Igorot artist uses solar power to draw

Almost exactly three years ago, my wife and I first laid eyes on Jordan Mang-osan's unique pieces of art. We were in Baguio at that time and we decided to drop by at Tam-awan Village to see his exhibit. We were captivated by the Filipino artist's pyrography and solar drawings, and marveled at his skill with the hand lens.

While most artists use canvas, paint, pencil, oil, charcoal or ink to create art, Jordan harnesses the power of the sun to produce portraits that depict the rich cultural traditions and landscape of the Cordilleras, where he is from. To create a piece, he starts off by sketching a design on the surface of a wooden board. He then uses a simple magnifying glass to concentrate solar heat on selected areas of the wood. Check out the video below to see exactly how it's done:

Jordan started drawing as a hobby in grade school. Before he turned 19, the Igorot artist earned a living as a construction worker. He was lost and confused as to what he really wanted to be, until someone saw his potential.

If you happen to be in Baguio and you find yourself in need of an art fix, head straight for Tam-awan Village, where Jordan's creations are on display. Just recently, the artist taught young South Korean students to draw using the power of the sun during his workshop on solar drawing at the village.

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Stone horsemen invade River Thames

It's not uncommon to see huge art installations on River Thames: a giant fiberglass sperm whale , a floating house , a massive wooden hippo . If you happen to be in London, head down to Nine Elms, on the south bank of the waterway, any day this month, and — if it's a low tide — you'll see a group of stone horsemen by world-renowned underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor , rising above the riverside beach. The artwork, titled The Rising Tide , is part of the Totally Thames arts festival and is the first of its kind to be installed in the famed river. Four three-meter tall working horses with riders are shown — two of the riders are businessmen and two are children — though horse heads have been replaced with oil pumps. The sculptures are on display until the end of September.

Print out and fold your own paper cameras

Totally want to make some of these Olympus mirrorless cameras with my daughter this weekend. They don't take pictures, but they sure would make my little girl very happy. The Japanese company has a webpage for kids , and you can easily create three-dimensional paper models of the OM-D or the PEN Lite by printing and folding those PDF templates in the papercraft section . Enjoy! [h/t: Pop Photo ]

Weirdly Charming

If you’re a fan of art that makes you do a double-take, you need to check out Richard Brener . Based in the UK, Richard is an internationally collected artist who works primarily with ink, fineliners, and gouache. When you first see his pieces, they actually look pretty playful. Then you realize the entire canvas is packed with thousands of tiny, ghost-like shapes he calls "champs." They’re all squeezed together like commuters on a rush-hour train, and the level of detail is honestly mind-blowing. Richard spends hundreds of hours drawing these little guys over and over. It’s obsessive, very intentional, and a little bit wild. The cool part is that the longer you stare, the more the vibe shifts. Check out more photos below:

finding cain

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