Artist and metalworker James Nolan Gandy creates elaborate drawing machines that easily put your childhood spirograph to shame. The machines are engineered from relatively simple mechanisms that when combined, produce mind-boggling shapes and interconnected moiré patterns.
Although the gears and pulleys are crafted in a way to make some of the work on their own, Gandy has not yet manufactured a system to lift the pen at specific intervals. Therefore many of his works are collaborative studies, equally created from the talents of man and machine. Some of my favorites are those created with a high contrast between paper and ink, such as the brilliant blue form seen in his drawing below.
You can view more of Gandy’s drawing machines in action on his Instagram. (via The Awesomer)
Fractured, flipped, warped and stretched, food and plants act as props in ‘Perspective’ — an ongoing series by NYC-based photographer and art director, Suzanne Saroff.
With a steady hand and several fine-point brushes, Miami-based artist Jason Seife (previously) produces paintings that mimic the ornate patterns found in Persian carpets. Seife presents the same geometric symmetry seen in historic designs, yet takes his own liberties with the colors of ink and acrylic paint chosen for each work. The vibrant hues selected are not ones traditionally found in Persian textiles, but are his way to imbue his own state of mind into each piece.
Photographer Paul Octavious (previously) casts new light on Chicago’s adoptable dogs through a collaboration with PAWS, the city’s largest no-kill animal shelter. Octavious, an editorial and commercial photographer, explained to Colossal that he was on a shoot for NBC when he thought to pair the vibrant HUE lighting setup with rescue pups that were set to be photographed with characters from a NBC TV show. Octavious ended up spotlighting the animals themselves with the HUE lighting, resulting in these colorful portraits, and he has continued to volunteer his time helping to get Chicago’s homeless pets adopted with his ResHue Dog series. You can follow Paul on Instagram and learn more about available pets at PAWS.
For the last few months New Yorkers have been treated to an unexpected sight during their daily commutes as random trash cans around the city have been converted into overflowing bouquets of colorful flowers. The temporary installations dubbed “Flower Flashes” are the idea of floral designer Lewis Miller Design who utilize a mixture of post-event flowers and fresh stock to create the displays on street corners or around statues, reminding us somewhat of Geoffroy Mottart’s installations in Brussels. You can see more of Lewis Miller’s work on Instagram. (via This Isn’t Happiness)
Self-taught photographers Daniel Rueda and Anna Devís play out their love affair with architecture on their Instagrams @drcuerda and @anniset, posing each other amongst unique geometric elements found in buildings across Europe. The pair are both architects by trade, and met while studying at university.
Boston digital painter Yanjun Cheng creates stunning and
intense portraits of ladies who reel the viewer in with their mesmerizing
expressions, sometimes seductive, sometimes entirely caught in a world all
their own. Other paintings allude to the masters of old, but with a clearly
modern and digital signature that reminds of snapshot photography and glitching
screens. Cheng’s photorealism combined with her use of dashes of bright color
makes for an interesting mixture.
Alexander Calder’s standing mobile Franji Pani is one in a series of sculptures the artist made in 1955 while staying at the home of Gira Sarabhai in Ahmedabad, India. “I had a work bench in the garden, near where the cattle were tied,” recalled Calder. “In all, I made eleven objects there, either working by myself or working in a blacksmith shop.” Sarabhai had invited Calder and his wife Louisa to visit her family’s home and tour the country in exchange for works of art.
Tune in at 1 pm on Facebook Live to see Alexander S. C. Rower, the president of the Calder Foundation and grandson of the artist, activate Franji Pani at the Whitney as part of Calder: Hypermobility.
As the fourth generation of a family sculpting in stone, Milena Naef practices a contemporary approach to using marble as an artistic material. In ‘Fleeting Parts’, Naef uses her own body to explore the physical and mental weight of the stone.
