Grtblueheron, or Mary Shea, is an old friend of my from Massachusetts College of Art. I recently checked out her Flickr page to what she’s been up to. I really like these two photos. The first photo, taken through a screen, is great. I really like the effect and the yellow and greens are incredible. The Second photo is of Mary’s grandmother. At first glance I thought it looked a bit sad and lonely, but at second glance I think it has more of a contented feel. The composition is shows her grandmother at the bottom of the photo allowing space for us to see her home and therefore learn more about her.

You can see more of Mary’s photos at her flickr here.

Kate MccGwire is an award winning installation and sculpture artist that lives and works in London. In the images above Kate uses found objects that many of us feel are dirty and germ ridden, (pigeon feathers) to produce something clean and beautiful. A lot of her work plays on the feeling of fear as well. The way the feathers move in in her artwork appear to be fast and predatory. Her work is also extremely pattern related. She’ll be showing in London in February. You can see more details and images on her site.

I used to hate birds but my wife and bought a parakeet for a pet a few years ago and I realized how interesting and strange they are. Birds have a lot of personality displayed by their movement and energy level. Our birds seem generally happy all the time too which is pleasant. Andrew Zuckeman’s: Bird, a series of photographs and films, shows birds in their true colors. My favorite aspect of the series is simple minimalistic design of it all. The birds are simply photographed on a white background so you can see what they look like without distractions. The short promo films feature the song Seal Eyeing performed by Animal Collective. I think birds were probably some of the funnest things for God to create as he made this world. I know I would have had a good time making them if I had the slightest idea where to start.

I recently heard an interview on Morning Becomes Eclectic, I can’t remember who it was, but they mentioned that they used images from NASA’s image library for their album artwork. Because the images are taken with taxpayer money, they are owned by the public and therefore not under copyright and can be used as long as long as the use does not somehow imply that NASA endorses a product or cause. Many, but not all, of the images are offered for high rez download. I’ve always liked pictures of space and am excited about using some in my design work on Farmidable and maybe even other places.

A co-worker recently pointed me to the World Beard Championships. It is obviously a contest of true artistry and dedication. The above pictures are two of my favorites. The top is the 2003t beard and mustache champ Karl-Heinz Rein. The picture underneath is sideburns hopeful Eric Harvey Brown.

I took these photos a long time ago but pulled them out recently as inspiration for a new pattern and a screen print. They were taken at an aquarium in Connecticut. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name of the place. The light shining through them was great. Jelly fish are really strange creatures to me. They seem to have no consciences and yet they move and even have stingers. You can see through them but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them with food in their “stomachs” or whatever their equivalent is. Like a hydra they seem to be a cross between a mindless plant and an animal.