Scrolling through the internet for a research project late one night, I came across this jaw-dropping photo that practically took my breath away. When I read the accompanying story, I learned it was a massive flaming gas crater in the middle of a desert in Turkmenistan nicknamed the "Gateway to Hell." Conflicting stories abound as... Continue Reading →
A Coronavirus Christmas Card and a Wish for 2022
"What is the Coronavirus doing on my Christmas card?" I said aloud as I opened the envelope, immediately recognizing the familiar image of the virus. As we stand at the threshhold of 2022, looking warily at a potential third year of living with COVID, a fabric artist in upstate New York fearlessly tapped into the... Continue Reading →
George Forss: In Memory of a New York Street Photographer
George Forss was one in a million. When I heard of his recent passing at the age of 80, I crumbled in disbelief. George was one of those artists you just assume will live forever. He was a self-taught photographer selling his black-and-white photos on the streets of New York City in the seventies before... Continue Reading →
A Crisis of Humanity: A photographer reveals heartbreaking personal items confiscated from migrants at the US-Mexico Border
Fine art photographer Tom Kiefer wanted to portray America. But when he took a day job as a janitor at a US Customs Border Protection Facility near the US-Mexico border, a disturbing discovery changed his photography – and his life – forever.
Art of the Yukon
Join us on a voyage without leaving home! Experience Canada's Yukon Territory through the eyes of its artists as Artful Vagabond's Serena Kovalosky takes you on an artful tour, in collaboration with international art magazine, ACS Magazine.
A Message for World Leaders…from the World’s Artists
If you had the opportunity to say ONE THING to a room filled with each of the world’s leaders, what would your message be? And if you were an artist, and you could present ONE WORK OF ART in an exhibition for these world leaders that might inspire them to talk to each other and... Continue Reading →
Interview with Angie Bowie: Inside the Creative Mind of a Pop Culture Icon
Angie Bowie is a pop culture icon. Née Mary-Angela Barnett, she met rock legend David Bowie in the seventies when she was only nineteen, yet her creative influence and marketing savvy helped contribute to the style, image and success of Ziggy Stardust in the emerging era of glam rock. Their ten-year marriage as an openly bisexual... Continue Reading →
The Leningrad Underground and a Russian Rebel
Leningrad, Russia – 1970s. A talented young painter, Ilya Shevel, enters the Secondary Art School of Russia’s Academy of Fine Art, but finds the Soviet-mandated academic style of realism too restrictive and “uninteresting.” At home, the artist is surrounded by the art and creative thinking that truly inspires him. His father, architect Vladimir Shevel (Shevelenko),... Continue Reading →
Pushing Boundaries: Stone Lettering as Fine Art
Nicholas Benson’s art is the sculpted word. A third-generation stone carver, calligrapher and designer, and recipient of an NEA Grant and a MacArthur Fellowship, Benson’s hand-carved work can be seen on memorials and buildings throughout the United States, including the National World War II Memorial inscriptions and the The National Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial inscriptions... Continue Reading →
Industrial Abstracts – From Bethlehem Steel to Slate Valley Quarries
Alyssha Eve Csük is a fine art photographer, fascinated by places of bygone industry – places that are “suspended in time – a suspension that disorients, that accentuates the visual.” Her photographs in the Slate as Muse exhibition at the Slate Valley Museum surprised most visitors used to seeing slate’s muted tones on rooftops and... Continue Reading →
Modern Nature: Georgia O’Keeffe and the Lake George Paintings
When people think of Georgia O’Keeffe, they see the iconic image she cultivated during her years in the American Southwest. But from 1918 until 1934, prior to moving to New Mexico, O’Keeffe spent most of each year at Alfred Stieglitz’ family estate in Lake George, NY, where she produced some of her greatest, most innovative... Continue Reading →
The Mathematical Artist
When confronted with certain mathematical tasks, I’ve met many artists who will throw up their hands and say, “I’m not good at math – I’m an artist!” Their statement always confounded me since I’m a professional artist who also happens to have a strong mathematical mind. What I eventually learned is that while the first... Continue Reading →
Longing for an America of the 1950s
America in the 1950s holds a certain nostalgia, especially for those of us baby boomers who were born during the two decades immediately following World War II. Life was simpler back then and the world was a kinder, gentler place that was filled with magic that came from our unlimited imaginations. There were no cell... Continue Reading →
Bent-Light Koans: Buddhist Meditation Meets Digital Imagery – Day 362
Art is a deeply powerful tool that can enhance a spiritual practice and, at the same time, a spiritual practice can bring another dimension to an artist’s work. Robert Bridges practices what he calls “contemplative photography,” using his camera as a meditative tool and as a means of concentrating awareness and focusing his intent. “Contemplation... Continue Reading →
Artist Creates “Paintings” in Snow with Snowshoes – Day 361
Simon Beck creates large-scale “paintings” in the snow by walking them out, step by step, wearing snowshoes. Read about how he does it.
Through the Looking-Glass: Revisiting Childhood Toys – Day 360
Toys are what sparks a child’s imagination as they spend hours each day creating and playing out stories inspired by real life. Revisiting old toys as an adult can bring up surprisingly strong emotional connections and can offer revealing perspectives when explored through the creative process of art. Juan Rodrigo Piedrahita is a painter who... Continue Reading →
Kaleidoscope: Mumbai Trains and Cleansing of Souls – Day 353
The kaleidoscope is a fascinating visual toy, with its name derived from Ancient Greek meaning “observer of beautiful forms.” It magnificently alters the scene before you, as bits and pieces of life are reflected off tiny mirrors to create beautiful, mandala-like images that shift and change, depending on where you point it. Tathi Premchand is... Continue Reading →
Creating with a Sojourner’s Heart – Day 348
The artist is the ultimate observer, a visual journalist of sorts, depicting travels far and wide in the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual realms. Some artists are very grounded in their sense of place in the physical world while others use their art as a vehicle in their search for a place to call “home.”... Continue Reading →
From a Socially Awkward Youth to a Life Less Ordinary – Day 347
Children who feel like they “don’t fit in” are often creatives who find themselves growing up in a system that favors left-brained thinking. Dreamers and thinkers are often considered outsiders in the school yard as well as the working world. Some, however, are fortunate to recognize their abilities and take the path less traveled to... Continue Reading →
An Art for Commuters – Day 341
Anyone who has ever spent time commuting on a public transportation system knows the feeling of “being neither here nor there” while enroute to work or home. Waiting for a subway train to arrive, surrounded by others on their way to their individual destinations, we are in transition, detached from our surroundings and from each... Continue Reading →
Looking in the Mirror: The Artist’s Self-Portrait – Day 332
Why do artists create self-portraits? What’s it like to create something so intensely personal and how does the artist “step back” enough from knowing the subject too well in order to be the artist and the subject at the same time? Vladimir Kezerashvili creates the most extraordinary still-life paintings. As I was perusing his portfolio,... Continue Reading →
Artful Relationships – Day 306
Creating art is a study in relationships – the artist’s creative process involves a constant weighing and balancing of the relationships between forms, colors and textures to create a final piece that resonates with integrity. Human relationships are much more complex and incorporating these issues into the creative context brings an additional set of challenges... Continue Reading →
Neologism and Art: Creating a New Language – Day 289
A neologism is a newly-coined word or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into mainstream language. In the world of technology, neologisms such as “google” and “photoshop” become popular almost as soon as they are coined. Artists often create visual neologisms through their work,... Continue Reading →
The Grand Marriage of Psychology and Art – Day 284
Visual art can communicate powerful messages in a single painting or sculpture. It can tell a story without words, often staying on the viewer’s mind for a long time afterwards. Amy Guidry has been creating visual stories through her art even before she was old enough to write. “My work stems from two loves –... Continue Reading →
The New Business Paradigm: More Creativity, Less Logic – Day 271
Creativity and entrepreneurs: New leaders are revolutionizing business through creative thinking - and they're learning those skills from artists.
Environmental Dreams: Viewing the World Like an Astronaut – Day 269
Artists are deeply aware of the environment in which they live and create. For some, it is the energy of the world’s greatest cities that inspires their work. For others, it is the natural world – particularly the increasing fragility of this world as natural forces and human development threaten its existence. Pat Musick is... Continue Reading →
Beyond Barbie: Nudes We Can Really Relate To – Day 250
Growing up with Barbie as an example of the “perfect” female body, followed by the pencil-thin models in the fashion world, young girls often develop unrealistic ideas of what they’re “supposed” to look like. It takes an artist, one who sees the nude body – imperfections and all – as the ultimate subject for a... Continue Reading →
Katrina: Applauding New Orleans – Day 241
Art is often inspired by events with great emotional power. Artists are particularly sensible and, even if we have no intention of producing work to commemorate a disaster or to celebrate a success story, we are often moved to create from it anyway. Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of... Continue Reading →
A Wearable Canvas – Day 234
Artists are always looking for ways to expand their market while protecting the integrity of their work. Sculptors cast their sculptures in alternative materials while painters might create a series of limited-edition prints or find other unique ways to get their work out to a wider public. Richard Malinsky’s paintings are collected for their emotionally... Continue Reading →
Painting with a Lear Jet and Other Unusual Mediums – Day 229
Inspiration can come from anywhere and the Artist Mind thrives on the unusual and the unexpected. For many artists, researching alternative mediums brings new perspectives into their creative practice. Diane Clement is an artist who uses a wide variety of products and techniques, mixing assorted paints, water, beer, wine, oils, alcohol….and even Lear jets! “I... Continue Reading →