Vintage New York Blizzards, by The New York Times

Early New York Times photographs of snowstorms really capture the havoc, misery and peril a blizzard could visit on the city in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Blizzard of 1888, for example, dumped 21 inches of snow on the city and killed an estimated 200 New Yorkers. But even a garden-variety snowstorm in those days would menace New York’s main form of transit — horses — and impose human suffering of all kinds, while posing the immense logistical challenge of clearing an entire metropolis of snow.

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Hummingbird Tattoo

Hummingbird Tattoo, for Leah Crocetto

My friend (and karaoke partner) Leah asked if I would draw a hummingbird for her to have tattoo’d on her wrist. I’ve always loved the vibrancy and energy of watercolor tattoos and wanted to give it a try myself.

The hummingbird was sketched from reference photos found online, then painted in watercolor, and retouched in Photoshop.

Neoclassical Girl, by Julien de Casabianca

Artist Julien de Casabianca (previously) is known for wheatpasting subjects from famous paintings onto public infrastructure as part of his ongoing Outings Project. Last month the French artist was invited to present a monumental installation at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Tennessee alongside an exhibition and workshop. De Casabianca’s seven-story mural features a melancholic girl pulled from William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s 1886 neoclassical painting “Au pied de la falaise,” which is included in the museum’s collection.

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NYC Wall Art Collages

Many walls in NYC are designated for advertisements. The walls have been plastered with wheat-paste and posters are rolled on top, only to be shredded off, re-plastered, re-rolled, and re-shredded, again and again. The resulting collage of color in this accidental artwork is often quite compelling.

For the greater part of two decades, whenever I encountered one I really enjoyed, I snapped a photo. Mostly, I just put these on my Flickr “Textures” gallery, or temporarily use it as the wallpaper on my phone. But recently, I’ve been thinking of printing/framing some of them and hanging them in my apartment or giving them to friends as gifts. What do you think? Leave a comment below or drop me a line if you’re interested.

Other [d]online “Art Collage” Posts:
January 24, 2009 — NYC Subway Art Collages
March 11, 2016 — NYC Subway Art Collages

The Art Institute of Chicago Public Domain Collection

The Art Institute of Chicago has announced a redesign of its website, which entails the opening of its digital archive to the masses. Now, anyone will be able to download, print, or use its new public domain collection of 52,438 artworks and counting. Read more