Two of the many, many things I love about New York Comic-Con, which held court at the Javits Center in NYC last weekend, are the uniqueness of the activities and the art. When the two are combined, it makes for an even better (and sometimes delicious) surprise. Booth #455 gave passersby free jelly beans (of which my kids ate quite a few). I got a chance to interview jelly bean artist, Kristen Cumings, who is “one of the only people in the world that uses jelly beans as her art form.” So what was up with Jelly Belly?

Jelly Belly has a broad range of movies represented in their collection, including Finding Dory and Star Wars, and their Hero Collection includes entertainment icons like Superman and Wonder Woman. From gift tins and bags to bean machines and magic wands, each movie collection contains a range of products.

Check out my interview with artist Kristen Cumings and the beautiful images in the image gallery here below.

The hustle and bustle of Manhattan is legendary, but I don’t think it is so poignantly captured anywhere as it is on the Lower East Side. A mixture of struggling artists, immigrant culture, historical landmarks, a yearning for a sense of family and community, and an element of crime and danger has made the neighborhood what it is. However, an evolving gentrification has become more and more prevalent throughout the years, pricing out the people that gave the area its character, and many of them have had to move away. Mom and pop businesses are forced to close their doors as the big boys are moving in. Those still standing can do little other than to turn away from eyesores like the 7-11 that now stands on Ave. A. But there’s one woman that’s not going down without a fight.

Wendy Scripps was born in the Bay Area of California, but moved to Manhattan in 1982. Her mother, a Brooklyn native, told Wendy she was born to be a New Yorker. “Once I got to New York, I knew that was where I was supposed to be,” says Scripps. “It fit like a glove.” Scripps’ parents were both active in the art communities. Her mother was a dancer, well ahead of her time. She was a Martha Graham dancer and the first to teach the art of Bharatanatyam (an ancient Indian dance) in America. Scripps’ father was active in the theater community doing stage design, but also loved rock n’ roll music. He began taking Scripps to rock n’ roll shows at a young age.

If you’re wandering around the New York City’s East Village and suddenly find yourself on the outskirts of Alphabet City, there’s a cool little art gallery I know on Ave. A just off of 2nd St. It’s called Art on A. Go in. Check out the art on the walls. If you’re lucky enough to visit before September 22, what you see will be instantly relatable to anyone who can recognize the beauty of a subculture, its decadent allure, its decaying glamour. But those who know photographer Robert Butcher will know that his latest collection American Madonnas and Liars is based on a story that started long ago, born of a lifetime of rock and roll, drugs, and trouble which led up to a suicide attempt and finally resurrection. I was lucky enough to be able to talk to him about what brought him to his latest artistic venture.

Star Trek: 50 Artists 50 Years
Hardcover
Foreword by Nicholas Meyer
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: September 6, 2016

September 8 will mark the 50th anniversary of the original Star Trek television series, the creation of visionary Gene Roddenberry, that saw the crew of the starship Enterprise embark on their 5-year mission to explore strange new worlds, bolding going where no man had gone before. While we technically never saw them complete their mission — the TV series was canceled after three seasons because of low ratings — “Captain Kirk” and “Mr. Spock” have since become household names and the Star Trek franchise has grown massive beyond everyone’s wildest dreams.

In honor of this milestone anniversary, CBS — which currently holds the rights to the franchise — commissioned a series of art in various mediums, the images of which have been collected into a new 112-page full-color oversized hardcover, Star Trek: 50 Artists 50 Years, from Titan Books.

The UpIsNotJump YouTube channel is back with another brilliant Fallout 4 video. We’ve seen them re-create some of the best scenes from the hit animated series Rick and Morty (watch here and here), and now they’re bringing none other than the legend of relaxing painting instruction himself, Bob Ross, and his show The Joy of Painting into the Fallout universe.

The video uses audio from Ross’s many wonderful episodes of the show, and uses Fallout 4 and mods to deliver Ross’s instruction in a much, much different way than fans of the late artist’s show are used to. It’s a fun combination of humor and nostalgia, especially for fans of both the show and the video game.

You can check out the video below.