perhaps you might be thinking that this typically quirky spring deserves to be celebrated by the purchase of a new quirky timepiece? well i came across the works of a person who crafts unique kinetic timepieces.
roger wood, who works out of toronto is obviously a yard sale and flea market junkie. his works are clever assemblages of intriguing, usually weathered and tarnished odds and ends - things with a history. klockwerks offers some unique timepieces that feature “exploding” elements in their design. roger has very kindly provided a peek inside his studio.
this short film details the area roger ummm werks in as well as a couple of brief visits to neighbours of his . . .
and here’s my favourite roger wood creation - the jules verne clock.
speaking of time - i had some on my hands recently and i was wandering around on etsy when i came across some very lovely artwork and beads by a woman who lives in portland, oregon named paulette insall.
paulette is a mixed media artist who specializes in mixed media portraits - but these are not your run-of-the-mill pictures of people.
there’s all sorts of texture and colour and words floating in mid air beside the faces compelling you to draw connections between the eyes and mouths of the women and the words of advice, direction, reminding. it’s almost difficult to look at some of the faces as they appear to belong to people who have been hurt or who are hurting. others appear wistful, confident even slightly distracted.
my favourite is entitled “listen” . . . juxtaposed here with another of her paintings entitled “within reach” . .
paulette explains the significance of “listen” for her on her site . . . “lately i’ve had some people in my life say things to make me doubt myself and this path i've chosen (or that has chosen me, depending on the way you look at it). this painting was created as a reminder to myself to listen to my heart and to God no matter what others say.”
about “within reach” she says “your dreams are within reach...you just have to put the effort into what you want and let God take care of the rest. the hearts represent the want of love in our lives....love from a mate, family, friends. the stars represent our dreams....what ever you want in life that brings you a sense of joy, peace, comfort, and contentment. the reason why they are dangling on strings is because many times these things are right in front of us, you just have to reach for them.”
you can watch paulette paint one of her portraits in super-fast motion.
paulette has a very broad web presence with an etsy page where you can buy her work . . . of course you can visit her home page. her blog is filled with all sorts of stuff and from those pages you’ll find all of her other work and links!
her beadwork is equally stunning and imaginative.
finally. every so often i come across a car that makes me wish i drove. for the most part, these are cars that are beyond my ability to afford them anyway, so i am spared the worst feelings of regret and am afforded instead a wistful sigh. much easier to live with i’ll tell you! such a car is currently being built by a german manufacturer named wiesmann-mf.
wiesmann, founded by brothers friedhelm and martin, is a small-scale manufacturer of spectacular vehicles that utilize bmw engines and a variety of german driving technology components. they then clothe the drivetrain and mechanical elements in designs that incorporate elements of other vehicles but which in sum stand as what are (to my eyes), very beautiful designs in their own right.
weismann presently builds two models - the roadster and the gt. the roadster cleverly melds together elements of the bmw z8 roadster, the austin-healey, ac cobra,and some features of older jaguar models. the body which is made of reinforced glass fibre houses a bmw 3.2 litre six cylinder engine that weismann claims will propel the roadster to a top-end of 255 km/h - with acceleration pegged at 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds.
the front end . . . .
side profile . . .
what you'll see as it passes you and leaves you behind . . .
to see this beautiful car in action a very entertaining video comparing the wiesmann roadster with the tvr tuscan can be watched right here. wow!!!
a brochure detailing technical and aesthetic specifications can be downloaded or viewed online here.
to my eyes though, it is the gt that gets the “best-of-show” award at weismann.
with elements of various tvr models, marcos gt, and the bmw z4 coupe.
this car’s aggressive stance and fluid lines define it as a real grand tourer that definitely stands out from the crowd.
a really nice movie of the weismann gt can be viewed at supercar movies. when you get to this page you have a choice of viewing the wiesmann, the lamborghini lp640 or the koenigsegg ccx. all worthy of viewing but stick with the game plan and choose the wiesmann!!
a brochure detailing technical and aesthetic specifications for the gt can be downloaded or viewed online here.
to really drive home the exclusivity of these cars, weismann claims that there are over 650 customers across europe currently owning, driving and enjoying the wiesmann- roadster every day, along with over 130 customers driving the new wiesmann-gt.
the latest offering out of weismann was shown in september 2007. the mf5 gt.
powered by bmw's v10 although it is a front-mounted mid-engine that produces 507 hp. the engine is coupled to a sequential 7-speed transmission system. the car may weigh 100 kg more than the mf4, but the performance has not suffered which is proven by its 0-100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds and power to weight ratio of 2.7kg/hp. very very nice!
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