bLavish

Colombian Parades Turns AK 47 Rifles Into Guitars

September 22, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Artsy Fartsy at 12:10 pm | (46) Comments »

 

 

Parades, a guitar craftsman in Colombia, has turned weapons into guitars.  Parades has branched out from the traditional electric guitar making methods & has turned shotguns and AK 47 rifles into guitars.

The craftsman stated, “They used to hit a target at 800 meters (yards).  Now the target will just depend on the concert stage.”

Cute and yet still a little scary.

Via:  Reuters

Angelina Jolie Buys Up Banksy Works

September 21, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Artsy Fartsy at 1:00 pm | (17) Comments »

At the guerilla artist Banksy’s L.A. show this week, Angelina Jolie went banksy on Banksy.  Jolie spent nearly $400,000 on three pieces of his work.

Jolie snatched up “Picnic”, the pictured painting, a portrait of a man hit over the head with a pie & a piece entitled “Bullet-Ridden Bust.” 

“Picnic” alone cost $226,000, the other two works $75,000.  See more photos of this elusive and creative artist here.

Via:  Luxist

Electrolux Artsy Designed Screen Refrigerators

July 20, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Artsy Fartsy, Gadgets at 12:39 pm | (2) Comments »

Electrolux has been a busy little company.  They are currently developing some fancy designed Screen Refrigerators.  The electrical superstore is flexing its muscles & trying on the creative approach.

I’m thinking their market is for (from left to right) gay men; young hip ladies; techie people & insane or Playboy mansion type folks for the padded, black frig.  What do you think? 

No idea on pricing as of yet, will keep all the targeted market posted.

Via:  Shiny Shiny

Mixko Whistle Chair

June 12, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Artsy Fartsy, Furniture at 1:03 pm | Comments »

OK, it’s the 2006 FiFA World Cup, where are you?  At work suffering the taunts of management & the pangs of employment?  Hah!  Get online, buy this chair, receive the chair, take a leave of absence & finish watching the Cup in style. 

Why not call the shots yourself with this Whistle Chair from Mixko?  Built on a 1:18 scale of a real referee’s whistle, this stainless steel chair will make you feel like you’re part of the game.  And when that special someone comes over, just turn the chair on its side and voilà- it’s a modern sculpture that says ‘I am a man of my own future’.

Via:  Sensory Impact

Andy Warhol Soup Can Painting Sells for $11.7 Million

May 11, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Artsy Fartsy at 12:52 pm | Comments »

This week at Christie’s contemporary art sale an Andy Warhol painting sold for $11.7 million, which makes me think I should start painting soup cans. 

“Small Torn Campbell’s Soup Can (Pepper Pot)”, a 1962 painting, shows a can of Campbell soup with a torn & shredded label.  This is an early work of Warhol’s which he did following the success of previous soup can pieces.   Eli Broad of Los Angeles won the 16 x 20 inch painting in the Christie’s auction.  You know, that’s approximately $36,562.50 per square inch.  Wowzers.  I need to start working on my art career pronto, fake my death & rake in the cash. 

Life Size LEGO Hans Solo Frozen in Carbonite

May 2, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Artsy Fartsy, Gadgets at 11:28 am | (6) Comments »

First off, I know this is the second Star Wars-related post this week and it’s only Tuesday.  I’m not a fanatic, even though I can sometimes be spotted kicking the Leia hairdo, it’s just worked out that way.  And you just can’t pass up a 10,000-piece LEGO life size Hans Solo frozen in carbonite, can you?  I think not.

Nathan Sawaya, a professional LEGO artist- yes there does appear to be such a thing, & former LEGO Master Model Builder spent 3 months constructing this 10,000 piece, 6-foot tall replica of ‘Han Solo in Carbonite’.

Wow.  And I though my LEGO creations were better than the other kids’ projects. 

 

Sawaya explains the piece on his wesbite saying, ”Wanting do a Star Wars model, and also wanting to do something never been done before (to my knowledge), I decided to make Han Solo frozen in carbonite. Life size. It took about 10,000 bricks, almost all dark gray, and about three months of on and off building. I built the sculpture so it can break down easily into smaller parts, thus making it mobile. Because, like most people, I like to take large sculptures of people frozen in carbonite with me whenever I travel.”

I feel you, mate.  I don’t go anywhere without my Tom Cruise frozen in carbonite, we all thought it was the safest thing for everyone.

More pics here.

What Ever Happened to the Most Expensive Painting of 1990 - 2004?

March 8, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Artsy Fartsy, The Reasons Why at 1:28 pm | Comments »

“I’ve done the portrait of M. Gachet with a melancholy expression, which might well seem like a grimace to those who see it. . . . Sad but gentle, yet clear and intelligent, that is how many portraits ought to be done. . . . There are modern heads that may be looked at for a long time, and that may perhaps be looked back on with longing a hundred years later.”  -Vincent Van Gogh, June 1890.

Before Sotheby’s sold Garcon a la Pipe by Pablo Picasso at auction from John Hay Whitney’s estate in 2004 for $104.1 million, the most expensive painting in the world was Vincent Van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet which sold for $82.5 million at Christie’s in 1990.  The history of the painting is a bit queer and worth looking into. 

Portrait of Dr. Gachet was painted by Vincent around 1890 during one of his frequent stays at the nuthouse.  He painted this touching picture of his doctor looking quite exhausted, probably from hearing more than he bargained for about Van Gogh’s fascination with the color yellow. 

Japanese business man Ryoei Saito, who paid $78.1 million for a Renoir just two days after taking ownership of the Van Gogh, bought Dr. Gachet May 15, 1990.  I feel like Saito could have used his own trip to see Dr. Gachet.  Soon after purchasing the painting, Saito threatened to have it cremated with him after his death, for to spare his heirs from having to pay an exorbitant inheritance tax.  He died six years later and Dr. Gachet remains missing to this day.