Saturday, January 24, 2009

Hôtel de Glace

15,000 tons of snow + 500 tons of ice + 35 artisans + 1 month = Quebec, Canada's ice hotel: Hôtel de Glace. About 70,000 guests dogsled into this ephemeral structure January to March each year. The walls, fixtures, and fittings are made entirely of ice, and are held together using a substance known as snice, a substance between snow and ice.

I know what you're wondering: How cold is it in there?
23 degrees F.
A small sacrifice.




Other ice hotels around the globe:
Finland: SnowCastle of Kemi
Norway: Kirkenes Snow Hotel and Ice Lodge
Romainia: The Bâlea Lake Ice Hotel
Sweden: IceHotel , shown here:



Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Dig Deeper: The Evolution of an Artist

Last year while participating via live web cast of the California Women’s Conference, I found myself again captivated by an artist who once plucked at my heart strings when I was still young enough to dip a Lik-a-stick into purple sugar while watching Video 1 music videos on channel 9. In his career, Paul Hewson a.k.a. Bono has been one of the most charitably-impassioned artists of my generation. Artists, typically, are among the “feeling” ones in society, so much so that we can tend to curl inwards into self-absorption. I appreciate someone who takes that sensitivity and acts outwardly, in a way that positively affects others.

Whether or not you jive with U2, the Red and One campaigns, wealthy rock stars, women’s conferences or even Americans; this message is for you. The following speech is specific in its cause, but more so, I think it’s a call to action. Period. We each possess our own gifts which, if we decided to share them, would no doubt make the world a better place. Sometimes, we need reminding that we can be bigger than our careers, even greater than the person we currently offer to humanity.

I know it's a lengthy one. Watch, if you like.






Some links to organizations mentioned:
Edun, a fair trade, eco-clothing line.
• The Red Campaign, a means eliminate AIDs in Africa while purchasing items on your shopping list.
• The One Campaign, a non-partisan unification advocating for United States government funding to strengthen international aid programs

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Sweet Obsession

Thought ya’ll might be interested in the delectable creations that I uncovered while doing some research for a design piece we’re working on. Check out these cakes:



Even cookies for Obama fans!


Saturday, January 10, 2009

A Phoenix Menagerie

Just a few great examples of re-use art from Chicago-based Jessica Joslin. She assembles her creatures from antique hardware, bones, and whatever else she happens upon. This show, Clockwork Circus, opens tonight at Billy Shire Fine Arts gallery in Los Angeles.



And, you can find her book here.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Andy Kehoe


I’m not certain that I “get” all of
Andy Kehoe's meaning, but I definitely find myself approaching his work with the curious intrigue and careful consideration of an anthropolgist. This Pittsburg-based artist's sensibilities for graphic narrative, icon, pattern and color represent a refreshing generation of folk art. Each piece is like a modern day fable, rooted in both tradition and invention—feeling in the same moment familiar, yet new. Kehoe has a sense of humor and a sense of self, producing pictographs that are as light and as heavy as life itself, all the while beautiful.












You can find affordable prints in his etsy shop.