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.
Sculpture
December 15, 2025

Ethereal Lighting Marries Landscape Painting With Sculpture To Evoke Serenity in Any Room

Artists David J Rodriguez and Lyora Pissarro marry painting and sculpture by way of lighting. Together, they have produced Unfolding Radiance: a circular, illuminated work of art that combines Pissarro’s oil painting with Rodriguez’s relief forms. The 36-inch-diameter piece features organic elements that recall layered rock or sediment. Each jagged shape is slightly raised, allowing for the LED lighting to reach behind and in front of the individual forms.

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Sculpture
December 10, 2025

Artist Assembles Awe-Inspiring Cities Brick by Brick To Then Watch Them Topple Down

It takes just one wrong move, and artist Raffaele Salvoldi’s sculptures come crashing down. His large-scale, ephemeral architecture is hand-built, block by identical wooden block. Salvoldi places the rectangular pieces like you might build a Jenga tower; each one is simply stacked on the other without glue or other supports. Thus, the tens of thousands of blocks are individually vulnerable to spilling over and taking other parts of the building with them.

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Funny
December 8, 2025

This Jokester Horse “Plays Dead” Whenever Someone Tries To Ride Him

You may have heard of possums “playing dead,” but what about a horse? Yes, it turns out that these creatures are known to do the same thing. But rather than involuntarily fainting, as possums do, horses are using it as a way to avoid responsibilities. (Maybe we can learn a thing or two). One funny video shows a horse named Jingang pulling off a clever-to-him ruse: collapsing while people are trying to ride him.

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Illustration
November 25, 2025

Beautifully Haunting Film Poster for Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’

Director Guillermo del Toro and illustrator James Jean have developed a creative partnership that fuses each of their unique visions. For nearly a decade, del Toro has tapped Jean to design posters for his films, beginning with The Shape of Water in 2017. In 2022, it continued with Pinocchio. Now, the director and illustrator—both juggernauts in their respective industries—are reuniting for another film poster. This time, it’s for del Toro’s Frankenstein.

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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.