Mug Mud » Art

Old Man Watching Fly

jeremy — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:19:11 +0000

Ink on paper, color with Pixelmator

Death is Recognized as a Friend

jeremy — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:19:12 +0000

After Käthe Kollwitz.

A sketch that I rendered at the Käthe Kollwitz Museum in Berlin. The museum of her work is perhaps the most marvelous institution in a city of marvels.

Mechanical Pencil on Moleskin paper

Polaroid of That Day

jeremy — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:42:19 +0000

Jamie Livingston, filmmaker, took a Polaroid photograph every day for eighteen years until he inevitably died. His collection of photos is published against a sparse black background on a site called Some Photos of That Day. There are no captions, no biography or explanation, just a collection of thousands of sequentially dated moments in time.

Livingston’s project begins on March 31, 1979 with the foreshorten profiles of two anonymous women speaking to a person beyond the view of the lens. Through the next eighteen years he compiles a story of his life in frames: evenings with friends, strangers, travel, televised deaths of note, accolades, and more frequently: glimpses of the mundane. The warm and muted hues of old Polaroids connote childhood for people of my generation and the elusive shadows of the world immediately before existence, when parents were young adults exploring the world in the ways that are seldom revealed to their children. The flavors of grey-blue skies and eggshell white lends itself to the allure and mystery of Livingston’s catalog. James Livingston has perhaps crafted the precursor to the weblog in the textured form of an ancestor’s quilt.

I discovered this project on Mental Floss several months ago; an article by Chris Higgins reveals some of the mysteries behind the collection, though after viewing the photographs for myself, I find Higgin’s researched account as something of a spoiler.

Western Spaghetti

jeremy — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:53:28 +0000

Western Spaghetti is a new stop-action short by the filmmaker know online as PES. I ran across this film today during my morning session and found the use of materials enchanting. I won’t ruin it by talking more, so go watch it.

Ira Glass on Creative Work

jeremy — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:48:52 +0000

This American Life is my favorite podcast, and these days one of the few pieces of radio or television media that I consume. The others are 60 Minutes, The McLaughlin Group, and Radio Lab. I generally save podcasts until I have a long train trip and then listen to several episodes consecutively. Typically because of the delay in weeks between the show’s production and my train ride, archived current events shows such as The McLaughlin Group are no longer relevant. This American Life remains current, if not timeless.

The following video is of the host of This American Life, Ira Glass, talking about producing creative work and the period where the output does not measure up to the creator’s standards of excellence. I have been at this point for several years now, and have recently decided to combat this syndrome with high volume.

via Lifehacker

bear and penguin

jeremy — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:17:09 +0000

This is a comic about a bear and a penguin created by Jeremy Taylor.

Vienna Graffiti

jeremy — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:03:54 +0000

The Donaukanal channels some of the waters of the Danube River south and through the center of Vienna. The banks of the wide canal offer a pleasant walk along a boardwalk several meters below the bustle of the city. Many residents walk their dogs or ride bicycles along this route. A few creative entrepreneurs have opened beached themed bars atop the boardwalk, complete with imported sand, Mexican beer, and sun chairs.

Though most of old Vienna is free from graffiti, the city apparently allows urban artists free reign on the walls flanking the canal.

Below are some examples.

Lines and Colors

jeremy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:58:40 +0000

If you follow just one art blog, make it Lines and Colors. Charley Parker is an art critic and a tireless blogger, who examines a featured artist almost daily. In truth, he publishes so much material that it is hard to stay current. In particular, I enjoyed this recent piece on John Singer Sargent, who like many artists, found himself somewhat marginalized due to timing and the ‘whims’ of the art establishment. Sargent’s greatest works were born as the art world shifted toward modernism and abstraction. He is widely regarded as a great painter, but less celebrated than his contemporaries who pioneered the new vogue. The detail view of the following painting illustrates Sargent’s skill much better than words.

link: Lines and Colors

Galveston Gold Mine

jeremy — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:19:47 +0000

I am working on a design and integration project from a company that is involved in “natural resource procurement”. This firm is a start-up company and needs (among other things) staff to manage their operations and equipment. Oh, and they need big-ass trucks – lots and lots of million-dollar trucks.

One of the design challenges I faced was creating a careers page for the firm. They use this page to list available opportunities and allow engineers to apply for employment online. From a design standpoint, I could not use the standard photo of yuppies standing around cross-armed in starched white shirts looking smug. It just doesn’t fit the image of a team of sun-drenched Texans covered in oil and grease.

I looked at photos of guys working in oil fields, but most of them are not very artistic and convey some burden of back-breaking labor. Not exactly enticing imagery when our target prospect likely has a masters degree in geologic science.

I finally created the following graphic using Illustrator. The site is not yet launched (officially) so I cannot provide a link or specify the client. The image is of a man who works in the oil fields of South Texas near the bay at Galveston. I added the caption for the purpose of this post and is not included on the client site.

Illustration Friday: Worry

jeremy — Sat, 24 May 2008 08:44:40 +0000

He may look worried. Though these days it’s hard to tell by phone. I know that I am worried.

artist: Jeremy Taylor
media: digital