Insect Dreams – Collecting Bugs and Butterflies
From towering canyons to the smallest insects, some of the world’s greatest artworks can arguably be found in nature. Insect collections have been a form of study and…
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Appreciating Buddhist Art: Part Two – Dhyani Buddhas
The Dhyani Buddhas are the five qualities of the Buddha and the enlightened consciousness. Each is represented by different colors, hand postures called mudra, and positions in the…
Hiss, Crack…KaBoom! – History of Chinese Fireworks
A thousand years ago, fireworks were not yet brilliant bursts of color in the night sky used for entertainment and celebration. In China, the first ‘fire cracker’ was…
The Best Offense Is A Good Defense – African Shields
African shields may seem an antiquated form of defense but they were far more than just functional objects. To the Maasai they were objects of prestige and rank,…
Q&A with Artist Mark Westervelt
Mark Westervelt is a contemporary artist who works predominantly with dried paint. At first he glued dried up paint chips to his canvas to add texture. Later, when…
Appreciating Buddhist Art: Part One – Siddhartha Gautama
When looking at Buddhist art it is easy to become confused with the many Buddha statues. Not all of them are depictions of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.…
A Suit of Hearts – Ganjifa Playing Cards
Ganjifa are hand painted cards from India that are made from exquisite materials such as inlaid ivory and tortoise shells. They are as much an art as a…
Now You See It, Now You Don’t – The Disappearance of Chinese Antique Furniture
During China’s Cultural Revolution, thousands of antique furniture were seized and confiscated for representing the ‘bourgeois.’ In Tibet, most artworks were destroyed and the only ones to survive…
Printing In Progress… – History of Woodblock Printing
Printing has a long history as both a practical tool and an art form, from textile to text printing; woodblock printing to lithography. Perhaps most famous in woodblock…
No Signature Necessary! – Chicha Bowls
Chicha is a fermented alcoholic drink that has been brewed for hundreds of years in South America, oftentimes serving ritual purposes. Ancient bowls called quero were used during…