On the Money

Remarkable Hobo Nickels Carved from Clad Coins by Paolo Curcio Paolo Curcio appears to have taken hobo nickel art— where miniature bas relief sculptures are carved into coins—to a whole new level. One aspect of Curcio's process that's really amazing is his ability to use coins made from multiple layers of metal (referred to as clad coins) which he then strategically reveals to create colored flourishes and background patterns.   Living Clay: Artist Johnson Tsang Brings Ceramic Bowls and Cups to Life With an adept understanding of ceramics and anatomy, Hong-Kong based artist Johnson Tsang creates strange and unexpected anthropomorphic sculptures where human forms seem to splash effortlessly through functional objects like bowls, plates, and cups. Tsang recently opened a solo show, Living Clay, at the Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taiwan that runs through January 19, 2014.     All You Can Feel: Images of Recreational Drugs Exposed to Film Negatives by Sarah Schoenfeld Whether you've tried mind-altering substances or not, one thing remains true: we all have an idea of what a drug feels like, be it imagined, anecdotal, or from direct exposure. So what might the effect of a drug look like? Artist Sarah Schoenfeld attempted to answer that question by exposing various drug mixtures to film negatives and magnifying the resulting chemical reactions into large prints.   Pottery Meets Experimental Animation in this Spinning Ceramic Phonotrope Created as part of a collaboration between animator Jim Le Fevre and artists Al Johnstone and Roops from RAMP Ceramics, this whirling clay pot acts like an animated zoetrope when spun at a certain speed. The film of Le Fevre discussing the process of building it was shot by Mike Paterson.   Terrifying 'Orchid Mantis' is Camouflaged to Look Exactly Like a Pink Orchid Flower In an unparalleled feat of natural selection the Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) from Southeast Asia has evolved to look almost exactly like an orchid flower in order to lure unsuspecting prey. If looking like a plant isn't impressive enough the clever insect also changes color from pink to brown according to its environment.   Artist Guy Laramée Carves a Mountainous Landscape from an Encyclopedia Britannica Set In one of his most ambitious book sculptures to date artist Guy Laramée created an homage to the printed Encyclopedia Britannica by transforming a 24-volume set into a sloping mountainous landscape. Titled Adieu, Laramée says the work was inspired in part by Encyclopedia Britannica's announcement that after 244 years the would cease printing its iconic multi-volume book sets. The artist relied on his travels in Ecuador, Peru and Brazil to arrive at the final form carved into the book tops that gradually morphs from green mountains to grasslands and semi-desert prairies.   Artist Paco Pomet Subverts Vintage Vacation Photos and Historical Landscapes in His Surreal Oil Paintings Artist Paco Pomet who lives and works in Grenada, Spain possesses a wonderfully bizarre sense of humor that manifests itself in each of his oil paintings. His subverted landscapes and portraits often borrow from sepia-toned photographs that look like historical documents or vintage vacation photos. Pomet opens his second solo show, Scapelands, at Richard Heller Gallery on January 11, 2014.