Naughty Disney Heroes as imagined by David Kawena

Hehehehehehe. You can see more  of  David Kawena's work and his Disney Heroes project here.

xKlara

Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid

Prince Adam from Beauty and the Beast

Aladdin

Tarzan

Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty

Hercules

Kocuom from Pocahontas

Prince Edward from Enchanted

Peter Pan

All work by David Kawena

Five things that I love

1)

DUH...

Ok, Cadbury Mini Eggs did not actually make the list, 

but maybe they should have. I can eat the hell out of a family-size bag.

1)

Pet portrait hand-carved rubber stamps by Kazue. 

Just send her a photo of your animal, and she will set right to work on

a stamp made just for you and your crazy geekiness. Actually, I am flirting 

with the idea of getting a couple of rat stamps, myself. Although, If I 

used them, I would risk looking like a crazy rat lady.

Wait...

Visit Kazue's Etsy store Girls are Crying.

P.S. Kazue also makes couples stamps.

Via: Girls are Crying

2)

The enchanted Stone House can be found in the Fafe Mountains of Portugal. Built in 1974, the home is nestled between huge boulders and built of concrete and granite. According to 

Stephen Messenger of treehugger.com, "Although the house may seem rustic, it is not lacking in amenities, which include a fireplace and a swimming pool--carved out of one of the large rocks". Unfortunately, increased popularity has caused the current owner to move elsewhere, as well as installing extensive security precautions. 

   Follow this link to treehugger.com to read more about Stone House and to view a short video showing some of the interior. 

 Photos Via: Arch Daily
All Photos from Flickr via user Jsome 1, Feliciano Guimarães.

3)

Super Mamika, 2010

French photographer Sacha Goldberger was concerned that his 

91 year old grandmother Frederika was feeling depressed. 

The answer: a superhero photo shoot, of course.

According to Eugene Kim of My Modern Met, "Frederika was born in Budapest 20 years before World War II. During the war, at the peril of her own life, she courageously saved the lives of ten people. When asked how, Goldberger told us "she hid the Jewish people she knew, moving them around to different places every day." As a survivor of Nazism and Communism, she then immigrated away from Hungary to France, forced by the Communist regime to leave her homeland illegally or face death". 

So it seems that Frederika does not require a superhero costume. 

The Facelift

The Wall

I apologize, I was unable to find a title. If you do, please let me know.

Pinup
Via: My Modern Met

4)

Disastro Ecologico

Alberto Seveso

High-speed photographs of ink mixing with water!

P.S. The artist Alberto Seveso was kind enough to offer free 

downloads of Disastro Ecologico. Simply click on the link below. 

Via: Alberto Seveso's Website

5)

Nestrest

Created by French designers Daniel Pouzet & Fred Frety

Oh, how I want one!

Via: Dedon 

Thanks for taking a look. 

Have a great weekend.

xKlara

Ladies and Gentlemen, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, and his Character Heads!!

As I was perusing one of my favorite art blogs, but does it float, I came across the sculptures by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (February 6, 1736 – August 19, 1783). He is well known for his Character Heads, a collection of busts exhibiting a range of contorted facial expressions. Messerschmidt was a German-Austrian artist and sculptor who according to a transcript compiled by German author Friedrich Nicolai in 1781, had for many years "been suffering from an undiagnosed digestive complaint, now believed to be Crohn's disease, which caused him considerable discomfort. In order to focus his thoughts away from his condition, Messerschmidt devised a series of pinches he administered to his right lower rib. Observing the resulting facial expressions in a mirror, Messerschmidt then set about recording them in marble and bronze. His intention, he told Nicolai, was to represent the 64 "canonical grimaces" of the human face using himself as a template" (Wikipedia entry for Franz Xaver Messerschmidt).

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, Afflicted with Constipation, 1771–83, lead-tin cast

Character Head: The Hanged, 1770 - 1783, alabaster

The Yawner, 1771-81, tin cast

 A Hypocrite and Slanderer, 1771–83, metal cast

 The Beaked, 1781, alabaster

Have a great Thursday,
xKlara

Monkeys

A still from the trailer of "Dai Gunjyu Nezura,"

("The Great Horde-Monster Nezura"). 1964?

The film about an invasion of giant rats

was conceived by the Daiei film studio

of Japan, but was never completed.

I have decided to confess to the world my dizzy infatuation for my pet rats, Ari and Nicholas (both males). And while I would not advise one to cuddle up to a feral rat, domestic fancy rats are smart and social, each with unique personalities.

Among the many nicknames I use to address my rats: monkeys, ratties, little mens, monkey pups, honey beans, and Ari pants. Now that it is clear that I am a nutcase, I think I will make my exit.

I have included a few photographs to help illustrate why I think that rats are so neat-o.

I hope you enjoy.

P.S. Nicholas is the boy with the wider white stripe on his nose. Ari's stripe is more narrow and a bit off-kilter.

Little man Nicholas is such a lovely little fellow.
I am endlessly fond of him.

As a general rule I do not dress up the rats. However,
sometimes I will make an exception. Hehehehehe

Nicholas eating a rattie snack (a raisin). Nom nom nom.

A mouth-watering staircase

   The magnificent Holsteiner stairs in Wuppertal, Germany captivate and exhilarate me. I wish that public art was a common experience in every city and town. This installation by German artist, Horst Gläsker, was imagined and realized as part of the 7 Stairs Arts Festival, where seven artists were asked to respond to seven staircases. You might notice the text on the individual steps. Gläsker assigned to each stair, a word used to describe human relationships. You can visit Gläsker's website here.

Scala Horst Gläsker 2006/2008 Holsteiner stairs in Wuppertal Acrylic paint on 112 steps xKlara

New Recruits

Hello there,
I have three new animals to add to my menagerie of future action figures. I conducted a little photo shoot, and here are some favorites.