Daily Art Fixx

Born in 1976 in St Leonards, Sydney, Australia, Scott Marr uses natural pigments collected from the bush and farmlands including ochres, bark, charcoal, sap, flowers, berries, and the medium of fire to burn drawings (pyrography) onto paper and wood.  Based on a love for drawing, Marr’s artwork looks into the world of  what he calls “bio metamorphics”  symbiosis, energy, or the “alchemy of nature”.

In 2008, Marr won a Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize for his work “We Eat What We Are”.

Sources: Satchi Gallery, National Archives of Australia

Damon Drummond aka Ultrajunk is a found object metal artist from Akron, Ohio, USA.  His passions are robots, rayguns, lamps, and anything with a vintage science fiction or future Victoran style. From kitchen stove burners, bicycle headlights, old table legs,  and other odds and ends, Drummond’s creations depend entirely on his daily finds at the scrap yard.

“I am lucky to live very close to 2 salvage scrap yards which I visit every day and scrounge through piles of salvaged metal and rusty goodness. You would not believe what gets scrapped. There is new junk every day so I never get tired of going there.”

To see more Ultrajunk, visit Damon’s photostream on Flickr.

Related Books:
Altered Curiosities: Assemblage Techniques and Projects
Secrets of Rusty Things: Transforming Found Objects into Art
Found Object Art II

Sources: Junk Market Style

1. Pyrography is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object such as a poker. It is also known as pokerwork  or wood burning. Pyrography means “writing with fire” and is the traditional art of using a heated tip or wire to burn or scorch designs onto natural materials such as wood, leather, paper, etc. The process has been practiced by a number of cultures including the Egyptians and some African tribes since the dawn of recorded time. Pyrography is also a traditional folk art in many European countries, including Romania, Hungary, as well as countries such as Argentina in South America.

2. Fabergé Eggs are a symbol of luxury and the eggs are regarded as masterpieces of the jeweller’s art. The House of Fabergé made thousands of jeweled eggs  from 1885 through 1917. The most famous eggs  were the larger Imperial Easter Eggs made for Alexander III and Nicholas II of Russia. Fabergé was given complete creative freedom in creating the eggs.  The only stipulations were that each egg must be unique and must contain a surprise. The eggs were made with precious metals or hard stones decorated with combinations of enamel and gem stones.

3. Environmental Art is art that helps improve and create awareness about our relationship with the natural world. It may include the use of  recycled/ reclaimed materials and resources in an eco-friendly way to create art. It may also interpret nature and its processes, educate us about environmental problems, and show concern about environmental forces and materials.  Artists may create artwork that is powered by wind, water, lightning, earthquakes etc. that  re-envisions or  propose new ways for us to co-exist with our environment. It may reclaim and remediate damaged environments, restoring ecosystems in artistic and aesthetic ways.

4. Pablo Picasso’s full name was Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso. He was named after various saints and relatives. The “Picasso” is actually from his mother, Maria Picasso y Lopez. His father is named Jose Ruiz Blasco.

5. Early Art Education teaches children: to be more tolerant and open, promotes individuality, and self-confidence, improves academic performance, helps develop basic mental and physical capabilities, and improves interpersonal communications.  Young people who participate in the arts every week are more likely to participate and be recognized in academic activities such as math and science.

Related Books:
The Art Lover’s Almanac : Serious Trivia for the Novice and the Connoisseur
Facts On File Encyclopedia Of Art ( 5 vol. set)

Sources: Wikipedia (pyrography), DAF (Faberge), DAF (Environmental Art), Neatorama (Picasso), Olney Elementary Visual Arts

Mirko Siakkou Flodin was born in Dresden, Germany in 1963.   From 1980 – 86 he apprenticed with metal artist A. Kühn in Berlin.  His works are displayed in public spaces and in private collections around the world.

To see more including Flodin’s metal works, visit Mo-metallkunst.de as well as his Facebook page.

Own World © Jerico Santander

It’s Earth Day everyone – a day established to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth and our environment. Founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970, Earth day is now celebrated on April 22nd in almost every country around the globe.

In celebration of Earth Day 2010, I present five artists whose work raises awareness about our relationship with the earth and/or use materials and resources in an eco-friendly way to create their art.

First, what is environmental art? According to GreenMuseum.org, eco-art is “in a general sense, it is art that helps improve our relationship with the natural world. Some environmental art:

• Informs and interprets nature and its processes, or educates us about environmental problems.
• Is concerned with environmental forces and materials, creating artworks affected or powered by wind, water, lightning, even  earthquakes.
• Re-envisions our relationship to nature, proposing new ways for us to co-exist with our environment.
• Reclaims and remediates damaged environments, restoring ecosystems in artistic and often aesthetic ways.

And now the artists:

1. Sara Hall: Glass Artist - Hall’s recent work  in architectural glass focuses on the integration of art and solar technology.  Energy that is gathered through the solar cells is used to illuminate both the artwork and its surroundings at night.  Hall says, “By forging an image with a source of renewable energy, we create a powerful story about how we can live in this world:  It gives us a chance to dream about who we can be.”  See more at SaraHallStudio.com.

2. Chris Jordan: Photography/Digital Art - Jordan’s photographs and digital photo compilations depict images of western culture’s consumerism revealing the startling statistics of our daily consumption. He transforms the data about everyday items such as paper cups, cell phones, plastic bottles, and other mass produced goods, and makes large-format, long-zoom artwork.  “Collectively we are committing a vast and unsustainable act of taking, but we each are anonymous and no one is in charge or accountable for the consequences. I fear that in this process we are doing irreparable harm to our planet and to our individual spirits.” See more at Chris Jordan.com. An inspiring TED talk is featured on Daily Art Fixx here.

3. John Dahlsen: Environmental Assemblage Art – Australian artist Dahlsen creates works of art  from the vast quantities of plastic and litter washed up along the Victorian coastline. Dahlsen says, “Making this art has been a way of sharing my messages for the need to care for our environment with a broad audience. I feel that even if just a fraction of the viewing audience were to experience a shift in their awareness and consciousness about the environment and art, through being exposed to this artwork then it would be worth it.” See more at JohnDahlsen.com.

4. Laurie Chetwood: Architecture - Chetwood’s “Urban Oasis” opened on 19th June 2006 as a temporary structure on Clerkenwell Green and is a demonstration of sustainability and renewable energy working. The 12 metre high kinetic structure mimics the design of a growing flower: its photovoltaic “petals” open and close in response to the sun and the moon utilizing daylight to generate power. This is supplemented by a hydrogen fuel cell and wind turbine to make it self-sufficient. It even uses rainwater it has collected for irrigation and cooling. At the base, the Oasis has five “pods” inside which people are secluded from the noisy and polluted city surroundings, enjoying cleaner cooled air and relaxing sounds.  See more at Chetwoods.com.  See the Oasis in action here on YouTube.

5. Aurora Robson: Sculpture – New York based artist Robson uses everyday waste such as discarded plastic bottles and junk mail to create intricate sculptures, installations, and collages. In the past year, Robson has intercepted about 30,000 bottles, saving them from their ultimate destination at the landfill or costly recycling plants. The fate of her junk mail follows a similar path and have now become part of her stunning ink collages. Robson’s environmentally conscious works grew out of her love and appreciation for nature and from the nightmares she had as a child. Her goal is to “take something inherently negative and transform it into something positive.” Her art is “ultimately about recognizing and embracing new possibilities while encouraging others to do the same.” See more at AuroraRobson.com.

For more information about eco-art, visit GreenMuseum.org. For more about Earth Day, visit Earth Day Network.

Related Books:
Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, & Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist
Eco Craft: Recycle Recraft Restyle
Good Earth Art: Environmental Art for Kids (Bright Ideas for Learning)