Weekend Random Images

(Above) Button Suit, made by Ruby Ann Kittner; Clinton, Iowa; with original photograph of Ruby and her husband Jake wearing this suit. c 1930 - 1940; dimensions: H 66". Via here.


(Above) Nightmare Town, by Dashell Hammett; Dell Paperbacks #379, 1950; Illustration by Robert Stanley; Via here.


(Above) Philippe Jusforgues: Untitled, (wild purple face with bible and rosary), 2004-05. , 7 x 5 inches, attached to 14 x 11 inch mat board, signed on the reverse. Via here.

(Above) Veijo Rönkkönen, a former paper mill worker, completed his first sculpture in 1961, and now his yard, and the path leading to it, are filled with over 450 statues, 200 of which are self portraits of the artist in Yoga positions he has mastered so far. The statues have loudspeakers hidden inside them, and the sound effects add to the eeriness of this place. Via here.


(Above) Now that automatic weapons are so easy to acquire, tribesmen in the Southern Omo region of Ethiopia have stepped up what once were far simpler conflicts. Another problem with the proliferation of weapons like these? The decimation of wildlife resources. Via here.

A Texas Vortex for Art

Click any image for larger view.


Click any image for larger view.



DEAN RUCK AND DAN HAVEL, two artists from Texas, used two side-by-side houses that were about to be demolished for the new Art League Houston and reconstructed them to create “Inversion.” This funnel-like vortex, at the west wall adjacent to Montrose Boulevard in Houston became quite a neighborhood attraction—but sadly, the work is now torn down to make way for the new arts building. The exterior skin of the houses was essentially peeled back and used to create the inverted spiral you see in these pics. The work is somewhat reminiscent of the work of Gordon Matta-Clark that was recently exhibited at St. Louis’ fabulous Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.

The project was sponsored by Art League Houston on the site of their future building.

Via here.

Man Spends Thirty-Four Years Building Toothpick City

THIS IS SCOTT WEAVER AND HIS TOOTHPICK MODEL of San Francisco. He started building the toothpick structure at age 17 and 3000 hours and over 30 years later he finished his brilliant creation. It stands 9 feet tall and 7 feet wide. Weaver says he did it to show what could be done by creativity and hard work.

Via Sweet Station.

Kids: An Endless Source for Inspiration

(Above) Original child’s drawing by Michael, age 10.

(Above) Reinterpretation of drawing by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine.

(Above) Original child’s drawing by Chelsea (right) and reinterpretation by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine. Click on image for larger view.
(Above) Original child’s drawing by seven year old (right) and reinterpretation by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine. Click on image for larger view.

(Above) Original child’s drawing (left) and reinterpretation by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine. Click on image for larger view.


(Above) Original child’s drawing (left) and reinterpretation by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine. Click on image for larger view.

(Above) Original child’s drawing (right) and reinterpretation by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine. Click on image for larger view.

(Above) Original child’s drawing (right) and reinterpretation by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine. Click on image for larger view.

(Above) Original child’s drawing (right) and reinterpretation by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine. Click on image for larger view.

(Above) Original child’s drawing by Kimberly (right) and reinterpretation by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine. Click on image for larger view.

(Above) Original child’s drawing by Chelsea (left) and reinterpretation by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine. Click on image for larger view.

(Above) Original child’s drawing (left) and reinterpretation by Dave DeVries of The Monster Engine. Click on image for larger view.


CHILDREN HAVE THE UNIQUE ABILITY TO TAP INTO a consciousness that is untainted and uncontaminated by training. Yep, training. Art instruction in schools is certainly not a bad thing, but it’s their job to see such naive approaches to visualization expand.

The Monster Engine is based on the idea of creating realistic paintings from children’s drawings. It all turned out to be a great success and an innovative concept. Sometimes artists just happen to get to one point where their imagination stops. But not children.

They are an endless “resource” for creations and we are going to prove that to you with this post. 22 images presenting the drawings made by children, all around 6 years old and then their representations made by Dave DeVries.

Via The Monster Engine.

Bad Ideas for New Products

(Above) FACE PROTECTION FROM SNOWSTORMS, 1939. For the fashion-forward person!


(Above) RADIO HAT, 1931; portable radio for the first real nerds.


(Above) .38 REVOLVER CAMERA, 1938; great for street photography where you are seeking average, normal reactions.


BACK IN THE 1930s, PEOPLE THOUGHT ANYTHING WAS POSSIBLE. And as we can well witness, we have come a long way. Ski masks, portable radios and automatic cameras—all done—thanks to these visionary inventors of things to come.

Via Bored Panda.

Weekend Random Images

(Above) Manipulated self-portrait by homeless artist Lee Godie (1908 - 1995); Private Collection. (Click on image for larger view)


(Above) Stone carved sphinx by the late Ralph Doss Lanning (1916 - 2009); Collection of John Foster. (Click on image for larger view)



(Above) Young boxing fans meet the champs; Via Square America. (Click on image for larger view)



(Above) Paw prints on outer wall of hen house made by predators; Via Live From the Surface of the Moon. (Click on image for larger view)


(Above) When age and the elements work their magic: Via Candler Arts. (Click on image for larger view)

Letter Perfect Seating

SOME 10 YEARS AGO IN DESIGN SCHOOL, DUTCH GRAPHIC DESIGNER Roeland Otten had an idea to make a set of chairs in the form of letter forms. Today, with help from Fonds BKVB and Materiaalfonds, he has made finished lacquered prototypes of all 26 letters. Otten is trying to find a manufacturer to help him produce the chairs in plastic for worldwide distribution. I think they are fun and worthy of production. Good luck Roeland, from Accidental Mysteries.

Via DesignMilk.