Editors Blog

The End of the Beginning

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:01:00 GMT

THE END OF THE BEGINNING
By Team Editor Conner Lopez

"People talk about the end of the world like it cant happen." -American sociologist James Hagler

With all this discussion about the end of days lately, it got me thinking.

Harold Camping predicted the beginning of the end would happen May 21 2011.

Well.

It didn't.

Some may dismiss Camping as a nutjob (I know I do) whos kind have been predicting similar The End Is Nigh events since the beginning of time.

A few people actually believed him. Others pay no mind.

While Camping predicted massive earthquakes

I am more in the darkly brilliant T.S. Elliot camp (...This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper.)

I believe this because... its whimpering already. The problem is most people can't hear it.

People generally fall into three groups.

1. Those that disbelieve the end is imminent.

2. Those that welcome it.

3. Those that stockpile cans of tuna in their cupboard next to the olive oil and non stick spray.

The non believers have it easy. They dont have to do or change anything. They just keep blissfully living their lives like they always have with nary a care in the world. Then again, dinosaurs once roamed the earth with similar thoughts.

The ones that welcome Armageddon, we will just call them the fanatics, also have it easy. They, like Camping, believe that only good can come of the Apocalypse. Duh.

The group I feel most sorry for, is the people that see the end coming and desperately try to prepare themselves for it, mostly using strategies heavily reliant on tuna. Oh right, that's me.

The most ponderous thing about the fanatics is that they all seem to think they know what the end of the world will look like. By definition, the end of the the world can only happen once right? So really, there can't be any witnesses, or anyone that's ever seen it before.

I propose the whimpering has already begun. Not with epic earthquakes or violent volcanoes. Not with dramatic skies or stark landscape, but by death of a thousand, (or maybe a few trillions) cuts.

Be assured, scientifically, inevitably, the world as we know it will end. Whether by the expansion of the sun or some unforeseen manmade calamity, it WILL happen.

While this may seem the musings of a man that stews in doom and gloom, it is not. There is a lesson to be learned from the doomsdayers.

Say it now.

Scratch that.

DO it now.

Why do we always have to wait until the end is in site before we are galvanized into action? If the end is in ten thousand years or the end is next week, its all the same.

Hear the whimper of time and heed its call.

Show life the respect it deserves.

There is no need to dramatically lifestyle changes or altering who you are in the expectation of doom. Its really much simpler than that.

For me, its about not wasting time with anger or malice towards others. Its about love and protection for those most close to me.

Kurt Vonnegut says it better and simpler than anyone else in a protagonists soliloquy to a bunch (or is it a gaggle?) of babies.

"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind."

I'll make it ever simpler than that.

Be kind.

and maybe we can soothe the whimper for a just little longer.

Opening The Cellar Door

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:06:00 GMT

(Warning contains spoilers, both about Donnie Darko the film and about the alternate reality you may have missed)
By Team Editor Conner Lopez

Donnie Darko and Steampunk have a lot in common. Both rely on alternate realities as their central theme, both play with the concept of time like the laws of physics and quantum mechanics dont matter, and both are amongst the most beautiful things I have ever known.

Steampunk is a movement and a vision of a world that never moved on. Its a fantastical idea that exists both in the minds and in lifestyle of a explosively growing subculture. Steampunk is an imagined concept of the world without electricity, powered by steam, and all the implications thereafter. It is an alternate reality of a world of mechanical features, gadgetry, and clunky but quaint wonderful machines.

Donnie Darko is a story told through film of love and consequences, and choices. What would we do if we could control our fate through ultimate sacrifice for a love we could save but never have?

Theres an old platitude that states it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Is that really true? Ask Donnie.

The Steampunk movement is more than just an idea. One hundred years ago, finely dressed gentlemen had no idea that their fine watches would one day be re purposed into vintage cufflinks, necklaces, and pendants. "How dare you! " they might say... yet here we are, wearing the watch movements of jewelry long forgotten and so casually discarded.

Steampunk jewelry offers the rare opportunity to proudly display a piece of time distilled down to itself quite literally as watch movement parts and faceplates showcased in a most stunningly beautiful way.

Donnie Darko spirit guide is an demonic six foot tall apocalyptic bunny named Frank.

Frank tells Donnie the world is ending in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. While not the most comforting or gentle source of guidance, though certainly a very specific one, Frank is nevertheless right.

Donnie is galvanized into a series of action that will determine his own fate and that of those he loves most. Donnie must navigate through a process of choices to achieve his desired results. His reality is temporary, and unstable, making his decisions that much more important.

Our decisions are important too, and each one, like an old vintage key

whos lock is forever lost, has unknown consequences that will imprint our lives in ways we never imagined.

Will we be like Donnie?

CAN we be like Donnie?

I wont even try.

But he makes me think about what steampunk means, about decisions and consequences and roads left not traveled, about the what ifs of a life and world that exist only in our imaginations.

And when I stare at a piece of though provoking steampunk jewelry, a piece of art carved out of time, it reminds me of the beauty of not just imagined worlds, but the real one we actually we live in.

The Disintegration of Persistence... of Safety Pins.

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:49:00 GMT

Once upon a time someone gave me a talisman with phenomenal magical powers.

Okay, it was a safety pin.

Okay, they didn't give it to me, I took it.

Despite those two blatant lies, the truth is that I really did take a safety pin right off 'someones' clothes and pin it right on to mine. And it stayed there. For 10 years.

What exactly is a talisman? Frankly im too lazy to google it and type out a definition, but I do know it is something meaningful, something of value. It is supposed to protect and maybe... remind.

Its also something with a significant story behind it, a history culminating to the moment it was given (in my case taken by) the recipient. This story is full of mystery and romance, and is the very essence of what give the talisman its power.

So I wore this enchanted talisman (safety pin) for years of my life, not to protect me from something (aloneness) but to connect me to something.

At the time I had no idea what the term steampunk meant. I still dont really (another lie, I totally know).

While modern steampunk jewelry and its emphasis on time is more literal, often having actual watch movement parts as the centerpiece, the safety pin was an emotional representation nonetheless. It reminded me of concrete, volleyball court sand, space, and satellites.

Borrowing a concept from Lost, lets Flash Forward to current day.

I know now that by wearing a totally unnecessary and non functional safety pin on my pants, I was having my initial encounter, with steampunk jewelry.

The point here is not to define exactly what steampunk jewelry is and means. My friend Matt does an excellent job of it here: Back to the Future - Steampunk

The concept rather, is whats important. The safety pin, like modern steampunk jewelry, is a symbolic representation of a decision in my life, a fork or a pivot point that could have, and did, change everything thereafter.

It was a piece of time.

Why is this important to you?

No matter who you are, where you've been, or what you've gone through, you have a story worth remembering. You have kept things which represent times in your life, which are important to you.

Your talisman might be a photograph, a wedding ring, or a tattoo.

Or maybe you havent found it yet. Maybe you will know it when you see it.

Maybe you will give it to someone else, and it will become theirs.

The core concept of steampunk is time. We cannot stop time or slow it down, but we can honor it and the people and things that it brings us.

I always hoped that the safety pin would bring me back to where I got it.

And it did.

For a time.

Back to the Future: Steampunk

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 21:50:00 GMT

Written by Team Editor Matthew Krueger
original release date: July 10, 2010
updated: January 22, 2011

Back to the Future: Steampunk
Imagine an industrial underbelly, a forest of pipes, gears, and nameless gadgets. Reach back across time to a quaint but clattering world of factories and locomotive whirlygigs, zeppelins, and wooden submarines with red velvet interiors. If Jules Verne or H.G. Wells come to mind, you’re not far off, as what may seem to describe a 19th century flight of fancy has actually exploded into a present day movement all its own: Steampunk.

Beginning in the 1980s as both a literary and aesthetic movement, Steampunk has been conjured imaginatively by fantasy writers like James Blaylock , author of the novels Homunculus and The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs, and materially by engineering wizards like Jake Von Slatt who has built mind-boggling Steampunk cars piece by reusable piece, and modified (or “modded” as it’s come to be known) everything from school busses to Ipods, PCs to guitar amps, and table lamps to more practical items like shop respirators.

The “steam” in Steampunk describes a tendency toward modernity as it was envisioned back in a gear-driven, steam-powered industrial revolution, while the “punk” tag denotes the movement’s more updated, almost post-apocalyptic Road Warrior vibe that is softened by Victorian ornamental stylings.

More than just a world of books and objects, Steampunk is a lifestyle. From fancier to fanatic, Steampunks extend the aesthetic to personal fashion statement. Combat boots are worn along with vintage corsets and bustiers dyed in goth-like hues, while rail worker coveralls are paired with top hats. Goggles modified in every possible configuration are practically de riguer, and Steampunk accessories and jewelry made from a host of unpredictable lost and found components personalize and complete the look.

NativeMotif.com 's SMStudio a.k.a. Steampunk Movement Studio has handcrafted Steampunk pendants and necklaces that are transistorized worlds of their own. Each is a one-of-a-kind mixed-media assemblage of patina-tinged gears, vintage watch movements, unique victorian style findings and charms.

Steampunk fashion gear at its finest! Steampunk | Industrial style Cufflinks and Tie Tacks

What sets these artisan jewelry makers apart is their ability to make each piece a unique excursion into the realms of antiquated manufacture and memory. At a time when hi-tech and sleek usually carry the day, these and other Steampunk artists seem to be throwing a wrench in the works. Perhaps the attraction lies in the romantic individualist refuge Steampunk provides in the face of a more impersonal cyber future.

Make a Steampunk Fashion statement - Steampunk Key Pendant Necklaces. Made from vintage mechanical watch parts and findings

Steampunk Rings made from vintage mechanical watch parts and findings

What’s the attraction for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts! In any case, whether you're interested in a forward look back in time or a nostalgic look into the future, be sure to check out the rest of Native Motif’s Steampunk offerings.

Steampunk Related Categories: Steampunk Jewelry | Steampunk Necklaces | Steampunk Cufflinks and Accessories | Steampunk Rings

The Art of My Favorite Mysteries - Clue Number 1

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:53:00 GMT

The art of my favorite mysteries - Clue #1

Written by Team Editor: Conner Lopez

So heres the challenge....
How do I tell a story about gift that I received once without revealing who gave it to me and why I made a concious choice not to open it.
Because as someone said once, some things are better left unsaid.
Sometimes lifes biggest mystery's are ones we never have a satisfactory answer for.
Lets take a look at my favorite mysteries in no particular order.

1. What's in the suitcase in Pulp Fiction?

We know only that a golden light radiates and seeps through and that SOMETHING is in the suitcase, but the content is never revealed. Theories abound but no conclusive answer emerges to what is never revealed. We know its something amazing only from the characters reactions, but what exactly is that something? Do we need to know? Would we still be talking about it if we did?

2. What does the guy say at the end of the Radiohead video Just? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIFLtNYI3Ls

For those who havent seen it, the video centers around a man inexplicably lying on the ground of a busy street. Why? We never find out. There is an answer, but it is only known to the afflicted man...until the conclusion, which I wont spoil here.

3. What happens in the diner in the series finale of the Sopranos? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnT7nYbCSvM (clue #2)

The tension mounts as we listen to Journey, until we are literally cut off to black without further explanation.What happens to Tony? What happens to his family? We will never know, but as the copious explanations on youtube show, it is sure fun to speculate.

4. What does Dr. Jenner whisper to Rick in The Walking Dead? Okay this one I'm sliding under the radar because I want to talk about zombies again http://nativemotif.com/_blog/Editors_Blog/post/Halloween_2010_-_ZIP_Are_you_Prepared/

but this is a real question and a real mystery. I suspect we will actually know the answer to this and if you are clever enough you can probably even find it right now. For now though, most of us dont know.

5. The best-for-last-mystery is of the best love story ever told and greatest love scenes ever seen in a film. What does Bill Murrays character say in Scarlett Johanssons ear at the end of Lost in Translation? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPly3e12ca8&feature=related (clue #3)

This mystery only deepens the beauty of this scene and no one who has ever been in love can watch it without feeling it. We dont know what was said, but in the end, it doesn't matter. Its the feeling we are left with that we care about.

Does anyone besides this editor really care whats in the unopened gift that's in the corner? Once we solve the riddle we stop thinking about the question.

Once we know the answer to a mystery the mystery is over.

Do we always have to have the answer?

Don't answer.

And I wont open it.

Because I dont want it to be over.

Halloween 2010 - ZIP Are you Prepared?

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:07:00 GMT

Are you Zombie Invasion Prepared (ZIP)?

Written by Team Editor Conner Lopez
Yeah I know its a cliche now to talk about the zombie apocalypse (ZA). Though its like everyone who knew about Green Day before they were famous. I was talking about this first. Maybe not pre george romero first, but for damn long time.

Five years ago and before Zombieland was even a zygote (zombiegote?) I consulted on a ZIP powerpoint presentation that was given in a real life classroom setting. I watched Evil Dead before I was a teenager, was Ash for halloween before anyone really knew who he was, and have The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks encased in glass on my wall. So theres the cliff notes on my zombie pedigree.

What does ZIP have to do with art?

1. Nothing.

2. How dare you, not so fast.

3. We will get to that in a minute.

First let me assure anyone still reading this that the ZA is a matter or when and not if. As i've said a thousand times (a thousand with zero hyperbole) these Mayans are optimists with their 2012 stuff.

No way we are lasting that long.

ZA is imminent and the signs are everywhere. I'm not talking about empirical evidence here. Its more of a gut feeling combined with the paranoia that's comes from sleep deprivation and too many monster energy drinks. Also, I think i have actually seen a real life zombie in town. Ive even taken pictures.

So on to business. How can I justify an article about the ZA on an art blog? There is clear historical evidence of this event depicted in art through the ages.

How about right in front of our faces in one of the most famous pieces of art in history.

In The Garden Of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, I see zombies everywhere.

In the center panel of the triptych surround the reddish tepee like shape, for example. Clearly a group of zombies, and painting was created in the 1500s.

How about Gustave Dore and Dantes inferno? The Divine Comedy has its shares of zombies. This depiction by Dore was drawn in the mid 1800s.

I mean, im just saying.

Once again I have to reference The Scream by Edvard Munch (yes I have a mild obsession with the image and the symbolism, but far more im far more obsessed with ZIP, which I would classify as a severe obsession). Not for the figure in The Scream, who is only a secondary suspect for being a zombie, nor for the shadowy figures behind him. Its what can't be seen in the Scream. Who, or what is the figure looking at? We can only infer his eyes are so sharply focused on a pack of unwieldy zombies.

Currently, zombies permeate our culture as they have become almost trendy in pop culture, movies, books, and video games. In the world of art however, they have always been around. They might not have always been known by the name "zombie," but the concept of the brain eating undead monster has been around for hundreds of years.

Are they coming in huge droves to attack any day?

No way to tell for sure, but im not taking any chances.

Just in case, Ill be stockpiling cans of tuna.

The Magnum Opus

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:18:00 GMT

Written by Team Editor Conner Lopez

What is the Dark Tower?
The dark tower is not the destination, its not the journey, its something inside of you. The dark tower is the magnetic force that pulls or pushes you through your life towards something inevitable. Foreboding as it sounds, that something isnt neccesarily bad, in fact its quite the opposite.

The dark tower may be an event, it may be a person, it may be place, it may be a state of mind. Its not something that we can avoid because the dark tower is something that happens in your life, and every decision that you have ever made has led you to it.

In Stephen Kings The Dark Tower series, the dark tower is simply a physical entity that our protagonist is trying to find.

Roland, the last gunslinger in a desolate and bizarre world, is on a seemingly endless quest to reach the dark tower. Nothing will stop him. Not sacrifice, not pain, not love. He will not be distracted, for it is his destiny.

The paths of our lives are defined by shockingly few decisions. Big decisions, small decisions, its all the same. The decisions that alter our lives are most often completely unnoticeable, and happen in tiny increments over time, imperceptible to us. Endless possibilities, but only one possible outcome. The one that actually happens.

Most of us are not gunslingers. Most of us dont have the luxury of being conscious of the journey we are on and its inevitability. It is only after we have arrived that we realize where we were headed. Unlike storytelling, our life is not a lucid narrative that begins with a conflict, has a climax, and an ending. Its all these things at all times.

When looking at Rolands journey through the eyes and art of Michael Whelan, you can see the majestic beauty in Rolands epic journey.

Stephen King wrote the Dark Towers series over several decades. Michael Whelan walks us through that same journey visually with his art. In the beginning there is The Gunslinger 88'

with Roland in the foreground and the dark tower behind him. Roland is ancient, and it is here that we take up the journey with him, to watch him in his final stretch to the tower. His world is dusty and colorless, his soul weary.

Next we see one of the most iconic visions of the series in The Gunslinger On the Beach.

Here Roland sits on the beach watching a beautiful sunset, finally facing the tower that is his destiny. This beach is featured prominently in The Drawing of Three.

In Legends: The Gunslinger, Roland is stepping through a crucial doorway towards the Dark tower.

It is here that he discovers he will need other people to complete his quest, even if it means sacrificing them. Do the skulls on the ground represent those he has left behind?

Every story needs an antagonist. The Crimson King.

Finally in The Dark Tower Roland breaks down the fourth wall and looks at us, bleeding, holding The Rose, at last in reach of the Dark tower.

Michael Whelan illustrates for us a vision that we all have collectively in our heads of this epic series. We are able to see what we have thus far only read and conjured in our minds. Art has the power to give us as individuals an experience together, as we all see something universally that we have so far experienced only on our own.

More than a story, the series is an enormous allegory for a determined march through the crush of life and time to a distant destination at all cost.

Stephen King told the story of the Dark Tower, and Micheal Whelan showed us through art what it looked like.

Now its up to us to live it.

Mystique A Look Into the Artwork of Luke Chueh

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 14:54:00 GMT

Written By: Team Editor Conner Lopez
Revised October 1st, 2010
I can't claim credit for discovering artist Luke Chueh on my own. Someone very close to me, gets that honor. What I can say with zero doubt, is that it is a good thing for me that I found him one way or another because for a minute there, as Thom Yorke says, I lost myself. What is it about Luke Chuehs tragically cute, sad little bears with existential crises that is so gut wrenching and so impact full? What is it about them that immediately makes you feel like crying? CONED by Luke Chueh

For me its two things.
One: we can all relate.

We have all had times when we felt like we have been disintegrating, our very selves disappearing into thin air. A decision we've made, a failure we've had. Our identities so confused that we question everything have ever known about our own existance.

Or maybe we have done something to hurt ourselves. A rift in a relationship, a lapse in judgment, a deep regret.

Only Luke Chueh knows what he means by his art, but all of us can feel it and understand it. Which is why it makes us (me) want to cry.

Number two: The mystique.

A person can have mystique. For me its Friedrich Nietzsche, William Shakespeare, and Kurt Vonnegut.

A movie, music, or books can have mystique. For me, Donnie Darko, Radiohead, and the Dark Tower series.

Or in this case, its art.

The bears and other art of Luke Chueh don't just have mystique, they ARE mystique. They forcefully evoke emotion. No one can look at these works of art and not feel... something.

Mystique sometimes exists before you even know you are seeing it, like the first time you watch Fight Club. You may not know what you are looking at, but you know its something special, meaningful, important.

I also see this in a piece of artwork like Durand Seay's The Conversation.

What are exactly are we looking at? I have my explanations, as im sure the artist has his. What I do know is that its mysterious, open to interpretation, and powerful.

What is the conversation? Who are the conversationalists? And does the conversation even matter, or is the piece about something much more important? My own interpretation, very specifically, is that it is about something much more ominious....

So to Luke Chueh: thank you for prodding my heart and making me feel something again.

To Durand Seay: please continue the conversation.

To my personal star who also happened to open my eyes to Chueh, you will always be the ultimate Mystique.

To you the reader of this art themed web log,

What, and who, is yours?

Abandon Small Hope

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:22:00 GMT

Written by: Team Editor Conner Lopez

When Stephen Hawking talks, I listen.

So should you.

Stephen Hawking says we may be doomed as a planet. Abandon Earth face Extinction Warns Stephen Hawkings

The good news... all we need to do is figure out how to abandon earth and colonize a habitable planet like ours. Making the assumption that we (we meaning people much much MUCH smarter than I) will surmount this minor detail, I began to think of course, about art.

Which 3 art pieces would I pack with me (along with Monster energy drinks, freeze dried ice cream, and Tang) to best encompass the enormity the human race? Which of the millions of artwork over history would I present to my new intergalactic friends (although disappointingly Hawkins says these would likely be simple microbes that would have no appreciate for such subjective creativity)?

The first and most obvious choice is of course The Scream by Edvard Munch. Beyond being an initial appropriate reaction to the realizing of our potential exctintion, the Scream has always been clear representation of the pain of humanity. Fear, isolation, anxiety, and depression are prevalent and have existed acutely through the human race. Few illustrations present this more poignantly than The Scream, which is why it resonates so deeply and endures so well over time. What do we do when we are so overwhelmed with negative emotion that rational thought is impossible and the primal takes over? We scream.

But what makes us human? Is it that we are susceptible to fear and desperation as shown in The Scream?

Yes... but not only.

It is also that we are innovative, we are resilient, and we love each other. Which is why Im choosing The Erosion of Time by Amariah Rauscher as my second pick. First, its a small print and would fit in my backpack.

Also, I never said the art had to be well known, just keenly relevant, as Rauscher is without even knowing it. The Erosion of Time is simple, yet brilliantly clear. Humans will fight and protect the ones we love against all odds and all rationale. We will hold on when it seems all hope is lost, we will make a stand for something that is most important to us. Rauscher says it best herself :"Everything around us is falling apart, but no matter what happens I'll always keep you safe." For after we Scream, we react,we forget ourselves, and we protect whats closest to us. However much truth The Scream holds, The Erosion of Time holds just as much, and is just as powerful.

We humans are if nothing else, a dichotomy of hopelessness and hopefulness.

The third piece of art should show natural beauty, as our planet is full of it. We are after all, just the human race, merely of group of living things living in a certain time, like a huge fraternity that will never be the same, before we were here or after we are gone. If some in this fraternity reach that neighboring planet in an effort to save ourselves from impending doom, to survive, we wont need anymore room in our backpacks for that last piece of art.

We can just point from where we came.

Break Out of the Mold and Take Your Handmade Business to the Next Level!

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 23:40:00 GMT

Would you like to sell more of your handmade jewelry, art glass, pottery, fine art or metal art? Nativemotif.com provides free promotional services to artists of handmade arts, crafts, paintings and jewelry.

Extend your reach to a broad demographic of customers for free! No listing fees, set up fees or yearly fees, you only pay for results. Nativemotif.com is a juried site composed of handmade jewelry and art aficionados who take artists and their crafts very seriously. A team of experts will tailor a specific marketing plan for your style of handmade jewelry or art and develop a strategy to generate you more sales.

The team will then push your products through a network of paid advertisers using a marketing strategy developed for your handmade art.

You will also get a special profile on Nativemotif.com with your biography and photo that will allow you to form a special connection with your audience. Here you can customize your image by uploading pictures and or videos of you in your workshop created your handmade products. Potential customers always like to be able to see who they are buying from and read about your story and how you became a handmade jewelry or art specialist.

Nativemotif.com will represent you like no other handmade artist marketplace. There is no exclusivity contract and no fees associated with the service. The goal is to expose you to a new demographic beyond just the traditional handmade art and jewelry marketplace.

Join today and see your sales increase for your handmade art and jewelry!

Fresh off the Press: NativeMotif.com Joins Technorati.com!

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:49:00 GMT

SAIL TO THE MOON

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:36:00 GMT

Art and science have converged in a mystery 40 years in the making. In a drama of rebellion, inspiration, and a courageously grand subterfuge, chalk one up for the worlds artists.

The seemingly inert but beautiful backdrop for this theatre? ..... The moon.

A real possibility has been brought to light that after over four decades, a miniature art museum may have been smuggled onto Apollo 12 and journeyed to the moon clandestinely.

Fundamentally men of science, engineers and astronauts, conspired to bring the very one thing that defines our humanity, art, on a lunar voyage.

	Conner Lopez
	Team Editor: NativeMotif.com

A tiny tile has 6 basic but original representations from artists including Andy Warhol. In small triumph for art within an enormous triumph for the worlds of science, the mini museum was attached to the leg of a lunar module on the moon, and has remain secret to the world until now.

That someone found it important enough, under peril of exposure, to represent the creative thinking of this blue planet is a testament to the power of art.

Art and science are as intertwined as the structure of a double helix.

Laura Barbosa illustrates this beautifully in Uncanny Valley Original Robot Fantasy Technology Representation Painting.

Striking, evocative, and thought provoking, Barbosa draws us in the speculation and wonder with startling and enigmatic images. Is it stark and menacing? Is it hopeful and illuminating? It is open to interpretation, as all truly awesome works of art are.

The centerpiece of the work is a palm filled with authentic binary code. Is this science what is holding us together, advancing our civilization to greater knowledge and enlightenment?

Or is the hand a warning to us, to stop our technical advancement before we have completely destroyed ourselves?

The questions and the thoughtfulness are what speak loudest in Barbosas art. Science in the midst of art, and art in the midst of science.

The endeavors of art and science will always be as relevant as they were in 1969.

Present day immediately becomes the past.

Science will carry us forward, art will sustain and define our voyage. Only we though, can sail to the moon.

What better way to tell Mom this Mothers Day that you love her than well… just to tell her!

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:56:00 GMT

A personalized hand stamped necklace is the perfect way to do that. All moms really want is best for their kids, don’t they deserve the best as well? How proud would YOUR mom be to be able to tell the world her son\daughter gave her a personalized jewelry necklace with a custom phrase or name? What better way to tell your mom this mothers day that you love her than well…. just to tell her! I owe my mom a lot.

I’ve always been attracted to shiny objects: gold, silver, treasure! I can remember her taking me to jewelry stores when I was young. She would teach me about different gems and jewelry and the difference and their unique beauty. Something fascinated me about the raw stone and metal that could be pulled from the earth and refined to make it even more beautiful.

These experiences ultimately led me to my profession.

Trips to the renaissance fair would turn quickly into my mom and I visiting each jewelry booth. I would marvel at the intricate silver work, the handcrafted pendants, the artisan jewelry. She would patiently take me from artist to artist and let me explore my endless quest to find the most interesting handmade jewelry on the planet.

So what does my mom or anyone’s mom really want for mothers day? They want to know you are thinking of them. Think how proud your mom will be with her fancy new personalized necklace or bracelet! Each time someone asks them about their custom jewelry they will beam with pride and proudly proclaim that their son or daughter got it for them!

Is your mom an I Heart You Necklace type, or A Dainty Tag kind of gal? The good news is that as long as its from you she will probably love it and wear it every day. What an awesome mothers day gift for your mom that she will cherish for years. Let your mom carry the love your have for her around her neck or wrist with a custom necklace, personalized bracelet.

I promise she will smile every time she puts it on.

Conner

P.S. Hi mom, Happy Mothers Day and I love you. I’ll call you tonight after Lost so we can discuss. :)

One Click Today an Art Investment Expert Tommorow

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:07:00 GMT

Article: So how exactly, does one become the next Warren Buffett of art?

Becoming a savvy collector\investor is an art in itself.
The first and most obvious tip is to look for something that you find beautiful and inspires you. After all, you are collecting and investing in art, not foreign currencies or commodity futures. You are collecting art because art is dynamic, art is vibrant, art is rich. Investing in art should be fun. So look first for something that you can enjoy owning and viewing for however long you choose to keep your investment art piece.

	Conner Lopez
	Team Editor: NativeMotif.com

Next look at uniqueness of the piece. Every piece is unique artistically, but what makes your investment candidate different from other pieces? It may be the individual piece itself or the scarcity of a set. Whether investing in a single piece or one of a set, always try and secure a certificate authenticity if offered.

A limited edition set has specific properties. Since most limited sets are nearly identical, today’s artists use the numbering system to assign and authenticate a size of a limited edition. Although technology now generally allows for identical prints in a limited set (say of 200), typically a lowered number print within this set is more highly desired and thus more likely to be a greater value.

The very first few in a limited edition set are sometimes called artists proofs. These are supposed to be selected by the artists themselves as the best of the set, the highest quality and best representations of the original. Artists proofs are even more highly desired and if you are lucky enough to get one of these of a popular artist, hold on to it!

You want the physical quality of your art piece to be as high as possible. In every collectible item, condition is paramount to value. Each piece should be inspected closely prior to purchase. Some art pieces may be older and have had several different owners. This increases the likelihood of damage, so examine an artwork carefully by looking for flaws such as scratches, dents, tears, etc. If an art piece is being sold online and you cannot see it in person before purchase, ask for multiple close up pictures at many angles. Any flaw should be fully disclosed by any reputable seller. Importance of condition can never be understated, it is a key factor in the determined value of any collectible.

Finding a proper frame is crucial for protecting and augmenting the look of your art. Art is sold both framed and unframed. The advantage of an unframed print is that you can choose to customize a frame to your exact specifications. Buying a framed print eliminates a step and can be less expensive. Either way, most investors/collectors will want a frame to protect and display their artwork investment. There are many options including special glass with ultra violet protection etc.

How does one know which art investment will increase in value, will make someone the next Warren Buffett of art? While no one can ever REALLY know, what you can do is dramatically increase the likelihood of owning a piece that will increase in value. Choosing the right artist is the single most important decision you will have to make.

An artist with the most publicity is going to be the one with the most potential for future value. The more publications they are mentioned in the better. The longer they have been a successful artist the better. The more awards, organizations, and galleries the artist has been a part of, the more likely their artworks will be valuable.

With future value in mind, there is always going to be an element of risk involved. This is why an art investor should never look SOLELY at the potential profit an art piece may win, but at the artwork as a whole. The trickiest part, and most fun, is identifying an artist that has undiscovered talent. This is why the best part of your art collection may indeed be the work of an artist whose received neither awards nor recognition other than that of your own deft eye. Don’t be afraid to buy an artist's work just because you haven’t heard of them… yet.

So challenge yourself, elevate yourself from art fan to art aficionado, from art enthusiast to art investor, from investor to…expert. Who knows? You may be about to buy the piece that will have everyone calling you one anyway some day.

Van gogh. Picasso. Monet. Dali.... Renae Schoeffel, Michael godey, Durand Seay, Laura Barbosa?

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:11:00 GMT

Van gogh. Picasso. Monet. Dali.
Renae Schoeffel, Matthew Hamblen, Durand Seay, Laura Barbosa?

Art has been considered an appreciable investment for centuries. Even in times of economic chaos, especially in such times, we must find a place to allocate our capital where it has the potential to grow so that some day we might be able to retire from our daily grind (if we are lucky enough to have a grind!).

So where do we put it? cds? No risk but no return. Real estate? Only if you can come up with a sizable down payment and qualify for a loan. Stocks? Yikes! Who has the time and knowledge to follow those irrational complex instruments?

	Conner Lopez
	Team Editor: NativeMotif.com

Art may offer an underrated and rarely considered investment opportunity. Jianping Mei and Michael Moses, professors of New York University's Stern School of Business discovered that art has outperformed the S & P 500 (the widely recognized stock market benchmark) in the last 50 years.
Art as an asset class?? Its not something that most people consider when enjoying a cherly bloomfield classic, or a character rich work from roosevelt washington. Most people just want to enjoy the beauty of art, and it can be beautiful. Whether its the natural beauty of ocean splendor from ronald pratt, the clean simple work of oak on a poppy hill from ted arden, or the fantastically mystical and award winning work of michael godey, ravens and dogs, the truth is these are just stunning to look at.
Those among us who are art collectors do it for the enrichment we get from enhancing our homes and the feeling of satisfaction after finally getting the perfect piece we have long sought.

Do these collections have another secret? Do these handmade works of art represent real value? Do they quietly increase our net worth as they adorn our walls?
There is real data suggesting this is happening. Mei and Moses have found that like the stock market, the art market has had several booms and busts, but generally over the long term (ten years or more) art has risen in value. More interestingly, art doesnt always correlate with the market. This means that art can be considered a diverstification tool, something that can retain its value if traditional asset classes fail.
When you select a piece of art, do it for the feeling you get when you take it in, the swelling in your chest that comes with the pride of owning something you worked hard to afford.

Also keep in mind that van gogh, dali, and picasso, were once completely unknown. Their art once worth less than the paper it was drawn on.
There is no way to predict which artist will become the next household name, the next to be worth $30 million a painting, the next to go down in history.
There is only one thing for sure.
Someone will.

I heart Mary Hining!

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 19:57:00 GMT

Actually I heart my girlfriend but I heart Mary Hining’s beautiful handmade kitchen and dining glassware and artwork. while browsing through www.nativemotif.com I was quickly drawn to the kitchen and dining section as my kitchen currently no style, no flair, and definitely nothing of the high quality handmade variety. I browsed some attractive handmade pottery mugs by Richard Rising and beautiful decorative art glass by Joby McGowan that I thought would be perfect for my mom and sisters house. then Mary Hining’s black widow stemless wine glass set and thought,

‘that’s the coolest glass I’ve ever seen.”

not only would that fit in perfectly with the theme of the rest of my apartment, but it would give me a piece of handmade artwork that would class up the joint significantly! I’m not a teenager anymore but I still love the same themes as I did then, and what a perfect way to upgrade my style to a more contemporary motif. a set of these black widow glasses would be sleek and elegant, but most of all just fun!

I started to wonder what else was available in art glass and if there was anything I could look at that was wearable for my girlfriend. I was thrilled to find the dichroic glass shaped pendant by Dayton Dean! what an interesting piece, another handmade beautiful work of art jewelry. it reminded me of something out of the Nightmare before Christmas and totally fit my theme. I’d never heard of dichroic glass before, but I quickly learned that its a type of multi layered glass that has unique optical properties. What a unique piece of handmade artisan jewelry!

I guess I was just surprised at how much I could improve my living space by picking out a few quality handmade works of art and mentally placing them strategically through out my ho hum apartment. with handmade artisan work from Joby McGowan, Dayton Dean, Richard Rising and others I could do just that.

Thank you Mary Hining, you’ve inspired me!

25 Year Veteran Gary Roberts Creates Beautiful Artistic Scroll Work by Hand

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:49:00 GMT

“I have been scroll sawing for the last 25+ years and have been doing artistic scroll work for over 15 years. I have always enjoyed working with unusual types of wood that are either rare or hard to find. Most of my wood comes from local sawmills where I will find a log that has been laying around for a few years, this is when the fungus starts working on it and the wood will become spalted.

Gary Roberts
Representing: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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	Featured Artist - Artistic Scroll Artwork

This gives the wood a very unusual and beautiful figure that cannot be found in store brought lumber.

As you can see from the pictures I have been busy during the winter months, I will cut out several pieces and just stacked them up until the weather warms up and then I will start putting the finish on all of them at the same time. You can also see the different types of wood I use that makes each and every one of my pieces a one-of-a-kind.

Most people think that these are laser cut or by a computer, that is not so, each and every one are cut out by hand and if I make a mistake, it is firewood because unlike painting you cannot undo a mistake. As you can see from the picture just how small the blades are that I use for cutting out each piece.