art – Page 3 – Sheryl Kirby

People of the 1980s: The Street Fashion Photography of Derek Ridgers and Amy Arbus

When I say 1980s fashion, most people are probably prone to shudder and reply “ugh!” Yes, the 80s were a bad time for mainstream fashion – big hair, big shoulders, jelly bracelets, parachute pants… it was all pretty awful. Which undoubtedly makes it confusing when I then say that the 80s were the best era for fashion – alternative fashion, that is.

In places like London and New York, the political climate encouraged lots of people who didn’t fit into the mainstream to express themselves via their clothing. Punk, post punk, new wave, no wave, goth and more all had their origins in the late 70s or early 80s, and while those trends gave way to rave and club culture on both sides of the Atlantic, the fashion of the decade was marked with an independent creativity that hasn’t really been achieved since.

Two books of street fashion demonstrate this point beautifully.

Continue reading “People of the 1980s: The Street Fashion Photography of Derek Ridgers and Amy Arbus”

Here, There, Everywhere Vermeer

The inscrutable Johannes Vermeer – a limited number of photo-realistic paintings, not a great deal of information available about the painter himself (at a time when artists tended to be very proud of the CVs), x-rayed works that show no sketches on the canvas meaning he worked without an outline, and an ongoing furor over his works – and techniques – more than 300 years after his death.

I’ve had a whole lot of Vermeer synergy happening lately – he’s popping up everywhere, it seems, and here are a couple of things that I’d recommend to anyone interested in his work and, almost more intriguingly – the interest that others have in his work.

Continue reading “Here, There, Everywhere Vermeer”

Awesome Thing – Halloween Greetings

Back in olde times, Halloween wasn’t the big deal it is today. The trick or treating, the parties, it just wasn’t as prominent. Although, as the ladies above demonstrate, the “sexy” costume dates back to at least the 1920s (honestly, no idea where this image came from or if it’s at all Halloween-related, I just dig the flappers).

One thing that does seem to have a place in history is the Halloween postcard, and the Toronto Public Library has an extensive collection. Even better, a great number of the things are online for your enjoyment. Most seem to be from the early 20th century, and range from the adorable to the downright creepy.

Awesome Thing – 3D Gifs

I hate those 3D glasses at the movies, they give me killer migraines. But it turns out that someone has discovered a way to make gif files look 3D. At the moment, it involves adding two white lines to the image, but here’s hoping that this can be tweaked to apply the technology to images and film.

Check out the full article and many more images at Viralnova.

Awesome Thing – Brooches from StoryFolk

Who is your favourite fictional character? Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice? Goldilocks? Romeo and Juliet? Maybe Anna Karenina? Wouldn’t you love to have an adorable brooch with their image on it?

Christine Su is the mastermind behind StoryFolk, and creates felt brooches of a vast array of characters from literature, from the gingerbread man to Gatsby and Daisy. Her work is super cute and very well done and it’s incredibly hard to choose just one. She’ll also bring beloved characters to life via custom orders.

Perfect for the bookworm in your life for this upcoming gift-giving season.

Awesome Thing – Toy Rebuilds from Professor Morbius

They walk, they talk, they play music. They’re cool and creepy at the same time. They’re the fantastical creations of one Professor Morbius who takes old toys, rebuilds them, steampunks the crap out of them, and sells them at local craft fairs as cool curiosities. Each piece moves, walks, sings, or crawls. All are one of a kind pieces of art created from upcycled toys and robots.

With prices ranging from $30 to $80 for most items (larger pieces and custom work is more), Prof Morbius’ birds, spiders, flying pigs and other critters all come with a little sign, and a couple of accessories. There’s even a page of sold items on the website that resembles an “adopted” page from an animal shelter.

If the steampunk fan in your life has more top hats and monocles than they know what to do with, perhaps one of Professor Morbius’ curious mechanical pets might fit the bill on the next gift-buying occasion.

Awesome Thing – Nature-Inspired Glassware

I’ve got a bit of a tree theme going on this week, but I was too enamoured of artist and glass blower Brad Copping‘s fantastic glassware, I had to share it.

Copping makes these fantastic shot glasses, tumblers and pitchers by shaping molten glass around the end of a tree branch, dusting the outside with a coloured, salt-like powder that melts and fuses with the glass, and then shaping each item further so that the rim of each glass is slightly wavy, and no two are exactly the same.

I came home from the last week’s Craft Ontario show at Wychwood Barns with two of his glasses and I can’t wait to get a few more. Copping lives in Apsley ON, so the best place to buy his work in Toronto (or online) is through the Craft Ontario website.

For a better look at Copping’s work, check out this site, or this one to see the glass he designed for the G8 summit in 2010.

Awesome Thing – Skeletons as Art

I want to be able to tell you all more about today’s Awesome Thing but the URL on the card I got doesn’t mention any work with skeletons or reconstruction. Brian Martland is a Toronto-area artist, but his website hasn’t been updated since 2012.

What I can tell you is that I came across this work at the Annex Flea, that it was reasonably-priced and that it was created with an artistic eye in terms of display and presentation. I’m kind of surprised to have not come across these pieces before at events such as Steam on Queen or the Bazaar of the Bizarre as they would seem to be a perfect fit for shoppers and collectors with a macabre sensibility, or anyone into Victoriana, or biological science.

Awesome Thing – Vintage Glassware

This festive display of fall-themed glassware caught my eye at a recent Annex Flea and drew me to it like a moth to a flame. Sonja Stefanovic of Woo Hoo Decor has a great eye and finds some really cool things that she then passes on to the public (at great prices – the two orange dishes at the lower right were $15 each) at local flea markets. Any of these pieces would look great on a Thanksgiving Day table.

Merchandise changes regularly, and Sonja vends at many local flea market events. Visit her at the upcoming Leslieville Flea (October 19, Ashbridge Estate, 1444 Queen Street East and November 30th, SH Armstrong Community Recreation Centre, 56 Woodfield Road ), Annex Flea (November 6th, December 13th & 14th, Centre for Social Innovation, 720 Bathurst Street) or Habitat for Humanity Durham Christmas Showcase at All Saints High School 3001 Country Lane, Whitby, December 6th & 7th.

Awesome Thing – The Adora Belle Pin Up Art of Nic ter Horst

This is another great score from last weekend’s Etsy Made In Canada Day. Illustrator/animator Nic ter Horst was at the event selling prints and copies of her zine, full of the most, well, adorable pin-up art I’ve come across in a long while.

Adora Belles features a number of quite adorable characters, two poses to each two-page spread. Besides fairies, unicorns and mermaids, there’s also a selection of femme fatales, sailors and flappers, as well as cute girls in typical pin-up poses.

What I love about Horst’s work is the very stylized nature. Tiny waists are paired with disproportionately large booties and thick legs. Every girl has rosy cheeks (face and bottom) and those pink spots we all have on our knees. Also I love, love, love the way the space girls fit all their hair into the bubble helmets.

See more of Horst’s other work on Instagram, or buy a copy of Adora Belles or other artwork – including original prints – at her Etsy shop.