BEAUTY: Photography--Linda Westin

Stockholm-based photographer Linda Westin took a detour into science and obtained a PhD in neuroscience, specializing in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, a technique that allows scientists to illuminate the structures inside cells by making them glow under specific wavelengths. She now uses this same idea to photograph trees and plants in dense natural settings. Her work is startling and enigmatic, and her images play as though they are illustrations from fairytale stories about magical forests full of night time intrigue and possible dangers ... Where The Wild Things Might Be ...

https://www.instagram.com/_cometalktome_/

BEAUTY: Painting For Easter--Whyn Lewis

For Easter, let's look at Whyn Lewis' lovely hares and rabbits. I love how her imagery is at once realistic but also stylized.

To to bottom: All The Merry Dances; Be Still; Black Dog; Dance Hare; The Dark Side; In The Dark; Last Night; The Light Side; Run; Wildest Dreams

http://www.whynlewis.com/

BEAUTY: Painting for Autumn--Lee Munn

Autumn is here in the northern hemisphere and the painterly work of Ontario-based artist and painting teacher Lee Munn captures scenes of brilliant gold and red trees, often in dappled sunlight...

https://www.leemunn.com/

BEAUTY: Sculpture--Matias Karsikas

Finnish artist Mataias Karsikas' compelling series Rykelmä features a fantastic juxtaposition of wood with glass and ceramic. His Artist Statement explains:

"In the artworks titled Rykelmä, glazed ceramics and mouth-blown glass meet nature-shaped wood. The ceramics are mineral-like, the glass is pouring, and the wood is untreated. Instead of portraying figures and landscapes, abstract textures and diverse surfaces are drawn from nature, thus manifesting the essence of the natural world. The visual starting point for the pieces has been, for example, slime molds that grow in clusters on the surfaces of decaying trees. The viewer can perceive in the works the resin-dripping branch of a tree or the melting of a frost covered moss under the spring sun."

He sells pieces on his site!
https://matiaskarsikas.com/

An Iridescent Pheasant

I have just learned of a bird called the Himalayan Monal. The male of the species sports stunningly beautiful iridescent feathers in saturated jewel colors. It is the national bird of Nepal, and state bird of Uttarakhand, India. Just looking at it mesmerizes me.

Photo by Ajit Hota

Photo by Dibyendu Ash

"Winter" by Jamie Scott

An amazing ode to winter by Jamie Scott. He describes his beautiful short film:

"Winter is my third seasonal time-lapse film and the second collaboration with composer Jim Perkins. It is the culmination of 5 years of shooting across New York State and Montreal, Canada.

Because of the nature of snow falling and ice freezing, Winter is more frenetic and fast-paced than my other 2 films. It is by far the hardest piece I have ever produced. At times I was shooting with up to 6 cameras and 4 sliders. I also lost 2 drones in the process."

https://www.invisiblejam.com/

BEAUTY: Sculpture For Halloween--Tomáš Libertíny

Artist Tomáš Libertíny (previously here) uses bees as collaborators on amazing sculptural projects and this set of skulls was inspired by a painting by Caravaggio. The artist explains:

I have took upon working on a series of heads based on the framework of skulls themed as memento vivere as opposite to memento mori. This work is based on the famous story from the New Testament in which the daughter of Herod requests the head of imprisoned John The Baptist. Inspired by the famous painting of Caravaggio Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (c. 1607), the bronze colored serving tray carries a human skull “made by bees”. The honeycomb head is growing out of the dish as if wanting to become alive again. Left longer in the beehive, the head would have become completely human. The process is the reversal of death. I have experienced personal sacrifices and losses in my life that I did not understand the meaning of. We are given time and place in our universe. We are given gifts and purpose which we need to find like tools in the shed. We have so little time to wonder about the magnificent world around us.

The first skull below with the pinkish hue, attained by adding harmless coloring to the hive, is John the Baptist.

The next one, Feed Your Head, was inspired by a lyric from the Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit"
 about Alice In Wonderland.

Finally, Tomáš created Pain Au Amour (Bread of Love), showing a skull mounted a baker's peel.

http://www.tomaslibertiny.com/