Sculptures, some lifesize, made from butter and chocolate.

[technorati tags: food, sculpture, art, butter, chocolate, stupid]

Big art.

Woodworker sees the writing on the wall

Ever feel sorry for those old books at library sales that nobody wants? Well, it's time to hail Jim Rosenau, onetime Internet gold miner and comedy writer and longtime Berkeley woodworker, who became inspired to turn them into bookcases.

The grandson and son of publishing executives, Rosenau grew up in Kensington in a household devoted to books, and like many bibliophiles, was stricken to see so many in garbage bins.

"I saw very nice looking things being thrown away that nobody is ever going to read again," he said.

His creativity piqued by a Nicholson Baker essay that suggested that "lumber" was a term for a storehouse of ideas as well as wood, Rosenau began to collect old books and experiment with them in his shop.

"I was trying to find ways to work with recycled materials. I had been working with recycled wood in woodworking for awhile."

The result is Second Editions, a line of custom-built shelves and bookcases that evoke the satisfying look, smell and feel of an old book shop.

Rosenau produces three basic styles: the one-bracket shelf, the two-bracket shelf and the bookcase. He uses wood armatures to fill the covers and strengthen them and expresses different themes in each piece ("For Her," shown at right, $400).

"I can't make two alike. Some are similar," he said. "They are glued together with fairly traditional joinery. It's a lot like veneer work."

Prices range from $40 for a simple one-bracket shelf up to $1,000 for a bookcase. "This is not Ikea," Rosenau notes. ..

Bookshelves

[technorati tags: Bookshelves, Artist, places, books, dimension, funny, library]

Dutch Artist Desiree Palmen, creates clothing being flowed together with the environment. In the past Désirée Palmen has showed great interest in biology and geology. In drawings she added her own interpretations to scientific facts. She exhibited in natural history surroundings, and in other museums more often than in the art museums. And then only in the surrounding countries such as Belgium and Germany, as if she, argued from the point of view of the Dutch art world, only puts her work under the care of a disguised context - even before the camouflage became her topic. Hence nobody was prepared, as her work popped up in Amsterdam in full maturity. Her exhibition at Reuten Gallery impressed immediately. Désirée Palmen, who was born in 1963, studied at the Academy of Arts and the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht, showed her obsession with the natural habitat now in staged photos.

[technorati tags: Desiree, Palmen, Camouflage, Photography, funny]

Muriel Anderson: "This guitar opens up new possibilities for my music. Its light weight and smaller size make it manageable for the road, and the half-step tuners and arm-damper allow more flexibility for my music. Its gentle lute-like quality is entirely different in character than my steel-string harp guitar and I've been enjoying its charms. I would like to thank Mike Doolin and Jeff Elliott for their attention to detail and ingenious design."

Cross between a guitar and a harp.

It’s the world’s first bottle-top ashtray. You know how people are always ashing in empty bottles at parties? Now you can simply take one of those empties, grab an Ashhole, snap it on, and then everyone will know which beers are for drinking -- and where to ash. The patent-pending design of the Ashhole includes a high-tech ‘o’-ring that securely snaps onto almost any bottle -- making sure that ashes go into the bottle, and not on your fine home furnishings. Also great when you’re outside and it’s windy.

It's an ashtray.

[technorati tags: Ashhole, ashtray, bottle, stupid, funny]

By Julian Beever.

Julian Beever is an English artist who's famous for his art on the pavement of England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium.

Most of his artwork it is impossible to tell whats real from what's an illusion. Very cool stuff.

[technorati tags: 3D, Pavement, Art, artwork, illusion, funny]

Little living car crashes.

[technorati tags: Crash, Bonsai, crashes, car, little, funny]