From @alaindebotton: “Most of our childhood is stored not in photos, but in certain biscuits, lights of day, smells, textures of carpet…”

In our internet ramblings this week we were delighted to come across this lovely project by UK-based illustrator Holly Exley. The artist has a tumblr entitled A Tweet a Week where she illustrates one selected tweet with a watercolor painting. Exley has a judicious eye for clever and insightful tweets and her paintings are indeed more elaborate than I was expecting from the project. Recent tweets include ones from the writer Alain de Botton, Julia Child and the Mars Rover. Check out more of her work on her website as well.

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The amateur restoration of an Ecce Homo fresco in a tiny church in Spain continues to make waves. Yet despite the furor raised over the admittedly botched restoration of the painting by an elderly parishioner, the work has actually drawn hundreds of tourists to the site with many claiming that the artist-restorer is a folk artist and the work's new vernacular state needs to be preserved. So: is it a tragedy or the rise of a new folk hero? Watch the Guardian's new video where they speak to the restorer and decide for yourself.
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In memory of the great Neil Armstrong, we thought we would post this incredible picture posted by the NADA Goddard Center on their facebook. The image is from the Apollo 11 Mission "View of the Lunar Module at Tranquility Base. Image taken by Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong during the Apollo 11 Mission. Armstrongs shadow is visible in foreground. Credit: NASA."

The shadowy outline of Armstrong seems like a fitting commemorative portrait of a man who dedicated his life to space exploration and the pursuit of science.

It should also be noted that NASA Goddard's Twitter and Instagram are absolutely fascinating and very well done.

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We're in love with these dreamy watercolors from nyc based textile designer Luli Sanchez.

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It may not look like much...but this is one of the most incredible videos of our time! Intrepid YouTuber Daniel Luke Fitch assembled a high definition video from the still photographs of the Mars Rover Curiosity's descent onto the red planet.

As Fitch says in the video’s description: “As of August 20, all but a dozen 1600×1200 frames have been uploaded from the rover, and those missing were interpolated using thumbnail data. The result was applied a heavy noise reduction, color balance, and sharpening for best visibility.”  So cool!

The ArtStar office is looking to hire 2 fall interns to join our New York team. Interested?! Submit your cover letter and cv to grace@artstar.com before September 14th. Please note that priority will be given to full-time upper level students who can commit 2 days/week. These internships are unpaid, one semester long, and we are happy to arrange for school credit.

PR Intern:

Duties include:

- Building and maintaining press contacts.

- Writing press releases, communicating with media outlets and liaising with the press.

- Representing the gallery at art fairs and handling invitations and rsvps for events.

Requirements:

- Upper level undergrad or graduate student majoring in Art History, Art Business, Communications, PR etc.

- Excellent writing and communication skills.

- Must be detail-oriented, highly organized and self-directed.

- Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite mandatory, familiarity with social media and photoshop a plus.

Administrative Intern

Duties include:

- Assisting the Director with administrative support and general communications

- General office management as needed

- General customer support and client liaision as needed.

- Managing facebook ads.

Requirements:

- Upper level undergrad or graduate student.

- Excellent oral and written communication skills.

- Highly organized, attentive to detail and must be able to work as part of a team.

- Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite and social media platforms required. Photoshop a plus. A knowledge of and passion for contemporary art is also highly desirable.

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Hitch from we think things on Vimeo.

Via ArtInfo, this video is a fantastic and loving tribute to the master of suspense.
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We all know and cherish the sweet summer pastime of making sandcastles along the beach. Whether they were successful or not, we built them anyway. Fortunately, New York-based artists no longer have to fear that their sandcastle-making days are over.

This past Friday, the non-profit public arts organization, Creative Time, hosted its inaugural Artist Sandcastle Competition in the Far Rockaways. From 3 to 6pm, thirteen different artists, such as Kenya Robinson, Ryan MNamara and Tom Sachs dug, sculpted, and sweat it out until the judges called time. Each winner was presented with a bottle of tequila and either a bronze, silver or gold-plated shovel. Clever.  Creative Time director, Anne Pasternack commented, “At Creative Time we take art very seriously.  We also take fun very seriously.” And fun it was.  Here are some of our top highlights:

1. Judge accessories. Although no uniform was required, each judge scurried the sandcastle playing field sporting red life preservers, which were actually canteens that read “Save Water, Drink Beer.”

2. Artist, Marie Devo’s rendering of the Roman Colosseum. In sand. Not to mention, her team donned togas while they worked.

3. A handful of kids designated their own sandcastle space alongside Tom Sachs’ team but accused Team Sachs of cheating for using an electric pump to vacuum out water from their hole (an attempt to dig to China).  Not to worry, there were no rules against speed-inducing mechanical devices.

4. Artist, Dustin Yellin created not a sandcastle, but a dual-functioning sand pit.  The work was titled “Bowl Cuts” and half acted as a sand-surrounded hair salon, while the other half was transformed into a mini bowling alley.

And for the winners…

BRONZE- Jen DeNike’s realistic sculpture of a reclining nude woman dreaming of a sandcastle. (Her work was the only one that included a traditional sandcastle.)

SILVER- William Lamson’s immaculate giant sand cone.

GOLD- Jennifer Catron and Paul Outlaw’s live, multi-tiered fountain. The artist pair and two other teammates perched on platforms and spurt out water from their mouths.  Performance art counts! Check out the Movie!

By Kierstin Ruppert

This project, which we read about in Design Milk, is super cool. Japanese artist Yukinori Yanagi creates the flags of the world out of sand, then releases ants into the boxes where they create tunnels and burrows across the flag. Read more about the project here. [via Yukinori Yanagi, images via Spoon-Tamago]

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1978 file photo of Child preparing Salade Nicoise

Great artists exist across all types of media. Even, and especially, food. Today we salute Julia Child who would have turned 100 today. From her great sense of humor, consummate good will and no-nonsense embrace of life, she remains a true lesson in embracing and loving life. Below are two of our favorite Julia quotes. Now go home and whip up her Beef Bourgignon tonight.

"Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all."

"The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appetit."

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