Son of la Niña de Gibraltar

Just finished watching for the eon time "Corto Maltese: La Cour secrète des Arcanes," based on the Pratt novel "Corto Maltese in Siberia;" also finished watching the 3 dvds of Corto Maltese adventures for television, produced by Canal+, adapting the stories 'La Ballade de la mer salée,' 'Sous le signe du Capricorne,' 'Les Celtiques and La Maison dorée de Samarkand.'

Corto is one of my favourite heroes of all time...

Corto Maltese is a sailor-adventurer, with a somehow complex character, born in 1887, son of a British sailor and a gypsy Andalusian prostitute, known as "La Niña de Gibraltar."

It was created by Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt in 1967.

The Corto Maltese series has been translated into many languages. Stories range from straight historical adventure stories to occult dream sequences.

Who is Corto Maltese?

As a boy growing up in the Jewish quarter of Córdoba, Maltese realised he had no fate line on his palm and therefore carved his own with a razor, determining that his fate was his to choose. Although maintaining a neutral pose, Corto instinctively supports the disadvantaged and oppressed.

The character embodies the author's skepticism of national, ideological, and religious assertions. Corto befriends people from all walks of life, including the murderous Russian Rasputin. He also knows and meets various historical figures, including Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Herman Hesse, Butch Cassidy. His acquaintances treat him with great respect, as when a telephone call to Joseph Stalin frees him from arrest when he is threatened with execution on the border of Turkey and Armenia.

Corto's favourite reading is 'Utopia' by Thomas More, but he never finished it. His name is said to be possibly derived from the Venetian Courtyard of the Maltese.

A must see, watch, read; also, check out the new --& old-- posters made available for sale here

In 'Gli Scorpioni del Deserto' (The Desert Scorpions), Corto Maltese is described as disappearing in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

On ne voit pas ça tout le temps, en effet!

"We are all dysfunctional"...

It's with this statement that the web home of the musical collective Kill the Dj will welcome you...Excellent approach to put you from the start in their own mind set, and actually on the right route toward discovering their home, world, 'bubblicious' electronic trance house sounds. Got the opportunity to embark from the basement's runaway--btw the Basement is Beirut best rockin' club of resident dj Jade--to the outer zone...It's a dope musikal trip so smooth, yet so deep... These type oriented visuals are graphic gems in my own op. & speak loud about the nature of kill the dj's spirit & communication. Thanks Jade for sharing such an awesome find of the French elecro scene. Ça déchirre!

OBAMA hope in colour

My designs of Barack Obama, the future American president who reincarnates a new tomorrow for America, a much needed change in technicolor & full of HOPE & PROGRESS. Let's HOPE & Support him through the arts--till the results speak for him.

The Most Recognisable Face In The World

The Most Recognizable Face In The World, originally uploaded by Ian David Blüm.

Here is one innovative translation of Che's iconic portrait by Alberto Cordas. Lovely!

Bloody Barack

Bloody Barack, originally uploaded by Sugarpoppy & designed by Sugarpop

A new remixed official portrait of the next American president, designed by maboule on bloody good inspirational day. Not bad, right?

My TEEZ

I dO dabble with photoshop when time is on my side...So here are four t-shirts designed by me. One is a reproduction of the design of Shepard Fairey of Obey the Giant of his rapidly sold out political advertising poster design done for Barak Obama [Hope, Progress, Change] that I allowed myself to remix and labeled 'Rastabama.' The second is an original photography picture of my chocolate labrador enhanced on photoshop and rendered in a way that resulted in B&W sweet portrait of La Sug. The third is a strict graphic design photoshop montage of the daisy flowers duplicated several times to reframe a skull, it's the daisy brain and the fourth is marabout, a hand made collage, one of my first artistic play with glue and papers that has been scanned in order to be used as a CD cover. Here they are all now put on sale on red bubble art community...

So if interested, here we go, click here to get your tee for 2o something bucks...Otherwise, have a look on some of my work...

BOB N' Doobie

# 9_n0taz_volume-III, originally uploaded by izolag.

Rockin' Bob...

Obey & dream more

Obey & dream more, originally uploaded by Sugarpoppy.

My Andre in stencil finally tagged, so Andre obeys me and stays around, in my room, at all time. & here it is...stamping my endorsement/ to mister Shepard Fairey; as my admiration gets real now with this sprayed pizza box that ended up lookin' so,,, like an art piece ready to stand still in my room, reminding me incessantly what communication is all about...

Andre will be staring at me all day all night; and i'll be doing the same, learning to tame each others...

Don't try to understand my relation to Andre the wrestler;;;cuz am not sure i do myself. But it's beyond the surface, delete the image, dig...deep down the hole...

& here was Sugarpop from her communication zone, wherefrom zoners of sirdab have just ended a charming SWING...

Obey your tempo, Prey for Patience, Stick & Focus...Then Roll in, Roll out...ça Balance l'équilibre...

Ça s'discute aussi!

Shepard Fairey, WK, Invader, Stikman, ill

Shepard Fairey, WK, Invader, Stikman, ill, originally uploaded by C-Monster.

5 kick ass street artists in one shot, that's a bonus image for ma boule! All around the talented Shepard Fairey and his Arab woman--- And Vlan!!

Life is so sugar coated, isn't it?

Am totally charmed...Just came across the work of this amazing artist, & Boom, that's It! A collage art so fresh, so light, so deep though and so sugar coated;0) the kind of stuff that makes u go Hmmm...Just Love It! Sydney artist Ben Frost, most well known for his confronting and often controversial Pop Art paintings, uses a ‘collage’ style of unlikely juxtapositions; his dynamic paintings are complex mash-ups of popular culture that savagely critique our media and advertising obsessed society.

Face Off

Originally uploaded by KEMARCH.

Here is one stunning portrait i came across, while surfing some A-maz-ing 'Flickery' photostreams. Today, discovered some stunning artwork, by nicknamed Kemarch, one bloody skilled Lebanese -- which made the discovery greater than the usual-- a student of architecture, whose into digiart and photography. Kemarch's main focus seems to be on portraiture and landscape, remixed from the imagery he shoots himself. The result is as twisted as it gets, filled with texture, depth and surprises, creating vibrant, emotional work.

Sugarpop is charmed & so will you!

This featured hot psychedelic portrait is one of my favourite pick from the pool... However, there is more to blow you down...

Kiss me Deadly & OBEY

KISS ME DEADLY is another one of those stunning mind-blowing designs created by Shepard Fairey, ma boule's "coup de coeur" of the moment; in 'inglishe,' ce serait quelque chose comme,,, Shepard Fairey my heart crack crack... Just love all his doings, his approach to the world of communication, his imprint left in visual design, where André the wrestler will always remain this ghastly image firmly stuck in my mind... He did IT and I can't but SALUTE his art, as he keeps on captivating me; specially that a good chunk of his visuals and design expressions & impressions have this alluring characteristic that manages--every time i come across his work-- to delight me and arouse my admiration. Hats off -- & STRIKE ME DEADLY FAIREY!! IT'S ALL GOOD!!

Rastabama by Sugarpop

Copyright © 2008 Sugarpop

'Obama Rocks Reggae' - a Sugarpop remix of Shepard Fairey's Progress poster of Barak Hussein Obama - Rock on OBY!! Fairey you Rock as well! You're a communication giant, Keep us Rockin'!! From Andre to your Subliminal Projects... We will Follow!! But hardly Obey!!

Obama Rocks

I love Barack Obama. He represents the Hope, Change, Progress that --not only America-- but the whole world is in dire need of. He represents a new era of positive change. As a support to the future president of the US ;0) have remixed Shepard Fairey infamous poster [below]. On top, my gift to the man who mirrors all the colours of the world, its lights and all shades. He's such a positive energy to humanity as a whole, he's certainly able to help people delete 'the wicked Bush years.' So here it is; a pop design for Rocking Oby --[a play on Fairey's Mega OBEY].

Here is the Progress visual, one of the triptych [Hope, Change, Progress] created by Obey's Shepard Fairey as a support to Obama; the original limited edition offset lithographs got sold on eBay, as fast as a lightning; signed and numbered by the artist, their price reached US $900. Even the stickers are selling like pancakes and, if I remember correctly, they are sold out too.

"I wanted to make an art piece of Barack Obama because I thought an iconic portrait of him could symbolize and amplify the importance of his mission. I believe Obama will guide this country to a future where everyone can thrive and I should support him vigorously for the sake of my two young daughters. I have made art opposing the Iraq war for several years, and making art of Obama, who opposed the war from the start, is like making art for peace. I know I have an audience of young art fans and I’m delighted if I can encourage them to see the merits of Barack Obama.” Shepard Fairey

XO toujours...4EVER LuV

xo, originally uploaded by jdyf333.

Love, Amour Toujours, Always Love, always Coca Cola... Love, the other side of Life... Love, the ultimate Trip, indeed!!

BELCOCCI

I LOVE COCCINELLES

I LOVE COCCINELLES

One stunning photo composition, taken in macro mode, by Deutsch national Ellen, a member of the Red Bubble community, whose hobby is to shoot God's incredible creation. Through this photo set, in a minimalist coloured atmosphere, the 'Ladybird on a candy' is given its perfect spirit --or at least as it appeals to many-including me: an optimistic, light and positive sign of God. Coccinellidae are found worldwide, with over 5,000 species identified so far; it is dubbed lady beetle by scientists and called ladybug in the US. Some people consider seeing one or having it land on one's body, to be a sign of good luck to come, whereas killing it presages bad luck.

The esteem with which 'coccinelles' are regarded has clearly roots in ancient beliefs.

1. In Irish, the insect is called "God's little cow";
2. In Croatian, it is called "God's little sheep";
3. In France, it is known as 'bête à bon Dieu', "the Good Lord's animal";
4. In Russia, it is "God's cow";
5. In Yiddish, it is called "Moshe Rabbenu's little cow" or "Moshe Rabbenu's little horse"; [apparently an adaptation of the Russian name, or sometimes "Little Messiah"];
6. In some cultures, they are referred to as "lucky bugs"

• In parts of Northern Europe, tradition says that one's wish granted if a ladybird lands on oneself.
• In Italy, it is said by some that if a ladybird flies into one's bedroom, it is considered good luck.
• In Central Europe, a ladybird crawling across a girl's hand, is thought to mean, she will get married within the year.
• In Greece, ladybugs are called 'paschalitsa', because they are found abundantly in Easter time along with 'paschalia', the Common Lilac plant, which flowers at the same time.
• In Russia, a popular children's rhyme exists with a call to fly to the sky and bring back bread.
• In Denmark, a ladybird, called a 'mariehøne' for "Mary's hen", is asked by children to fly to 'our Lord in Heaven and ask for fairer weather in the morning'.
• In Malta, the ladybird is called "nannakola"; and until a few years ago, little children sang: Nannakola, mur l-iskola/Aqbad siġġu u ibda ogħla meaning...

"Ladybird go to school, get a chair and start jumping..."

In Sugar Pop's Bubble, ladybird is called 'BelCoccinelle', as it brings her fulfillment and the sense of lightness of being--when it pops up every spring.

And, am still waiting for 'BELCOCCI' to fly by...

FLLICKR TAGGED

This is my favourite pick from JordiMartelli's graffiti collection on Flickr. These images are also part of the Wooster Collective, which is worth a visit. Amazing street art stuff is archived over there.

Love & Hate

Oh that artist!!...Loved his Art... He's on Red Bubble online creative community, with one hell of a creative display... Wow! So good, so It! The bull's-eye artsy poppy stuff, i'd go for! Hats off to Glen, the No Sprills* Artist from Waguland...

A Voice that could Stop Wars

ONE Achingly Beautiful NIGHT IN BEIRUT's Music Hall

Tunisian-born singer and oud virtuoso Dhafer Youssef’s hypnotic, Sufi-inspired music, which connects the ancient with the modern, the East with the West in an enticing coalescence of culture, dropped by Beirut for one dazzling night. The kind of gig you watch and pray would never end, charged with such magic that you knew it would leave its mark, move you, change you... He managed to put a smile of Wonderment on my face, which seems to last forever... Dhafer Yousef... One of the most interesting artists alive. I believe I was lucky to be in that enchanted Music Hall. The atmosphere was so electric; a genius of contamination in fact! I got transported, for an hour or so, to another level. This man is without doubt one of the most moving and spirited vocalist that I have ever heard or had the pleasure to see and meet live. Cuz I met him at the end of his gig, hugged him, thanked him for that awesome night that brought back hope to my city; yep indeed, “a voice that could stop wars;” and I promised him that we will meet again..

Love & War

Bomb, Barriers of Love & War graphed on Beirut's walls Came across these Wall Art Tags surfing the 'weewee' Wild Web... Found them Lovely, Loud & Fully-Loaded of War memories. These tags act as a reminder of a mentality still deeply anchored in many Lebanese minds, which seem to be setting the stage for another skirmished round, with their rancorous spirit building barriers and putting wicked bitter sentiments at the forefront. These graffitis are one good metaphor of all the ingredients that pilled up & triggered back in 1975 an angry thunder on my country. Today, it seems that not much has been learned from the past, not much has been altered in the mentalities--even the new generation has been contaminated with hate, intolerance, and the poisonous confessional sticky-deadly virus. May Peace prevail!... The featured Street Art Graffiti from Beirut, are archived on one interesting blog from Lebanon, worth a surf; it is dubbed as A Diamond's Eye View