As a long time Apple supporter when I heard the news that Apple was rumored to be working on a smart watch I thought it was about time. Through an article from MacRumors I learned that this would be Apple first real try at wearable technology. I was excited. Now I know a lot of people these days already wear one of those Nike+ bands or, if you're my parents, a Fitbit. But given that I am not being part of any marathons these days unless it's a movie one, I failed to see the need to have one. And most of the smart watches in the market were very limited in their capabilities or were, dare I say, Android. I have in the past own two watches that synced to my iPhone. The first one was the Pebble. A go-fund me type of watch that relied on the energy saving mechanisms of e-paper. A valiant effort and a good introduction of what having a personal notifier on your wrist might feel like. But what it had in long lasting power, it lacked almost everywhere else. The whole watch felt kinda cheap and plasticky. The "backlight" was very dim and felt like an 80's LED Casio light. The vibrating notifications were good but that was about the most impressive thing about the watch. Sure, you could pick your own watchface and font, but no matter the selection, the output was extremely pixelated. The second, was a Bluetooth enabled Casio G-Shock that would display incoming emails and messages, but it mostly managed to have you take your phone out because it only was able to show the title of the incoming mail. Having experienced that, my wrist was less than impressed by past experiences of such devices. Leave it to Apple to finally get it right with a product launch to rival the iPhone.
Blood, Gods and Bunnies : Mark Ryden's PINXIT
I couldn't have an opionion about Mark Ryden that isn't flagrantly biased. This happens to me with a handful of people such as Danny Elfman or Tim Burton. It's just seems that everything they do is as close to perfection as one can get. The amount of detail in some of Ryden's pieces would amaze even those who find his art a little morbid or creepy. Few artists these days can be so outstanding in what they do that they are able to create their own cultural movement. Art and History book publisher Taschen seems to have thought the same about Ryden, producing this massive collectors edition volume of 1000 copies retailing aprox $1,000 USD. An additional 50 copies include a silk screen print in an all leather binding for a mere $5000 USD. Yes, might sound pricey to some but to hardcore fans is a real treat and maybe as close we can get to actually owning an original painting of this master of pop surrealism. Get yours now!
Sylvia Ji's Sugar Skulls
Sometimes you see something being done so much that you wonder where did all this sudden 'trend' sparked from. Such is the case of contemporary artist Sylvia Ji. A San Francisco native, Sylvia is a self procraimed lover of travel and different cultures. Her sugar skull goddesses seem to have now influenced everything from tattoos to whole runway themes. Colorful yet dark and mysterious, these figures seduce us and make us wonder and dream about the women behind all the makeup. Sylvia may be young, but already posseses the artistic freedom for combining colors and dimensions that only an experienced artist would find while developing their own style.
Bob Dob's Little Demons
Once you take a peek into Bob Dob's mind you see his surrounding influences. This "Botero of Pop" hails from Hermosa Beach California, something that seems embedded in his type of art. I recently found some of Bob Dob's work and immediatly went in search for more. I love his illustration style pieces, not to mention the mischevious little demons that seem to appear everywhere his name is mentioned. His lighting is impeccable. His execution flawless. I always admire the surrealists who have the means and talent to become classicists yet they refuse to be bound by the possible.
The death of Google Glass
Maybe it was inevitable.
