you sometimes wonder what your little dog and cat friends are thinking? Well, Christopher Rozzi can tell you. Mr Rozzi is an artist, a writer, and comedian living in NYC. And his tiny confessions range combines comedy with art. He asks dogs, cats and even monsters and robots the big questions and paints their answers…

Confession of a French Bulldog
[Christopher Rozzi]
Confession of a Cat
[Christopher Rozzi]
Confession of a Wolfman
[Christopher Rozzi]
Confession of a German Shepherd
[Christopher Rozzi]
Confession of a Labrador
[Christopher Rozzi]
And even…

Confession of Darth Vader
[Christopher Rozzi]
These are just a sample of the very funny tiny confessions range, which you can check out on etsy.

Posted in Arty sparks

Bonjour, monsieur

Posted on by Cate

Yann is a professional photographer based in Paris. Yann claims to specialise in many things: portraits, products, landscapes, reportages… But today, I wanted to share some of Yann’s prints that are for sale on etsy. Because I really like what he’s done here and I really LOVE the thought that there might be a teeny tiny chap in a top hat doing his thing without us even knowing.

The Threader
(c) Yann Pendaries
The Macaroons Hatter
(c) Yann Pendaries
The Seed Gatherer
(c) Yann Pendaries
The Snail Tamer
(c) Yann Pendaries
The Morning Ringer
(c) Yann Pendaries
The Shell Renter
(c) Yann Pendaries
The Coffee Stirrer
(c) Yann Pendaries

These are just a selection of Yann’s amazing work for sale in his etsy shop Photography Dream. I can’t decide between The Seed Gatherer, The Snail Tamer and The Shell Renter. Now if only Yann could find the guy who hides the socks in the washing machine, or the car keys when you’re in a hurry to leave, or your ringing mobile phone buried in your bag…