collection art

The COS website features the Inspiring Art of Collecting with extraordinary collections of some very ordinary things, stunningly captured by Maurice Scheltens & Liesbeth Abbenes' photography. The first is 24-year-old Manon Grootendorst's collection of over 225 soap bars. She started collecting these pretty bars of soap when she was eight years old. Now, she either receives them as gifts from friends and family or buys them herself.

This is Hans Mes' collection of light bulbs. In 15 years, he has accumulated over 3,000 light bulbs, mostly from the 1930s to the 1950s, when the variation in shape was at its greatest. I never imagined light bulbs could look this amazing!

This I can imagine having, being such a fan of washi tapes: a collection of tape rolls. Joep Pingen collects them on instinct, on impulse, and has gotten into the habit of buying two rolls - one for use and the other for his collection.

This next one is my favorite of these four extraordinary collections of ordinary things. This is the Joker playing cards collection of Leonard van Munster, who is said to be quite a joker himself. I think the art at the back of the cards - the different colors & intricate patterns look even more dramatic together.

Don't you agree that these collections are indeed art, worthy to be displayed on glass shelving like these?

Photos from cos.

Click here for previous posts from the Art series. Click here for previous posts on washi tapes.

eggshell art

This is nothing short of astounding!

Artist Gary LeMaster creates beautiful intricate art out of eggshells.

Can you imagine the skill and patience required to keep from cracking the eggshell?

Aren't they absolutely amazing?

Photos from here.

Click here for previous posts from the Art series. Click here and here for previous posts on eggs.

sandwich art

Who would have thought one could make art out of sandwiches? Well, that's what Brittany Powell did! Inspired by well-known masterpieces, she made art out of sandwiches! The Mondrian above is quite obvious.

It took me a while to recognize one of my favorites, Gustav Klimt's The Kiss - in sandwich form.

Here is Jasper John's Target.

Georgia O'Keeffe.

And one of Damien Hirst's Spot paintings. 

There are also other sandwich artists out there with adorable subjects like this cute giraffe and Tow Mater of Disney Cars!

Just google "sandwich art" and you'll find a Spongebob, Pooh and Sid (of Ice Age) sandwich which your kids will surely love! One of my favorites though is this Wall-E sandwich which comes complete with a step-by-step how-to here. 

Can you imagine how happy your child will be when he opens his lunchbox to find such intricate sandwich art?

And speaking of sandwiches, thanks to Lady's Choice for the goodie bag they sent me! It was filled with Lady's Choice sandwich spreads - bacon & ham, Lady's Choice mayonnaise, an apron (which Noah already brought to school), and a recipe book of sandwiches.

Let me end this post on sandwich art with this elaborate Nike-running-shoe sandwich. I can make out cheese, tomato slices, hamburger patties and ketchup!

Isn't it absolutely amazing?

Photos from here, here, here, here, here, here, here.

Click here for the down-in-the-dots version of this post - how you can prevent anyone from stealing these amazing sandwiches. Click here for previous posts from the Art series.

typewriter art

Who would have thought one could make art with a typewriter? Keira Rathbone makes extraordinary art with something as ordinary as a vintage typewriter.

Who would have thought one could make a portrait out of the ampersand, the pound sign & the colon?

Here's one of Nicole Kidman, still by Keira Rathbone (Check out her other works of art here).

These next ones were done by artist Paul Smith.

The Mona Lisa - via typewriter. He types over the same area over and over, creating evocative intricate shading.

Because of cerebral palsy, Smith needed to use his left hand to steady his right, when typing. Since he couldn't press two keys at the same time, he often locked the shift-key down and made his pictures with the symbols on the number keys: @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _.

Aren't these landscapes amazing?

Who would have thought one could create art with a typewriter?

Photos from here, here, here and here.

Click here for previous posts from the Art series. Click here for a post about vintage typewriter key initial pendants and here for previous posts on the typewriter including a sort of eulogy for it.

drawing art

I know I usually feature non-traditional art. But this video of traditional drawing with a Faber Castell pen is just too amazing! The man in the video draws without even lifting his pen and creates a masterpiece by simply drawing in circles.

I have no idea if it is real: if it was just a camera trick. But these next ones are definitely real, no tricks - made with just a pencil & paper. 7-year-old Noah's drawings from the past 2 months...

This next one was inspired by my Herbie sighting

By the 2nd movie on a Muppets marathon Saturday on Fox Family Movies, came this drawing of Kermit. He didn't finish it though, because he wasn't very happy with it. And I have no idea why...

While watching Pooh on Disney Junior (another one he didn't think was perfect enough to finish)...

And another of many Woody drawings over the years by this avid Toy Story fan...

Finally, his Lego Harry Potter drawing that blew me away...

Is it obvious Noah beats me at Pictionary and Draw Something all the time? Unfortunately, I never thought of taking a snapshot of his Draw Something masterpieces. Unlike these people's unbelievable Draw Something drawings

coffee foam art

Isn't this the cutest cafe latte? New York City-based artist and barista at The Breslin, Mike Breach, uses the foam atop a cup of espresso and milk as his canvas.

He can etch just about anything.

He even made a portrait of his friend's dog! And it does look like the real dog here!

They say that aside from looking pretty, latte art is a sign that the milk has been properly steamed and that your drink was made with love. Wouldn't you just love such an adorned cup in the morning?

Have a beautiful morning!

Photos from here via acupofjo.

Click here for previous posts from the Art series.

dripping paint art

Who would have thought one could make art with just paint in paper coffee-cups and a tall wooden platform? No paintbrushes, mind you!

Holton Rower turns those ordinary cups of paint into extraordinary art by pouring the paint cup by cup...

Color by color...

Using gravity as a tool...

To create a spectacular kaleidoscope of colors that is truly wondrous art.

I imagine each "Tall Painting" takes hours and hours to make. This stop-motion video captures the astounding process in a little over 3 minutes. It is amazing to watch each color drip down the wooden structure and ooze out to form a flower-like rainbow of colors on the bottom platform. Watch how incredible it is here.

Isn't it remarkable how ordinary cups of paint dripping down a wooden stand can turn into such extraordinary art?

Discovered via Creative Mix. Photos are screenshots from the video here or from here and here.

Click here for previous posts from the Art series. 

God's art

By now, I'm sure you've heard about DOT's latest campaign itsmorefuninthephilippines.

Every time I do touristy things on out-of-the-country trips, I find myself thinking of the beautiful sights in the Philippines. Most foreign tourist attractions are man-made while the Philippines is blessed with the most majestic natural resources that it is a shame very few know about it.

They say that the DOT campaign has limited budget but will primarily be spent on billboards in foreign countries. I certainly hope more of the world will see the beauty that God created in the Philippines.

Don't you agree that these Philippine sights are truly God's works of art?

Photos from here. Am not sure if these are official itsmorefuninthephilippines ads from BBDO. But they are beautiful nevertheless. Click here for the campaign's main site.

Click here for the downinthedots side of this campaign. Click here for previous posts from the Art series. Click here for a previous post on how God made stripes.

rubik's cube art

For some odd geeky reason, a few years ago, I added 'mastering how to complete a rubik's cube puzzle' to my bucket list. So far, I can easily complete 2 layers (and 1 side). I haven't learned how to do the 3rd layer (and other side) yet. I thought that was difficult enough an accomplishment. Until I saw this...

... art made out of Rubik's Cubes!

Here's the finished Rubik's Cube replica of the Creation of Adam from the Sistine Chapel.

Would you have been able to tell this was made entirely out of Rubik's Cubes? Who would have thought one could make extraordinary art out of the ordinary cubed puzzle? Absolutely amazing!

Photos from here, here and here.

Click here for previous posts from the Art series.

jellybean art

I looove candy. But it took me a while before Jelly Belly caught my attention. Sure, I love their cotton candy & tutti-frutti flavors and the feast of colors every box brings. But it was only when they came out with their Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans was I wowed!

It amazed me because grass really tasted like grass. And earwax and booger really seemed like what they would taste like, if someone ever dared taste the real thing. Vomit and sardines were the most awful for me! I hope I never have to taste them again, but I was impressed! I was thinking that the flavor guys at Jelly Belly are true artists!

And they are! See how they made a Harry Potter artwork out of jellybeans!

Peter and Roger Rocha made more art out of jellybeans.

And recently, director Greg Jardin created Kina Grannis' In Your Arms music video with 288,000 jellybeans.

Watch the incredible video here.

The behind-the-scenes video starts with a wall of translucent containers filled with the truckload of jellybeans donated, of course, by Jelly Belly - segregated by flavor. I just love the idea of so many jellybeans organized by color! It took 22 months to recreate 2,460 frames out of differently colored jelly beans with 1 still camera, 2 ladders and a jellybean animation team of 30 people. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the process. Absolutely amazing!

Who would have thought one could make amazing art out of jellybeans?

Have a wonderful, colorful weekend!

Photos from here, here, here, here and here. First discovered via adverblog and now, Kina Grannis has guested on the ellen show!

Click here for previous posts from the art series.

toilet-paper-roll art

Remember this toilet paper roll from my Cut Paper Art post here? Turns out so many others have created art out of toilet paper rolls.

These owls can be a cute project with the kids. It's the easiest to do out of all the TP Art in this post, but it's my absolute favorite! The different owl faces and the pretty colors are adorable! 

Junior Fritz Jacquet sculpts toilet paper rolls into these amazing (but kind of creepy) masks.

Anastassia Elias created this incredible art titled Paper Cut-Rolls out of toilet paper rolls.

The skill in these works of art is just extraordinary. To think, their canvas is something as ordinary as an empty toilet paper roll!

Photos from here, here, here and lushlee.