Soaring

Joanna Braithwaite's painting Bee Being, of a figure wrapped in a swarm of bees, apparently flying through the air, is one of my favourites. That picture features in a lovely article on Braithwaite in Art New Zealand magazine.

Braithwaite shares some of her themes with Australian sculptor Patricia Piccinini, whose incredible show of human-like animals, hybrid animals, and animal-like machines at the City Gallery, Wellington, early last year is still viewable online. The online presentation features audio commentary by the artist herself.

Spinning

Most photographers go to some trouble to keep their camera steady while taking a picture. Wellington artist Darren Glass goes to the other extreme: he's made a camera that fits on a frisbee, and takes the photo while spinning through the air. Art News has the full story

Jane Andrews

Sophisticated, witty, and extremely strange, Jane Andrews' paintings have a haunting, familiar feel, like something half-remembered from a dream.

If you ever wondered....

The BBC shows how Oscar statuettes are made. People go to a lot of trouble, it seems.

I remember Glenda Jackson telling the story that she gave her 2 Oscar statuettes to her mother, who polished them so proudly and vigorously that the gold plating soon wore off.

Seeing it all

Slate has this interesting piece about cellphone cameras and their effect on how we think about our experiences. This blog gives a personal perspective on using a digital camera to record a family crisis.

New Art Forum

Thanks to Matthew for pointing me to Artbash! How fantastic to have a local art website. You can even buy stuff. Including, if you wish, the whole thing!

There are a lot of options for using Artbash: you can write reviews, rants or blogs and even sell your own art. The site has obviously been conceived on a grand scale. Maybe it'll be the next big thing. :-)

Lots of birds

Te Papa has put out an amazing new book on extinct New Zealand birds. It is illustrated by stunning paintings by Paul Martinson, who, amazingly, is self-taught. His birds are lovingly detailed and overflowing with personality, showing plainly how much New Zealand has lost.

I see Martinson has also illustrated a smaller book on rare and threatened birds. And that he does expressive paintings as well!