Moptu Co-Founder. I love politics, music, history,
and I take free speech very seriously.

Josh Namm

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Art & Design | Visual Arts

Visual Arts | Art & Design

What do The Beatles mean to artists today? Here’s how 30 illustrators see the band

RoomFifty co-founder and Beatles super fan Leon Edler curates and presents Beatles-themed artworks from Stan Chow and Wei Hsuan Chen to Paul Blow.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

This cool tool deletes the background from images so you don’t have to use Photoshop | TechCrunch

If you’re tired of firing up Photoshop for lightweight image editing tasks, this little tool is good news for you. Called Remove.bg, it can clear out the background of an image in seconds, no lassoing or any other editing hassle required. Because it use

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Art dealer’s family’s latest bid to find Degas looted by the Nazis

Descendants of Paul Rosenberg hire detectives to solve the mystery of the plundered painting

Visual Arts | Art & Design

How Dealers Turn Under-Appreciated Artists into Household Names

Top-tier dealers invest in scholarship and shows, and use their relationships with collectors and institutions, to anoint new market stars.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Why Certain Artists’ Markets Can Weather a Recession While Others’ Flop

The art market rises and falls in line with the economy, but certain artists will recover faster than others, says Andrea Danese of Athena Art Finance.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

A beginner's guide to art history

Museum researchers tell us that the average visitor spends just 17 to 27 seconds in front of an artwork - yet such a short window of time won't reveal much about the history of the artwork. So, what should you be looking for when you stand in front of a w

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Mark Rothko on How to Be an Artist

The beloved Color Field painter left behind wisdom on what it takes to be an artist, from channeling childlike instincts to taking ego out of the equation.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

What Is Abstract Art? | 5 Solid Designs That Work

Artist Mark E. Mehaffey defines "abstract art" and presents you with five compelling, proven compositions and solid designs for eye-catching paintings.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Why Rembrandt Is Considered One of Art History’s Most Important Old Masters

Dutch artist Rembrandt is considered one of the most important and influential Old Masters. Here, we look at the most famous Rembrandt paintings, drawings, and prints to understand why he is such a prolific figure in both the Dutch Golden Age and in all o

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Famous artists who didn’t make it until later in life | Dazed

Artists such as Ai Weiwei and Marina Abramović prove that there’s no age limit on when you can find success

Visual Arts | Art & Design

10 Abstract Facts About Jackson Pollock’s No. 5, 1948 | Mental Floss

Test your knowledge with amazing and interesting facts, trivia, quizzes, and brain teaser games on MentalFloss.com.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

How Do Artists Get Gallery Representation?

For young artists, securing gallery representation can seem like an unobtainable goal. But it doesn’t have to be a pipe dream.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Painting Abstracts From a Photo

Learn how to paint abstracts using a reference photograph as a starting point and source of inspiration with this tutorial.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

A guide to becoming a UX designer at age 40

Want to become a UX designer? It doesn't matter what age you are—follow this guide, and you'll be able to make the switch.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Explore these key elements to abstract art success

Whether you do abstract art, non-objective, or even realistic, you'll find at least one, if not more, of these 6 basic elements at work.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Iconic ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ bedroom scene recreated in new installation

This one’s for all sci-fi lovers out there: Now you can now live out the ending scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey in a new Los Angeles exhibition that recreates the film’s iconic bedroom.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Where has the creativity gone in web (and UX) design? - InVision Blog

The fate of innovation in web design is in your hands. What will you do with all that power?

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Vermeer: the artist who taught the world to see ordinary beauty | Art and design | The Guardian

Johannes Vermeer was so obscure he wasn’t even remembered when he died, let alone forgotten. But the French avant-garde rescued him – and showed the world his calm, unpretentious genius

Visual Arts | Art & Design

We must rescue Van Gogh from becoming a pop culture cliche | Art and design | The Guardian

Loving Vincent is a corny new biopic made from 62,450 hack oil paintings in Van Gogh’s style – and is an insult to the human struggle in his original works

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Abstract #10, Acrylic on Canvas | Josh Namm: Paintings

Another style of abstract. It's like early Pollock decided to paint stained glass. Or something like that. I like it. In person, it's clear that the texture is a big part of this painting.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Exercise #1: Impressionism, Acrylic on Canvas | Josh Namm: Paintings

This is an exercise in Impressionism inspired by another painting. I've always liked this style and wanted to see what I could do with it. I will be doing more-hopefully a lot more.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Abstract #9, Acrylic on Canvas | Josh Namm: Paintings

A friend described this as "George Jetson meets Warhol." Hopefully it's more Warhol than Jetson - mid-century without a lot of the cliches that go along with modern mid-century style art.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Abstract #8, Acrylic on Canvas | Josh Namm: Paintings

I am working on another painting right now that requires more detailed work. A few nights ago, I wasn't in the mood for that. So I did this instead!

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Cityscape #7, Acrylic on Canvas | Josh Namm: Paintings

I am not sure how I feel about this one. I tried the white outlines as an experiment. I probably won't do that again. In person, the green background is very deep and has some interesting texture. This is one of those paintings that I am happy to be done with because it made me really excited to start the next one!

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Where to Find the World's Most Iconic Pieces of Art | Mental Floss

While traveling the world, the most spectacular sightseeing opportunities are sometimes indoors. Next time you’re touring Europe, visiting Chicago, or passing through New York, take some time off from touring famous monuments to duck into an art museum.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Cityscape #6, Acrylic on Canvas | Josh Namm: Paintings

My newest painting. I am still trying to perfect that mid-century painting look.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

MeTV Network | These 21 old logos show that major brands looked much different in the 1960s

Rewind the clock half a century and the grocery shelves and neon-lit roadsides of America look much different. While many of our most recognized brands have been around for decades, their looks have evolved. Mascots come and go. Colors change with the sty

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Analysis Reveals Lost Colors in Van Gogh's 'The Bedroom'

A version of Vincent van Gogh's The Bedroom (1888-1889) currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago looks a little different from the painting we're all familiar with. Instead of powder blue walls and a greenish-brown floor, the room has been updated with lavender walls and a red floor. This is no mistake. According to new forensic analysis reported by Science News, these were the shades originally chosen by van Gogh himself.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Josh Namm: Paintings: Abstract #7, Acrylic on Canvas

Technically, this is a "quadriptych," but calling this"Quadriptych #1 seemed WAY too pretentious.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Josh Namm: Paintings: Abstract #6, Acrylic on Canvas

I went a little more subtle with the color this time.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Josh Namm: Paintings: Abstract #5, Acrylic on Canvas

So this one is interesting. I didn't think it was finished. But someone whose opinion I really respect told me not to touch it because "it is done." So it's done.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Josh Namm: Paintings: Miniature Cityscape #1, Acrylic on Canvas

This painting is small: 4" x 12", hence the "miniature" in my title. It's not a typical painting experience, and therefore not a typical painting (at least for me).

Visual Arts | Art & Design

The Art Institute will display Van Gogh's bedroom paintings next month

Vincent Van Gogh, arguably the most well-known post-Impressionist painter in the world, will have three versions of his painting The Bedroom exhibited...

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Josh Namm: Paintings: Abstract #4, Acrylic on Canvas

My newest painting. I am trying more and more to do the mid-century abstract thing.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Josh Namm: Paintings: Abstract #3, Acrylic on Canvas

Acrylic on Canvas, with a heavy emphasis on spatial relationships, colors and textures. Or...insert whatever artsy jargon you like.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Josh Namm: Paintings: Cityscape #5, Acrylic on Canvas

I want to keep doing cityscapes until I can get that mid-century vibe to them (not that I will stop at that point, but that is why I am painting so many right now). I think that I am getting closer. It needs to look like it stepped out of 1963! In general, I have an affinity for that kind of stuff. I also like that these kind of paintings set up a whole world that, for me at least, can encourage your imagination. By the way, this painting is much smaller than the others. It's actually fairly small in real life. But hey man, so was is the Mona Lisa.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Josh Namm: Paintings: Abstract #2, Acrylic on Canvas

I know that abstract art isn't everyone's thing. And I also get the temptation to say that an artist must be able to paint realistically from life before he/she can legitimately paint abstract art. I don't buy that. This painting also started out life as a mountain, lake, outdoors kind of thing. At least in this case, it wasn't what I wanted to do.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Josh Namm Paintings: Ship #1, Acrylic on Canvas

I am not thrilled with this one. But, it's my first time painting a ship and I am going to post all of my finished paintings, good or bad, on this blog. I have learned that I am not the best judge of my own work.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Josh Namm Paintings: Cityscape #4, Acrylic on Canvas

It took me two years, but I finally painted a new one. I hope you enjoy it.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

12 beautiful airline posters from the 'Mad Men' era from the British Airways Heritage Centre - Business Insider

In the "Mad Men" TV series, fictional ad agency Sterling Cooper memorably creates ads and concepts for airlines including Mohawk and American Airlines.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

The Whitney's Website Has Been Revamped With 21,000 New Artworks | Mental Floss

The Whitney Museum of American Art will not be open in its new location until May, but if you're in desperate need of an art fix, you can peruse their newly updated online collection. Previously only containing 700 works, the website now boasts more than 21,000 pieces from 3000 different artists.

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Poetry: YOU - ichibooks | Aspiring writers and avid readers

Through the many steps my feet have walked,
Beyond all the dreams my hopes have sought,
After all the battles I have fought,
This is why life has not come to a halt....

Visual Arts | Art & Design

Cool riders: on the road with outlaw biker gangs in the 60s – in pictures

Way before there was Easy Rider, a young photographer called Danny Lyon went on the road with motorcycle gangs and published The Bikeriders, an iconic and seminal glimpse into outlaw life taken between…