Exploring the passions of ART & DESIGN created by me as a 2 and 3 dimensional artist as well as American music from1920-1970's.

PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN

Gatsby Graphics Glitz and Gold Take Hold

June 24, 2013 No Comments

Gatsby Graphics Glitz and Gold take hold ever since the remake of the movie, The Great Gatsby. The creators of the movie admit that they did not attempt certain detailed, exact period reproduction. For example, the music was changed from 1920’s jazz to rap to give a present day audience the feel of that time as modern. They went more for the feel of the time, the opulence, the glamour, the glitz and the gold.

Like the movie itself, the graphics are not meant to be exact reproductions. They are representational, designed to conjure up a feeling. It is a feeling the we can relate to today. We relate to it in the same way people felt when they originally experienced the story. The movie and everything about it is redesigned and refreshed. This gives it an up to date feeling that we can be part of. Perhaps it is also so that we can dream of having a life like that ourselves.

To a greater or lesser extent, the couples who chose to use these great Gatsby wedding invitations aspire to that lifestyle as well. One would want only to be a fly on the wall to see how much more than the Gatsby style invitation they realized in their nuptial celebrations.

Enjoy more reading material about ART | FOOD | HEALING at right on Alison*s Art Online Magazines, a feature of Alison*s Blog and published by RebelMouse and paper.li.

PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN

When Life Imitated Art, James Gandolfini 1961 – 2013

June 20, 2013 No Comments

Life Imitated Art and cut short the life of James Gandolfini aka Tony Soprano

The blackout scene of the final Sopranos episode left everyone debating the fate of Tony Soprano and family. But when life imitated art, his ultimate demise became a forgone conclusion.

One wants to shout, ‘No, that’s just the story. He’s not really supposed to die’. But the untimely passing of HBO’s ‘iconic New Jersey mobster’ played by James Gandolfini is like a bad dream within a bad dream. One thinks it is over and that it did not happen only to awaken to realize that it did. A combination of grief, shock, frustration, sadness, loss and even nausea regarding the incredulity of the coincidence take over. One wonders, in this case, had life imitated art too much? Is that even possible? Did the Tony Soprano character take over James Gandolfini’s life to the extent that the fate of one became the demise of the other? That is a very unsettling concept.
One commentor, @Jigsjigz wrote on YouTube,”Well hes just passed away so hes dead in the story too.”

But James Gandolfini’s persona as well as his diverse body of work survive his nemesis, Tony Soprano. Here are some examples of the man and the actor in other roles he played. They show his range beyond the ‘conflicted yet iconic New Jersey mobster’ and ‘the shlubby but imposing work stiff’ (both descriptions from Variety).

A man with a huge heart who has been described in his industry as a ‘unique embodiment of creativity, humanity and humility’ has left us. May this post and Alison*s Art Online Magazine from RebelMouse, at right, be a small tribute to a very big man.

PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN

Great Ads Are Art: Atomic and Otherwise

June 12, 2013 No Comments

Great Ads Are Art: Atomic and Otherwise. Why? Because they can make us smile, make us cry and move us in ways that few other things can or usually do.

This is clearly illustrated by THE AD WORLD’S BEST IDEAS: 12 CAMPAIGNS THAT WILL WIN AT CANNES by Teressa Iezzi. Some of the entries shown do just what is described above. They clearly make a case for great ads are art and include the role that technology has come to play in the creative process.

This year, the use of technology at the International Festival of Creativity (aka the International Festival of Advertising, aka the Cannes Lions), has risen to such heights that a new category has been named for them. The festival kicks off on Sunday, June 16th.

Quoted from, ‘THE AD WORLD’S BEST IDEAS: 12 CAMPAIGNS THAT WILL WIN AT CANNES’, “While Cannes has certainly honored ‘apps, tools, and programmes’ before (several years ago, the festival launched the ‘Titanium Lion’, designed to recognize the new forms of work that refused to be bound by traditional ad categories), the new ‘Innovation Lion’ seems to be designed to give more recognition to the ideas that aren’t communications and to the tech platforms that underlie the communications initiatives that Cannes has traditionally cited.”

One community service project video, Metro Trains’s, ‘Dumb Ways To Die’ gained such popularity that other creatives crafted take-offs and spoofs of it. The original and its progeny are shown below.

IBM captured a million views in just one day for a demonstration of the future of atomic memory. Here’s how they achieved that and why it matters.
SOLVING HUGE PROBLEMS, ONE ATOM AT A TIME: THE PURPOSE AND POWER OF IBM’S “WORLD’S SMALLEST MOVIE”
BY: JOHN KENNEDY, IBM, AND STEVE SIMPSON, OGILVY & MATHER.

A Boy And His Atom: The World’s Smallest Movie

‘The Bridge of Life’ by Samsung Life Insurance
This project turns potential tragedy into a joyful work of art.

‘Coca-Cola Small World Machines – Bringing India & Pakistan Together’
Who would have thought that Coca-Cola could be used for political unity?

great ads are art as shown by You Can Still Dunk In The Dark — You Can Still Dunk In The Dark

The best was saved until last. The Oreo, 100 year birthday video, ‘Oreo Daily Twist’. We all know what happened to that one when the lights went out on last year’s Super Bowl.

Are you all choked up yet? See what I mean about ‘Great Ads Are Art’? Which ever ads win at Cannes, there is no doubt that they will all be works of art.

FOOD & HEALING JOURNEY, PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN, The ALISON D. GILBERT Blog

Building 3D is Organic and The Way Nature Does It, Now Man Can Do It

June 10, 2013 No Comments

Building 3D is organic and the way nature does it. It is not with straight lines and 90 degree angles, the way man has traditionally done it. What man will do it?

Who will be first architect, engineer, or builder to accomplish this feat of 21st century structural technology? That is the question at hand.

Nature has always defined its structures through a system of weaving and construction that man has wondered at. The closest anyone came until now was the geodesic dome. But even it used straight lines with angles. It is not organic either, the way nature is. Building 3D, or using the latest 3D printing technology, will allow man to come as close to building like nature in history.

Building 3D or 3D printing, as it is more commonly known, has resulted in the miracle of creating human organs. 3D printing has also allowed for traditional artforms to metamorphosize. Besides that, everyday objects, like shoes can be created with 3D printing. As amazing as all of this sounds, and it is, it is still the beginning. The question for this post remains,’who will be the first to build a 3D printed building’?

Build 3D and who knows what can happen to performance — The Nike 3D Football Cleat Photo © Nike

PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN

The Scoop on a $5 garage sale chair worth thousands

June 7, 2013 No Comments

couple bought $5 garage sale chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames

A $5 garage sale chair had a full description of its identity on the bottom. But it took its owners to the verge of discarding it to realize the treasure they had purchased. A very famous design couple, pictured at left, were the designers. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress). In addition, a world famous furniture company produced it.

Unknowingly, a $5 garage sale chair was used casually, left in the garage gathering dust and almost given away to Goodwill. Fortunately, the owners of this priceless designer chair discovered what they had. But it took the purchasers over a year to discover the priceless treasure they had bought for $5. They discovered it by accident. They turned the chair over. There was a metal plate with the names of both the manufacturer and the designers.

It turned out to be a Herman Miller original production Charles and Ray Eames design prototype from 1946 as the metal plate indicates. It was made by the Herman Miller Company in Zeeland, Western Michigan over 60 years ago.

The $5 garage sale chair identification — The $5 garage sale chair bottom with identification

These furnishings are also well documented in publications like Design in America, The Cranbrook Vision: 1925 -1950. The book accompanied the exhibit that traveled from Detroit, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and then to several stops in Europe.

the $5 garage sale chair — The $5 garage sale chair featured in the book, Design in America, The Cranbrook Vision: 1925-1950

According to a Herman Miller spokesperson, in this news video, the original Charles and Ray Eames chair, in the same style as the $5 garage sale chair, went immediately into the Museum of Modern Art Collection in 1946.

PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN

NYC’s Mercedes House Designed by TEN Arquitectos of NYC and Mexico

June 6, 2013 No Comments

pictures of the new luxury condo in NYC with its green stairway to the sky

NYC’s Mercedes House is a new luxury condo designed by TEN Arquitectos. Amongst its many other opulent amenities, it has “. . . a green stairway to the sky”.

Quotes from Inhabitat.com and photos from TEN Arquitectos.

This Inhabitat article by Molly Cotter describes it best, “Environmentally conscious luxury condos are popping up all over Manhattan lately, and Mercedes House is no exception. This incredible 1.3 million square foot compound features just about everything, including over 800 residential units, dozens of commercial and storage spaces, horse stables for the NYPD, and of course, a state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz dealership. With a sparkling LED-lit lobby by Leeser Architects and so many rooftop gardens even Central Park would be envious, the Mercedes House is a green oasis on Manhattan’s riverside edge.”

Another article by Molly Cotter of Inhabitat goes on to describe the lobby by Leeser Architects.

NYC’s Mercedes House, located on the West Side of NYC, stands as proud and grand as any other luxury condo that money can buy. That is, money to design it, money to build it and money to own (a piece of) it.

Here are some details about the neighborhood and location of NYC’s Mercedes House.

PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN

Ford Motor Company Creativity

May 30, 2013 No Comments

Ford Motor Company Creativity continues to flow thanks to one man. His name is J Mays. He is their VP of Global Design & Chief Creative Officer. In an interview with Inhabitat, J talked “about his career, electric cars, and the future of automotive.”

Ford Motor Company creativity was alive and well while J Mays designed for Audi — The 2004 Audi TT Roadster. Photo credit © Robert C. Bowden

He also spoke about the creative inspiration architecture has been in his life. Most of his favorite architects have died. They included Mies Van Der Rohe and Pierre Koenig. But he did get to meet one of his favorites before he died. That was Phillip Johnson. J had designed the Audi TT. Mr. Johnson had an Audi TT. Johnson wanted to meet J.

So J went to Mies Van Der Rohe’s Seagram Building where Johnson had his office. Mays not only got to meet Johnson but also got to be in one of the most famous office buildings in the world.

Ford Motor Company creativity has quite a legacy in J Mays. He designed for Audi. He became Chief Creative Director at Ford. His love of architecture led to a meeting with a great architect in a world famous building. These are all superlatives in the design field.

PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN

Star Wars® Brands

May 30, 2013 No Comments

What are Star Wars® brands? A New Zealand based illustrator, Barn Bocock, came up with this novel idea. He used his imagination and his knowledge of the ‘Star Wars’ series to create ‘Star Wars’ brands.

Bocock took the names of characters and alliances from ‘Star Wars’. He picked famous product visual icons and matched them. He made some very clever matches. The results are lots of fun. With a lot of imagination and a good dose of wit, illustrator, Barn Bocock came up with, the ‘Star Wars’ brands.

PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN

A controversial tea kettle

May 29, 2013 No Comments

A controversial tea kettle is the feature of today’s blog post. According to an article posted on FastCompany.com this household item is causing a “social media uproar”.

the image of a controversial teakettle — Does this tea kettle remind you of Hitler? Photo from The Telegraph

JCPenney insists it is a snowman. They have already been having financial difficulties. This tea kettle controversy may be bringing them lots of attention. But it is probably not the kind they want or need. If they had only come out with a kitchen accessories line like Target did. It was designed by world famous architect, Michael Graves. He also designed another line of household accessories for Target.

the famous Michael Graves 'Whistling Bird' tea kettle manufactured by Alessi and sold at Target — The famous Whistling Bird tea kettle designed by Michael Graves that sold at Target. Photo from Michael Graves Photo Collection

But in March of 2012, Target announced that their thirteen year partnership with the Michael Graves Design Group was coming to an end.

Guess who their new partnership is with? It is JCPenney (see video below). So why is all the buzz about a controversial tea kettle rather than this potential publicity gem? Perhaps, it is because more people know who Hitler was than who Michael Graves is.

Here’s an insightful article from BusinessWeek.com. It describes Michael Graves decision to leave Target and to join JCPenny. It also mentions his relationship with Ron Johnson, JCPenney CEO.

PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN

Typography 101

May 27, 2013 No Comments

Typography 101 is designed to briefly answer the question, ‘What are type fonts and typography?’ For too many people who write using a computer, type is just something to use to fill a space with words. Type has meaning. It has beauty. It has history. Typography 101 will provide some insights into the three of these.

Typography 101 includes the drawing of a typeface by hand — Perpetua Italic being drawn by hand at the Type Drawing office in the 1950s from twitter.com #FontSunday

Typefaces, or font names have all kinds of origins. Some have been named after people, places, times, events and things. Typography 101 can only touch on this topic that is hundreds of years old. Here is a link to Typography 101. It provides some history to the mystery of typography.

Before the computer, before typesetting and before typewriters, type was made by hand. Even the type used for typewriters was initially created by hand. Here is a terrific post, with animated video, that gives some good insights into the history of type.

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Gatsby Graphics Glitz and Gold Take Hold

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When Life Imitated Art, James Gandolfini 1961 – 2013

The blackout scene of the final Sopranos episode left everyone debating the fate of Tony Soprano and family. But when life imitated art, his ultimate demise became a forgone conclusion.

Like this:

Great Ads Are Art: Atomic and Otherwise

Great Ads Are Art: Atomic and Otherwise. Why? Because they can make us smile, make us cry and move us in ways that few other things can or usually do.

Like this:

Building 3D is Organic and The Way Nature Does It, Now Man Can Do It

Building 3D is organic and the way nature does it. It is not with straight lines and 90 degree angles, the way man has traditionally done it. What man will do it?

Like this:

The Scoop on a $5 garage sale chair worth thousands

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NYC’s Mercedes House Designed by TEN Arquitectos of NYC and Mexico

NYC’s Mercedes House is a new luxury condo designed by TEN Arquitectos. Amongst its many other opulent amenities, it has “. . . a green stairway to the sky”.

Like this:

Ford Motor Company Creativity

Ford Motor Company Creativity continues to flow thanks to one man. His name is J Mays. He is their VP of Global Design & Chief Creative Officer. In an interview with Inhabitat, J talked “about his career, electric cars, and the future of automotive.”

Like this:

Star Wars® Brands

What are Star Wars® brands? A New Zealand based illustrator, Barn Bocock, came up with this novel idea. He used his imagination and his knowledge of the ‘Star Wars’ series to create ‘Star Wars’ brands.

Like this:

A controversial tea kettle

A controversial tea kettle is the feature of today’s blog post. According to an article posted on FastCompany.com this household item is causing a “social media uproar”.

Like this:

Typography 101

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The blackout scene of the final Sopranos episode left everyone debating the fate of Tony Soprano and family. But when life imitated art, his ultimate demise became a forgone conclusion.

Share this:

Like this:

Great Ads Are Art: Atomic and Otherwise. Why? Because they can make us smile, make us cry and move us in ways that few other things can or usually do.

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Like this:

Building 3D is organic and the way nature does it. It is not with straight lines and 90 degree angles, the way man has traditionally done it. What man will do it?

Share this:

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Share this:

Like this:

NYC’s Mercedes House is a new luxury condo designed by TEN Arquitectos. Amongst its many other opulent amenities, it has “. . . a green stairway to the sky”.

Share this:

Like this:

Ford Motor Company Creativity continues to flow thanks to one man. His name is J Mays. He is their VP of Global Design & Chief Creative Officer. In an interview with Inhabitat, J talked “about his career, electric cars, and the future of automotive.”

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Like this:

What are Star Wars® brands? A New Zealand based illustrator, Barn Bocock, came up with this novel idea. He used his imagination and his knowledge of the ‘Star Wars’ series to create ‘Star Wars’ brands.

Share this:

Like this:

A controversial tea kettle is the feature of today’s blog post. According to an article posted on FastCompany.com this household item is causing a “social media uproar”.

Share this:

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