Friday, November 13, 2026

Day 5194:Contending Artists for Portrait Prize 2026 & Footballer Decorates University Building 1890.

"Blues": junk paper collages, digital.

Want music?

Click: Roberta Flack, Until It's Time for You to Go.

2GN2S

Contending Artists for the

Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026

Cheryl Newman, “Six Weeks Away” from the series ‘Six Weeks Away’ (2025)

From nearly 4,000 entries submitted by 1,338 photographers around the world, a striking selection has been shortlisted for the Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026. The handpicked images represent some of the finest photographic portrait work being made today, from intimate settings in which figures meet the viewer’s eye to candid scenes on city streets and rural expanses alike.

Open to professionals and amateurs alike, the competition will select one winner to receives a £15,000 award plus a commission to be added to the collection of London’s National Portrait Gallery. An exhibition of the best entries will also be shown at the museum from November 5 to January 17, and the winner will be announced in November.

Katie Hitchcock-Smith, “Moroccan (Amazigh) Cowboys” from the series ‘Tajine Westerns’ (2025)

James Clifford Kent, “Neisser, Pinar del Rio, Cuba” from the series ‘Yuma’ (2025)

Max Pattenden, “Havannah, Lee Moor” from the series ‘Men May Come and Men May Go, But I Go On Forever’ (2025)

Marcie Docherty, “PE” from the series ‘In Pursuit of Muscle’ (2026)

Tom Parker, “Venice Boxers” from the series ‘Venice Beach

Felicity Crawshaw, “Huw” (2026)

Ellie Ramsden, “A Young Elvis” from the series ‘The Elvies’ (2025)

Nora Obergeschwander, “In the space of becoming” from the series ‘Threshold moments’ (2026)

Ron Timehin, “Surface” from the series ‘We Who Belong’ (2025)

A football player carved into the side of a Gothic university building.

At the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, this unusual stone figure decorates the exterior of the historic Quadrangle, a student residence complex designed by Cope and Stewardson beginning in the 1890s.

Rather than a traditional gargoyle, the football player is an ornamental carving known as a “boss.” The buildings feature dozens of whimsical figures inspired by college life, including professors, students, mythical creatures, and even someone drinking beer.

These playful architectural details capture the spirit of American university life at the turn of the 20th century.

A 1-1/2 minute video, Animals Communication, here.

Just because ...

Western Tragopan

Friday's Smiles ...

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.

Thursday, November 12, 2026

Day 5193: Monolith Discovered in Utah & Actress Converts Farm to Animal Rescue.

"Edward": ink brush, watercolor, junk paper collage, postcard.

Want music?

Click: Switch, There Will Never Be.

2GN2S

Towering Monolith Discovered in Remote Utah

Image: Utah Department of Public Safety

The Utah Department of Public Safety has put itself to the fullest possible use by not only counting bighorn sheep roaming the region but also discovering an unusual fixture jutting out from the rocky landscape. Last week, state employees stumbled upon a nearly 12-foot-tall silver monolith while flying overhead. Mimicking the inexplicable structure in the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the lustrous object appears to be made of metal and is located in an undisclosed area.

In a statement about the discovery, the department offered a reminder to the mysterious entity responsible for the monolith: “It is illegal to install structures or art without authorization on federally managed public lands, no matter what planet you’re from.”

As of Tuesday morning, it’s still unknown who created the structure, although internet sleuths who located the object on Google Earth suggest it may have been in existence for more than five years. The department is urging folks not to attempt to locate the monolith following a California woman’s disappearance for nearly two weeks at Zion National Park.

(short video below)