Category Archives: Asia

a ghastly, malformed monstrosity

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Our Kind of Hotel

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Last year while I was under the delusion that I’d be taking a trip to Japan, I ran across a fantastic hotel in Nagoya called the Lamp Light Books Hotel. That amazing looking facility combined a bookstore, a 24-hour cafe, … Continue reading →

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I Got Up At

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

On Kawara was a 20th century Japanese conceptual artist who was influential in the New York art scene. Although he was widely know for his “Today” series or “Date Paintings,” many considered that the most personal and intimate of his … Continue reading →

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Waving Not Drowning

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

By now nearly every human being on the planet has seen one version or another of the iconic painting above. What do most of us really know about this sublime work of art ? When woodcut artist Katsushika Hokusai made his famous … Continue reading →

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Waterman Butterfly, Hobo-Dyer, or Goode Homolosine

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I nearly did a Master’s degree in Geography, but the constant battles over map projections put me off. This clever video by Randall Munroe helps to explain some of the most popular options. You don’t have to be a map … Continue reading →

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all and sundry Sunday

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it. Finally, when we’re done with it, we may find – if it’s a … Continue reading →

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Ghost Words

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

What does palimpsest mean? 1 : writing material (such as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased. 2 : something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface.   One … Continue reading →

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Saving Traditional Techniques

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I first became enamored with traditional Japanese printmaking many years ago when I saw a show at Amsterdam’s Rijksmusem on Van Gogh’s personal collection of prints. The collection is now housed at the Van Gogh Museum. There are many steps … Continue reading →

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Flipping Brilliant

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

If you ever wax nostalgic for the old iconic railway station flipboards like the one pictured above from Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, you are going to love this story. Chee-Kit Lai, founder of Mobile Studio Architects, has created what may … Continue reading →

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Age is just a state of mind (or not)

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Inspired by his own series of giant paste-up portraits, the French street artist known as  JR started a scheme back in 2011 encouraging people around the world to participate in his Inside Out project by doing their own pastings. They … Continue reading →

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