Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Painting
April 2, 2019

Interview: Painter Reveals the Past and Present of Landscapes in Giant Brushstrokes

Artist David Ambarzumjan is enamored with the wonders of our world and celebrates their beguiling essence through surreal paintings. In his ongoing series called Brushstrokes in Time, the 20-year-old juxtaposes (mostly) present-day landscapes with scenes from the past. He does so in dramatic fashion—large brushstrokes occupy most of the compositions and act as portals into another time. The brushstrokes showcase another moment in time, and they also double as the lightning rods for change.

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Advertising
March 23, 2019

Creative Billboards Cleverly Encourage People to Use Less Water

How do you encourage people to use less water? This was a quandary that Denver Water hired the creative agency Sukle to help solve. For over a decade, they came up with clever advertising campaigns that inspired the citizens of Mile High City to be mindful of the amount of water they use. At the start of their campaign, they had a ten-year goal of reducing water consumption by 22%.

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Photography
March 13, 2019

Crystal Cave Made of 18,000 Plastic Cups Makes Us Reconsider To-Go Cups

Nearly three years ago, Benjamin Von Wong made the shift from the title of photographer to social impact artist that only engaged in projects that have an “impact component” to them. Since that time, he’s paired a mission-driven career with his creative abilities and produced projects that are both visually striking and encourage societal change.

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Animals
March 8, 2019

Woman Sets Up Tiny Feeder Cam to Capture Birds Eating in Her Backyard

Wild birds can be a challenge to study because they often fly away just as you approach them. Lisa, aka Ostdrossel, is fascinated by our feathered friends and has an ingenious setup that allows her to get very close to them—without scaring them away. She uses her feeder cam to remote capture incredible pictures of a variety of species as they nosh on tasty bird feed.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.