"That every painting emerges from the same chaotic conditions speaks to me of the unpredictable complexity and instability of meaning in the world, but also of the inevitable, if very temporary, moment of finding it." Starting with a disorderly array of dripped and poured colors, abstract artist Meg Brown Payson sees each painting as "a place where a balance can be found between inchoate sensation and a definitive mind, where meaningful order can emerge from too much information and too little certainty." In the end, she hopes to find "a moment of fit" of its various parts. And she does...

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

I'd forgotten about Mute, which I first saw a few years ago, until a fortunate reminder at VFXY pointed to this recent shot taken by Miles. Here's another take of the same swing thing from 2005 – I love it! There's some extraordinary portraits and architectural shots in the archives too...

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"When nobody listens to you, you look for another means." Walls, often intended to restrict our freedom of movement or to "protect" us, sometimes become canvasses for those having no other way to "express ideas, thoughts, emotions..." And though the words and images left on walls are bound to eventually be erased, the person behind the site documents the found expressions through photos, hoping "those words that were written can be read..."  [Barcelona Photobloggers]

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

On the way to Ulyana Kalashnikova's gallery of fantastic illustrations, you'll encounter a fiery Flash intro that surely sets the tone, with a character similar in one respect to one created by Doffdog, another Ukrainian designer located in the same city as Kalashnikova – it's got wings! Apparently, they're friends – one of the works in the gallery was done "for Doffdog." Strawberry and Tolstoy are among my faves – incredible...

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"I could be lovely if you'd love me." That's from a piece in one of Erin's four sketchbooks. There's also drawthings and photos (including Polaroids) – delightfully creative visual art...

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Since 1888, the country of Japan has been comprised of 47 prefectures, or "sub-national jurisdictions," Tokyo being one of them. On its about page, today's pick makes reference to that fact, stating that the site "begins temporarily with 5 people of Tokyo," each documenting everyday life through Polaroid photographs. From the list on that page, it appears they plan to eventually enlist more participants from beyond Tokyo. And if I might borrow an idea from the site's tagline, five Polaroid galleries are better than one, so enjoy...;~))

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Mysterious. The single-page website presents 17 images, some of huge, colorful paintings, some of Maria's studio, and some of elaborately painted walls in the studio or, perhaps, another unknown, private space. There's no other information provided, but one comes away feeling the works are downright inspiring, both to the viewer and to the smiling artist in the last image on the page......

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

S.Mostafa asks a question I've heard before. "What makes a good photograph?" And I think I have to agree with his answer that "the effectiveness of a picture can be judged by the response it evokes." The glorious color in the first photograph he posted back in April and a more recent high key portrait are as good as it gets in my opinion...;~))  [VFXY buzz]

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

If you can't read Portuguese, you'll be stuck with having only its visual content to appreciate. That's not necessarily a bad thing because the illustration, design, and photography found on its pages are absolutely delicious! Now on its 9th issue, today's pick features selected works online and each issue is available in its entirety in downloadable format. Inversus: the opposing side; the reverse; the opposite...

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"O it's far away in the mountains that a photograph guards the memory of men," says Jean-Marc, referring to his shot of a coal mine somewhere in France. I love that pic as I do another called Urban Lion. So many more I could mention, but I'm sure you'll find 'em on your own...;~))  [Vazaar]

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Currently working towards her Ph.D in Visual Cultures, photographer Zoe Hatziyannaki presents three photoseries on the site. Regeneration Stories explores people in urban spaces in London in a most unique way, while another project focuses on the signs of mall society. I'll let the photos in the third series speak for themselves in beautiful black & white...  [zeroin]

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

In one of its feature articles, the author refers to India having a "small and finicky population of rock-listeners" who, for some reason, "stick onto the classic rock and metal of twenty to thirty years ago." The article expresses the hope that Indian bands will start "experimenting with new music" instead of sticking with what's "tried and tested." It's just one of many interesting articles aimed at music fans in India. There's also reviews, interviews, and free mp3 downloads in the e-zine and the recently launched radio station features "music from independent musicians and bands in India, spanning a variety of genres" – enjoy!

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Henrik started the photoblog a little over a month ago as "a better and more comfortable way of publishing" his photos, so there's only about 40 shots in the archives so far. Among them are a shot of Berlin's new railway station (I love it) and a luscious New Zealand landscape. And there's a lot more in his gallery, online long before he started the pixelflow photoblog...

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"I hope you will be amazed at the scheer number of pencil brands once produced in the USA and abroad. Sadly those days are over and the craftsmanship, skill and pride once put into the ordinary pencil is but a thing of the past." Art teacher Bob Truby is obviously passionate about pencil collecting, cataloging hundreds of brand name pencils from 132 different companies around the world on the website with photos and background information – an amazing collection of simply beautiful (and anything but ordinary) writing implements... 

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

In Binho's Motion section, a short video called Inking Water Glass is as eerie musically as it is visually. I really like it. But I just love the Graffiti works!

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

A friend recently sent me something said by Romanian photographer Serban Mestecaneanu (consider him today's bonus link): "It took me 50 years to realise the queen of all colours is black and white." It's not surprising that my friend also pointed me to today's pick, where two recent black & white shots, don't talk to me and jump, just blew me away. Tomáš certainly has a magical way with color as well – lots of tasty walls...;~))

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"Taking photos, posting photos and admiring other peoples photos ranks right up there with breathing, my family and friends as well as eating cheese," says Peter, who launched the photoblog at the beginning of the year. It looks like he managed to "secure the sweet spot" for his tripod (and the length of exposure) for this beauty! And weird can certainly be a good thing. I love cheese, thank you...;~))

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

They say their online magazine is "here for you to collaborate" and in each image project (or issue), up to 6 artists present works around a common theme. The accompanying artists' statements are interesting though the faint contrast makes some the text hard to read in my opinion – but the collections of images are outstanding. There's also a collaborative sound project featuring works characterized by what the artists call lo-fi ambience...

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Tim's compact photo presentation opens in a second window and since it's in German only, here's a navigation clue – look for "Serie auswählen ⇑" on the right to select a series. I'll let his brilliant photography speak for itself, but I've got to say his People > Contemporary series takes post-processing to a strange new level...;~)) 

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

What one sees looking at a plant can be truly magical and while looking at self, insightful. But I wouldn't want you to miss her cool highkey images – enjoy...  [VFXY buzz]

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"The dragon is a universal source of fascination. The flying, crawling, fire-breathing creature that lurks beneath wave and rock and rules the skies overhead is a symbol of power and chaos that has enthralled humans since the dawn of time." Today's pick is the online version of an exhibition presented at the Musée de la civilisation in Québec, which explores "what makes dragons different from other imaginary monsters" and the creature's "fundamental role as an intermediary between nature and civilization and between humans and the divine." Fascinating indeed!  [Design Licks]

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"For me colours are like personalities," says UK-based illustrator Simon Wild, who also finds inspiration being "surrounded by new generations of artists" as a college lecturer in illustration. His works are indeed colorful – I love his little bird series – tweet! Sorry, I just couldn't resist...;~))  [Design(Radar]

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"Now he's out there in a big world and probably really scared." That was the beginning of the story, which fortunately, had a happy ending. Birds appear to be one of Kevin's favorite things. They're also the subject of my absolute favorite – a magnificent shot!

This coolstop site review is licensed under a Creative Commons License.