Official Barack and Michelle Obama Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery

Today, at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald became the first black painters to unveil commissioned presidential portraits from and at the museum. Wiley’s portrayal of a thoughtful, sitting President Obama falls upon a pattern of vibrant foliage, typical of his style. Baltimore-based Sherald’s work features Michelle Obama sitting, as well, in a beautiful flowing gown. There’s an …

Computer-Generated Candy Heart Messages

From “SWEAT POO” to “TIME HUG” and “HOW U HOT,” research scientist Janelle Shane’s computer-generated candy heart messages are unlike any we’ve seen before. Shane (who runs the fascinating blog AI Weirdness) says she collected all the legitimate candy heart messages she could find, and then created a learning algorithm (or “neural network”) for them to mix and match new messages—and the results are nothing …

Lauren Ko’s Pie Art

Baking and mathematics collide with Lauren Ko’s incredible pies and tarts. Seattle-based Ko has no professional pastry training nor experience, but her creations are mesmerizing. She assembles intricate geometric patterns from and with pastry and fruits—and has even recreated Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” with nuts. See more images at Colossal.