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Man Paints the World With Google Street View

by Caleb Johnson on August 13, 2009 at 08:46 AM


Bill Guffey has seen the world from his rural Kentucky home, thanks to Google's Street View application. Using the mapping tool, which allows users to navigate maps via 360-degree views, he's created a unique series of oil paintings.

According to ABC News, Guffey rendered a scene from every U.S. state (except Hawaii, since Street View isn't in place there yet) and Washington, D.C. This impressive feat, begun in February, was accomplished in a mere 60 days. A graphic designer for a small newspaper, Guffey passed over easy-to-do landmarks for everyday locations, like a quaint railroad track in Virginia or a garage in Kentucky. Altogether, he has painted about 100 scenes around the world using Street View, and has even sold some for as much as $1,500.

Guffey's art is catching on with other painters, too. Once a month, he chooses a location and posts it on his blog. This 'Virtual Paintout' allows artists around the world to enter the location into Google's app and paint the scene. Then, Guffey posts the images on the blog. Let's hope Guffey can use some of those profits to actually travel, because there's no telling what this guy could do on location. [From: ABC News]
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Nuttiest Google Street View Pages?

Death of Print

    Elle Girl
    In April 2006, Elle Girl's print edition was closed down, but the Web site lives on at ellegirl.com.

    CosmoGirl
    Though it will be folded into Seventeen magazine, the teen version of Cosmopolitan will publish its last print issue in December 2008. It will live on at CosmoGirl.com.

    Christian Science Monitor
    Founded in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, this venerable paper will move all its daily content to the Web starting in 2009, though it will still publish a weekly print version.

    Radar Magazine
    Was it too snarky for its own good? We'll never know, but this modern-day successor to '80s-era Spy magazine shut down in October. AMI, owner of the National Enquirer, bought RadarOnline.com, however, which will focus on celebrity gossip a la TMZ.com.

    US News and World Report
    Once a serious competitor to Time and Newsweek, US News and World Report is now best known for its College guides, which it will continue to publish. The weekly newsmagazine, however, will be turned into a monthly, and all daily operations are moving to the Web at usnews.com.

Tags: art, google, hobby, kentucky, paint, street view, StreetView, top, travel, web

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