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.

• wppt_preset1: http://blog.zatista.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-post-thumbnail/ZjZfrV.jpg

"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.

• wppt_preset1: http://blog.zatista.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-post-thumbnail/MzDfxL.jpg

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.

• wppt_preset1: http://blog.zatista.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-post-thumbnail/GIAJ7h.jpg

"No Cargo" by Tracy Mewmaw on Zatista.com

Wow, the summer is really getting away from us here and it looks like there may be no hope of getting away before the New Year. I can’t say I feel alone in that predicament though, pretty much everyone I know is forgoing vacations to save a little money or just get ahead on a few projects around the house.

"Early Morning at Portland Head Light" by David Cleaveland on Zatista.com

The good news is that there is a close second to actually going places: buying really, really good photos of those places. I’m a pretty bad photographer, so my vacation shots would be all “fingers over the lens” and “long arm goofball self-portraits” anyway.

"Old Deerfield Barns" by Diane Gray on Zatista.com

Plus, think about how easy it is to spend a couple thousand dollars just on hotels and food (and the odd bungee jump at a random state fair)! By comparison, buying an outstanding photo of a beautiful destination is a great deal. Just fix yourself a cold beverage, hang your new piece on the wall, point the fan in your direction and kick back – the environment will thank you, too.

"Chaco Canyon" by Arthur Davis on Zatista.com

After taking in some barns and lighthouses in the Northeast, it only makes sense to stop off in the Southwest. Green chili salsa and margaritas anyone?

"Johnboat" by Tracy Mewmaw on Zatista.com

This one is even shot point-of-view – nothing like a swim on a hot summer day!

"Muir Beach 2" by Rachel Hutchins on Zatista.com

Maybe make a stop just north of San Francisco to take in some redwoods and a nice deserted beach.

"Mt. Hood Sunrise" by Elizabeth Wade on Zatista.com

And then swing by the Pacific Northwest for some salmon and a microbrew or two. Ahh, what a trip!

• wppt_preset1: http://blog.zatista.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-post-thumbnail/yJFn0S.jpg

"Quail Bird" by Elizabeth Graeber on Zatista.com

You know that person in your life who you really love but they also kind of irk you because they’re so good at everything they do? They pick up juggling in a day and then turn around and whip up Bananas Foster like it ain’t no thing? Well, in the art world, illustrators are kind of like that.

Sure, a good illustrator can make a book come to life, but as I have learned lately, they are also the ultimate Jacks and Jills of all trades. For one reason or another I’ve come across a number of talented folks this summer who have distinguished themselves in one area of the art world–graphic designers, rock show poster artists, fashion designers, exhibiting artists–and yet identify themselves ultimately as illustrators.

"Yellow-Billed Cuckoo" by Elizabeth Graeber on Zatista.com

Here on Zatista we have a great example of the walking bundle of versatility that is an illustrator: Elizabeth Graeber. Her drawings of birds are quirky and stylized, but don’t allow yourself to be lulled into thinking of them as simple. Sure, she uses basic tools–pens, ink, watercolor–but if you look at her methods, especially the way she reproduces prints (screen printing), you see an artist wielding simplicity with savvy. In a very disarming way Elizabeth makes the most of the inconsistencies of the human hand and imperfections in the artistic process. It somehow says “favorite children’s book + favorite t-shirt + favorite album cover = would look great in your place or on a gallery wall.”

"Screech Owl" by Elizabeth Graeber on Zatista.com

If you’re looking for some outrageously affordable, lighthearted art for your home that has personality to burn, look for Elizabeth’s work or seek out other illustrators here on Zatista.

• wppt_preset1: http://blog.zatista.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-post-thumbnail/V1PpCj.jpg

Let’s say you’re looking for a beautiful, original gift for your friend whose beach house you stayed at last weekend. You search for “Beach” and come up with some nice options, like “Beach Path” here, by Zatista artist Joan Swanson.

You can almost feel the hot sand beneath your feet! That looks like a good choice, but there are so many pieces to choose from, so you browse on. That’s when it gets you… “Winter Beach”–by the same artist! Joan Swanson! Arg! The desolation! The looming clouds! An icy chill nips at your face and memories of last winter come flooding in like frigid sea water.

Beware! Winter is out there! Lurking in the corners of Zatista, threatening to remind you that summer doesn’t last forever.

OK, it’s going to be all right. Let’s just look for something really calm and soothing again, we’re going to pull out of this tailspin. How about “Spring meadow”? Ahh, yes. That will do: “Spring Green Hills” by Zatista artist David Page. A lovely, lush photograph–verdant & inviting; you can almost smell the grass in the hills.

Now, it’s a risk, and maybe you should have learned your lesson last time, but you decide to browse on again, looking for that perfect image of everyone’s favorite restorative season.

Aiiiieeee! Not again! In the first row of search results even! “Autumn Meadow” by Zatista artist Katherine Beck?! How did you miss that before? Of all the poignant reminders that fall is coming, why did you have to find this one?! The reds! The oranges! Do you smell that? I think that’s burning leaves–snow will fall any day now!

OK, OK. Sorry–I got a little carried away there. But do be sure to enjoy every last minute of summer while you can. I know I am.

• wppt_preset1: http://blog.zatista.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-post-thumbnail/ka6jfc.jpg

If you’re more into backyards and pastures than apartments and avenues (like I used to be), you might find the jumbled sights of an urban environment to be a bit much. But give it some time and you might just come around like I did.

"Furniture Mart, Chicago" by Jacquelyn Sloane Siklos on Zatista.com

I used to look at hand painted signs on storefronts and think “yuck… outdated!” Especially when combined with gaudy, ancient neon signs.

Take a closer look, though, and there’s something special about the idiosyncrasies of a hand painted sign. The imperfections and wavering lines read like the signatures of the artists who climbed ladders and left their mark on so many neighborhoods back in the day.

"Bathroom Door" by Dominique James on Zatista.com

Graffiti, in all it’s myriad styles, used to tax my eyes as well. It’s an overt invasion of public space and even with my penchant for subcultures I found it to be a hard pill to swallow. But sometimes all the tags–each individual street artist’s way of saying “I was here, now, in this instant”–blend together seamlessly into a composition of sorts.

"Read" by Fahd Husain on Zatista.com

That, and the words and hand rendered fonts sometimes have a way of becoming a part of the landscape. A sign of dissent, decay and disenchantment maybe, but still a part of the bustling mass of humanity nonetheless.

"Lex" by Jennifer Childs on Zatista.com

Of course, there’s also the meticulous use of typography that reads like the visual mythology of certain cities. What would the New York MTA be without it’s iconic signs? That’s helvetica, by the way–no big surprise that there’s an entire documentary about the font.

"Staten Island Ferry" by Jennifer Childs on Zatista.com

And I personally care not to imagine a New York without the Staten Island Ferry sign burning bright in the night.

The way we present our words, phrases, names and places is as vast and varied as humanity itself. Even if I hadn’t learned to love concrete vistas and the energetic reverberations of cities, I still like to think that I would have learned to appreciate the urban representation of words as art.

• wppt_preset1: http://blog.zatista.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-post-thumbnail/z4mdQT.jpg

Source: HerbandDorothy.com

All too often we succumb to the notion that the landscape of contemporary art collecting is rife with contrivances, esotericism, unapproachability and insurmountable financial obstacles. Herb and Dorothy, the story of an ordinary couple and what has become one of the most important collections of contemporary American art in the world, defies all of those notions.

"Floor Structure Black" by Sol LeWitt. Source: nga.gov

The film, a first-time effort from rookie documentarian Megumi Sasaki, tells the story of Herb and Dorothy Vogel, a Manhattan couple whose approach to buying art borders on art itself. Herb, a postal worker, and Dorothy, a librarian, pursued art with what could be called an obsessive zeal, eventually amassing a collection of over 2,000 works in their tiny one-bedroom apartment.

Film still, Source: HerbandDorothy.com

Their approach to immersing themselves in art is disarmingly modest. Herb educated himself on the basic tenets of art history the old fashion way (reading books) and after a brief period of productive creativity of their own, the Vogels fell into collecting work naturally. Their purchasing habits are based upon two guiding principles: they dedicated Herb’s earnings to art and lived on Dorothy’s wages, so the work had to be affordable, and it had to fit in their home. As a result, they looked outside the mainstream, often forming relationships with young, emerging artists who would sell their pieces at realistic prices and then eventually go on to establish themselves as artist powerhouses.

"3rd Rope Piece" by Richard Tuttle. Source: pbs.org/art21

Perhaps the most moving thing about the Vogel’s collection is that they seem to invest according to their hearts. It almost sounds trite, but it is astounding and inspiring to watch two people pursue artistic beauty with zero pretense and such pure intentions.

Herb and Dorothy is available on Netflix and iTunes. For more information and schedule of upcoming screenings, visit the website for the film.

HERB & DOROTHY Trailer from Herb & Dorothy on Vimeo.

• wppt_preset1: http://blog.zatista.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-post-thumbnail/8p0nQ8.jpg

It’s getting harder and harder to tell who is shooting what, but I really enjoy looking for that little je ne sais quoi that film offers. Sometimes it’s a little more depth, an uneven exposure, some tell-tale grain or distinct colors that can only be produced by way of a chemical reaction. It’s true that you can’t touch digital for clarity and, increasingly, depth of field in a shot, but in our rapidly modernizing world it’s sometimes better to take the low-fidelity, less is more approach.

With Urban Outfitters selling Holga’s and vintage medium format cameras passing for home decor these days, it’s clear that we have a bona fide trend on our hands.

A group of concerned citizens known as The Impossible Project have even succeeded in producing instant film to replace the discontinued Polaroid products. But despite the grumblings of many progression-minded image capturers out there, there’s more to the regression movement than empty calorie hip hype. For many photographers who have come of age in the digital era, probing the depths of obscurity for outmoded methodology is a means of learning how the current state of technology came to be. Most find that fiddling with obsolete knobs, clinky shutter mechanism, pin hole exposures and for some, Civil War era equipment, enriches their craft as a whole and is an important part of learning to produce outstanding images with modern digital equipment.

You can see for yourself by playing the “Film or Digital” game here on Zatista. Most often the truth is revealed somewhere in an image’s detail sheet, so take a guess and then check to see if you’re right–

"Pride" by Daniel Grant on Zatista.com

This one’s easy!

"Tradewinds" by Tracy Mewmaw on Zatista.com

Stunning shot, definitely digital.

"Pioneer Church at Fort Rock Oregon 2007" by Michael Axel on Zatista.com

Looks like film to me, but can’t be sure. See, this is fun!

"Pennybacker Bridge" by Brent Schneeman on Zatista.com

I’d wager this one’s digital.

• wppt_preset1: http://blog.zatista.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-post-thumbnail/IL4edS.jpg

One of my favorite things as a verbal person is to watch visual people struggle to utilize the more narrow constructs of written language to express what it is that they create artistically. Interestingly enough, some people excel at both creating and naming their work, while others hardly seem to have a hard time with the latter.

I’ve found that when naming pieces, artist tend to end up in one of three camps.

There are the literalists:

"Leaves and Styrofoam" by Mandy Hudson on Zatista.com

"Sisters Crouch" by Anki King on Zatista.com

And The Untitleds:

"Untitled" by Noe Badillo on Zatista.com

"410 Untitled" by Mary Lea Bradley on Zatista.com

But for me, art is at its best when the visual and the verbal are combined. Some artists just have a way with wording their titles, they fold together like poetry, adding an element of literary symbolism to the expressive aspects of the piece.

"Not Waving but Drowning" by Edward Zalinsky

"The Nine Front" by Kelly Rae Cunningham

• wppt_preset1: http://blog.zatista.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-post-thumbnail/Qbesjb.jpg