i-eclectica.org

Mehmet Özgür is an engineer by education and profession and also an avid photographer. His work spans a substantial range of subject matter and technique, from the landscape panorama to normal format landscape, digital compositions and his amazing smoke works, which comprise stunning images of incense smoke, mainly in monochrome but some in color. These, as all of his work, are digitally manipulated on the computer to provide the effect he is after, and it is obvious that Mehmet embraces the power of Photoshop with strikingly beautiful and strong compositional effects. Some examples of his photographic work are shown below - follow the links for a more in-depth appreciation of his work.

From his Smoke Works series

Scream

Chaos Within

Two More Wishes

Give Me Light, Give Me Fire

From his Ghost in my Mind series

4/15

From his Thin Lines series

Path II

Floating II

From his Landscapes 1:1 series

Moondance II

Canary Springs II

From his Landscapes 1.5:1 series

Fall Through Fog 4

From his Panorama 2:1 series

Wild

Via The Digital Image Maker, Aynaya dü?en hayaller, and photo.net, with the last link providing the most comprehensive view of his work.

This is quite an amazing site - it links to the top 100 watch site blogs (well, what it considers as such). I’m not sure whether some of the examples below would end up on my wrist , but they’re amazing nevertheless.

Between 11 and 25 March, Swiss artist Felice Varini and his team created an unusual piece of public art that is set to baffle and fascinate visitors to Cardiff Bay barrage. The piece, entitled 3 Ellipses for 3 Locks, was commissioned by arts agency CBAT for the Cardiff Harbour Authority and cost £25,000. A series of three yellow ellipses have been painted onto the working locks, gates and even the outer sea wall to create a piece that took a year to plan.

The artist used photography, projection and painting to plan the piece which is his first in Wales and also his first work in the UK. Professional mountain climbers were required to access the barrage’s difficult high structures. The piece was designed to highlight the main working parts of the barrage. The Harbour Authority approached CBAT to commission the piece, which compliments another 30 open air art projects dotted around the bay area.

From virtually every angle the marks look like splashes of yellow colour against the backdrop of the Penarth headland and the Bristol channel.

But on closer inspection visitors to the Barrage are treated to a visual spectacle featuring three perfectly formed yellow ellipses.

All you have to do to see Felice Varini’s ‘anamorphic illusion’ properly formed, like in the above picture, is find a precise vantage point somewhere on the barrage.

Via BBC News - to see a more complete sequence unfolding, click on link.

Icaro Doria is Brazilian, 25 and has been working for the magazine Grande Reportagem, in Lisbon, Portugal, for the last 3 years. He was the author of the flags campaign “Meet the World” that has been circulating the earth in chain letters via e-mail... READ MORE

Via BrazilianArtists.net

Here’s is an addition to my recent post on Bill Moyers’ thoughts on patriotism:

“Seas of blood have been shed for the sake of patriotism. One would expect the harm and irrationality of patriotism to be self-evident to everyone. But the surprising fact is that cultured and learned [socially conditioned and indoctrinated] people not only do not notice the harm and stupidity of patriotism, they resist every unveiling of it with the greatest obstinacy and passion (with no rational grounds), and continue to praise it as beneficent and elevating.” -Leo Tolstoy

Via Clipmarks