black holes.. wish i could know what they are actually capable of

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1120619888350136916

It would be crazy to actually see this view from far up in space

The podcast made me think about the universe and how enormous it is

I looked up exotic flowers and I think I can manipulate my forks, spoons, and knives to resemble these

looking at exotic flowers

I used to work with black and white and highlight one color a lot. My camera has a setting which does this and I can choose a color to bring out.

The organic structure of Nancy Cervenka's pieces really caught my eye. They reminded me of natural occurrences and elements that she captured with simple and unexpected media. She creates these sculptures out of movie film. Each takes its color and texture from the actual film stock's characteristics, whether they have been processed and unprocessed, over-exposed and under-expose. Nancy pursued a masters degree in cinematography from the U of S Florida, Tampa. She was a filmmaker and while doing so, was able to shoot, edit, and manipulate the film in order to project it onto the screen. Here she found her interest in being able to manipulate the material. She states that she enjoyed "handling the long strands of celluloid, watching the tiny images slide between her fingers, revealing blends of color, movement, patterns and flashes of light." This is incredible to me. Everything happens for a reason and inspiration could be found everywhere. She has created unbelievable work from discovering this passion.

Nancy Cervenka:sculpture

Was watching Steve Irwin this morning :) I grew up watching this show and it is still too good. RIP Steve

I like this work that is in mixed-media. It is an interesting juxtaposition and the colors really stand out (not brightly but creatively). I thought her pieces were original and really spoke to the individual. They speak interesting stories.

Ruth MacLaurin was a student at Concordia University in Montreal, but most recently obtained her MFA (drawing) at Washington State University in 1994. She exhibits her work at the Penticton Art Gallery and various solo and group exhibitions throughout Canada and around the world.

Sparber

Howard Sparber: Attitude Graphics Gallery...Sparber is best known for his cartoon drawings which depict societal issues. He began sketching classes at the age of 16 while attending Brooklyn College.He has worked with a range of different mediums such as watercolors and mix-media. He has also created sculptures, but cartoons seem to be his specialty. One of his most influential cartoon drawings was for the pamphlet "The Myth That Threatens America" which was funded by the primary US propaganda organizations during WWII. He addresses such things as racial prejudices. Symbolism, text, and symbolic colors work to convey his message and point out key issues in order to try to stop racial bigotry and religious intolerance with his images. He displays the American mindset and the issues within that, whether it is dealing with perceptions on childhood raising, or religion. I really appreciated his art because he points out the obvious that is often overlooked but needs desperately to be addressed. His messages from his cartoons are important for people to view in order to understand the world and what needs to be altered to make it better.

Chelsea Rose: artist. I fell in love with this artwork. It really caught my attention with the beautiful and detailed design work. She is from Portland, Oregon and specializes in acrylic painting, pen and ink illustration, surrealist portrait photography and body painting. Her goal is to bring out the psychedelic nature of things and show this through metaphysical and paranormal theory. She tries to emphasize each individual's journey and guide one to their soul in order to understand the "cosmic truth of unity." I think my favorite is her body art and the way she photographs the people in the black and white. It is really beautiful work. Her paintings also incorporate a lot of beautiful color and imagination.

Li Wei: performance artist with optical illusions. I liked this artist because of the humor, creativity, and skill. It is impressive to see this kind of work turn out as well as it does. Wei's current work is a mixture of performance art and photography that creates illusions of a sometimes dangerous reality. The images are not computer montages, but instead he works with props like mirrors, metal wires, scaffolding and acrobatics. I am very impressed with this work and would love to see one performed in person.

Eleanor Hardwick caught my attention with her use of color and light in her photographs. At first glance I wasn't certain of her medium. I thought some of her pieces were painted or set up structures. It was interesting to know that she was dealing with photography. She was born in Oxfordshire, England in 1993. She began taking an interest in photography when she was 12 years old, beginning with collectible Japanese fashion dolls. This fueled her interest in portraiture and fashion. She attempts to capture everyday routine life in a daydream kind of fashion. She describes her work as "conveying a juxtaposition between being lost in the world's perplexity, whilst finding beauty in all things, where a soft and whimsical romanticism meets wistfulness and and yearning." What amazes me is that she is only 16 years old and has been in an issue of Harper's Bazaar and in Vogue.

Eleanor Hardwick: modern artist