Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
Painting
July 2, 2025

Monumental Botanical Paintings Energized With Vibrant Electric Hues [Interview]

Artist Tim Fowler creates monumental botanical paintings with a vivid twist. Although plants can be colorful in real life, Fowler imagines a world in which leaves and blooms are alive with electric pinks, purples, and blues, and a blend of artistic approaches. Acrylic paint, oils, spray paint, and pastels all grace his canvases.  This allows him to create compositions that feature bold brushstrokes in one section with fine-lined drawings in another.

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Art
June 26, 2025

Electric Forest 2025: Enchanting Art Installations Bring Creative Magic to the Lush Woods

Nestled into the forests of Rothbury, Michigan, is an immersive event where music, art, and nature converge. Known as Electric Forest, the multi-day music and arts festival offers an otherworldly experience in a lush, wooded area called Sherwood Forest. Attendees camp onsite, making the event feel like its own little world for four days. While the music often takes center stage, the art installations are a can’t-miss part of the overall experience.

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Tattoos
June 24, 2025

Delicate Microrealistic Tattoos Make Sea Creatures Look Like They’re Floating on Skin

The traditional tattoo style (in Western culture) is often characterized by bold outlines, a limited color palette, and easily recognizable symbols. Contemporary tattooists, however, are changing the association with every new bit of body art. Tatu Panda is one artist inking tattoos in an unmistakable style. His fine-line, microrealistic pieces employ optical illusions to look like they are levitating above the skin.

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Installation
June 19, 2025

Symphony of Sounds Are Unleashed as Porcelain Bowls Float and Clang in Giant Basin Installation

Artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot explores sound and movement in an expansive installation now on view at Bourse de Commerce — Pinault Collection in Paris. Titled clinamen, the multisensory experience features an 18-meter (59-foot) diameter pool in the museum’s Rotunda filled with water that reflects the sky through its dome. The bright blue basin is a veritable ocean as a fleet of porcelain bowls is set in motion by a gentle current.

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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.