Upon my most recent visit to Art-O-Matic I found myself enchanted by a single exhibit… the Washington Post Peep Show. The 2nd annual contest happened back in March, but the exhibit is currently on display at Art-O-Matic . It is a spectacular celebration of wit, creativity, and craft. Not only was each little box a jubilant little experience, but the entire concept a fantastic exhibit. The fact that creativity sprang from all of these ordinary Post readers to create miniature snapshots in time using marshmallows… that was what really got me. No these weren’t kindergarten-grade dioramas, these were magnificent little masterpieces.

Here’s the background info:

The Washington Post’s Sunday Source Section held a competition, the rules were simple and included

1) Think of a scene, historic, current of in the future

2) Buy enough peeps to play the characters in the diorama

3) Make your diorama using a shoebox or a comparable box.

This was the second year that The Post held such a competition and they received over 800 entries. My favorites included “Peep Art” with a miniature marshmallow Andy Warhol- complete with ratty white wig, “Amy Winepeep” reciting “they tried to make me go to rehab and I said peep peep peep”, and “Peeps Atop a Skyscraper (c. 1932)” which mimicked a famous black and white photograph. Walking around the exhibit, every turn was a delightful surprise… I began by shrieking “Look, Elvis Peeplsey!“, then turned to discover one after another fantastic diorama.

After doing some online investigating I found that the Peeps Diorama Contest is not unique to Washington DC, and it’s actually sponsored by Peeps, the candy company. The online execution of this marketing campaign has a lot of room for improvement…I had a hard time Googling any clear details on Peeps involvement in the contest and did a lot of poking around before I could find it on their official brand site (usability nightmare). However the sheer number of entries is proof that great concepts can carry a campaign and engage based on the fact they are inviting and original.

To View all of my Pictures from Art-O-Matic check out my Flickr Set.
To See this years Winners Click Here.
To see last years winner, click here.

Other Peeping Cities:
Peeps up in Chicago
Where My Michigan Peeps at?
Peeps Denver Style

Art-O-Matic is by far my favorite local DC event. Now, an annual event, this gathering of creatives takes place in an uninhabited building that has been donated so that artists of all kinds can take it over for about a month. The experience is unique in the wide range of art forms and mediums represented, all juxtaposed right next to each other.

This years event has over 600 visual artists and 300 performers participating with two music stages, a theater space, dance space, a poetry room, a film room, and a classroom. If you decide to visit during the peek hours you can see anything from open mic to burlesque or even fire dancers (my favorite part so far).

When I first moved to the DC area from Richmond, a town that has a tight-knit alternative art scene, I was astonished at the lack of art community in the area. After going to Art-O-Matic for the first time last year I learned that it is not that there is a lack of an art community, but that there are many little ones spread all over the DC area. Art-O-Matic which is completely run by volunteers and donations, does a fantastic job pulling together the scene and throwing an engaging and eclectic party.

I went Friday for Opening night and tried to take it all in.With 10 floors of stuff to do and see you just can’t. I highly recommend checking Art-O-Matic out, and if you can… a few times because it is such an overwhelming experience.

Friday, May 9 – Sunday, June 15, 2008
http://www.artomatic.org/

When in Virginia Beach Jim and I go to this fantastic little surf shop called Freedom Surf. A shop that embraces all the ideals of community that I value in a culture, they support local surfers and artists by carrying unique products and sponsoring events. Freedom Surf believes that surfing is more than just a summer activity, they promote it as a lifestyle and an experience. Though I don’t surf I still can become mesmerized for hours by the fantastic unique products they carry throughout their store. One of my favorite artists regularly featured is Andy Davis.

Andy has a very distinct style with flat two dimensional figures elongated and contorted to fluidly mimic the motion of the ocean waves. His imagery is seductively playful using rich earth-tones accented by strokes that elegantly very to sketch out rich female figures. It all looks so effortless, capitalizing on the negative space around each fantastic sketch for emphasis. In a way his work encapsulates the art of surfing, making the incredibly difficult task of catching a wave look like anyone can do it.

Andy has a clothing line called Ando and Friends that I suggest you check out here. Andy’s online presence is a pretty static one. But who can really blame him… I mean hes pretty busy with surfing and drawing. Here is an excerpt from his Bio:

If someone had invented a 25-hour day, Andy Davis might have had a website a year ago. But everyone has a choice to make. Andy’s is drawing, surfing, and spending time with his wife, Ashley, and their son, Noah. Much preferred options fora guy who admits he can barely send an email.

Summer needs to hurry the heck up. For me it means weekend trips to the beach to join Jim surfing. Though it is cold outside that doesn’t deter him from hitting the waves or the web to search out the latest in the surfing community. I don’t surf. Not yet. But I do love the overwhelming exposure I get to surf art and culture through him. Everything I learn about it from resin tinting to surf films directly influences my web design, and I hope to feature it more here in the next few months. Not only do I find the art of surfing inspiring but the overall attitude is too.

This evening Jim showed me a board by Tyler Warren that is just stunning. I got so intrigued that I looked up more of his work. At only 21 years of age Tyler is a fluid surfer and has a unique surf art design style.

Check out Tyler’s Work Here at his Website
Most of this info was found via Surfy Surfy a fantastic blog about surfing.

This is a follow-up to my earlier guilty confession that I love to drink overly priced yuppy water. I can not stress that this is a personal struggle I have been dealing with for a long time. It is water. Seventy Percent of the earth is water. The stuff is literally falling from the sky for free yet some marketer and designer has packaged it up and brainwashed me to turn over cold hard cash for it. Some magical force comes over me and I BUY it. And buying it isn’t enough… I almost always am hypnotized to get the most expensive kinds. Flipping genius. Damn you Fiji!

Recovering from my rant I would like to share with you that I found this water while shopping (if you can call skipping around the store making fun of things that are too expensive to buy or too old to be real candidates for president) with Carly at Balduccis. This water is marketed online as being “fashionable” and “portable”. It is said to have been

“inspired by the military canteen, is designed around the principle of portability and utilization of space while maintaining a subtle harmony of form and function. The bottle is useful and fashionable; and the taste of SEI natural spring water is pure and crisp”

Brilliant. For pete’s sake… it is just water, but it  on my desk in spite of my thirst… taunting me with it’s beautiful shape and making me feel unworthy of it’s elegant design. It has been weeks since I actually bought it and still I can not bring myself to  drink it… it is far too lovely to look at 9.4 fl oz = 2 dollars.