CBrajkovich Ramblings

I sincerely think that Melody Myers has one of the most amazing voices I’ve heard in a long time. I heard her in Eric Whitacre’s Lux Aurumque from Voice Choir 1.0, as she had a solo soprano part for that heart-shattering symphony of voices. And if you watched that video than you know that there were so many talented people in that choir.

I wanted to end today on a good note, so here she is singing, The Voice:

p.s. A sorrowful note to go with this beautiful piece. I was on Eric’s site and saw that one of his singers, Evangelyna Etienne, passed on after a long battle with cancer. So this music and inspirational day is for her! Best wishes to her family and friends in their time of mourning.

Thanks again to Gisele for allowing me to find this artist from one of her tweets.

As a writer, I have always had a special place in my heart for pencils. They allowed me to draw my dreams with their chalky graphite lines, and have allowed me to compose my thoughts into words that made my head take off into the unknown. No matter how old I get, I still have pencils around though I don’t use them as often as I should since I write on my computer. Well, Dalton Ghetti is a carpenter who has taken his craft to the graphite tips of those pencils that we have been friends with since childhood. I’m not sure which I’m more amazed at: the fact that he can carve such intricate shapes from a simple pencil tip, or the fact that he can make a pencil tip long enough to carve without it breaking. Keeping a sharpened tip intact was never my strong suite, most likely because I always pressed so hard to make the words and lines come out faster. Continue reading →

We all have our favorite periods of art, but for me it fell in the times of Baroque and Rococo from 1600 through 1750. Of course, the time of Rococo was also during the time when Baroque was still in favor, and some say that Rococo was a playful tempestuous offshoot of  Baroque. But the reasons why these art forms appeal to me is that they celebrated humanity in all of its glory, even if they were tinged by the controls of the church. The vibrancy of colors and movement of style exuded a feast for the senses. Whether it was painting, sculpture, or architecture, the pieces created during these periods were bursting with an exuberance for life and all that it had to offer. It also helped that the artists from these times had generous benefactors in the wealthy elites that allowed for so much art to come into being. That is, as we all know, until their time of rule came to an end. Here are some of my favorites:

Bernini – Ecstasy of St. Teresa (from Wikipedia)

Continue reading →

EF International Language Centers and director Gustav Johannson have put together a tantalizing video offering meant to whet your appetite for travel. Using type in a playful way, you get to follow a new student embark on travels to a new land of learning. The videos’ typography were all made by Albin Holmqvist, and showcased in short travel clips for Los Angeles, London, Sydney, Paris, Vancouver, Barcelona, and Bei Jing. Music was done by Magnus Lidehäll, and photography is by Niklas Johannson, fsf. Looks like some pretty tantalizing choices were put together to give you choices for where to point your language destination spot. There’s no better way to learn than immersing yourself into the experience. You’ll come out with more rewards than you expected, all by your own hands.

– another DesignTaxi post

Teague Labs has reinvented the classic game, Super Mario Brothers, into a do it yourself scrolling game in a box that uses their Teagueduino. They describe Teagueduino as an open-sourced electronic board and interface that allows any user to create their own invention without having to solder or knowing how to code. It even comes with lessons on learning how to do program and work with embedded development. If you want to help with this project, then go to their Kickstarter page and jump in. It sounds like an amazing project that keeps on giving. What’s better than that?

You’ve got until October 6th, if you want to help their Kickstarter project. Some of the pledges are a little higher than normal, but you’re getting a full Teagueduino kit, so it’s well worth it if you into programming and creating on your own. Amazing!

– another DesignTaxi post -> Teague Labs -> Kickstarter

Jennifer Collier, a UK paper artist, makes old memories come to life in new paper clothes using old papers stitched together. How would you like to have a memory of a loved one stitched into a new memory that you can look at daily? She already makes a host of other things including shoes, cameras, and things found around the house. Maybe she can make something unique for you with paper memories that bring a smile to your face. It beats keeping them piled on your desk where you can’t see them as clearly. Now you can love them in a new way. – found in a DesignTaxi post