Sea Sculptures of the Underwater Museum

Around the world are a few unusual sculpture museums. In order to gain entry to the museums, you must first put on your swimming gear and grab a snorkel or dive tank. This is because the museums are under the sea.

Art Works or Artificial Reefs?
The creator of the underwater museums, Jason de Caires Taylor, designs his sculptures with the intention of forming artificial reefs for sea life. The statues are made with PH neutral casting cement, which means that they will not poison the water or the fish, and will not degrade quickly in sea water. Taylor places his underwater museums in areas where reefs have been destroyed by storms, creating new homes for corals, fish and other sea life.
The statues of Taylor's underwater museums serve two purposes; to attract tourists and art lovers to the area and to create a home for fish, sea weed and other reef life. Many of the sculptures have holes drilled into the cement, creating nooks and crannies for fish and crustaceans to create a home for themselves. Over time, the statues get covered with sea weed and molluscs. Taylor has recorded this "evolution" of his artworks with photographs, enjoying the fact that although he may be finished with the artwork, nature continues to add its own art works to the statues.

Jason de Caires Taylor's "Vicissitudes" in Grenada, West Indies. This sculptural art work shows a group of people standing in a circle holding hands. The figures face outwards, creating the impression that they are protecting something within the circle. The underwater statues are life-sized, having been made from body casts of living people. 

A swimmer discovers one of Talor's underwater sculptures in Grenada and blows a kiss at the sleeping faces. The beauty of these art works is that the experience of discovery is different for each person. Because the statues are evolving and becoming part of the reef, whatone person sees today might be very different from what someone else might see next month.

These three photos show, from left, a mustachioed man from Cancun in Mexico, who was the model for the underwater sculpture shown in the middle photograph. The photograph on the right shows the statue a few years after it was placed underwater. It is covered in seaweed and providing an excellent home for reef life. The man who posed for the statue doesn't look very happy, but the ocean fish and plants who now live on his statue are probably very happy.

These are Taylor's cement statues on dry land, waiting to be placed into the sea, where they will live forever more. When posed like this, the groupps of statues begin to resemble a coral reef. Taylor's underwater museum is so far one of the most unique reef conservation methods that man has attempted. It combines human ingenuity with human creativity.

A Sculptured Society Living Under the Sea
The underwater museum in Cancun, Mexico was created in 2009 when Taylor installed several life size statues near the Manchones reef. There are now over 450 submerged sculptures in the region. These underwater statues are based on regular people living in and around Cancun, Mexico. The figures are sculpted to show them doing day-to-day activities such as riding a bicycle or watching TV. The underwater statues have a surreal nature about them; they seem to be average people frozen for eternity below the sea, standing silently as they are visited by tourists and art enthusiasts.

"Anthropocene" in Cancun, Mexico. This large sculpture shows a man curled up on the hood of a VW Beetle, a car that has been popular all over the world for decades. The sculpture has several holes drilled into the windows that allows fish to enter the hollow interior of the car sculpture. The reef was partially destroyed by storms, so the sculptures were created as a place for fish and other sea creatures to live.

"Inertia" in Punta Nizuc, Mexico. This sculptural piece depicts a man watching TV with a burger and fries. Like the VW sculpture, the TV set has holes drilled into it, which allow the fish to enter the hollow interior of the sculpture, where they are protected from storms and predators.

Crowds of statues like this make excellent artificial reefs, attracting fish and plant life that make the art works their homes. This picture was taken shortly after the statues were installed, before the seaweed and limpets start to add their own creative touch to the art. These underwater museums are also attractive to tourists, who travel great distances to be able to swim among the statues.

Over time, coral begins to grow over the statues, transforming the underwater sculptures into living art works. These natural art works are constantly changing over time as the reef continues to absorb the statues, making them part of the natural environment.

Each statue gets its own natural decoration as the reef grows over it. The different types of corals, sponges and sea weeds add patterns and textures to these living art works.

Taylor's underwater museums are a truly beautiful combination of art and conservation. The artificial reefs made of human statues give people an inspiring experience while offering natural reef life a safe home. Visit Taylor's website for more information on his underwater museums.

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Ernst Haeckel Draws a Psychedelic World

Ernst Haeckel was a 19th century artist, philosopher and professor who had a deep interest in the natural world. His beautifully detailed illustrations of sea creatures, insects, plants and animals have survived over a century of change and are still hailed as among the best nature illustrations that exist to this day.

Photography vs Psychedelic Illustrations
The art of photography has existed for centuries, though not as we know it today. As early as the 4th and 5th centuries BC, Chinese and Greek philosophers and mathematicians described pinhole cameras. By the late 19th century, more sophisticated cameras were in use. These cameras often produced blurry images that were either over- or under-exposed, so up until the early 20th century, illustrations were the best way for scientists to share images of their findings with other biologists. These illustrations were used to identify and differentiate species of animals. Ernst Haeckel earned a name for himself for his highly detailed, intricately constructed illustrations of the natural world.

Ernst Haeckel often colored his illustrations, a technique that allowed other naturalists to imagine not just the shape and texture of the creature, but its color patterns too. During the 19th century, photographs were produced in black and white which meant that color illustrations were often valued more than photographs. [source]

This illustration, called "Orchidae", depicts several orchid flower species. Haeckel often drew collections of animals or plants of the same species, showcasing both the similarities and differences between the different breeds. [source]

Ernst Haeckel's illustrations were highly prized for their level of detail. Many nature artists of the time would simply have drawn a rough sketch of this sea creature, unlike Haeckel; who has drawn every tiny detail of the sea anemone. [source]

Natural Psychedelic Design
It's unlikely that Haeckel's intention was to create psychedelic art works. As a biologist and naturalist, Haeckel simply wanted to record the world as he saw it, as a collection of intricate patterns and subtle shades. But repetitive patterns create the basis of psychedelic art, so Haeckel's illustrations have unintentionally become mind-boggling art works.

Many of Haeckel's drawings are of sea creatures such as sea anemones. With their repetitive patterns and intricate details, these creatures are the perfect subjects for psychedelic, alienish art works. [source]

Ernst Haeckel's illustrations often have an otherworldly feel. The creature in the picture above could easily feel at home on an alien planet, yet oddly enough, it calls Earth its home. [source]

Another of Ernst Haeckel's illustrations shows several different breeds of the same jellyfish specie. In all of his art works, Haeckel included as much detail as he possibly could, making his drawings the first truly accurate visual recordings of many creatures. [source]

Ernst Haeckel died on August 9, 1919, leaving behind hundreds of nature illustrations. Nearly a century after his death, his drawings are still celebrated as being some of the most detailed and attractive biological illustrations in the world.

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10 Exquisite Photographs of Wild Animals

Nature holds a wealth of beauty and wonder that every once in a while, a photographer manages to capture in a single frame. Wild animals are a source of fascination for human beings - their lives may be harsher in some ways, but in many ways they embody a sense of freedom that people crave.

Wildlife photography can be a hobby or a career

Wildlife photography is a hobby for some, but for others, it can be a career. Photos of wild animals can be used in magazines, newspapers and even research materials such as textbooks. But there are so many people in the world who enjoy looking at pictures of animals in their natural habitat that photography books that show only wildlife photos are incredibly popular. These books can provide inspiration for artists, writers, musicians and photographers, and they can also be used to educate people about the diversity of the natural world.

Some photographers, whether they are professionals or amateur hobbyists, offer their photos for sale online, through websites like Deviant Art. The site allows shoppers to buy art prints and photography prints online, with or without a frame and on canvas or paper. Many of the following nature photographs are all available to buy online through their creators' Deviant Art accounts, and there are thousands more wildlife photos to choose from.

"Zen Fox" by thrumyeye. Such a peaceful moment is rare for wild animals, who are generally alert and wary of danger. The features of the fox's face are sharper than the background areas; a photography technique that draws the eye to the focal point of this photo - the fox's sweet face. [source]

Flamingos sleep while standing, tucking their head under a wing for protection from the elements. In the nature photograph above, the photographer has captured the sleeping flamingo beautifully.  By emphasizing the yin yang nature of the pose, the photographer has added a sense of balance and peace to the picture. [source]
This photograph can be bought online as a print on paper or canvas through the photographer Chris Esla's DeviantArt account, Toribio

  

This photographer has caught this tiger in an almost human pose, as though the tiger is pulling a funny face, not just simply licking his paw. By personifying the animal subject, the photographer Tonya encourages empathy in the viewer. This tiger photo is called "Oh So Bored" and is available to buy from the photographer through her DeviantArt account: TICphotography730

This white lion is rare, but it isn't a true albino. Most big cat species have a genetic strain that once in a while produces a pure white animal with even the irises of the eyes being white. If this lion was a true albino; its eyes would be pink. You can buy a pre-framed art print of this beautiful wildlife photograph online through Woxys' DeviantArt account.

Photographers are often so focused on their animals subjects that they ignore the animal's natural habitat. This photographer has chosen to exhibit the polar bear as part of its environment. The unusual shape of the ice combined with the beautiful colors of the water and the sky add to the natural beauty of the polar bear.
Antoine Beyeler sells this wintery wonderland photo as an art print through his DeviantArt account abey79. He's called this picture "The Kitchest Bear"

Cameras and photography equipment are heavy!

Wildlife photographers try to use lightweight cameras and camera equipment such as tripods, because in order to find the animals to take pictures of, the photographers sometimes need to hike into the wilderness for many miles, carrying all of their camera equipment with them. And, because they work outdoors, the photographers need to be prepared to protect their equipment from rainy weather or from getting splashed with water while crossing streams.

Sometimes wildlife photographers need a lot of equipment to get the perfect shot, and sometimes they need to get up really early, or stay up really late to have the time to set up their camera gear and snap the perfect picture of an animal at night or in the twilight of dusk and dawn. But most serious wildlife photographers are so passionate about their work that they don't mind losing a bit of sleep if it means that they can get that one, brilliant photo.

This photographer, Ryan, is aware of the value of space within an image, giving the cute squirrel plenty of room to own this photograph. [source]
Buy this cute animal picture online from Canadian Ry through his DeviantArt account.

This is an octopus in it natural environment; the ocean, lit by rays of sunlight that shine through the water. The semi-translucent nature of the octopus's tentacles add to the idea that the octopus is glowing. Detail24 is the photographer of this beautiful underwater image. You can buy this photographic masterpiece, called "Catch the stars" on DeviantArt

Sometimes nature photography reveals an animal's feelings about being photographed. In the photo above, the swans are angry to discover the photographer in their territory. The photographer has expressed fear of the swans by capturing them from below their eye level, which makes the birds seem larger and more fearsome than they actually are. Louis Cipher, going under the name Grim-Jester on DeviantArt, has called this powerful nature photo, "I don't like the swans", a sentimant that is apparent in this photograph. [source]

Young elephants are very playful, often running about while waving their tails and trunks in the air. The photograph is an example of personification. The photographer has taken a picture of the baby elephant's open mouth from an angle that makes it appear as though the elephant is smiling. [source]

This is one of nature's rarities, the glass-winged butterfly. This beautiful creature is stunning when set in contrast to colorful flowers, as in the photograph above. We can see the bright yellow and red flowers through the butterfly's wings, which is a rare and special sight indeed. [source]

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Photoshop Machine Animals Tell a Love Story of Nature and Technology

Photoshop artists can create hybrid creatures out of anything. The following images show how digital artists have combined man-made technological creations with animals created by mother nature. The results are mechanical animals.

Photoshop VW Buggy: An Insect Car
Volkswagen's popular family car, the VW Beetle, has been spoofed in this Photoshopped machine animal hybrid. The artist has combined the original shape of the VW Beetle with the colors and accessories of an actual, living insect, creating a visual pun.

Above: Instead of legs, the lady bug now has wheels. The carapace above the beetle's head forms the windshield of the insect car. This Photoshop artist has created a visual pun on the name of both the VW Beetle and the Lady Beetle.

[source]

The Photoshop Toad Engine Croaks when Cranked

In this machine animal hybrid, the Photoshop artist has shown the "hood" of the toad vehicle (it's skull) as being open, revealing the frog's brain engine within. This robot creature combines organic elements, such as its skin, with machine components, such as having headlights for eyes.

Above: The Photoshop techno toad and it's cyborg butterfly mechanic. [source]

The Robo Lobster's a Crustacean with Cogs

To eat this robot lobster, you'd need to suffer from Pica, a mental illness that compels people to eat inedible objects. Though it is prone to rusting, the Photoshop machine lobster lives in harmony with its watery surroundings, dining on the metal hulls of sunken ships.

Above: The robo lobster's vice-like claws deliver quite a pinch. [source]

Gone Fishing in Photoshop

This Photoshop artist has combined an aquatic animal; a simple fish, with a submarine to create an organic underwater vessel. Unlike regular submarines, the Photoshop fish sub uses fins to propel itself.

Above: The colorful Photoshop fish sub, complete with a glass engine room for tiny mariners to see out of. [source]

Photoshop Chicken Machine Clucks and Clanks

The Photoshop robot chicken ain't no turkey, and is hoping to be featured in the next Transformers movie . While this rooster alarm clock may be able to play your favorite songs, it's not going to produce any eggs for breakfast.

Above: The Photoshop chicken gives new meaning to the term "battery hen". [source]

Fly me to the Moon on a Hornet Motorbike

Tired of people driving close to your back bumper? You'll never need to worry about that if you're riding the Photoshop hornet bike. With its mean-looking features and nasty stinger, this buzzing motorbike will give you plenty of room on the roads, and if traffic is bad - it can fly you to work.

Above: Even as a Photoshop concept, the wasp motorbike is awesome. [source]

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Banksy Tattoos Combine Graffiti with Body Art

Banksy is a British artist who is infamous for his striking graffiti artworks. His graffiti often has a deeper meaning, expressing Banksy's socio-political views in a powerfully public medium; street art. Banksy graffiti has become so popular that it is now a popular subject in tattoo designs.

Banksy's Girl with Butterflies Tattoo
One of Banksy's most popular graffiti art works is the image of a young girl in a dress holding a gun to her head. A swarm of butterflies is scattered across the design as though they have exploded from the girl's head. Banksy uses stencils to create his street art, which gives his images clarity and a strong silhouette. These design aspects translate well into tattoo designs; giving the tattoo an instant appeal.

Above: The red butterflies stand in stark contrast to the solid black areas used to create the girl. Like all of Banksy's graffiti designs, the girl blowing butterflies combines aspects of human nature such as hope, violence, beauty and death. [source]

Banksy's Girl with a Heart Balloon

Banksy often carries a theme through a series of images, expressing the same idea in a number of ways. Like Banksy's girl with butterflies graffiti piece, his girl with a heart balloon design incorporates aspects of humanity such as innocence, hope and loss.

Above: Another of Banksy's graffiti art works that uses black and red as the color scheme. The simplicity of the design and the innocent nature of the subject make Banksy's girl with a heart balloon a popular graffiti tattoo design choice. [source]

Banksy's Man throwing Flowers Tattoo

This Banksy graffiti piece of a man throwing flowers has become an internationally renowned art work. The stencilled graffiti shows a man with a scarf covering his mouth, poised to throw a bunch of flowers. Exposure to news networks means that the brain expects a man in this pose to be holding an object of violence such as a petrol bomb. Instead, Banksy has chosen to have the man throw a bunch of flowers - an object that is generally associated with peace and beauty.

Above: Banksy's powerful graffiti art work makes an equally powerful statement when tattooed onto skin. The large area of solid black ink adds drama to the graffiti tattoo while balancing out the detailed delicacy of the flowers. [source]

Tattoo of Banksy's Rat Painting a Heart

Rats are a recurring theme in Banksy's graffiti art. While most people view rats with disgust, Banksy has chosen to humanize rats by giving them human characteristics. In his popular graffiti piece of a rat painting a heart, Banksy has personified the rat by putting it in a human situation (showing it wielding a paintbrush), and insinuating that the rat has human emotions such as hope and yearning (expressed by the use of a heart as the subject matter of the rat's painting).

Above: The dark area on top of the rat's head is reminiscent of a beret, a hat that has often been worn by French bohemian artists. Whether this was intentional or not, the effect remains the same; adding yet more humanity to a creature that is often reviled by humans. [source]

Graffiti Tattoo of Banksy's Jesus Christ Christmas Shopping

Banksy's graffiti art works often comment on social, political or religious issues. By portraying Jesus Christ in the crucifixion pose holding shopping bags filled with Christmas presents, Banksy has highlighted the disassociation between religion and religious practices.

Above: Banksy's designs often seem both well thought out and spontaneous in their construction. In his graffiti art work of Jesus Christ Christmas shopping, the degradation of religion through materialism is expressed in the way that the design appears to be melting. This may have been a spontaneous addition to the design to drive the message home. [source]

With their strong lines and powerful meanings, Banksy's graffiti art works translate easily into tattoos designs. Banksy has done more than any other modern artist to inspire curiosity and criticism in the younger generation, and is the first graffiti artist to have won such international acclaim.

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Mayhem and Muse: Artistic Inspiration and Funny Videos

Catherine South is proud to present Mayhem and Muse, Art-Sci's sister site. Mayhem and Muse offers popular internet media as well as the work of lesser-known artists, performers and creators.

Be Inspired with Mayhem and Muse
Mayhem and Muse offers a wide variety of inspirational posts; videos based on human talent, courage and achievement, and art, illustration and paintings that showcase the work of both famous and emerging artists. On the site, artists and designers can find inspiration for creative projects, and for those who simply need a pick-me-up, Mayhem and Muse offers a humor section that is bound to cheer you up.

Above: The unusual art style of Philip Bosmans, a graffiti artist who has turned to the more traditional style of fine art painting. Visit Mayhem and Muse or more interesting painting styles.

Above: The Exquisite Tattoo Designs of Alex De Pase. De Pase's body art portfolio is made up of amazing tattoo art works that combine fantasy and photorealism.

Watch Videos on Mayhem and Muse

Mayhem and Muse allows internet users to watch videos on the front page. Each video is chosen for the purpose of inspiring, entertaining or simply conveying a different perspective on life. Watch Gene Kelly Tap Dancing on Roller Skates, Extreme Ironing, for Domestic Daredevils and The Evolution of Dance.

 

Above: Walk Off the Earth's cover of Gotye's Somebody that I Used to Know.

Connect with Mayhem and Muse

Mayhem and Muse is updated daily. To receive links to new posts on Mayhem and Muse, you can follow us online, on facebook, twitter and via rss feed.

Paintings of Tattoos Reveal Life beneath the Art

Shawn Barber is a tattoo artist at Memoir Tattoos in Los Angeles, California. This American artist has taken the world of body art to a new level, documenting contemporary tattoo culture in his tattoo portraits.

Combining Fine Art and Tattoo Designs
Barber's work is a combination of styles and ideas. He incorporates realistic proportions and colors to convey the humanity of his subject, while creating a feeling of contrast by finishing the painting with loose, flowing brushstrokes and dripping paint. The art of Shawn Barber is a visually delightful mix of control and freedom, detailed realism and expressive abstraction.

Above: By using flesh tones for both the human subject and background of this painting, Barber creates a solid base for the colorful tattoo designs on the body. The artist has used tight lines to create the tattoo designs, and loose, abstract applications of color for non-essential areas such as the background. [source]

Above: This tattoo portrait parodies the famous Asian image of a figure with a thousand arms. The artist has used the lines of the arms to draw the viewer's attention to the tattoo on the woman's back; the centerpiece of this painting. [source]

Above: The dramatic contrast between light and dark areas adds mood to this painting of a tattooed arm. The hand is posed in an expressive manner, adding to the drama of the tattoo portrait. In keeping with his style, Barber has created intricate detail in the focal points of the painting; the tattoo designs and the features of the hand. [source]

Above: A mosaic of tattooed arms. The flesh of the hands stands out against the busy, colorful canvas of tattooed skin. The visual illusion of this painting is created with the semi-interlocking, semi-converging arms. The body parts are not quite separate, and not quite merged. [source]

A Convergence of Study and Experience
The impact of Barber's art studies is apparent in his work, which expresses a combination of several modern art styles. The influence of abstract art, futurism and surrealism are apparent in his tattoo portraits, and evidence of years of art training can be seen in his beautiful portrayal of the human body. His painting has influenced his tattoos just as much as his tattoo designs have influenced his paintings.

Above: Barber's tattoo paintings often include unfinished tattoo artworks. On the left wrist of the subject in this painting we can see the outlines of an incomplete tattoo. The contrast between colorful tattoos and tattoo outlines adds an extra element of interest to the painting. [source]

Above: A tattoo portrait that shows not only the body art of the subject, but his face, which reveals more about his personality and attitude towards life than even his chosen tattoos can. [source]

Above: A distinct example of the contrast between the clear, controlled brushstrokes and loose paintwork that Barber uses to create his distinct style. [source]

 

Above: The viewer is given a sense of animation, as if the model is swinging her legs while posing for the portrait. During the early 20th century, a movement of artists who called themselves the futurists began to paint images of people in various stages of animation. The effect was of a person with many arms and legs, similar to the painting above. [source]

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Funny Cartoon Paintings

Modern artists have begun to reflect the cartoon style found in animated films and comics. This modern art style is being created in both fine art mediums (such as paint or ink) and in digital art programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

Humorous Design
Cartoon character designers exaggerate facial features and twist the proportions of the characters' bodies, creating humorous creatures that parody the human form. Often, facial features such as eyes, ears or noses will be shrunk or enlarged, creating such a gross caricature of a human face that an entirely new character is born.

Above: Greg "Craola" Simkins has based this cartoon painting on real-time puppet and animated characters from the popular kids TV show The Muppets. 

Above: A cartoon painting by Brandt Peters. The main subject of the image is a female cartoon character whose face is a humorous caricature boasting a flattened head, no chin and a tiny, shrunken nose. Even the proportions of her body have been exaggerated or shrunk to complete the character's design.

Above: Photoshop artist Tiago Hoisel is a master of caricature, emphasizing not only the facial features of his characters but their emotions and attitudes too.

Art as a Cartoon

Traditional animated cartoons and comic books feature characters that have heavy outlines and solid areas of color. With the advent of 3D animation software, these strong outlines have begun to fall away in favor of semi-realistic, 3-dimensional characters. These characters are most often reflected in the work of digital artists.

Above: Philip Bosman's painting style is influenced by graffiti, an art form that often incorporates cartoon characters into street art murals. In this painting, we can see the influence of traditional animation and comics in the dark outlines and three tone shading.

Above: A cartoon painting by Mark Fredrickson of a cow with butterfly wings, flitting about like some kind of a bovine fairy. Fredrickson produces his art in Photoshop, mimicking the subtle shadows and highlights found in 3D animation.

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