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.
October 1, 2018

Mind-Bending Illusion Tattoos Reveal Entire Worlds Hiding Beneath the Skin

Tattoo artist Jesse Rix creates visual magic on the body. With an expert understanding of optical illusion tattoo designs, his trompe-l’œil body art reveals otherworldly scenes hiding just beneath the skin. The crisp lines, master use of perspective, and bold colors create an incredible sense of depth that will make you momentarily think you’re gazing into another universe.

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September 26, 2018

Interview: Adventurous Travel Photographer Reflects on His Most Memorable Images

British photographer Andrew Newey reveals parts of the world that go unknown to many of us. Traveling to remote locales of Nepal, Mongolia, and Indonesia, he captures compelling documentary style photography of cultures that exist outside of our technology-obsessed sphere. Newey ingratiates himself with his subjects and will spend weeks living with them, documenting their traditional practices along the way.

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September 25, 2018

Woman in Iconic 9/11 Photo Hires the Same Photographer for Her Wedding 17 Years Later

Street photographer Phil Penman was on the ground during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. While there, he captured a scene that has since become an iconic image from the harrowing day. It features a dust-covered Joanne “Jojo” Capestro as she and her friend walked away—dazed, but unharmed—from Ground Zero. But this meeting wasn’t the last time that the photographer and Capestro would see each other.

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September 20, 2018

Lioness Steals a Photographer’s Camera, Gives It to Her Cubs as a New Toy

Photographing wild animals has certain risks. But often, the potential hazards are worth it—something photographer Barbara Jensen Vorster can attest to first hand. In July 2018, she was snapping pictures of a lion pride in Botswana, until a local lioness stole Vorster’s Canon 7D after she accidentally dropped it on the ground. (The “thud” piqued the big cat’s interest.) Luckily, Vorster had another camera on hand and captured what happened next.

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