Make Art, Not War

Syrian artist Tammam Azzam and his personal Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” on war-torn building in Syria.

http://loves.domusweb.it/freedom-graffiti/

A Marriage of Two Cultures

In my never-ending search for kimono to add to my Modern Art Kimono collection, I came across this one: Picasso Wedding Kimono

Is it beautiful, or just bizarre? You decide.

Charles James

I would love to be able to see this show at the Met:
Charles James at the Met

And here's a lengthy article about him from the New Yorker:
Dressing Up

I love his description of the Taxi Dress, a wrap dress, the last one shown on the Met page. He says it's designed to be gotten out of fast enough to have sex in the back of a NY taxi cab!

Full Circle

In 1973, when I visited the Alhambra in Granada, Spain with my sister Judie, we were fascinated by the geometric tiles there, and knew that they were designed using mathematics—though exactly how, we weren't sure. 

Last week, at Monograph Bookwerks, a bookstore of used art books in Portland, I discovered that they had just purchased an old library of textile-related books. I was able to look through them only briefly, but found a book from the 70's called 'The Language of Pattern', which explains the mathematics behind Islamic pattern design. It's dense. I was able to create this design based on the hexagram—pretty simple, but it's a start. I wish I had more time to devote to studying this book in a concentrated way, and at some point in the future I will. It should be very useful in creating new scarf designs.

lorenzhermsen.com

Creating Something Beautiful Out of Nothing

Using different types of local mud, dirt and dust, Japanese artist Yusuke Asai created an immersive mural that covered the walls and ceiling of a school classroom in a remote village in India. - See more at: http://www.junk-culture.com/2014/05/artist-uses-mud-and-dirt-to-create.html#sthash.7IgEDHQA.dpuf

Springtime in Portland

I have never lived anywhere that spring was more glorious than Portland, OR. Each week beginning around March 1, something new comes into bloom. The sheer number of trees in the city, budding their bright green tiny leaves, is delightful. Here's proof:

Portland has a number of HUGE trees that have been designated Heritage Trees; they are protected. Here's my favorite, a beech that must be 8' in diameter.

http://lorenzhermsen.com/lh_collection.html

Lisa Kaser

Yesterday I went to an artist talk by my friend Lisa Kaser, at Waterstone Gallery in Portland. Lisa creates wonderful, quirky, endearing, and a bit disturbing figures from found objects, wool felt that she makes herself, and beeswax. I love her new work, which is larger than her previous figures; these are about 18" high. Lisa also does prints, wall hangings, and has illustrated a Korean children's book. She's a true original and a treasure. She's incredibly prolific and has made her living from her art for some time.  waterstonegallery.com