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  • βœ‡Colossal
  • Water Samples from Around the World Melt into Dima Rebus’ Dreamy Paintings Kate Mothes
    The act of painting is often seen as a solitary pursuit; we picture the artist alone in a studio, working through compositional puzzles and experimenting with materials of their own choosing. For Dima Rebus, the process is collaborative, although she may or may not know the other participants. In her large-scale works, the London-based artist adds new meaning to β€œwatercolor” as she incorporates water samples collected from strangers around the globe. In her series Floaters, Rebus processes
     

Water Samples from Around the World Melt into Dima Rebus’ Dreamy Paintings

23 April 2026 at 14:37
Water Samples from Around the World Melt into Dima Rebus’ Dreamy Paintings

The act of painting is often seen as a solitary pursuit; we picture the artist alone in a studio, working through compositional puzzles and experimenting with materials of their own choosing. For Dima Rebus, the process is collaborative, although she may or may not know the other participants. In her large-scale works, the London-based artist adds new meaning to β€œwatercolor” as she incorporates water samples collected from strangers around the globe.

In her series Floaters, Rebus processes these crowdsourced units by freezing them with watercolor pigments, which she then allows to melt across the substrate, creating abstract color fields. She then adds figures and elements of landscape, often with a fluid, rippling effect evocative of light glinting off the surface of a lake, as aquatic themes emerge in the form of pools and swimmers.

a mixed-media watercolor painting of two swimmers in a dark body of water
β€œNoon Floaters” (2025), watercolor on paper, chemical solutions, rainwater, and water samples from strangers, 140 x 300 centimeters

β€œNearly every sample arrives with a letter, opening a dialogue shaped by place, mood, memory, and time,” Rebus says. β€œOver the years, I’ve built an archive of waters from rain, rivers, seas, oceans, and glaciers, each preserved as both material record and human message.”

Find more on the artist’s Instagram.

a detail of a a mixed-media watercolor painting of a swimmer in a dark body of water
Detail of β€œNoon Floaters”
a mixed-media watercolor painting of a garden glass house interior with huge lily pads in a pool and potted plants
β€œAfterimage VII” (2025), watercolor on paper, chemical solutions, and rainwater, 110 x 200 centimeters
a mixed-media watercolor painting of a member of the King's Guard in a pool
β€œNothing Matters Until An Empty Sofa Says Otherwise 1” (2026), watercolor on paper, chemical solutions, rainwater, and water samples from strangers, 110 x 86 centimeters
a mixed-media watercolor painting of a meadow with trees in the background, centered on shimmering carousel horses
β€œIntuitive Course VII” (2025), watercolor on paper, chemical solutions, rainwater, and water samples from strangers, 42 x 80 centimeters
a mixed-media watercolor painting of a swimmer mostly submerged in a green body of water
β€œMorning Floaters” (2025), watercolor on paper, chemical solutions, rainwater, and water samples from strangers, 140 x 300 centimeters

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Water Samples from Around the World Melt into Dima Rebus’ Dreamy Paintings appeared first on Colossal.

  • βœ‡Antiques and Vintage - flickr
  • Routemaster Jez22
    Jez22 posted a photo: Iconic bright red 1965 double-decker Routemaster London bus parked against a scenic countryside backdrop with clear blue skies. Photography Β© Jeremy Sage
     

Routemaster

By: Jez22
15 June 2026 at 16:43

Jez22 posted a photo:

Routemaster

Iconic bright red 1965 double-decker Routemaster London bus parked against a scenic countryside backdrop with clear blue skies.
Photography Β© Jeremy Sage

  • βœ‡SoraNews24 Japan
  • Beautiful Ghibli anime uchiwa fans are like little posters you can use to keep yourself cool Casey Baseel
    Totoro and friends want to keep you cool and smiling this summer with these traditional non-folding fans. Summer presents a bit of a conundrum in Japan. On the one hand, it’s not a matter of if the weather will be hot and humid, but whether it’ll be extremely or just very hot and humid. At the same time, summer is full of festivals, fireworks shows, pop culture events, and even beautifully blossoming flowers, so there’s tons of fun to be had if you can find a way to cope with the heat. And if
     

Beautiful Ghibli anime uchiwa fans are like little posters you can use to keep yourself cool

1 June 2026 at 01:00

Totoro and friends want to keep you cool and smiling this summer with these traditional non-folding fans.

Summer presents a bit of a conundrum in Japan. On the one hand, it’s not a matter of if the weather will be hot and humid, but whether it’ll be extremely or just very hot and humid. At the same time, summer is full of festivals, fireworks shows, pop culture events, and even beautifully blossoming flowers, so there’s tons of fun to be had if you can find a way to cope with the heat.

And if you have a fun way to do so, all the better, right?

Filling that role nicely are these fans from Studio Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku. This type of fan is called an uchiwa, and because they have an easy-to-grip handle, it’s easier to generate a cooling breeze with uchiwa than with than sensu (folding fans), making them a classical summer lifesaver.

The Ghibli uchiwa are made from bamboo frames and textured paper. A total of four designs are available, representing two of Ghibli’s greatest hits and with unique artwork on each side. On the fan above, we see Spirited Away’s Chihiro riding through the sky on Haku in his dragon form on the front, and when you flip the fan over, you can see Mouse Boh and Haedori having a somewhat less elegant flight.

Also here from Ghibli’s Oscar-winner is No Face, which is fitting since uchiwa are said to be shaped like koban, Japan’s traditional oval gold coins. The back of the No Face fan bares the kanji for Abura, as in the Aburaya bathhouse of the gods where most of the movie takes place, along with illustrations of some of the establishment’s more prominent patrons.

No Ghibli movie captures the vibes of a carefree summer day like My Neighbor Totoro, though, and so it’s also part of the lineup, with one of its designs featuring sisters Mei and Satsuki along with the Catbus.

β–Ό The back of the fan reveals that the Catbus leaves adorable pawprints behind as it scampers around the countryside.

And finally, the fourth fan shows a gathering of all three Totoros, big, medium. And small, with them dancing under fireworks and the kanji for matsuri (β€œfestival”) on the back.

The fans are all 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in width and 37 centimeters in length, with the exception of the Catbus uchiwa which is just a bit longer at 37.5 centimeters. The long handles make them easy to tuck into a tote bag or slide into the sash of a summer kimono, and since uchiwa don’t fold up, they also work great as interior decorations, since they’re essentially little mini posters that you can also use to make a breeze. All four of the fans are priced at 880 yen (US$5.70) and recently restocked at Donguri Kyowakou, with online orders available here.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4)
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  • βœ‡The Daily Cartoonist
  • CSotD: Dealing a Hand of 52-Pickup Mike Peterson
    Horsey may be exaggerating the infantile tantrums of our leader, but he’s reporting Jeff Bezos’ analysis accurately. Bezos genuinely told CNBC β€œI think he is a more mature, more disciplined version of himself than he was in his first term.”Bezos went on to say β€œI’veΒ worked with all the presidents, I will work with all the […]
     

CSotD: Dealing a Hand of 52-Pickup

28 May 2026 at 10:45
Horsey may be exaggerating the infantile tantrums of our leader, but he’s reporting Jeff Bezos’ analysis accurately. Bezos genuinely told CNBC β€œI think he is a more mature, more disciplined version of himself than he was in his first term.”Bezos went on to say β€œI’veΒ worked with all the presidents, I will work with all the […]

  • βœ‡Antiques and Vintage - flickr
  • East Kent FFN451 wyedevon
    wyedevon posted a photo: now part of the Troopers Lodge Motor Services fleet, seeing use on Wedding Hires and as here there vintage Coltswold service 11, seen here charging up the A429 towards Moreton in the Marsh & Chipping Campden having started in Bourton on the Water via Stow in the Wold.
     

East Kent FFN451

7 June 2026 at 19:08

wyedevon posted a photo:

East Kent FFN451

now part of the Troopers Lodge Motor Services fleet, seeing use on Wedding Hires and as here there vintage Coltswold service 11, seen here charging up the A429 towards Moreton in the Marsh & Chipping Campden having started in Bourton on the Water via Stow in the Wold.

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