Incredible Book Art by Brian Dettmer

Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

Born in Chicago but currently living and working out of Atlanta, Georgia, contemporary artist Brian Dettmer creates incredible works of art with old books and tremendous patience. Using knives, tweezers and surgical tools, Brian meticulously exposes various layers to create his mind-blowing artwork. Dettmer has received critical acclaim around the world and his work can be found in countless galleries and publications. Below you will find a small sample of his art along with an artist bio and statement from Dettmer. Be sure to visit Brian’s official site: briandettmer.com for more information and photographs of his fantastic art.

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

BOOK ART BY BRIAN DETTMER – ARTIST’S STATEMENT

The age of information in physical form is waning. As intangible routes thrive with 

quicker fluidity, material and history are being lost, slipping and eroding into the ether. 

Newer media swiftly flips forms, unrestricted by the weight of material and the 

responsibility of history. In the tangible world we are left with a frozen material but in 

the intangible world we may be left with nothing. History is lost as formats change 

from physical stability to digital distress.
The richness and depth of the book is universally respected yet often undiscovered as

the monopoly of the form and relevance of the information fades over time. The book’s 

intended function has decreased and the form remains linear in a non-linear world. By 

altering physical forms of information and shifting preconceived functions, new and 

unexpected roles emerge. This is the area I currently operate in. Through meticulous 

excavation or concise alteration I edit or dissect communicative objects or systems 

such as books, maps, tapes and other media. The medium’s role transforms. Its content 

is recontextualized and new meanings or interpretations emerge.

Explanation of Process
In this work I begin with an existing book and seal its edges, creating an enclosed vessel

 full of unearthed potential. I cut into the surface of the book and dissect through it from 

the front. I work with knives, tweezers and surgical tools to carve one page at a time, 

exposing each layer while cutting around ideas and images of interest. Nothing inside the

 books is relocated or implanted, only removed. Images and ideas are revealed to expose 

alternate histories and memories. My work is a collaboration with the existing material and

 its past creators and the completed pieces expose new relationships of the book’s internal 

elements exactly where they have been since their original conception.

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

BRIAN DETTMER – ARTIST’S BIO

Dettmer is originally from Chicago, where he studied at Columbia College. He currently lives and works in Atlanta, GA.
Dettmer’s work has been exhibited and collected throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe. He has had solo shows in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta and Barcelona and has had projects exhibited in Mexico City, Berlin and London. He has been represented at several international art fairs including Pulse (Miami), MACO (Mexico City), ARCO (Madrid), Scope (London, Miami), Art Chicago (Chicago) and many others.
He is currently represented by Kinz + Tillou Fine Art in New York, Packer Schopf in Chicago, MiTO Gallery in Barcelona, Toomey Tourell in San Francisco and Saltworks in Atlanta. Dettmer’s work has been exhibited Internationally in several museums, universities and art centers including the Museum of Art and Design (NY), Museum of Contemporary Art (GA), the International Museum of Surgical Science (IL), Museum Rijswijh (Netherlands), Wellcome Collection (England) the Bellevue Arts Museum (WA), The Kohler Arts Center (WI), and the Illinois State Museum (IL). His work can be found in several private and public collections throughout the U.S, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
Dettmer’s work has gained International acclaim through internet bloggers, and traditional media. His bibliography includes The New York Times, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, AJC, Modern Painters, Wired, The Village Voice, Harper’s, Time Out, The San Francisco Chronicle, and National Public Radio among several others.

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

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Artwork by BRIAN DETTMER

Sources

- BRIAN DETTMER OFFICIAL SITE: http://briandettmer.com/

- BRIAN DETTMER ON FLICKR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/briandettmer/

Posted by Zaffar Iqbal Durrani

Incredible Photographs That Look Like Traditional Chinese Paintings

Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI 

Born in Canton in 1929, Chinese artist Dong Hong-Oai passed away
in 2004 at the age of 75. He left behind an incredible volume of work,
using a style known as pictorialism to create incredible photographs
that look like traditional Chinese paintings. Below you will find a small
collection of his stunning artwork along with a brief biography on
Dong Hong-Oai and additional information on the photographic style 

known as pictorialism.

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI
 

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

ARTIST AND PHOTOGRAPHER DON HONG-OAI

Don Hong-Oai was born in 1929 in the city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong
Province of China. He left China at the age of seven, after the sudden death
of his parents. As the youngest of 24 siblings and half-siblings, Don was sent
off to live in a Chinese community in Saigon, Vietnam. Later in his life he
would occasionally return to visit China, but he never lived there again.
On his arrival in Saigon, Don was apprenticed to a photography studio run by
ethnically Chinese immigrants. There he learned the fundamentals of photography.
He also developed an affection for landscape photography, which he practiced on
his time off using one of the studio’s cameras. Don remained an apprentice for a
decade, after which he worked a series of odd jobs. In 1950, at the age of 21, he
began studying at the Vietnam National Art University.
In 1979 a bloody border war broke out between the Socialist Republic of 

Vietnam and the People’s Republic of China. The Vietnamese government 

instituted a series of repressive policies that targeted ethnic Chinese living in the 

country. As a result of  those policies, Don became one of the millions 

of “boat people” who fled Vietnam in the late 1970s and early 80s.
At the age of 50, speaking no English and not knowing anybody living

in the U.S.,
Don arrived in San Francisco. He was even able to set up a small darkroom. 

By selling prints of his photographs at local street fairs, Don was able to make 

enough money to return to China periodically to shoot photographs. Most importantly, 

he was given the opportunity to study for a period of time under the tutelage 

of Long Chin-San in Taiwan.
Long Chin-San, who died in 1995 at the age of 104, had developed a style of 

photography based on the long tradition of landscape imagery in Chinese art. 

For centuries Chinese artists had been creating dramatic monochromatic landscapes 

using simple brushes and ink. These paintings weren’t intended to accurately depict 

nature, but to interpret nature’s emotional impact. During the later years of the

Song Dynasty (960-1279 C.E.) and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368 C.E.)

 artists began to combine three different art forms…poetry, calligraphy and painting…

on the same canvas. It was thought that this synthesis of forms allowed the artist

 to more fully express himself.
Long Chin-San, who was born in 1891, had been trained in this classical tradition 

of painting.
At some point in his long career, Long began to experiment in ways to translate that
impressionistic style of art into photography. In keeping with the layered approach to
scale, he developed a method of layering negatives to correspond with the three tiers
of distance. Long taught his method to Don. Don, seeking to more closely emulate the
traditional Chinese style, added calligraphy and his seal to the image.
Don’s new work modeled on the ancient style began to draw critical attention in the 1990s.
He no longer had to sell his photography from small stalls in street fairs; he was now
represented by an agent and his work was being sold in galleries throughout the U.S.,
in Europe and in Asia. He no longer had to rely on individual customers to buy his
photographs; his work was not only being sought after by private art collectors but
also by corporate buyers and museums. He was in his 60s and for the first time in
his life he was achieving some level of financial success.

TEXT ABOVE FROM THE SUNDAY SALON WITH GREG FALLIS

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

PICTORIALISM 

Pictorialism is the name given to a photographic movement in vogue from around 1885
following the widespread introduction of the dry-plate process. It reached its height in
the early years of the 20th century, and declined rapidly after 1914 after the
widespread emergence of Modernism. The terms “Pictorialism” and “Pictorialist”
entered common use only after 1900.
Pictorialism largely subscribed to the idea that art photography needed to emulate
the painting and etching of the time. Most of these pictures were black & white or
sepia-toned. Among the methods used were soft focus, special filters and lens coatings,
heavy manipulation in the darkroom, and exotic printing processes. From 1898 rough-surface
printing papers were added to the repertoire, to further break up a picture’s sharpness.
Some artists “etched” the surface of their prints using fine needles. The aim of such
techniques was to achieve what the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica termed, in
discussing pictorial photography, “personal artistic expression”.
Despite the aim of artistic expression, the best of such photographs paralleled
the impressionist style then current in painting. Looking back from the present day,
we can also see close parallel between the composition and picturesque subject of
genre paintings and the bulk of pictorialist photography.

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

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Artwork and Photography by DON HONG-OAI

Sources
- Sunday Salon with Greg Fallis
- Wikipedia: Pictorialism
- Galleries for prints: Photoeye.com ||| Gallery 71
- Flickr gallery by Jayjayel

Posted by Zaffar Iqbal Durrani

11 Original Stress Busting Products

These are 11 unique ways to beat stress! In this high stress world, the more unique & fun the more effective it is to relieve stress!

 

PuchiPuchi Virtual Bubble Wrap

This Japanese product simulates the sound and feel of popping bubble wrap, and best yet, you can pop forever because this bubble wrap never run out.




Breast Stress Toy

A Stress Bust to Bust stress! Squeezing one of these is sure to take your mind off of whatever is stressing you out.

Stressbeater Brass Knuckles

Slip on these squishy faux brass knuckles and give them a squeeze whenever you feel your temper rising!


Smack Him Punching Bag

Husband or boyfriend stress? Know you can work out your aggression without getting yourself arrested!

Magic Sakura Tree

Now you can have your very own Japanese cherry tree right on your desk! This tree is made of paper and comes with special "magic water;" once you water it the beautiful, soothing pink blossoms appear on the tree and last for up to one month.


Geek Cube LED Light Show

Over 1000 colorful LED light patterns will transform your office into Relaxation Central.


Moonlight Pillow

Create instant mood lighting with this plush light-up pillow. A hidden battery pack helps turn any room into a Zen Den with its soft, shimmering light show.


LED Jellyfish Mood Lamp

Select your color with this LED desk lamp and watch as your own private sea of jellyfish gently undulate and float. Guaranteed to mesmerize!


Shiatsu Massage Lounger

Just sit back and say "Ahhhhhhhhh...."


Emergency Panic Button

When all else fails, and you just need to let out all that tension with a loud primal scream, why tax your vocal chords when you can use this handy panic button? One push of the button and the unit emits a blood-curdling scream that's sure to make you feel better instantly! 

 Stress Relieving Beating Heart PIllow

Hugging this pillow relieves stress, causes naps.
Your heartbeat will sync with it and slow down.

Posted by Zaffar Iqbal Durrani