Mark Ryden

I love art with an edge. For example, something that may look a certain way but has a darker interpretation. Mark Ryden exemplifies this is in his paintings. At first glance they may look fairytale-like and childish, but upon further examination you can see the strange representations and dark undertones.

“Viewers are initially drawn in by the comforting beauty of Ryden’s pop-culture references, then challenged by their circumstances, and finally transported to the artist’s final intent – a world where creatures speak from a place of childlike honesty about the state of mankind and our relationships with ourselves, each other and our past.”

The Creatrix -- 2005

Incarnation -- 2009

Perhaps this is where Lady Ga Ga got her inspiration for the infamous meat dress?

Jimi Hendrix -- 1999

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Anastassia Elias

French artist Anastassia Elias uses toilet paper rolls to create tiny scenes of everyday life. I love it when artists use unconventional materials and these are so fun. Looks like tedious work but I’m loving the outcome.

SAGA SIG.

While browsing through my favorite fashion blogs I came across this London based photographer Saga Sig on the blog Oracle Fox. I fell in love with her 70′s style shots and her mixed media series. Her editing styles are right up my alley too. Check out her amazing photographs:

De And Me

Water Goddess

Haunted

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Up & Over It!

Wow! That’s all I have to say. Now I can’t decide if I think this is sped up or not, but I’m leaning towards not because they are so in sync with the music. That’s just crazy!

Irish Dancers Suzanne Cleary & Peter Harding together form a group called Up & Over It! which combine Irish dancing with hip-hop theatre, contemporary dance and electro-pop. They have become viral sensations with their hand dancing video shown above.

I recently saw them on a McDonald’s commercial as well. Check it out:

Huh?!

I’d like to see you try to skate on this ramp! With stairs leading to nowhere and an impossible-to-skate parabolic shape, Andrew Lewicki has created a ramp that is true in size and material but useless because of it’s form.

“Sure, skateparks push the envelope of extreme skating and legal walls allow for some elaborate pieces, but they are missing one key element, the mischievousness. They are simulations, you don’t get the excitement of breaking the law, and there is no adventure. [These pieces] are skatepark apparatuses that are not to be skated.” — Andrew Lewicki

"y=x²" -- 2010

Banksy

Just yesterday I received an e-mail from twitter saying that @Banksy_Graffiti has started following @grooveTOAST! This made me so excited. Maybe Banksy has seen my blog? But wait, who is Banksy? As far as we know he is a street graffiti artist from Bristol, England; that’s about it. He uses stencil graffiti to create controversial artworks in public areas.

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Finals Week!

This week is finals week at UCI, which means I will be on a blogging hiatus. When I come back I plan on revamping grooveTOAST, including special features and segments. Until then I will be cooped up in the library studying Ancient Greek and Roman Art, French grammar, Astronomy, and Medieval Architecture. Wish me luck!

Inspiration for finals week: Pythokritos of Rhodes, Nike, Samothrace, Greece 190 B.C.E.

If any of you have been lucky enough to visit the Louvre in Paris I am sure you have seen this statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory. She is absolutely breathtaking and the lighting is perfection; in fact, I was far more impressed with her than the Mona Lisa. Therefore, she is my inspiration for this week. I hope I come out of my finals victorious!

A Beatles Tribute

As I am on my 5th hour in the library, no other band makes studying bearable. The Beatles will forever be the greatest band that ever was and ever will be, in my opinion.

Dear John, Paul, Ringo and George:

Thank you for making my life brighter and happier when I listen to your songs. Thank you for inspiring so many musicians. Thank you for being the greatest band in the world. Thank you for making songs that will last forever. And finally, thank you for helping me get through the bad times and the good times. You complete me.

Love, Kayden

My senior year of high school we were asked to choose a quote to put underneath our pictures in the yearbook, this was mine: “There will be an answer, Let It Be.”

(I know the videos won’t play on my site but please click the link they provide to watch them on YouTube, so worth it!)

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Broken Fingaz

One of my good friends posted this video on Facebook and I think it is totally awesome! It is made by a crew of street artists from Haifa, Israel called Broken Fingaz. Check it out:

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Wearable Foods by Sung Yeon Ju

I love food. I also love fashion. Combine the two and I’m sold. Korean artist, Sung Yeon Ju, has created a series of dresses made out of everyday foods. They are beautifully constructed and look too good to eat.

Banana, 2010

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