Zatista The premiere source for original art online

They say that art is a reflection, a cross-section, or sometimes an interpretation, of life. If that’s the case, then in any collection of art, especially one as big as Zatista, a day of life on our planet should be fairly well represented. The question is, how to test that theory?

As humans the one thing that we can all agree on is that we’re all different. So it would be pretty hard to say “this is life” or “this is a typical day.” The one thing that is relatively constant is the sun. Most mornings it greets us with a blaze of color, shines bright at noon, and then treats us to another light show at dusk.

So I started looking at these various times of day here on Zatista, and what I found was delightful and diverse. In this and my next two posts, I’ll share my findings with you, or I guess I should say I’ll share various artists’ interpretations of the hours of our common days.

Suffolk Dawn by Simon Fairless on Zatista.com

Dawn, as always, is a great way to start. This abstract by British painter Simon Fairless led the way. He also had some images of the New York skyline, so it’s hard to say if this is Suffolk in the UK or Suffolk County, New York — but that’s the beauty of an abstract, it’s open to interpretation.

Chilly Dawn #6 by Klau Rossler on Zatista.com

Ever wonder what dawn looks like on a winter morning in Canada? Here Klau Rossler, a photographer from Ontario renders it beautifully. And just in case you had any doubt, it’s apparently a bit “chilly.”

Oku 10010 (Dawn Southern Egypt) by Lana Bernberg on Zatista.com

From frozen Canada, Zatista then took me to Egypt. Not much to say about this one — mostly because I’d have to lift my jaw up from the keyboard to do it. Beautiful!

Early Dawn by Jean Lurssen on Zatista.com

Talk about universality! Despite the fact that Jean Lurssen lives in Sausalito, CA, I could swear that I drove past this field on the way to school every morning in New England. The misty, muted light unfortunately carries with it the underpinnings of “soccer practice,” but that’s just my experience talking.

Stay tuned for the next installment of 24 Hours on Zatista: Noon.

Treetop & Clouds by S. Josephine Weaver zatista.com

A tree house, a free house,
A secret you and me house,
A high up in the leafy branches
Cozy as can be house

A street house, a neat house
Be sure to wipe your feet house
Is not my kind of house at all-
Let’s go live in a tree house.

- Shel Silverstein

With Labor Day fast approaching, I’m already reminiscing about the loads of fun I had this summer. Here’s one thing I learned this season: kids love tree houses. I’m sure most of you veteran parents already knew this, but since I’m only three years into this parenting thing, I just this now remembered how magical a tree house can be. Ah…the squeals of glee and the hours spent in the branches! To whet your appetite for the infinite possibilities of next summer’s adventures, here are a few photos of some amazing tree houses. And they’re not just for kids; there’s a whole subculture of tree house hotels around the world where grown ups can hide out too!

Magical Tree Fort by Matt Gagnon www.mattstudio.com

Magical Tree Fort interior by Matt Gagnon www.mattstudio.com

Magical Tree Fort looking up by Matt Gagnon www.mattstudio.com

Tree House Play Room from Apartment Therapy Ohdeedoh

Architect Vic Johnson's Treehouse www.johnsonltd.co.uk

Artist Melinda Hackett's Treehouse in NYC

Architect Cary Bernstein's Treehouse www.cbstudio.com

"To Market" by Bonnie Jones on Zatista.com

Yesterday I arrived at my local farmer’s market to find one of my favorite young farmers calling out like a carnival barker. “This is it people! It’s go time! Get it while it’s good!” he shouted, smiling over the fruits (and veggies) of his labor.

"Hot Tomato" by Ann Painter on Zatista.com

I looked around and realized he was speaking the truth (ever earnest, he’s hardly one to spin a yarn). Everywhere I looked crates were stacked high with perfect vegetables, all color and gleam at high noon. Here in Maine where I live the growing season is mercilessly short–June to October more or less–and that means that by mid-August we’re in full harvest mode.

"Radishes" by Konnie Kim on Zatista.com

How could it be? How could the few short weeks of blushing tomatoes and luscious summer melons be upon us already? It’s a stark realization every year, but this year I have a new tactic.

"Peppers" by Tony Dunphy on Zatista.com

Sure, I’m going to stack my freezer high and gear up for some canning, but I’m also going to load up on some harvest art for the “less accommodating” months ahead. That way, at least my eyes can feast on some fresh local veggies when I get the trucked-in-from-California-or-grown-indoors blues. The color will do my place good, too, and remind me that once upon a time I drank iced coffee and wore shorts and worked up a sweat walking bags of fresh produce home in the hot summer sun.

They say you can tell a lot about a super hero from his mask, and as I browsed around Zatista recently it occurred to me that the same might be true for artists. Now, there probably aren’t that many artists out there hanging out in costumes, so what I’m getting at is that maybe you can tell something about an artist (or at least about his or her work) but the masks/costumes/disguises that catch their eyes and imaginations.

Seriously, type “mask” into the search field above. You’ll find an amazing diversity in the results, which makes it fun to speculate on the details of each artist’s life and work.

"Valeria" by Armano De'ath on Zatista.com

Valeria’s visor here is très modern–futuristic even–with a touch of sci-fi and a bit of other worldliness.

"Mask" by Thurston Howes on Zatista.com

Contrast that against this feathery disguise that caught photographer Thurston Howe’s attention. It says Mardi Gras to me, but then again the leopard print top makes me inclined to leave it wide open to interpretation.

"The Rivals" by Kevin Berlin on Zatista.com

Now this image is raw, stylistic, and those masks couldn’t be more noir. There’s some intrigue happening here, and I’m not sure what’s going on with these three party goers/accomplices, but it smacks of a stick up.

"Venetian Mask" by Tony Dunphy on Zatista.com

And then to do one more complete 180, there’s this classic Carnevale disguise. The vibrant colors betray the unhindered anonymity and freedom it might afford its owner.

Of course, the point here is not the masks themselves but rather each individual artist’s rendering of an arbitrary item we’re all familiar with. Whether it’s a cathedral, a car, a pear or a pitchfork, sometimes the focus of a composition says more about an artist than you might initially think. Style manifests itself in myriad ways both consciously and subconsciously; sometimes it’s just a matter of seeing similar images all at once to form an appreciation for the differences.

I’m a fan of Chrissy Styles and her blog Chrissy Styles – Musings on Art and Fashion. As a former fashion editor at InStyle Magazine, Chrissy always has interesting and visually stimulating ideas to share. I find it impossible to be bored by this blog where you’ll find cocktail recipes, travel photos, and ice-cream-inspired outfits. I especially like her “Pockets and Paintings” series, where she presents an artist then creates an outfit inspired by their work. Sources on where to buy the clothes and accessories are listed too. It’s brilliant. Here are some examples below. What artwork inspires you? Tell us how!

artist Richard Phillips courtesy of chrissystyles.com

outfit inspired by Richard Phillips art courtesy of chrissystyles.com

artist Jakub Julian Ziolkowski courtesy of chrissystyles.com

outfit inspired by Jakub Julian Ziolkowski art courtesy of chrissystyles.com

artist Will Cotton courtesy of chrissystyles.com

outfit inspired by Will Cotton art courtesy of chrissystyles.com