and the livin' is easy

Currently showing at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts are a set of 5 mini exhibitions, with last nights opening reception garnering great reactions. The word on the street, "This is a really nice show". Its somewhat eclectic groupings are a token to it's appeal.
 

Ideas of a Few Carried out by Many; Justice Cotterill
wood, paint, paper, 4'X10'

River of Grass

There are constant threats to the ecological health of the Everglades, from urban sprawl and drainage for irrigation to invasive species i.e. the giant boa constrictor or the Australian melaleuca tree. Ongoing efforts are attempting against great obstacles to restore the Everglades and tackle these systemic problems.

Why save the everglades? Considered one of the most important wetlands in the world the Everglades are the home to a vibrant verity of fish, crustaceans, birds, reptiles, and amphibians that need the specific habitat that only the Everglades provides. They are also home to a countless number of plant life including the Cypress tree like the one depicted in this logo.

I give you permission to use these badges (more after the jump) to spread the word and get this initiative the attention it deserves. Find more ways you can help in the links below. Biodiversity will be lost as the result of mans ongoing pressure to the ecosystem, but we can help restore health back to this national treasure.

http://www.evergladesfoundation.org/

http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wild-Places/Everglades.aspx

http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm

http://www.evergladesplan.org/

David and the Horatii

Oath of the Horatii (1784) 329.8 × 424.8 cm (129.8 × 167.2 in)
Louvre; Paris

The brothers Horatii, hailing from Rome, accept the charge to fight the Curiatii also three brothers,  from neighboring Alba Longa, to settle a war between the two city states. A proud father Publius Sr. raises swords to his unified sons, at a high pitch of stoicism. Their tribute to Rome is considered a great honor. Averting the crisis is a necessity.

Jaques-Louis David has a power which he employs in the contrast of powerful actionable men who are all muscle, guts and steel, to the weeping women which they pay no attention. Each knows full well the dangers of this undertaking, their bloodshed to save the lives of many. Their sister stands to lose a fiancé in the brothers Curiatii adding to her dismay.

Non-Objective

 It is a reality that non objective art has been popular in the New York art scene for many years (some time after WWII). I can't say exactly where it stands today. It is a-kin to such movements as color fields, futurist or cubic abstraction, but non objective art is a mode with marked differences in artistic interpretation. Its strongest aspect the absence of original subject. In other words non objective art does not resemble any real world object nor should it be inspired by one.

Pittsburgh T-shirt Show

Inside the Common-wealth Press / Sapling Press warehouse last night I was pleasantly libated with amazing craft beers, and was treated to the visual delights of an old friend, the graphic tee.

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"sir" Francis Bacon

School Daze

A test you don't need to study for

The CREAX is a creativity test that takes no more than 10 minutes.

At the end you will be given a full assessment of your creative skills. If I told you it would give you an assessment of your spacial aptitude, you might not take the test, but then you might be confused enough to answer such questions unbiasedly. Depending on your preference you might be tempted to, even unconsciously, influence your score. According to the test, getting what you want is a hallmark of creativity.

uses for a brick:
(a) hat,car,fire starter, paperweight, umbrella, porter john, thumbtack, whistle...

Edward J. Muybridge

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