Art + Word

Artist of the Day: Under the Bridge - Patrick Bornemann

under the bridge patrick bornemann artcalifornia

artist bio: My name is Patrick, I like to describe myself as a globe trotter and world citizen. I was a hungry Art student; I went in Art school in Paris, Marseille, Nice and Venice. I use only natural pigments because of the connection they have with earth. I play with colors. I mix them creating new harmonies, new vibes, new combinations and new schemes. I learned a lot while working in art studios with master painters in Nice, Paris and Venice. When I moved to California, I developed my true passion and skill in fine arts. I love to paint subtle day to day observations that go unnoticed by the average eye. Travelling is always an inspiration because of the diversity of environments.

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We have family from San Francisco staying with us this weekend, so San Francisco-based artist Borneman's original painting of the Golden Gate Bridge is perfect for the final image of the week.

Every time I visit San Francisco, I think I could live there. Then I price the houses and decide maybe not. I love the diversity, the proximity to the ocean, the museums and art galleries, the eco-friendly artist community culture, the blogging community, the parks, the shops, the food, the friendly people, the fog, even the crazy-steep roads.

I haven't left my heart in San Francisco, but sometimes I think I've left my wistfulness, or maybe just my hipster wannabe self there.

Land of Deseret: 4th of July Parade 2012 - Small town Utah Photo Essay

What I most enjoy about parades in cities across the country, is that each reflects its population. The small town featured here is hardly primarily agrarian, but it once was, and so tractors and horses are still appropriate parade features. Mormons are the majority religion here, so two temple-themed floats are also appropriate. From the two bagpipe brigades, I assume there is a large Scottish population.

Enjoy the photo essay of my favorite images from the Fourth of July parade.

Highway Patrol

Honor Guard

Fire Department

The Sound of Freedom Float

Easy Rider Patriot

Bagpipe Brigade #1

Hometown Heroes Float

Troops

Mascot

Model U.S. Air Force Jet

A Legacy of Temples Float (you know you are in Utah when there is a temple float)

Dance Team

Heritage Museum Float

Candy Man

Get Big Or Die (zoom in on the red t-shirt)

Temple & Geneaology Float (a parade float combination you will only ever see in Utah)

Eagle Float

Bagpipe Brigade #2

Seagull Float (the seagull is Utah's state bird)

Stilt Man

Unicycle Rider

Color Guard

Origami Dragon Float

WWII Ace Pilot on John Deere Tractor

Spotted Horse (this is my favorite photo)

Fancy Horse & Buggy

Colt (fyi: the colt is not pulling the buggy)

Ranch Horse

Poem Therapy 8:35 P.M. July 5, 2012: A Short History of the Apple - Dorianne Laux

apple story yuliya

A Short History of the Apple
Dorianne Laux


The crunch is the thing, a certain joy in crashing through living tissue, a memory of Neanderthal days. —Edward Bunyard, The Anatomy of Dessert, 1929

Teeth at the skin. Anticipation.
Then flesh. Grain on the tongue.
Eve's knees ground in the dirt
of paradise. Newton watching
gravity happen. The history
of apples in each starry core,
every papery chamber's bright
bitter seed. Woody stem
an infant tree. William Tell
and his lucky arrow. Orchards
of the Fertile Crescent. Bushels.
Fire blight. Scab and powdery mildew.
Cedar apple rust. The apple endures.
Born of the wild rose, of crab ancestors.
The first pip raised in Kazakhstan.
Snow White with poison on her lips.
The buried blades of Halloween.
Budding and grafting. John Chapman
in his tin pot hat. Oh Westward
Expansion. Apple pie. American
as. Hard cider. Winter banana.
Melt-in-the-mouth made sweet
by hives of Britain's honeybees:
white man's flies. O eat. O eat.

--- While I read this poem, I was eating a square of dark Colombian chocolate embedded with passion fruit nibs. A strangely delectable combination. This poem led me to think of the history and origins of the passion fruit. I know nothing at the moment, but give me a good Google surf session and I'll know something. Isn't it interesting that fruit is usually associated with sexuality, or transgressive acts in literature and religious texts? Perhaps, because biting into fruit is aggressive and sensual. What I know, is that eating fruit is one of the great pleasures of life. The berries my father planted last year are ripe, and I am indulging in one of the big seven: gluttony, indulging handfuls of strawberries, gooseberries, red and golden raspberries, currants, huckleberries, and black berries as they ripen. Many times, I have to compete with the birds. As for apples, I know about the different varieties, and the role this luscious fruit has played through the centuries in history and legend. As for cooking, I've never made an apple pie, but I've made apple crisp, and cinnamon baked apples. Both are delicious. I eat an apple every day. My dogs are not fans of the fruit. Of course, I know about the apple as an archetype in mythology and the Bible: Eve let the snake tempt her with an apple, which led her to "tempt" Adam, and then everybody got kicked out of the Garden, and then all womankind got a bad rap for too many centuries to count. Sigh. I mean, if the story were anything other than a metaphor, doesn't Adam come across as more passive wimp than victim of seduction? While I'm on the subject of Adam and Eve, explain this: if Eve was made from Adam's rib, how is it that every embryo follows a female template for the first six weeks? That means every man on the planet was female for the first six weeks of his existence, until the male sex chromosome kicked in. Oh science, you think you know everything!

Artist of the Day: Bento Red Octopus With Sushi Lunchbox in Background - Derek Cadena & Brent Rodgers

bento red octopus with sushi lunchbox background

derek cadena and brent rodgers twolittlefruits

artist bio: We are Derek Cadena and Brent Rodgers of 2LF! We have been selling our artwork in cute boutiques, galleries and online for the past 7 or so years. We enjoy making art that entertains us, and, we hope that you find an intense joy accompanied by retinal tickling every time you look at a 2LF creation. "Art should be as logical as the songs we sing to our pets" To see more of our work or to find out more about 2LF Studio visit us at www.twolittlefruits.com

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I love the wit and originality of 2LF's mixed-media original artwork. The duo's name, two little fruits, tips the viewer off to their humor.

Both artists approach content and technique differently, yet their complimentary styles create an engaging viewing experience.

You are going to love these guys!

Artist of the Day: License Plate Map of the United States - Design Turnpike

license plate map of the united states designturnpike

artist bio: Design Turnpike creates unique art pieces and maps from genuine vintage license plates. See all my work at http://www.designturnpike.com or the tinsnipstimes blog

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I love this! I can absolutely see this over my couch.

The Dearborn, Michigan creator of Design Turnpike's unique maps makes each piece by hand. They are assembled like a jigsaw puzzle using vintage license plates from the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. All fifty states of the Union (even Alaska and Hawaii!) are represented.

This map reminds me of a wooden jigsaw puzzle of the United States that my daughter and I used to put together when she was a three years old. I remember it was about a month into my divorce, and my daughter and I were putting the puzzle together, learning the names of each state, and she wanted to know where her father lived now. When my husband had moved, he left Utah, so I showed her the state where he was currently living .

That week the Florida piece came up missing. I asked her about it and she wouldn't answer. I found the piece in her pocket later. I didn't need to ask her why she had it. She kept it for about a year then it reappeared in its proper place in the puzzle.

Watch & Listen Fourth of July Playlist: July 2-8

Three Flags Jasper Johns, 1958

It is Independence Day here in the States this Wednesday.

The words independence, democracy, freedom have different meanings depending where you hale from, and that includes right here in my country. Every single one of us, all 313 million, have an opinion, and we so want to tell you about it. Check out You Tube, blogs, websites, twitter, Facebook.

For me, independence has meant something very different with each passing year. Democracy is messy, every voice shouting over the other, but every vote counts, including mine. It is incomprehensible that less than one hundred years ago, in this country, my country, that women did not have the right to vote. Freedom is every American's privilege, and it is our duty to extend those freedoms to all.

Whoever you are, whereever you call home, I hope you'll join me in celebrating the 236th birthday of my country.

Enjoy the music!

American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
American Boy - Estelle & Kanye West
Fourth of July - Soundgarden
Back in the U.S.A. - Chuck Berry
Independence Day - Martina McBride
The Star Spangled Banner - Jimi Hendrix
Freedom Hangs Like Heaven - Iron & Wine
America the Beautiful - Ray Charles
Flyover States - Jason Aldean
America - Simon & Garfunkel
This Land is My Land - Woody Guthrie
Trucker's Atlas - Modest Mouse
America - West Side Story
American Pie - Madonna
July, July - The Decemberists
Only in America - Brooks & Dunn
Fireworks - Animal Collective
Independence Day - Elliot Smith
Living in America - James Brown
Made in America - Jay Z & Kanye West
Young Americans - David Bowie
American Hearts - Piebald
Everyday America - Sugarland
Firework - Katy Perry
Independence Day - David Byrne
People Have the Power - Patti Smith
Coming to America - Neil Diamond
The Star Bangled Banner - Sufjan Stevens
American Pie - Don McLean
Breakfast in America - Supertramp
American Dream - Love and Rockets
Ragged Old Flag - Johnny Cash
Ashes of American Flags - Wilco
Have You Forgotten - Darryl Worley
War - Edwin Starr
Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue - Toby Keith
Traveling Soldier - Dixie Chicks
There You'll Be - Faith Hill
Living in the Promised Land - Willie Nelson
Fireworks - Siouxie and the Banshees
Lola Stars and Stripes - The Stills
America - Waylon Jennings
All American Girl - Carrie Underwood
Miss Independent - Kelly Clarkson
Fourth of July - X
We Didn't Start the Fire - Billy Joel
Dancing in the Streets - Martha and the Vandellas
Firecracker - Josh Turner
Star Spangled Banner - Whitney Houston
God Bless the U.S.A. - Lee Greenwood

Independence Day Wish List: Vintage & Handmade Gifts

This July 4th is the United States of America's 236th birthday.

In comparison to pretty much the rest of the world, we are a very, very young country. In our brief two-centuries plus, we've accomplished so much. Sometimes we're the best there is. Sometimes not.

No matter who you are, or where you are from, if you make America your home, you are family. And as you know, sometimes that's a good thing, and other times, not so much. When it comes down to it though, we have each other's backs, even in these crazy politically polarized times.

We won our independence, survived the Great Depression, changed the outcome of two world wars by intervening, literally saving the world from nazi destruction, and then, we've got some 'splaining to do: we've stumbled big time with other interventions and wars, and recessions and bailouts.

We are striving against the current right now, but I believe that we will always strive for the American Dream. Truth be told, that dream wasn't always attainable. The Civil Rights Movement and the Womens Movement changed the game for those that had been excluded, and made the dream a reality. Occupy may prove to be a game changer yet. Time will tell.

The Amerian Dream has really taken in on the chin these last twelve years, but in our 44th President's own words, in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

I'm looking forward to Independence Day: the parades, breakfast in the bowery, the family barbecue, arts in the parks, the symphony in the ampitheater, the fireworks.

Happy 236th Birthday, America!