up in smoke

Breathtaking digital works by Stefano Bonazzi

tyne after tyne

A digital photographer with a degree from SUNY Potsdam, Alison Tyne composes photographs that capture a certain coquettish whimsy and all around light-heartedness. Layering several images over one another digitally, she creates dreamlike scenes that are captivatingly surreal.

isn't it enough that I ruined a pony making a gift for you?

For the first few years of high school, my Dad and I rode together in the morning (he would drop me off on his way to work) in an old forest green jeep that still only played cassette tapes. Luckily for us, there are cassette tape iPod connections for such travellers as we that allowed us to listen to something other than bad morning radio talk shows. Dad often chose the music, which meant an odd selection of obscure and typically bizarre songs. Enter "Skullcrusher Mountain." Written and performed by self-proclaimed "geek" Jonathan Coulter (or JoCo as he is more affectionately called by his fans), the song details the wooing of a woman by a villainous genius, in which he traps her in his lair on Skullcrusher Mountain and creates a half-monkey, half-pony monster. Needless to say, she isn't impressed

Now years after this initial exposure, my Dad (a graphic design artist) has brought back the fond memory with his digital rendering of the monster. Though it's a tad strange (and kinda ugly) I love it.

You can visit my Dad's (John Yardley) DeviantArt page here

not your mother's hi-fructose...

While recently perusing the shelves at my local Barnes & Noble (support print!) I discovered Hi-Fructose, a quarterly magazine dedicated to "new contemporary art." Founded by artist and toymaker Attaboy and illustrator Annie Owens back in 2005, the magazine features both up-and-comers and established artists with talents for the less conventional. While flipping through the mag, I was both enchanted and impressed by the artists highlighted in its 130 pages. Some of the standouts: painter, graphic designer and sculptor Blaine Fontana, sculptor Christophe Roberts, painter (and cover artist) Martin Wittfooth, and collage artist Kelly Allen.




Blaine Fontana, Suspended Upbringings and Lessons of Mortality

Christophe Roberts, The King's Return

Martin Wittfooth, Fountain

Kelly Link, A Seed is a Star

can't you hear the thunder?

Based in New Zealand, Cuba Gallery allows for designers, photographers and other artists to showcase their work, with an emphasis on quality and creativity. I love looking through the gallery's flickr. Some of my favorite photographs have such a clean simplicity, it's enchanting. To find out more, visit their website.