See A Penny, Pick It Up. Or Paint It, If You're Jacqueline Lou Skaggs.

above: Venus Dreams, 1963

13 pennies are used as miniature canvases for oil paintings titled "Tondi Observations" by Indiana artist Jacqueline Lou Skaggs.


above: The Plastic Magician, 1984

In the artist's own words:
"This small body of twelve works consist of images painted on found, discarded pennies. These pictures pay homage to, not only, the binding ideologies that define our family, religious, social and political worlds- but also to the resonating mythological powers of traditional painting and miniature picture making- much like the Dutch oils on copper from the 17th century. Paid tribute no less on the face of discarded coins these iconic images transcend the coins value while, to some extent, defacing it.

"Abe's Millennium" is a portrait from a found thrift-store photograph (regrettably sold at a yard sale). The title comes from my knowing that we still have a long way to go.

above: Abe's Millenium, 1973

"Kisses and Ghosts" is from a portrait of my mother as a child standing next to a bird bath with her brother. I once read a report in which children were asked what they feared most. The two most popular answers were "kisses" and "ghosts".

above: Kisses and Ghosts, 1951

"Four Witches Stand" is a line in the Pledge of Allegiance.

above: four Witches Stand, 1978

"The Unburning Bush" is a bush that never burned.

above: The Unburning Bush, 1992

"The Field of Sleeping Peasants" is waiting for Picasso.

above: Field of Sleeping Peasants, 1971

"The Baptistery" honors the rain Gods for suburban birds.

above: the Baptistry, 1980

"Through carelessness..." is a random line chosen with my eyes closed from the Chinese book of chance, I-Ching.

above: Through Carelessness He Loses His Cow, 1944

"A Pile of Burnt Wood" is just that, in the approaching evening light. "A Still Life" is too still... and so on.

above: A Pile Of Burnt Wood, 1983

above: A Still Life, 1976

Initially these coins were going to be spent- nestled with other coins in an exchange of goods. Or tossed back to the sidewalks from whence they came. Nice thoughts. However, these works remain hoarded as art rather than currency or discarded, valueless copper."

above: The Last Supper Table, 1990

Jacqueline is currently represented by SUGAR, 449 Troutman St #3-5, Bushwick, Brooklyn #718.417.1180
jacquelinelouskaggs.com

brought to my attention by the Global Art Junkie

From The Slutty to The Sublime. The Blonds' 2013 Spring Collection.

The Blonds' 2013 Spring Collection trotted down the runway to cheesy disco music with models clad in big blond wigs. Bathing suits, bustiers, corsets, skirts, lingerie, tanks, leggings and the occasional jacket made up the design duo's newest collection themed "Psycho Beach Party."








As expected, there were a lot of sparkly bustiers, coupled with a high 60's kitsch factor. To fit the theme, some of the clothes were embellished with or designed as seashells and shark fins:





Non-beach related imagery like psychedelic florals and neon streamers punctuated the male and female ensembles:





A Lipstick Tube theme, as both textiles and jewelry, was prevalent throughout:









Sequins, pearls, glitter and faux gems are par for the course when it comes to the form-fitting fashions from The Blonds and this collection was no exception.









David Blond (who looked uncannily like actress Nicolette Sheridan) appeared mid show to the JAWS theme, sporting a toothy bejeweled open-jawed shark mouth on his midsection.



After the finale, Phillipe and David appeared, this time with David wearing the image of the limited edition Barbie designed by the two of them for Mattel.




The Blonds:

Promoting Peace Through Food. The Recipeace Ads, Peace Meals and Peace One Day.

Recipeace is a social movement that aimed to join conflicting people through food in celebration of International Peace Day on September 21, 2012.




Throughout history, food has played a large role in bringing conflicting people together, turning times of crisis into times of peace. Recipeace is a social movement that brings people together over food. The intent is to build awareness for Peace Day on a global scale, while inspiring peaceful action on an individual level.



People could pledge for peace by cooking a meal inspired by recipes that have resolved conflict in history, visit a participating restaurant reserving tables for peace meals or tweet ideas of individuals who should come together over food for peace.(See the participating restaurants here.)

Check out the Peace Meals, the recipes and their inspiring stories here.




To help communicate the event, Leo Burnett, Chicago asked chefs, restaurants, food ambassadors and foodies around the world to join the Recipeace movement.

The print executions by Leo Burnett heralding the event were very simple - comparing weapons to food that have similar silhouettes:







More about Recipeace:
In 2001, Peace One Day successfully petitioned the UN to make September 21st, of every year, International Peace Day. Ever since, Peace Day has been a day of life-saving activities and action by individuals worldwide. This year, in partnership with Peace One Day, Recipeace aimed to continue that tradition.

Ad images courtesy of We Love Ad. All Other images courtesy of Recipeace and Peace One Day.