Encyclopedia Homeschoolica » Art

Fresh Art: Henry Hargreaves & The Gelatinous Presidents

encyclopediahomeschoolica — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 03:50:11 +0000

Artist Henry Hargreaves crafts American presidential silhouettes out of jello, compiling all 44 portraits into a festive infographic. In addition to the red and blue colors of the Republicans and Democrats, the key also indicates that left-facing presidents served one term only, the smaller silver stars indicate they died in office and the jell-o splatters signal their assassination.

See more HERE, including photos of just how Mr. Hargreaves crafts the portraits.

Fresh Art: The Peep Show Dioramas

encyclopediahomeschoolica — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:29:47 +0000

There are several Peeps Marshmallow Candy Diorama Building Contests held annually in the United States – with the most popular contest hosted by the Washington Post. Here are a few favorite entries and winners from recent years:

“OccuPeep D.C.”

“GOPeeps Peepadential Debate”

“Da Vinpeep’s The Last Suppeeper”

“EEP” based on the Pixar movie “Up”

“Nightpeeps” based on Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”

“Just Peeped” – based on William and Kate’s royal wedding

“Goodnight Peep” based on Margaret Wise Brown’s “Goodnight Moon”

Fresh Art: Norman Rockwell & The Photographs

encyclopediahomeschoolica — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 19:28:21 +0000

Norman Rockwell’s subject was average America. He painted it with such benevolent affection for so many years, that a truly remarkable history of the 20th century has been compiled. Most of Norman Rockwell’s iconic paintings were inspired by photographs. Prior to beginning a painting, Mr. Rockwell would first plan out the scene to be photographed, often inviting family and neighbors to help act out his vision. It was then from a photograph, or a series of photographs, that Mr. Rockwell would begin painting:

Oil painting for Post cover, September 1958." alt="Norman Rockwell" src="http://encyclopediahomeschoolica.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/the-runaway-painting.jpg?w=590&h=626" width="590" height="626" />

The Runaway. Oil painting for Post cover, September 1958.

Girl At The Mirror. Oil painting for Post cover, March 1954

After The Prom. Oil painting for Post cover, May 1957.

The Tatooist. Painting for Post cover, March 1944.

Browse the Norman Rockwell Collection (both paintings and photographs) online at the Norman Rockwell Museum.

Rockstar Photographers: Iain Macmillan & The Abbey Road

encyclopediahomeschoolica — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:27:30 +0000

Photographer Iain Macmillan shot the iconic image of The Beatles crossing the street for the 1969 album cover, “Abbey Road”. At around 11:30 that morning, Mr. Macmillan was given only ten minutes to take the photo while he stood on a step-ladder and a policeman held up the traffic. Mr. Macmillan’s other shots from that day in 1969 – the ones that didn’t make the cut – show just how tricky it can be in getting such a simple shot to look ‘just right’.

View live webcam of the actual crosswalk on Abbey Road HERE

Abbey Road
Side One
1. Come Together Lennon
2. “Something” Harrison
3. “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” McCartney
4. “Oh!Darling!” McCartney
5. “Octopus’s Garden” Starr
6. “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” Lennon

Side Two
1. “Here Comes The Sun” Harrison
2. “Because” Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison
3. “You Never Give Me Your Money” McCartney
4. “Sun King” Lennon, with McCartney and Harrison
5. “Mean Mr. Mustard” Lennon
6. “Polythene Pam” Lennon
7. “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” McCartney
8. “Golden Slumbers” McCartney
9. “Carry That Weight” McCartney with Lennon, Harrison, and Starr
10. “The End” McCartney
11. “Her Majesty” McCartney

Rockstar Photographers: John Koivula & The Gemstones

encyclopediahomeschoolica — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 07:08:17 +0000

Photomicrographer John Koivula takes photographs of gemstones through a microscope. The resulting images look more like magical landscapes:

Thin slab of Brazilian agate
(12x)

Inclusions of goethite and hematite in Brazilian agate
(30x)

Growth steps on the face of a quartz crystal
(40x)

Inclusions of pyrolusite and limonite in a polished slab of Brazilian agate
(14x)

See more of Mr. Koivula’s images HERE

Rockstar Photographers: Living Pictures By Mole & Thomas

encyclopediahomeschoolica — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 04:42:24 +0000

Photographers Arthur S. Mole and John D. Thomas created a series of ‘living photographs’ in the early 1900′s using thousands of United States soldiers just returning home from World War One.

Human Statue of Liberty, 1918 at Camp Dodge, Des Moines, IA
Arthur’s great nephew Joseph Mole, 70, says: “In the picture of the Statue of Liberty there are 18,000 men: 12,000 of them in the torch alone, but just 17 at the base. The men at the top of the picture are actually half a mile away from the men at the bottom.”

Living Portrait of President Woodrow Wilson, 1918
Formed of 21,000 officers and men at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio

The Human U.S. Shield, 1918
Formed of 30,000 men at Camp Custer, Battle Creek, MI

See more of Mole & Thomas HERE

Fresh Art: Francesca Pitcher & The Snake Cake

encyclopediahomeschoolica — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 02:55:52 +0000

Cake artist Francesca Pitcher sculpted an entirely edible Albino Burmese Python cake for her daughter’s birthday party. When she brought the cake out, the guests weren’t sure whether it was a real snake or not!

Ms. Pitcher offers a how to tutorial of the snake cake HERE

Fresh Art: Brock Davis & The Make Something Cool Everyday Project

encyclopediahomeschoolica — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:30:14 +0000

Artist Brock Davis believes in maintaining a steady flow of creativity by creating one piece of art each day. He uses everyday objects with surprising twists:

“Crushed/Scrapped Matchbox Car”
Matchbox car + Sledgehammer + Clay

“Rules”
Blank sheet of paper + Old note pad + Thread + Tape + Exacto Knife

“Broccoli House”
Broccoli + Balsa Wood + Craft Knife + Glue

“Gummy Bear Skin Rug”

“Rice Krispyhenge”
Aerial shot of the mysterious Rice Krispyhenge.
Super glue + Rice krispies

“Stubble Self Portrait”
Facial Hair + Toothpick

“Bumperstickers For Shoes”

See more of Mr. Davis’ work HERE and HERE

Join and contribute to the Make Something Cool Everyday Flickr Group HERE

Halloween: Party Rock Style

encyclopediahomeschoolica — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:02:08 +0000

Still enjoying the Halloween song and light show of the year from 2011:

Rockstar Photographers: Joel Sternfeld & The Burning House

encyclopediahomeschoolica — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 01:36:46 +0000

Photo by Joel Sternfeld
McLean, Virginia
December 1978

Look closely at Joel Sternfeld’s iconic American photo. What on earth is going on in this scene? One thing is for sure: this scene is not staged.

Some guesses that we’ve received:

1. There is no hope for the house and the fireman is just biding time while the house burns to the ground.

2. The fireman inhaled too much smoke and is taking a breather.

3. The fire fighting crew lost a tool and the fireman is looking for a heavy object to break a hole in the roof to help fight the fire.

4. The fireman is the chief and is letting his crew finish up the job.

5. The fireman got distracted and went to snag some pumpkins for his family.

Scroll over the photo for the answer.

See more of Mr. Sternfeld’s photos HERE