Category: WOW

Artist Crystal Liu intimately ties her emotional states to beautiful abstract paintings. In large-scale works, she constructs landscapes that are metaphors for the intangible forces that drive us. Visually, elements of the Earth and sky are the actors for the feelings we cannot easily imagine. Together, the sun, mountains, and more depict “narratives of conflict, entrapment, longing, and precarious hope.” These symbols allow Liu to seem removed, yet make the pieces deeply personal.

When we last marveled at Liu’s work, she had filled compositions with dazzling gold dots. For her most recent pieces, however, she has shifted her focus. Though still meticulous, she uses marbleized paper and creates swirls of black ink using a Chinese painting brush. This combination mimics stones and subterranean sections of land. The metallic pigments, in contrast, represent the moon and hundreds of stars, which breathe life into every piece. “[They] become the protagonists in an epic odyssey of faith and tenacity against the daunting forces of reality,” Liu tells us in an email.

These works are in an upcoming show called Crystal Liu: Weighing It Out at the Hosfelt Gallery in San Francisco. The exhibition will be on view from December 10, 2016 to January 21, 2017.

Crystal Liu: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Crystal Liu.

Photographer Felicity Berkleef was onto something when she first captured her cat sitting at a dreary window. Late last year, she snapped a sweet picture of the furry friend looking at the world while wrapped in a blanket. A couple of months ago, the other cat joined in and Berkleef tried to repeat success with another cloak. It worked! And according to the 21-year-old: “They didn’t mind.” Berkleef explains, “From that moment I decided to photograph my cats in front of the window, whenever it’s raining.”

The precipitation and window set a stage for these photographs. It’s a place where Berkleef’s cats—named Nero and Tommie—showcase their various roles in the relationship. Sometimes, they’re loving towards one another, while in other instances, there’s gentle tussling. But, the two never play just one part. Against the backdrop of water droplets and dreamy cityscape is a nuanced portrait of these creatures.

Felicity Berkleef: Instagram | Flickr | Tumblr
via [Bored Panda]

In 1946, high school sweethearts Ferris and Margaret Romaire were wed in a simple yet special ceremony in their hometown of Morgan City, Louisiana. While Ferris, 90, and Margaret, 89, remember their nuptials fondly, they have, throughout their 70 years of marriage, grown to regret the fact that they have no photographs documenting the day. So, for their platinum anniversary on November 24, their granddaughter (one of eight!) lovingly booked a better-late-then-never wedding shoot with photographer Lara Carter.

In a heartwarming series of photographs, Carter captures the smitten not-so-newlyweds as they laugh, kiss, reminisce, and clink glasses of champagne. The grinning groom donned a classic tuxedo, while the blushing bride beamed in a beautiful neutral gown. Set “where town meets country” in the city of Pearland, Texas, the photographs’ backdrop sentimentally speaks to the simplicity of the Romaires’ Louisiana wedding. And, as a self-proclaimed “natural light photographer,” Carter took full advantage of the city’s autumnal radiance, snapping the photos in the golden afternoon and giving each one a certain glow.

While the shots of Ferris and Margaret posing with banners and old photographs are undeniably charming, it is the more candid shots that convey the strength of their compatibility after all these years. “You can see the love between them in the way they interacted with each other and laughed together as we would go from the different poses,” Carter told The Huffington Post. “They are a beautiful example of what marriage is meant to be.”

So, what’s their secret? According to Margaret, it’s about learning to say you’re sorry. Similarly, for Ferris, it’s the ability to admit that you’re wrong—though, he cleverly adds, “Margaret is never wrong!”

Here’s to 70 years of laughter!

Lara Carter Photography: Website | Facebook | Instagram
via [The Huffington Post]

All images via Lara Carter.

Earlier this month, Marc Carter, a father and full-time caretaker from Devon, England, turned to Twitter to make a unique and heartfelt request: he desperately needed to track down a cup for Ben, his 14-year-old son with autism.

Since the age of two, Ben—who is non-verbal and has limited understanding—has refused to drink from anything other than his beloved teal, two-handled Tommee Tippee cup. As the product is now discontinued, Ben’s parents have tirelessly tried to wean him onto similar products. He, however, will not budge, even if it means he winds up severely dehydrated. Since his current cup is quickly deteriorating, Carter, fearing for his son’s wellbeing, tweeted about the potentially life-threatening situation with the hope that someone would be able to help.

“Maybe you have one stuck at the back of the cupboard?” Carter wrote in his heartfelt appeal on November 14. “In all honesty, we are really worried about what will happen if it falls apart completely.” Incredibly, his post was liked, shared, and answered by nearly 20,000 users, resulting in floods of donated look-alike cups—and even attention from the Tommee Tippee company itself.

Touched by Carter’s plea, Tommee Tippee decided to help hunt for a #CupForBen. As the 50-year-old company rifled through their inventory, they discovered that, although the model has been retired for a decade, they miraculously still have the tools needed to create brand new ones. They intend to manufacture 500 for Ben, ensuring that he and his parents never have to worry about finding another little blue cup.

Now, Carter is launching a website dedicated to his son’s cause. He also hopes to create a documentary about his inspiring story. You can help make this happen by donating on his GoFundMe page.

Marc Carter: Twitter | Website | Youtube | GoFundMe
via [Mashable]

All images via Marc Carter and Tommee Tippee.

When assembling a jigsaw puzzle, there’s one tried-and-true method for successfully completing it—start with the edge pieces. Ignoring this conventional approach is design studio Nervous System, who have created an organic puzzle that has no beginning nor end. Called the Infinite Galaxy Puzzle, it’s just that—a type of jigsaw that can be constructed in a myriad of ways.

The 133 laser-cut plywood pieces boast a stunning depiction of the universe’s Galactic Center taken by the Hubble telescope. This splendorous image adorns both faces of each puzzle piece, meaning there’s no wrong or right side to the Galaxy Puzzle. By flipping a jigsaw over, it can be used as part of a totally different arrangement.

The confounding activity is based on a scientific curiosity known as the Klein bottle, in which an impossible 3D shape has mathematically identical insides and outsides. While this might be maddening to some puzzle builders, this unusual flexibility offers an ingenious means to exploring the galaxy from the comfort of home.

The Infinite Galaxy Puzzle is now available in the Nervous System shop.

Nervous System: Website | Facebook
via [Nerd Approved]

Italian-born, London-based illustrator and tattoo artist Otto D’Ambra is known for his avant-garde style, which primarily depicts hybrid animals combined with illustrations seemingly plucked from Boardwalk Empire. D’Ambra is a multi-faceted artist, who began his career as a set designer and evolved over time into body art and etching. In 2012, he opened The White Elephant Studio in London as a creative base for artists.

A quick look at D’Ambra’s tattoos and it becomes clear just how intertwined his printmaking and tattooing are. In fact, an occasional image will leap from printing press to flesh with apparent ease. The artist’s work retains a vintage feel, while at the same time interjecting modern textures, patterns, and objects—cementing them firmly in the contemporary world. Sticking to black ink, the detailed hatch work of his tattoos strikingly mirror the build up of depth and form in his etchings. Bizarre and rich with symbolism, D’Ambra’s work shows a skilled hand—he’s just as comfortable producing a detailed portrait as he is creating geometric forms. It’s this wide range of skills, honed into one recognizable style, that has brought him his fair share of praise and recognition.

D’Ambra’s etchings can be purchased via the Curious Duke Gallery in London, while he tattoos out of The White Elephant Studio.

Otto D’Ambra: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr
via [Lustik]

All images via Otto D’Ambra.

Like many people, Jay Clark and his partner Caroline Donoghue longed to be parents. With a lot of hope and rounds of IVF treatments, they learned in 2015 that their wish had come true—they were expecting a healthy baby boy. But just three months before their son’s due date, the couple received some devastating news. After intense stomach pains and jaundice skin, Clark was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer.

Some might give up hope when faced with this terminal illness, but Clark was determined to confront his cancer with dignity and live the best life possible. He and Donoghue welcomed their son Maxie on January 9, 2016 and have doted over him ever since. Despite treatments and visits to the hospital, Clark always goes home and snuggles with Maxie afterwards. The proud dad also shares in his son’s triumphs, which include swimming lessons. And although it’s still early, they have already shared their first snow and Christmas together. These moments are bittersweet for Clark (who admits he cries privately), but he finds comfort in making memories.

The family’s emotional and inspiring life journey is chronicled through the Facebook page Be more Jay. Written in the voice of Maxie, it’s a sweet tribute to Clark’s perseverance and strength.

Even in the hospital, Jay has a positive attitude.

Now, he cherishes the joys of new parenting.

Jay, Caroline, and Maxie celebrate an early Christmas so that Jay will get to see his first snow and Santa.
Photo source: Mirror

Jay Clark: Facebook
via [Viralnova]

With just a simple flip of a photo, the world can change. Sports filmmaker Kevin Wolf recently showcased this visual magic while enjoying the tranquil scenery in California’s Yosemite National Park. He snapped a picture of a gorgeous landscape that features the majestic mountains and golden forest as it’s perfectly mirrored into the surrounding lake. Though the sky is nearly cloudless, the sand underneath the water creates a dark speckled-blue backdrop in its reflection. Does it look like anything familiar?

It’s this variation in water where the illusion takes place. Wolf realized that if you flip this picture upside down, it goes from a sunny day scene to a dramatic nighttime image, and the lake suddenly looks like a breathtaking starry sky. Thanks to its crisp reflection, the photo looks just as believable—and even more incredible— than it does right-side up.

Here’s the original photo:

Here it is flipped over:

Kevin took a few more beautiful Yosemite photos:

Kevin Wolf: Website | Instagram | Facebook
via [Design You Trust]

A brush and canvas make a perfect pair for producing beautiful art, but creatives like UK-based Ian Berry love to think outside of the box. This unconventional artist has pushed aside the paintbrush and picked up a pair of jeans. Denim is his medium of choice and there’s no tricks or illusions to his creations. “Everything you see in my work is denim, nothing else, no paint, nor bleach,” he tells us in an email.

Rather than burning, bleaching, or painting directly onto the sturdy fabric, Berry opts to reshape the material with scissors and adhere layers atop one another with glue. Using blue, black, and gray jeans, he manipulates the assembly of various shades to capture brilliant contrasts of light. He’s able to mimic remarkably lifelike visions of shadows and depth within his textured “paintings.” The results are astoundingly photorealistic depictions of everyday life.

Berry’s most recent work focuses on launderettes—a place you’d commonly find jeans, tumbling in the washer. The series pays homage specifically to the launderettes of London. With so many of the city’s laundromats closing down, Berry has fond memories of what these overlooked establishments symbolize. “They’ve been places where people could meet and talk and get to know each other. Now, they’re disappearing,” he says. “They were the heart of the community, and the fabric of our city is changing.”

The series, titled My Beautiful Launderette, is one of Berry’s two exhibitions currently on display in London. For this particular series, the artist went so far as to create a life-size launderette made of denim. To see it in person, head over to Catto Gallery—and be quick because the exhibit only runs through November 30, 2016.

Ian Berry: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Ian Berry.

Pregnancy varies widely throughout the animal kingdom, as these incredible x-rays reveal. Whether laying eggs or bearing litters, they prove that the miracle of life remains fascinating. A peek at x-rays of these pregnant animals, from the familiar cat and dog to the exotic Langur Monkey, gives us a glimpse at how similar (or not) animal pregnancy is to our own.

For instance, did you know that hundreds of pregnant bats form their own maternal colonies? Or that turtles can produce eggs from a mating session three years prior? Let’s look at some wild x-rays and learn a bit about what makes each animal’s pregnancy unique.

Above: Pregnant Turtle. Female turtles are able to retain sperm in their Fallopian tubes for up to three years, which can be used for different clutches of eggs. A single clutch of eggs can also have multiple fathers.

Pregnant Francois Langur Monkey. The Taronga Zoo in Australia has developed a breeding program for this endangered species. Image via Taronga Zoo.

Pregnant Cat. Female cats can get pregnant from about 4 months of age if not sterilized. At about 45 days into pregnancy, the kittens’ skeletons will have formed enough to show up via x-ray.

Pregnant Snake. Depending on the species, snakes can either lay eggs or carry out live births, as shown above. A female copperhead, for instance, can bear litters of two to ten snakes and can store sperm for extended periods of time. So, if mating occurs in the fall, sperm will be stored and gestation will begin after hibernation.

Pregnant Dog. Like people, dogs are pregnant for three trimesters—each 21 days long. Around 45 days it’s possible for an x-ray to determine how many puppies will be part of the litter.

Pregnant Tree Skink. Most species of tree skink, including this one, are live bearing. Can you spot the three small babies inside the mother?

Pregnant Bat. Bats are considered some of the slowest reproducing animals in the world. Females will produce just one offspring at a time and pregnant bats may group together to form a large maternal colony within the main group.

Pregnant Kiwi. Wild females lay their eggs at around 3-5 years of age. The egg, when laid, is six times as large as one would estimate for a bird its size—taking up 20% of its mother’s body.

Pregnant Chinchilla. Just a few hours after the kits are born, they are able to open their eyes and begin walking.

Pregnant Racoon. Pregnancy typically lasts for 63 days, with 4 to 5 kits to a litter. The kits begin to open their eyes about 3 weeks after birth.

Pregnant Guinea Pig. Female guinea pigs become sexually mature at 2 months old, yet breeding after 8 months of age can be dangerous, due to the normal stiffening of cartilage between pubic bones that occurs in adults.

Pregnant Muntjac Deer. Pregnancy lasts about 230 days and mothers can breed again within a few days of birth, which helps the species maintain its population level.

via [So Bad So Good, Buzzfeed]