Art in One Form or Another

Three Stripes + Chauncey = Go Buffs!

I confess that I am a sneakerhead (see Want It. Need It. Sneakers). So, I am very excited to see adidas collaborate with one of its key athletes on a time relevant-released custom shoe. Especially when they commemorate my alma mater, the Colorado Buffaloes. 

Playing his first Thanksgiving Day game as a Denver Nugget tonight, Chauncey Billups will mark the occasion with a pair of kicks. True to his history of coming up big when it counts, Billups will also use the occasion to generate some cash for a charity that he’s involved with.

A limited—limited—number of these gold colored shoes will go up for auction Friday on the NBA's auction site. Billups will sign and number just 11 pairs of these shoes and the bidding will start at a reasonable $100, with the gates open for one week, wrapping up on Dec. 4. All money raised from the auctions will go to the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy.

Want 'em. Need 'em. Go Buffs!

I (heart) Richard Misrach: On the Beach

Richard Misrach is my favorite photographer. His oversized beach photographs are incredible .

Though the connection may not be obvious, his pictures of people relaxing and playing were deeply influenced by the events of September 11, 2001.That morning, Misrach, who lives in Berkeley, California, happened to be in Washington, D.C., which was shaken by the attack on the Pentagon, and he was anxious about his son, Jake, then a freshman at New York University. He finally reached Jake and was able, a few days later, to drive up to Manhattan.

After returning to California, Misrach decided to go ahead with a planned trip with his wife, Myriam, to Hawaii, where they had often vacationed. It changed the way he looked at everything. So even his picture of a lone couple on a beach can be vaguely unsettling: their isolation underscores their vulnerability, and the photographer's long-range viewpoint is clearly that of someone watching.

I am so thrilled to have one of his pieces and look forward to the day I can add to my collection. In the meantime, I'll enjoy his exhibit at the Smithsonian!

MAD's Second Life

Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary is the inaugural exhibition at the Museum of Arts & Design. The exhibition features work by 50 international established and emerging artists from all five continents who create objects and installations comprised of ordinary and everyday manufactured articles, most originally made for another functional purpose.

It's open through February 2009. If you are looking for inspiration, look no further.

Have a Hippie Holiday

I love themes. Especially when artists, designers and anyone else creative collaborates to present their interpretation of an idea. This holiday season, Barney's New York is having a counter-culture moment, celebrating peace + love in honor of the 50th anniversary of the peace sign.

While they didn't commission artists to present their vision, they did bring the best psychedelic luxury items on the planet together in their latest catalog. My favorite? Paul Smith's swirl leather bill fold wallet. It's far out, man!

I See the Light (of my iTouch)!

I recently lost my third ipod Nano of 2008 on a business trip that drove me to making an important decision in my life. Maybe if I buy something more expensive, I will be less likely to lose it. At the time, the logic made sense.

Enter, the 16 GB apple iTouch. A self-proclaimed Blackberry addict, it took me only 20 minutes to pop open my digital vein and profess the latest from Steve Jobs as my newest addiction.

The Apple gods are deciding what's for dinner tonight on 12seconds.tv

It's all about the apps. In the first three hours, I have Pandora, Twitterific, chat, Facebook and my favorite, Urbanspoon. Part magic 8 ball, part slot machine, the Urbanspoon app makes your restaurant decisino for you. Looking into Internet Anonymous as we speak. This might intefere with my professional and personal life.

Hammer(press) Time

We first learned about Hammerpress Design Studio through my obsessive concert poster-collecting habit and a Gomez gem we picked up a few years ago. They have now branched out to do everything from stationary (who doesn't need a sombrero postcard?) to some of the coolest wedding invites.

 

My Morning Jacket, Beck, Decemberists and Tokyo Police Club are among the bands that turn to Hammerpress to create concert posters as art. Sign up for their mailing list to be the first to get their latest masterpieces.

For the Kid in You

Rubiks Cube Tables. Lite (Brite) Table. Gumball Clock. There's no end to ideas that the team over at Jellio can bring to life. They can customize your childhood memories and make them into your home furnishings.

Talk about fun with design. My favorite? The Gummilight. Sarah loves the Lite Table. You can rearrange the lights into endless combinations. Old School.

Under New Management

The Philly-based creative agency and artist collective Print Liberation have come up with some great post-election t-shirts. My favorite is the "Under New Management" and it's heading into my closet.

Runner up is "McCain is Insane." If you're thinking about holiday gifts, consider the two t-shirt package featuring, "F the economy" and "Fuck.Shit.Damn.Ass.Hell" for $28.

Purple State '08 Election Tart

Four years ago Obama explained how he was no red or blue state, but a purple state. In support of this historic election, we will be bringing our purple state '08 election tart (yeah, I said it) to our friends house.

Now, all we have to think about is what amendments to bet on. Let's go amendment 50!

'Whale Wars' is the New...

During the previews of Ridley Scott's 'Body of Lies' while gnawing on a Super Size Twizzler (my AMC frequent movie card is starting to pay off!), came what I expect to be my new addiction: Whale Wars on Animal Planet.

Animal Planet follows the rogue team with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as they try to put an end to whale poaching around Antarctica. It's like Hunt for Red October meets 24 meets Free Willy. Tune in Nov. 7 for some post-election action.