The Modern Materialist : art

Print(s) of the Day: The Secret Lives of Celebrities

Laureen Mahler — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:24:00 GMT

It's amazing what art can teach you about life. For example, I personally had no idea that Natalie Portman was terrified of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And that's just the beginning. Artist Brandon Bird has lots to teach us about Harrison Ford, Christopher Walken, and more:

[$55, TopatoCo]

Apparently Harrison Ford is none too pleased when nobody wants to play Sega with him. Someone should alert Calista: this is a man in dire need of a PS3.

[$65, TopatoCo]

For the record, I always suspected that Christopher Walken spent his Sunday afternoons building robots that would one day conquer the planet. On the upside, it might be pretty okay to be enslaved by the star of The Prophecy 1, 2 and 3.

[$45, TopatoCo]

Finally, an idyllic scene with Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterston. Somewhere up in Law & Order heaven, this is happening right now.

Many, many more celebrity prints can be found here, all of them poignant, wonderful, and hilarious.

Full Of Pryde

Alex Zalben — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:34:00 GMT

Allow me to nerd out for a second, and by "for a second," I mean the year and a half or so this blog has been in existence:

I love comic books, and my favorite character is easily the phasing X-Man, Kitty Pryde. So I was ecstatic to hear that Floating World Comics was hosting an exhibit of art all featuring the Teen Mutant, from some of my favorite artists. Then I was bummed out, because Floating World is in Portland.

Now, I'm happy again, because they've put most of the pieces of art online, for sale, to benefit the Oregon Hemophilia Treatment Center. So if you want some great comic art, and to support a good cause, then go check out the eBay auctions now.

[eBay]

Fine Art That Will Light Up Your Life

Steph Auteri — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:56:00 GMT

Are you a newbie to the art market, confused about when to spend your money and when to save?

Are you looking to invest in a piece of fine art that evokes the work of the classic sculptors?

Are you in the dark when it comes to quality craftsmanship and artistry?

[$129, Generate]

These Venus de Milo lamps could possibly shed some light on the issue.

[Via Apartment Therapy]

21st Century Abe Lincoln . . . Hat

Shaun Seneviratne — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:39:00 GMT

Ole', honest Abe Lincoln is seriously getting more media play than Jesus and Kanye combined! The Obama campaign has helped spark this reminder of Abraham Lincoln's importance into the public sphere again.

If you wanna be cool like Abe, you need to rock his hat. This one has thankfully been updated for the 21st century:

Hatmaker Quintin's Stove Pipe Hat. And this hat is accurate too, right down to the notes he'd store in his hat:

This hat was created for the 21st Century Abe project, a yearlong celebration honoring the president's 200th birthday which posits Lincoln in the context of our time. In addition to this sweet hat, Bryce Dessner (of popular indie rock band The National) was comissioned to create musical pieces inspired by the life and times of Honest Abe called "The Lincoln Shuffle" and artist Maira Kalman, who has had work published in The New York Times to The New Yorker, created a "44 panel story based on the life of Abraham Lincoln, weaving in her own personal story about searching for Lincoln," called "Finding Lincoln".

Check their website out for more great art projects, tattoos, music talk, and more.

[21st Century Abe]

[Via Selectism]

Related: Abraham Obama comes to DVD, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Your Name Here

Steph Auteri — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:03:00 GMT

[Photo via]

5 Signs That You May Be a Bit Too Self-Absorbed:

You have 27 photo albums spanning the course of your life, and enjoy flipping through them often.
You have your wedding photo — with requisite signatures — hanging in the living room.
You blog and tweet.
You go out to buy one gift for yourself, and come home with five gifts for yourself.
You have a nude portrait of yourself hanging in your bedroom.

Lord. At least I don't have vanity plates.

If you're a bit more tasteful then I am, you have something like this instead:

[$50-$65, MadeByGirl]

Subtle, right? These ABC name prints are available in a variety of color combinations.

Test Drive: An Intimate Portrait Experience

Steph Auteri — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:02:00 GMT

Nothing makes me feel unsexier than trying on sexy panties.

Yet there I was, in the try-on room at my local Victoria's Secret, trying to shove my considerable bulk into saucy boyshorts, lacy panties, and other fine-fabriced instruments of torture. And man was I frustrated. Whoever had tols me that boyshorts were flattering did not have thunder thighs.

In three days' time, I was scheduled to pose for an Intimate Portrait by artist Dorian Vallejo. I wasn't sure that — when it came down to it — I would be able to show my poo-cha-cha to a complete stranger, so here I was. My collection of cotton granny panties obviously wasn't gonna cut it.

...

My husband was eager and excited and perpetually turnd on by the thought of me posing nude. He held my hand more. He propositioned me more (if such a thing is possible). He stared at me lasciviously whether out in public or in the seclusion of our own home. "I don't know what it is," he whispered huskily, "but I am so turned on!"

When the day came, I showed up at Vallejo's home toting a duffel bag filled with shawls, pashminas, beach cover-ups, and even my favorite fuzzy pair of Cookie Monster pajama pants. Tossed over my shoulder was the blanket that someone had crocheted for me the year before. I was also wearing my best stomach-flattening skirt, and one of my pretties Gap bras. I was (over)prepared.

Vallejo spent about an hour giving me the lowdown. He sat me down in a room filled wall-to-wall with art books and showed me folders filled with sketches and finished pictures. He explained the full process to me and then showed me his studio. We started out slow.

First, Vallejo did some quick sketches, referred to as "gestures." During this part of the process, the subject tries out a variety of poses for 2-3 minutes at a time. I cyced through my various outfits, eventually becoming more and more unclothed. It was impossible to feel uncomfortable in front of Vallejo, despite the fact that my nips were hanging out. He had a boyish enthusiasm for the work he was doing, and I never felt as if I was being judged. Eventually, I felt safe enough to bare the vajayjay.

After picking our favorite pose, we spent the rest of the day working on the final painting. I lay in position for 20 minutes at a time, with 5-minute breaks in between. When I felt cold, I edged myself closer to a nearby space heater. When the arm beneath my head started aching, I attempted to will myself to sleep, or concentrate on the background music, or count really, really slowly, so that I could make it to the next beeper of the timer. Absolutely none of my discomfort stemmed from the fact that I was exposed.

[$1,000+, Dorian's Portraits]

When the day was done, I couldn't believe that the woman in the painting was me.

Other reactions:

"I forgot how fantastic your boobs were!" [an old college friend]

"Were you naked when he drew this!?" [no mom, he used his imagination. ::eye roll::]

"Let's have sexy time!" [my husband]

If you need a reminder that your boobs are, in fact, fantastic, or are searching for the perfect sexy gift for your significant other, I can't recomment Vallejo's work enough.

If you're interested in a more in depth essay on my experience, head on over here.

No Horizon - World's Most Awesome Manhattan Map

Alex Zalben — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:06:00 GMT

Want to see what Manhattan would look like with no horizon? Then check this out:

Here & There is a series of maps created by Schulze & Webb to show what Manhattan would look like when viewed from the location at the front of the map (in this case, Cooper Union. Probably not helpful as a navigation device, but supremely helpful as an art print.

[$65, Schulze & Webb]

[Via Warren Ellis]

Ancient Gamers

Alex Zalben — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:03:00 GMT

Back when we all lived in caves, and dinosaurs roamed the earth, all we had to keep ourselves amused was the Playstation 2. Sad, really, that our ancestors never knew the joys of the PS3, or X-Box 360.

But now, thanks to Christopher Locke, we can all appreciate the work of this ancient gamers:

Named the Ludustatarium temperosony, and made out of concrete, the controller has been delicately preserved through the ages, so we may all wonder at the electronic mastery of our genetic forebearers.

[$100, Christopher Locke]

[Via Wonderland]

Double Your Pleasure [NSFW]

Alex Zalben — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:07:00 GMT

What is it about retro lithographs that hits on our collective sense of national nostalgia? Actually, that's probably exactly what it is, but regardless, they're just... Cool. And these very, very NSFW retro pin-ups by Mel Ramos are a perfect example of this:

There's something about it, because of the nostalgia factor, that isn't even sexual, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it hits more on the quaint center of the brain than the hot and heavy section. Anyway, Ramos has some other great paintings, here's some of my faves:

...and all of his collection is for sale, here.

Shedding Light on Spray Paint

Shaun Seneviratne — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

[Photo via HidingInABunker's Flickr]

A slightly less pointless (and legal) use of a spray paint can:

A Krylon Spray Paint Lamp by Portland-based artist Jake Rankin. Each lamp is custom made too. Pretty sweet.

[$60, Etsy]

[Via Nerd Approved]

Related: I Could Have Tagged All Night

Basquiat Reeboks

Shaun Seneviratne — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:27:00 GMT

Basquiat Reeboks! The Basquiat estate gave Reeboks the a.o.k. to use his artwork on their shoes. The ones above will be available this fall, but you can find the ones below online (and on sale!):

[~~$100~~ $50, East Bay]

[Via High Snobiety]

Cat O' Nine Tails

Alex Zalben — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:02:00 GMT

Having troubles with your cat being attacked by mice? Then you might want to consider grabbing him (or her) a suit of armor. Granted, this is just an art project by Jeff de Boer, but... Wait, what's that? The Mice are suiting up too:

Oh no! Battle royale!

[Via Geekologie]

Holy Crap, This Is Awesome!

Laureen Mahler — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:07:00 GMT

In the same way that I can never get enough David Shrigley or Scott C, I am completely infatuated with Marc Johns. Well, make that an infatuation with his illustrations, though I'm sure the man behind the pen is lovely. Johns finds this perfect balance between colorful whimsy and deadpan humor, and now his first book is about to hit the market:

[$14 presale, Amazon]

Serious Drawings collects Johns' work in sets, which include everything from "Drawings on Regular Paper" to "Drawings on Sticky Notes," and it's lovingly put together by arty publishing house teNeues. Check out more sneak peaks of the book here.

Is it gushing too much to say H is for Holy Crap This Is Awesome?

[via Swissmiss]

Crystals + Fibers = ???

Alex Zalben — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:35:00 GMT

Can you guess what this guy is growing, using only crystals, fibers, and classical music? It's a...

Chair. Yup, this guy is growing chairs. Oh, and the classical music? It's to encourage the growing crystals to choose their own form, making whatever kind of chair they want.

Wow.

[Via Inhabitat]

Kurt Vonnegut Speaks from Beyond the Grave

Steph Auteri — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:55:00 GMT

According to pieces in Publishers Weekly and The New York Times, Delacorte Press will be publishing a collection of previously unpublished pieces by Vonnegut, due out in November.

Delacorte will also be issuing new editions of 15 Kurt Vonnegut titles, complete with artwork from the author.

For the type of art you're sure to be in store for, check out this shop's screenprints of Vonnegut's pieces:

[$375, Vonnegut]

[$500, Vonnegut]

Related: Class Up Your Fridge Art

Creepiest Alf Painting Ever

Alex Zalben — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:03:00 GMT

Hey, want to buy the creepiest acrylic painting of Alf ever (and yes, I know this is a pretty limited field)? Then check out the full picture, uncropped for your safety, below:

I gotta be honest, even though it's horribly creepy, I also totally love it. And it's called "I Can Has A.L.F.?" which is just great. This is currently being shown at Los Angeles' Gallery 1988, which is hosting a show on television's Guilty Pleausres.

[$1200, Idiot Box 1988]

[Via Slash Film]

Deal of the Day: Poster Sale

Shaun Seneviratne — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:36:00 GMT

PrintMafia.com is having a "Totally Random Tube Sale"! For $25, receive 1 random poster, 1 random art print, and 1 random doodled poster. Above is the Captain Howdy - Exorcist poster. Click below to see what else you can potentially receive:

Deerhunter concert poster

Yo La Tengo concert poster

I advise you to take a look at their website and browse their poster selection. Though you may not dig the bands, you can certainly appreciate the artwork.

[$25, Print Mafia]

[Via OMG Posters!]

Class Up Your Fridge Art

Steph Auteri — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:07:00 GMT

What I'm Assuming Is On Your Fridge:

magnetic poetry
a Kurt Vonnegut or Albert Einstein magnet, with quote
the latest wedding invitation, which you totally forgot to RSVP to
something goofy from a photo booth, in which one or more people are sticking their tongues out
a passive-aggressive note

What SHOULD Be On Your Fridge:

[$56, Motifo]

With either the classic or warm Motifo kits, you can create all of the designs featured on the Motifo site, using their downloadable mosaic templates.

Some design options:

[Via Design Milk]

Suit Up Your Playing Cards

Shaun Seneviratne — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:25:00 GMT

I don't care how bad I am at card games, these are the coolest playing cards ever!

SuitUp utilized 19 Australian artists from the street art, comic, and illustration worlds to design these cards.

Here's the Jack of Hearts:

The Ace of Diamonds:

And the King of Clubs:

This may just be the first deck of playing cards that I've ever ever payed for (that is, unless you count Magic The Gathering cards back in 7th grade).

[20 AUD (Approx. $14), SuitUp]

[Via Por Homme]

Related: Card Deck Flask

These Pencils Are a Work of Art

Shaun Seneviratne — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:36:00 GMT

Usually you use pencils to make art, but artist Ghost Patrol used them as the canvas! And no, I don't only think that these are awesome because of Skeletor. . . Check out the other amazing art pieces:

I wouldn't use these pencils to actually color with though, being that they are art pieces and will cost you quite the dime.

[$1,950 - $2,200, Ghost Patrol]

[Via NOTCOT.org]

I Believe In Ghostbusters

Steph Auteri — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:03:00 GMT

[someecards]

Things I Believe In:

Santa Claus
the power of my morning coffee
my parents' unconditional love
Ouija boards
flow

I also believe in Ghostbusters, But what do Ghostbusters believe in?

[$20, Etsy]

Apparently, not the sanctity of Christ.

Btw. Christ is on Twitter. He just hasn't tweeted in a really. long. time.

This Lamp Has a Sexy Secret [NSFWish]

Alex Zalben — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:05:00 GMT

What kind of sexy secret could a lamp hold? How about this one:

The lamp, designed by Matteo Cibic, hides a you-know-what in its base. When the lamp is pulled off of the "toy," it starts glowing red instead of white. And, as an added bonus, here's another one of Cibic's designs, which will be on display this April:

[Via TrendHunter]

I'm Melting!

Alex Zalben — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:03:00 GMT

Yesterday, you guys took me to task for my ridiculous assertion that this candle was a really great idea, saying that people have been printing clocks on candles for centuries or something. At the risk of incurring your comment-based wrath once again, I think THIS is a really cool idea:

Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz created life size wax candles of themselves for a gallery, and let themselves melt over the course of the show. Now, you tell me: what did I get wrong this time?

[Via Boing Boing]

Inventory I Lust After: Nancy Tobin

Steph Auteri — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:09:00 GMT

I'm losing myself in these gorgeous abstracts by Nancy Tobin, which are done upwith paint and mixed media but which remind me of richly hued mosaics, or impossibly detailed quilts.

Many of the prettiest pieces are sold, but the ones I've posted here are still up for grabs (at least until I snag them).

It's like looking into a kaleidoscope, isn't it?

Prices are available upon request.

[Via decor8]

Equation: Mess + Imagination

Steph Auteri — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:25:00 GMT

[Photo via]

[3,960 JPY, Kyouei Design]

Make all your messes a work of art with this frame napkin.

[Via Lovely Room]

The Most Disgusting Thing You Will Ever Buy [NSFWish]

Alex Zalben — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:02:00 GMT

You may be wondering why there's a picture of a cartoon cat under the post tite "The Most Disgusting Thing You Will Ever Buy," and that would be a good question. As you probably know, that's the Cheshire Cat from Disney's version of Alice in Wonderland. Well, what if it existed in real life?

I'm warning you, this is really, really gross:

Conceptual artist Alex CF created the piece, with a fascinating alternate history of how the cat was "acquired," which you can check out here. If you want to vomit every day for the rest of your life, you can purchase your very own cat corpse with case by contacting Alex at skinned_bunnies at yahoo.co.uk.

[Via Neatorama]

Related: Alice in Dinnerware

Brilliant or Blasphemous: A Multitasking Mona Lisa Chair

Steph Auteri — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:54:00 GMT

An extension of art? Or a cheap commodification?

No, not the Mona Lisa with her bazooka. I'm talking about this chair by Korean designer Kwang Hoo Lee, which basically invites you to sit on Mona's face:

When the chair is not in use, it can be folded up and hung as any other painting!

What say you, oh discerning readers?

[Via Gizmodo]

A Reason to Buy CDs

Shaun Seneviratne — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:25:00 GMT

[photo via]

As everyone knows, CDs are dying off as a media format. There is just no incentive to buy an album if it's only a collection of songs and that's it. Sure, Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails can afford to offer their albums for free with special limited edition packs for the super fans, but things are a little bit tougher for the average independent artist.

Enter Rhymesayers Entertainment and P.O.S. Together they have created CD packaging that acts as an art piece for P.O.S's latest album Never Better.

Check out this video:

Make your own album art! With a slew of transparent inserts and solid backgrounds, the possibilities are endless. You can also stream the album while creating your own custom digital covers here! Change colors, try different layouts, and share it in the gallery while listening to a damn good hip-hop album. Here's one I made:

Get this limited edition digi-pack while you can and rediscover your love of the CD!

[$12, Fifth Element]

[Via CATSLOCK]

Art Knobs!

Alex Zalben — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:36:00 GMT

As much as I love these crazy looking doorknobs, I'd be far too scared I'd break 'em. Probably because I'm super strong, right? Anyway, here's a few more, and pricing info:

[Out Of The Blue]

[Via Trendir]

Related: Naked Knobs Full of Beans

Free Resource: Superfuture's Maps of the Best Shiz in Town

Shaun Seneviratne — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:01:00 GMT

[photo via]

You are hip. You are young.

You are also a tourist every once in awhile.

I've been through it before: trying to find an awesome part of town to hang and going to google only to sift through a shit-ton of Yelp reviews or fall for tourist traps.

Superfuture has taken all the guess work out of finding the best spots in town.

I've been using this website for about two years now in my explorations of New York City and it has been a tremendous help. Their "urban cartographers" scope out and map the best bars, clothing shops, cafes, record stores, hair salons, and interior decorating places around. Here is their map of the Lower East Side:

These maps are available for the following places:

Amsterdam
Beijing
Hong Kong
London
Los Angeles
Melbourne
New York City
Paris
San Francisco
Shanghai
Singapore
Sydney
Tokyo

Not to mention that their website has stores reviews and an awesome forum to connect with like-minded folk.

[Superfuture]

Related: Get Lost in Style