Ever think about what music “looks” like? Many songwriters talk about visualizing the shape of their songs. Frank Zappa used to “draw” his music when he composed, visually represent it through arcs and blobs and stretching blips. Martin Wattenberg, as he states on his site “created a visualization method called an arc diagram that highlighted repeated sections of music–or of any sequence–with translucent arcs.” COOL.
The above diagram represents Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Autumn. You can listen to it here.
Of course, as someone who is discovering music (theory, performance, composition and really why I like the shit I like) all over again as an adult, this, I imagine, is how an eleven year old boy feels like when he opens a certain drawer in his father’s dresser while home alone for the first time. It also may be helpful to express my musical ecstasy by providing you with a visual of the guy who introduced me to Wattenberg’s work. My piano teacher, Mike Effenberger:
I mean, look at the dude. He’s obviously a mad genius. (Photo by Enna Grazier at a PMAC fundraising event – p.s. PMAC is AMESOME).
He also happens to be the perfect fit for me as a teacher. Proof being that he knew how much of a visual person I am and that, to make the connection between the seeing and hearing world would be a huge turning point for me as a student, artist and not to get too dramatic here (but it is So. True.) a better fucking human being. If you like smart experimentation rooted in supreme knowledge and curiosity, you should check out one of the 80 projects Mike is a part of. It’ll change how you see and hear the world.
But, back to Wattenberg…
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We posted about Chad Hagen a couple years ago, but I recently stumbled upon some of his new work and think that it is definitely worthy of a second post. These Nonsensical Infographics are fun and beautiful and I would love to have one to hang over my desk.
Check out more below the jump!
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Puffed Peonies is the Etsy shop of Illinois-based artist Brittany Jackson. I love the simple shapes and color palates in her prints, they would go great in any room. I want one for my new apartment! You can check out more prints in her shop.
Remember Physical Fiction? Well, they just updated their shop with some awesome new LEGO/letterpress prints just in time for Christmas Go check it out!
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I really love the dreamlike landscapes in Betsy Walton‘s work. I am also find these words about her process really inspiring:
I work with a spontaneous approach and few expectations of specific results. I rarely sketch preliminary drawings before diving into a painting, in the belief that the image formed through the painting process itself will be rich, revealing, and vital.
Castelao deconstructs normal things into super vector robot cyborgs that look like they came out of a retro-inspired technical drawing. He’s kinda like an Iron Chef – taking those meals that we are so used to and turning them into haute cuisine deconstructions. Instead of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Iron Chefs give us Brioche Pan Perdu with a Pinot Noir reduction sauce and Peanut foam. For Castelao, its taking animals, birds, and objects and pulling apart all the pieces and reconstructing them from simple shapes and lines into something even more awesome and delicious than the original inspiration. Maybe that has nothing to do with Iron Chef, but I think they are pretty damn cool (and I watch too much Food TV).
Now I’m hungry too.
Castelao’s got some new prints up at Poster Cabaret. Being as though it’s tax day and Uncle Sam has been kind to me, I may actually spring for that Owl print – pretty flippin’ rad. Wish it was bigger though.
(via Grain Edit)
Hey, OK Greats! Today is the first day a new series called You Can Afford it Fridays. I’ll be here each Friday with a round-up of affordable art/stuff, which in my “the recession is NOT over” life means $50 and under.
[1] Autumn Boy is available as a 5×7 or 8×10 print of a pen and ink illustration by artist Nan Lawson. Depending on the size you choose, it’ll cost you $12 or $18.
[2] House Plant 3 is a print of an original gouche painting by Carrie Marill from her series Doing a Lot with Very Little. An 8×10 of this beautiful print will only set you back $25.
[3] Owl is a 5×7 print by Sharon Montrose and is available in her etsy shop for $25.
[4] Invest is a print by Nikki McClure. Nikki uses only an X-acto knife to make her images, and cuts from a single sheet of black construction paper. Her favorite themes are motherhood, nature, and activism and her prints are made with vegetable inks on recycled paper. 14×18″ print for $9.
[5] The Golden Wishbone is a screenprint by Nora Aoyagi. It’s hand-printed by Nora with black and metallic gold ink on beautiful cotton rag paper. Available as an 11×17 for $30.
See you next week! As always with OK Great features, if you have a submission we’d love to hear about it. You Can Afford It Fridays submissions can be sent to me (Ellie) at mintdesignblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Excellent prints from Mr. Bill McRight. Mad Max meets symmetry meets asymmetry meets The Dark Crystal meets linocuts meets creepy.
You can check the portfolio HERE
And buy prints (for only $25!) HERE.
Meet Alex McLeod, an artist that renders 3D landscapes with “software generally used for film and advertising.” These aren’t little installations; they’re CGI prints. Crazy.
