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A Collector’s Passion

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The hobby of collecting is defined as the “seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector”, and the range of collections is well,….. unlimited because there are no rules in collecting and collectors’ passions are as diverse and unique as each individual collector.

Collecting also has a long history that can be traced to book collecting in ancient Egypt, art patronage and collecting during the Italian Renaissance period (14th – 16th centuries), and the acquisition by affluent scholars of unusual items (called “cabinet of curiosities”) beginning in the 16th century.

There are many theories as to what compels so many of us to collect things.  Like rubber bands — oh yes,  @zeester must admit to a compulsion to collect rubber bands, sea shells, rocks and wine corks. The yen felt by collectors may be connected to the human ‘hunter – gatherer’ survival instinct, but could also be fulfilling some psychological need relating to aspects of memory, organization, or purpose.  Whatever the reason, hobby collectors find fun in collecting as well as profit, and their personal stories are as fascinating as the collections they’ve created.

Billy Wilder (1906-2002), a legendary filmmaker, was an avid art collector. He described his passion for collecting as a “sickness”, and said, “I don’t know how to stop myself…………Name an object and I collect it.” There is no denying, however, Wilder enjoyed his hobby, saying it was “more fun than making movies”, and he acquired one of the finest and most extensive art collections in Hollywood. In 1989, a large selection of paintings and sculptures from his collection sold at auction for $32.6 million.

Edward Wharton-Tigar (1913-95), a decorated WWII British spy and business executive with a passion for cricket and collecting, amassed the world’s largest collection of cigarette cards (over 2 million).  His entire collection which includes a rare T206 Honus Wagner card is held by the British Museum.  After more than 75 years of collecting, Wharton-Tigar considered his “collector’s mania” an inherited trait.  “My mother had it and so did my grandmother. If you have it, you have it. There is simply nothing you can do about it. You are driven by this desire to complete things.”

It’s a WOW — an old garage full of beautiful classic cars!  Lenny Shiller from Brooklyn NY talks about his motivation to collect classic cars and the enjoyment he has working on his eclectic collection in the video Lenny’s Garage from Bullrush Films.

 

Ξ More collectors tell their stories ⇒  WATCH:  Collector Confessions  

 

The awarding of medals can be traced back thousands of years, and they are specialized art form valued for their artistic beauty and history.In Heads and Tales: The Odyssey of a Medals Collector, art collector and historian, Stephen K. Scher, tells the story behind the building of his medals collection, including the motivation, temptations, mistakes, and successes. It’s a rare opportunity to learn from a collector’s personal experience.

 

It's easy and fun to join On2In2 social networkWe’d love to hear from you!  Collecting, as with many hobbies, can lead to social connections and new friendships. You can connect with people sharing similar interests by joining the On2In2™ social network via the “Engage” page.

 

 

 

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Information/References:
Wikipedia:  Collecting, T206 Honus Wagner
The Los Angeles Times, November 14, 1989 (Wilder Auction)
The New York Times, August 30, 1989 (Wilder Auction)
The Independent, September 3, 1994 (First Hand: I constantly dream about my card collection)

Feature photo of a troll doll collector is courtesy of Grastisographry CC0

Birds of America

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John James Audubon was a 19th Century artists and naturalist, and his "The Birds of America" publication is regarded as the greatest study of birds in history.
JJ Audubon by H.B Hall, PD

Some time around 1820, French-American artist and naturalist, John James Audubon (1785-1851) started work on a personal project to paint every bird species located in North America, using unique methods and materials as well as extensive field observations.  It was a tremendously challenging and costly endeavor, and many doubted Audubon’s ability to pull it off.  In fact, the idea would seem a little wild & crazy even today with 21st century technology.  But, Audubon was no ordinary guy. He was also totally committed to finding and illustrating every bird in North America for publication, working more than 15 years toward his goal and raising cash by teaching, selling art works, taking oil painting commissions, hunting and selling animal skins, and conducting exhibitions and demonstrations.

How to view and download John Audubon's extraordinarily beautiful illustrations in The Birds of America.
Common American Swan (The Birds of America, plate 411) is courtesy of the National Audubon Society, John James Audubon Center and Montgomery County Audubon Collection

The result of Audubon’s work is The Birds of America, first published in England as a series of 87 sets of prints between the years 1827 and 1838.  Now considered to be the greatest study of birds in history as well as one of the greatest examples of book art, the original publication included 435 hand-colored, life-sized prints of North American birds on handmade paper that were produced from copperplate etchings and engravings with water-coloring applied by assembly-line colorists.  An accompanying text (‘Ornithological Biography’) was written by Audubon and the Scottish ornithologist William MacGillvray and published separately in five volumes (1831-1839).

The cost of printing the first edition of The Birds of America was an amount equivalent to more than $2 million US dollars in today’s money.  Audubon financed the massive print project with pre-paid subscriptions, but only the wealthy could afford the subscription price which limited the publication to no more than 200 complete sets.  Consequently, more affordable editions were later produced using lithography and published during the mid-19th century.

 

“The Birds of America’ will then raise in value as much as they are now depreciated by certain fools and envious persons.” — John James Audubon

 

Almost two centuries later, Audubon’s bird art is still captivating and revered among birders and art collectors, and his influence on ornithology and natural history has been widespread and enduring as The Birds of America and Ornithological Biography significantly contributed to the understanding of bird anatomy and behavior.  Watching the short video, ‘Audubon’s Birds of America’ from the Lost Birds Project, you’ll get a sense of the massive beauty of these works of art as David W. Carson, curator of the History of Science Collection at Cornell University, conducts a private viewing of The Birds of America.

 

Six of the birds illustrated by John Audubon in The Birds of America are now extinct, and many more are endangered.  Also — According to a recent study, North America has lost more than a quarter of its entire bird population during the past 50 years. [North America Has Lost 3 Billion Birds, Scientist Say by Nell Greefieldboyce (NPR, September 19, 2019)] ⇒⇒ Learn how you can help by visiting the National Audubon Society’s Action Center.

A copy of the complete The Birds of America series is available FREE of charge for viewing and high-resolution downloading via ⇒⇒ the National Audubon Society’s digital library, courtesy of the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove in Audubon, Pennsylvania and the Montgomery County Audubon Collection.  Be sure to check it out, and let John Audubon inspire your own creative work.

Audubon’s personal copy of The Birds of America is held within the Stark Museum of Art Rare Books & Manuscripts Collections in Orange, Texas.  An original, complete series is on public display (one page is turned each week) in the Audubon Room of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  It was purchased by the university in 1839 for the astonishing price of $970 (equivalent to approximately $80,000 today). Undoubtedly, a wise investment.  In December 2010, a complete first edition from a private collection was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in London for US$ 11.5 million (a record breaking auction price).

Other permanent public display locations:  Trinity College (Watkinson Library) in Hartford, Connecticut; University of Pittsburg (Hillman Library);  Liverpool Central Library;  Woodstock Inn in Woodstock, Vermont;  and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (Ewell Sale Stewart Library) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Look around– there are surely more opportunities for viewing a first edition as there are currently 107 held by institutions, and many periodically offer special exhibits.

Information/Resources:
The Life of John James Audubon: The Naturalist (1869) [FREE ebook] The primary source material for this biography was Audubon’s notes and journals, written/edited by Lucy Green Bakewell Audubon and Robert Williams Buchanan. The JJ Audubon image is an engraving by H.B. Hall based on a portrait by Henry Inman that appears in the book.
John James Audubon – The Making of an American (2004) by Richard Rhodes*
Audubon’s ‘Birds of America’ at Yale:  Creating a masterwork one feather at a time. Article by Mike Cummings, Yale News, June 30, 2015
“Ornithological Biography” or an Account of the Habits of the Birds of the United States of America Vol 4, (1838) by John James Audubon [FREE ebook].
Featured photo of Columbian Hummingbirds is from plate 425 of The Birds of America
Wikipedia:  The Birds of America

 

If you just can’t get enough about birds, there’s more here ⇒ Bird ID Challenge (test your birding skills);  Birdsong Melody  (the music and magic of the mockingbird);  The California Brown Pelican; and Fast and Fearless (the Hummingbird).

 

 

Audubon was the first, but there’s a new illustration of birds to get excited about!    The Wall of Birds* tells the remarkable story of artist Jane Kim’s 2,500 square-foot mural celebrating the diversity and evolution of birds at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  It took her 2 1/2 years to create the one-of-a-kind, life-size mural showcasing all 243 modern families of birds, and the book “is a visual feast, essential for those who love art, birds, and our natural world”.

 

 

 

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Sacred Shadows

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Intersections (2013), is a sculptural installation created by Anila Quayyum Agha, a Pakistani-American artist.  Simple in its materials and artistic method, the effect is a powerfully elegant, original work of art that wondrously transforms a room into an ethereal space filled with intricate shadowy geometric patterns enwrapping gallery visitors who then become a reflecting element of the artwork.  Agha said her art is influenced by personal experiences as well as the complex social and political issues of our time, and the intent with the Intersections installation was “to give substance to mutualism” while exploring the disparate views of “public and private, light and shadow, and static and dynamic”.  It was awarded grand prizes in the 2014 international ArtPrize competition, and later exhibited at the Rice Gallery in Houston, Texas as well as the Peabody Essex Museum and Indiana State Museum.

The video documentary, “Intersections”, produced by Walley Films, is an exceptional opportunity to view this transcending work of art as Anila Quayyum Agha recounts her inspiration, discoveries, and creative process.

Agha’s installation pieces focus on transforming public spaces using Islamic architectural motifs, light and shadow, casting viewers of all cultural backgrounds under shadows that allow all to contemplate and reflect.

 

Resources/Information:

Anila Quayyum Agha website anilaagha.com
Past Installation, Rice Gallery
ArtPrize, Grand Rapids Michigan (Intersections).  ArtPrize is an annual public art event and international competition.

Watch:  CREATIVE PERSPECTIVESPoetry reading for On2In2™ inspiration is live  A diverse group of artists reveal thoughts and feelings about their work and living a creative life in this On2In2™ collection of short video documentaries.  It’s an interesting and inspiring bunch.

 

 

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Feature photo:  Still shot from video documentary, “Intersections” © Mark & Angela Walley

A Thousand Sparks

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“If you watch a thousand sparks cascading,
They’re all wee thoughts,
or possibilities,
or ideas;
And, if you could think like that……….”

                                                                               Robert Fullerton

At 13 years old, his formal education ended, and at 17, he started working at a shipyard in Govan, Scotland.  An early start to a life of grueling labor, but Robert Fullerton looked through the reflecting glass visor of his welding helmet and found inspiration in the spirit of the shipyard.

In the video documentary, “Mining Poems or Odes” from the Scottish Documentary Institute (produced by Jack Cocker, directed by Jack Cocker), Robert Fullerton reveals how he learned to write, his creative process, and ‘tools of the trade’.

 

 

Robert Fullerton’s story reminds us that sparks of inspiration are everywhere, and the real magic is in a book.  His passion for books and writing began when his workmate and mentor, Archie, gave him a copy of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists* by Robert Tressell**, the pen name of author Robert Noonan (1870-1911), an Irish-born house painter.

The novel is set in the fictional town of Mugsborough, and based on Noonan’s personal experiences of poverty and exploitation and his views on the relationship between working-class people and their employers, the gross injustice and inequalities of society, and workers’ acceptance of the status quo. Out of work and ill, Noonan was in dire straits during the writing, and there are traces of the anger and bitterness he was feeling in the Ragged story, along with compassion and a sense of humor.

Widely regarded a classic of modern British literature and ranked as a ‘best loved’ novel in a 2003 BBC survey, the completed manuscript originally called, The Ragged Arsed Philanthropists, was rejected by three publishing houses before Noonan died in 1911 at age 40.  His daughter was able to sell the book rights to a publisher for £25, and an edited version (with most of the socialist ideology cut out) was published in 1914.  Forty years later, Robert Noonan’s original manuscript was found, and the unabridged edition was published in 1955.

*Editor’s Note:  The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is available to read free in ebook form or online, and is also free to download and print, courtesy of Project Gutenberg.  The volunteer organization founded in 1971 by American Michael S. Hart (1947-2011), inventor of the ebook, has created a digital library offering over 53,000 ebooks of literary works in the public domain that can be accessed, read, downloaded and printed—all free of charge.

Information/Resources:
Wikipedia: Robert Tressell, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Govan, Project Gutenberg, Michael S. Hart
“Welder Turned Poet….”, The Daily Record (February 14, 2016)

 

Exploring the history of black arts and activism in AmericaThe historical works created during times of social unrest and cultural change continue to inspire today Activist Arts

 

 

 

Still shot of shadows intersecting with space and thought during art exhibition was taken from video documentary "Intersections" by Walley Films. Artist Anila Quayyum Agha discusses her creative process and exploration of all human experience.There’s more inspiration here→  Watch:  Creative Perspectives,
an On2In2™ collection of short videos

 

 

 

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Feature photo of welder is courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels, CC0

**Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a book purchase you make via the link to this Robert Noonan biography “One of the Damned:  The Life & Times of Robert Tressell” by F.C. Ball.  This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.

Word Play

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Many of us have felt that urge to write ‘something’ at some point in our lives. Some follow through on the idea, while others never quite get started or start but never finish because creative writing is a challenging endeavor requiring passion and perseverance.  But, now may be the perfect time to take on that challenge and begin the process of creating with words.  

“Creative writing” is described as the process of creating a literary work of any type, including memoir, essay, short story, novel, poetry, and screenplay.  While some aspire to write a best seller, the joy for many writers is in the writing process, its practice and development, or they have something to say and hope to have an impact on the lives of others.

The poem “Where We Dwell” was written by Arian Foster, professional athlete and poet.  Video from Todd Martin

If you’re feeling it, explore and learn more from these online resources: 

⇒  Modern Poetry – FREE to Download  This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2007.  It covers the body of modern poetry, its characteristic techniques, concerns, and major practitioners. The authors discussed range from Yeats, Eliot, and Pound, to Stevens, Moore, Bishop, and Frost with additional lectures on the poetry of WWI, and the Harlem Renaissance.

⇒  FREE online creative writing courses are offered by Open University along with articles full of helpful advice and tips 

⇒ Find More FREE Creative Writing Classes – a list of online creative writing courses offered free by top universities and educational websites (provided by learningpath.org)

⇒ Everything You Need to Write and Publish Your Book Using NY Public Library E-Resources 

⇒  9 Simple Activities to Inspire Your Writing, by Emma Johnson, Writer’s Edit (online literary magazine created for writers and book lovers)

⇒ 35 Writing Courses to Take During Coronavirus – BookFox is a resource guide for aspiring writers 

⇒  Wesleyan University offers via online classes that focus on elements of three creative writing genres, short story, narrative essay, and memoir. [Access to some video lectures and assignments are free so that you can evaluate a course offering prior to purchase.  If the course fee is beyond your budget, financial aid may be available.]

 

Robert Fullerton found inspiration to write poetry in the shipyards of Govan, Scotland.You’ll find creative inspiration from Robert Fullerton’s story of life in the shipyards, how he learned to write, and his creative process, A Thousand Sparks 

 

 

 

 

Poetry reading for On2In2™ inspiration is liveTake a look at the On2In2™ article Contemporary Poetry. You’ll find both live and recorded readings featuring unique and inspiring literary voices of today.

 

 

 

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Contemporary Poetry

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“Poetry is a distinct pleasure, and unlike any other art form.  It requires no special knowledge to enjoy it, just the patience to tune to its unique way of doing things; and once you’ve dialed into its wavelength, I can promise you’ll never want to go without it again – and nor will the world ever look quite the same.” — Don Paterson, Picador publisher 

WATCH On2In2™

Singularity by American poet Marie Howe, inspired by Stephen Hawking and the cosmos, is a contemplation on our origins, interconnectedness and separateness.  This short video of Ms. Howe’s reading of Singularity somehow enriches her reflective words, and inspires to do our own reflecting on life and home.    

Mihaela Moscaliuc is the author of ‘Father Dirt’ and Immigrant Model’ where she explores the feelings of living in different worlds.  Michael Waters is a 2017 Guggenheim Fellow, and his new collection of poetry delves into the sensual and spiritual with characteristic intensity.  If you missed the live stream broadcast of Poetry: Mihaela Moscaliuc and Michael Waters, there’s still time to watch a video recording.  Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button on the media player below ↓

Ange Mlinko’s poems are about urban life, language and its failings, and the things we see and do not see, and all with a “unique sense of humor and mystery” (New Yorker).  She is the author of five books of poetry: Distant Mandate, Marvelous Things Overheard, Shoulder Season, Starred Wire, and Matinees.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of Poetry:  Ange Mlinko , there’s still time to watch a vide recording of the event.  Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button on the media player below ↓

 

MacArthur winner Alicia Elsbeth (‘A.E.’) Stallings is an American poet and translator, born and raised in Decatur, Georgia and currently residing in Athens, Greece.  Her work has appeared in Best American Poetry, Poetry magazine, the Atlantic Monthly, and the New Yorker, and she has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and United States Artists.  If you missed her live talk, there’s still time to watch a video recording.  Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or the post on the video player below ↓

 

 

How to develop creative writing skills

Added Inspiration!  Explore more On2In2™ about creative writing here →     Word Play      A Thousand Sparks

 

 

 

 

Exploring the history of black arts and activism in AmericaHistorical works of art created during times of social unrest and cultural change continue to inspire Activist Arts

 

 

 

 

It's easy and fun to join On2In2 social networkWe’d love to hear from you!  If you’d like to comment on the fun you find here, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’.  Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy (unless you’re a robot).

 

 

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Artisan

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Arts and Crafts: Find your passion and the joy of creating a work of art here at On2In2™
Stan Reinshagen, inspiring artisan & hobbyist

My father was an ardent hobbyist. You might also call him a “generalist” because he didn’t focus on a specific hobby or category of interest.  He was a music lover and amateur musician (trumpet), gardener (vegetables), BBQ master (with a killer secret sauce), meister mechanic, weekend golfer, and smooth social dancer (the waltz).  While he didn’t have a creative arts background or formal training and never thought of himself as “talented”, a few hobby classes taken while serving in the US Air Force sparked a passion for the creative process, and he spent many happy hours in his private studio (the garage), exploring his varied interests and testing his handcrafting skills while working on a variety of arts and crafts projects. 

Dad made really beautiful things in ceramic, wood, metal, and leather.
All are treasured pieces.  Most importantly, he found joy in creating, and inspired our family to love ‘making things’.  Let his story inspire you — Make your soul grow.

To help you get started on the search for your passion and the joy of creating a work of art, below is a list of arts and crafts hobby categories for inspiration (including a few links to topical articles) as well as Zola’s arts & craft photo gallery, and there’s a collection of video documentaries on the Art Works and Creative Perspectives channels that include insightful stories from artisans about their work, motivations, and approach to the creative process.

But, please….before buying a bunch of hobby supplies, do a little research and consider the things required for the crafting (time, money, work space, tools, supplies, basic skills and physical abilities) and what you’d like to try. Then, start small.  For example, it doesn’t take much to start coloring, and many find the creative process of ‘coloring within the lines’ to be relaxing and therapeutic.  Find FREE adult coloring books → HERE.  Also, look for arts & crafts instructional classes offered in your community by colleges, museums, art galleries, recreation centers, and local artisans.  If that doesn’t work for you, search libraries and book stores for crafting books, and do some googling.  You’ll be amazed at the variety of instructional books, online courses and ‘how to’ videos available.

 

 

The Arts & Crafts Idea List

Candle and Soap Making

Ceramics/Pottery

Crafting

Digital Art

Glass:  Cutting and Blowing

Jewelry Making

Model Building (replicas of cars, planes, ships, railroads)

Leatherworking

Paint/Watercolor/Sketch  

Paper:  Papermaking;  Decoupage

Photography

Recycled Plastics Art 

Sand Sculpting

Textile:  Sew/Knit/Crochet/Embroidery/Weave

Welding and Metalworking

Wood: Woodworking;  Woodcarving/Whittling;  Woodburning

For more crafting inspiration, click/tap these links:
Watch: Art Works
Rubberband Art
Watch:  Photography
Watch:  Digital Arts 

 

 

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Feature photo is courtesy of Gratisography CC0

Ballet Backstage

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Ballet originated in 15th century Italian Renaissance courts, later developing into a performance dance in France and Russia, and over the centuries, has become a widespread and influential art form with many evolving stylistic variations (from classic to contemporary) and teaching methods (no less than half a dozen).

A ballet dancer [danseuse (female) danseur (male)] is a dancer who practices the art of classical ballet based on traditional technique and vocabulary.  Many years of extensive training (starting as early as age 2) are required before a ballet dancer has a chance to join a professional ballet company, and there is an established hierarchy ranking system within a company as well as strict gender roles.  Ballet training also takes a toll on a dancer’s body, making ballet dancers prone to serious injury after years of continuous physical strain.

The strength and stamina required of ballet dancers are not always obvious to a spectator as they make the physical demands of jumps, turns and lifts on pointe appear to be effortless during a performance, and there’s seldom a mention of a dancer’s personal sacrifice and total commitment.  In these short videos, ballet dancers tell their stories and provide a glimpse of the goings-on backstage and behind-the-scenes.

 

 

En pointe (‘on the tips of their toes’) is classical ballet technique performed wearing special pointe shoes that enable a dancer to support all body weight on a fully extended vertical foot. Consequently, the construction and wearing of pointe shoes involves a very complicated process unique to each ballet dancer.

 

The tutu is a costume dress worn in a ballet performance, made of fabrics such as tarlatan, muslin, silk, tulle, gauze and nylon.  There are two basic types of modern tutus as well as several derivative styles: the Romantic tutu is soft and bell-shaped with the skirt reaching down between a dancer’s knee and ankle;  the Classical tutu is short, stiff and projects horizontally from the dancer’s waist and hip.

 

One of the most famous of all ballet dancers is Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer (La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans), a sculpture created in wax by Edgar Degas in 1880 of a student at the Paris Opera Ballet dance school, named Marie van Goethem.  After Degas’ death in 1917, his family authorized copies of Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer and other Degas wax and mixed-media sculptures to be cast in bronze in order to preserve and sell the compositions.  Louisine Havemeyer, an Impressionist collector, acquired the first bronze cast of Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, and bequeathed it to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1929, where it can be viewed on display.  [Editors Note:  The original wax sculpture (a reworked version of the original sculpture that was shown in Paris at the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition of 1881) is located at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and other bronzes can be viewed at museums around the world — Cathy Marie Buchanan, author of the novel ‘The Painted Girls’, provides a list of locations ⇒ HERE ]

The bronze dancer’s tutu has been replaced a few times since the Met’s acquisition, and a curator recently decided it was time for another update as the skirt looked “tattered and dirty”.  The task was given to Costume Institute’s conservator, Glenn Petersen, and he tells the story of the historical research, fabric, design and color selections used in creating the dancer’s new tutu in the short video ‘Met Degas Tutu’.  Peterson’s goal for the new skirt was that it would be harmonious with the sculpture as well as depict a sense of movement to add to the way people view Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, and most would have to agree that he accomplished that goal and more.

 

Watch the great ballet dance performances from around the world LIVE & FREE On2In2™FREE To WATCH:  Ballet performances from around the world

 

 

 

 

 

Watch:  The DanceThe free-to-watch Dance Channel features On2In2™ collection of favorite dance videos, an On2In2™ video collection of dance performances and inspirational stories

 

 

 

 

 

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Art Underwater

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“For Art may err, but Nature cannot miss.” — John Dryden, The Cock and the Fox

Underwater public arts projects created by the visionary Jason deCaires Taylor are not just unique exhibition spaces for divers and snorkelers to enjoy.  They’re also examples of successful marine conservation efforts as the sculptures serve as habitats for all sorts of sea life which transform Taylor’s work into living, constantly evolving art that inspires an appreciation for the natural beauty of the mysterious world underwater.  This video takes you there.

He had a very big idea — create giant cement sculptures and place them on the ocean floor in areas with barren sea beds.  Then, in 2006, Jason deCaires Taylor founded and created the world’s first underwater sculpture park off the west coast of Grenada in the West Indies.  It was a great success, and has been listed as one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic.  In 2009, he co-founded an underwater sculpture museum, Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA), that includes a collection of over 500 of his art works in the waters of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc, Mexico. More underwater sculpture gardens followed in the Bahamas and Spain, and he’s currently working on a new project in the Maldives.  In this TED Talk, Taylor shares his story and breathtakingly beautiful photography.

 

 Jason DeCaires Taylor talk is courtesy of TED, CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International

 

Information/Resources:
Gallery: The sculpture garden at the bottom of the sea, by Kate Torgovnick May, Ted.com blog article (December 23, 2015)
Locations Map of the underwater sculpture exhibits around the world (Jason DeCaires Taylor Projects)
(listed as one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic)
Bahamas Reef Environment Education Foundation (BREEF) Sir Nicholas Nuttall Coral Reef Sculpture Garden  (Included in the sculpture garden is, Ocean Atlas, a young Bahamian girl who appears to be holding up the ocean, and at 60 tons/18 ft tall, it’s the largest underwater sculpture in the world.)
Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA), Museum of art under the waters of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc (Viewing via glass bottom boat, scuba and snorkeling)
Museo Atlántico, Located near the south coast of Lanzarote, in the Bahía de Las Coloradas, Spain
Alluvia, Sculpture lies at bottom of the river Stour running through city of Canterbury in Kent, UK
Pemuteran Temple Garden (statues of Buddha, Ganesha, Turtles behind an ornate Balinese gateway, constructed as one of three Bali Reef Foundation/Australian Aid funded projects)

 

There's much to discover underwaterDive In2 deep waters and explore the otherworldly beauty of ocean life  Watch:  Underwater Discoveries, an On2In2™ collection of short videos, Free-to-Watch, On-Demand  

 

BIG, POWERFUL (sometimes dangerous), and a beautiful BLUE, the Ocean does more than its share to sustain life on Planet Earth.  Saving Our Ocean

 

 

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Feature photo is a screen shot taken from the Jason DeCaires Taylor Ted Talk video

Upsurge

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“When it all comes together… it’s like, man, this is the moment.” — Ray Collins

Chris Bryan loves filming in the ocean more than anything.  In fact, it’s his passion, and he says capturing the rare moment when first rays of light hit the ocean without any other person in sight is “unexplainable, its one of the most amazing feelings ever, its like my own personal therapy” to experience such “absolute beauty”.  Chris shares some of these beautiful moments in his latest video project MOCEAN.  Views captured by Chris for the video are like nothing you’ve ever seen before, and watching is nothing short of awesome.  

 

In the water, Ray Collins creates works of art with his camera, and cinematographer/photographer, Armand Dijicks, brings Collins’ seascape photographs to life in the short video, The Infinite Now, by transforming the stills into cinemagraphs — beautiful and mesmerizing.  Cinemagraphs create the illusion of motion by applying image editing software to composite a series of still photographs into sequential frames.  The result is amazing.  

 

The Ocean is an essential life force, and we must stop its destructionLove the Ocean?  See & Learn more On2In2™ ⇒   Underwater Discoveries    Saving Our Ocean      Cranking Surf

 

 

Ray Collins started out his working life in a coal mine, and has become an internationally acclaimed, award-winning ocean photographer.  In the short video, Sea Stills produced by Malibu Media, Ray describes his inspiration and technique in capturing moments of water and light in a wave.

 

Information/Resources:
Chris Bryan Films – Cinematographer (watch more surf and underwater video)
Armand Dijicks (online courses, video tutorials and ebooks available)
Photographer Ray Collins  (info on photos and book ‘Found at Sea’)

 

Video and live stream lectures and lessons offer helpful advice from camera pros on how to take better photographsMore FREE To WATCH, and Learn from the best photographers
→  Watch: Photography video channel for inspiration and → Pro Photo Tips for how-to-tips and advice

 

 

It's easy and fun to join On2In2 social networkWe’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to comment on this article, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’.  Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy (unless you’re a robot).

 

 

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Feature photo is a screen shot taken from Ray Collins video, Sea Stills