Purrr

Photography and Obsessive Tendencies

The other day, the sun was streaming in onto my desk. As usual, there were amultidude of items strewn around. Three of these were my staple gun, a pebble and a white piece of paper.

You might think it a bit strange, but I became a bit obsessed with the textures there and had to take a load of photos. Can you see the fantastic contrasts there? The absolute white, the transparent, pool-like blue through the plastic and the earthy, solid, completely real stone.

 
I'm not sure if this just looks like an insane person talking, or if it's OK to get a bit obsessed with things like this sometimes!

On ths same day, I was walking back from the post office, and a few big gusts of wind blew up, knocking the spring Magnolia petals off the trees. It seemed incredibly poetic to me. If you look carefully here, you can see a petal floating off...

and after:

xxx

Whooooo Are Youuuuuuuuu?

I finished this little one last night! It was so much fun to paint, I'm working on two more Alice paintings today!

"Alice In Wonderland - Who Are Youuuuu?" (5 x 7 acrylic on canvas)

She's right here.

xxx

A man paints with his brains and not with his hands. Michaelangelo.

Yes. I'm sure he does. I think ladies do too! As you can see, i've been looking through quotes pages again! Love them! There are certain ones which I find don't necessarily speak to me some days, then other days, they're all I can think about and keep on wizzing around and around in my mind like little mantras.

I realised I have just one more little painting to show you today.

As people have been absolutely loving this image the past year or so (thank you!)...

"Marcel et Janelle" postcard set

...I have painted another little couple, too:

"Paris, 1958 - Taking Paris"

I had a thing about making her dress the most bonbon-candy-pink possible. It isn't really showing up on this monitor, but in real life, you can almost smell the strawberries and cream!

Thanks for looking!

xxx

"A good painting to me has always been like a friend. It keeps me company, comforts and inspires " Hedy Lamarr

Today, I completely agree with this quote.

This is today's desk!

Do you recognise what that little painting there might be? I'm working on it pretty much flat-out today, so am hoping to have it finished by tomorrow, or even tonight. I feel that I've been able to get a lot of painting done this week. Here are some more shop newbies:

"Paris, 1961 - What She Wants"  and "Paris, 1962 - Pale and Very, VERY Interesting". You can click on the pictures to see them in the shop.

"Paris, 1963 - Bette Went Incognito" and "Paris, 1958 - Cake, Anyone?"

Then, the last couple of nights, I've been working on something different, just as a colour excersise at first, then I decided to make the blocks of colour nice and smooth, then the lines became sharper and it began to remind me a little of the undulating cleanliness of a Tamara de Lempicka painting, although much more simplified, of course.

"Thoughts" (5 x 7 acrylic on canvas)

I can't help but wonder what she is doing; why she is standing there; what has just happened; what is she waiting for...?

I put just a little more detail into the curved vessel on the left. I like the feeling of balance and reflection and cool silence.

I hope you like them!

xxx

Flutterings at Springtime

So now I've finished two of the new butterfly paintings and I thought you'd like to see them here if you haven't already over at the shop!

"Green Hairstreak on Green" Original acrylic painting 5" x 7"

"Adonis Blue on Red" Original acrylic painting 5" x 7"

We went to Southampton for the weekend and it seemeed the world was blooming!

Oh and don't forget that there are some new surprises in the shop this week too!

Yup - lots and lots of goodies both old and new up for grabs...
I'm filling them with AT LEAST $60 worth of lovely bits and bobs from the shop...

and the best bit (because you don't know what you're getting) is that they only cost $25 smackeroonies!

Woot!

See you there, or be

xxx

 

Vintage Postcard Ladies

I've been so looking forward to sharing these with you! They were finally delivered this morning by our friendly postie.

As you have loved these images so much, I thought I'd make a proper effort and make them into authentic-looking vintagey postcards, by using an old design, scanning and rehashing it just a touch, then popping it on the reverse of my own Parisian lady images. The printers have done an excellent job of bringing them to life. YAYs all round for AwesomeMerchandise!!!

Who could resist scribbling here?

Not me...I couldn't help but imagine a little lady very similar to the ones depicted, using one of the postcards to write to her friend back in London Town:

I'm keeping a stash for myself, but there are some for you too! They're here, in the shop!

xxx

Tuesday snapshots

Our Quince is bursting into bloom! I love these bright, unapologetic flowers and their spikey armour (spot the spines). Ouch!

I only (consciously) noticed them after working on these two paintings:


Coincidental colour matching? Possibly, but I also just watched (more listened to) a programme about neuroscience and how large a part our unconscious mind notices as opposed to our conscious (the link is here - Horizon on the BBC, but it will only be accessible in the UK and until 17th April 2012).

More shots from the workdesk today:

...and an often-made mistake...

...and some little legs - part of a larger painting I'm working on...

Happy Tuesday yep!

xxx

The Day Before Spring

Our calendar states that tomorrow is officially the first day of Spring.

I think the cherry tree agrees...

We went for a wander around our capital over the weekend.

Apparently, a famous, and snowy Bridget Jones scene was filmed here. More importantly than that, I was informed by a pretty reliable source, that Martha Oster once worked across the road! ;) I was nice and embarassing, wandering around, taking photos of buildings, being very uncool. Rob pretended he wasn't with me. Hee heee!

This week, I'm pretty excited by these little things - pocket mirrors! Only quite weeny (approx 2.25" or 55mm across) and perfect for your...er...pocket. They'll be rolling on into the shop this week - probably Wednesday or Thurs. I'll keep the goings on at the shop updated at the Facebook page more often than here. I love the outcome of the blog here, whenever I get around to posting, but it's just so much quicker on FB!

I missed the morning by packaging today, was going to take advantage of the lovely weather by gardening when I came back from the Post Office, but the sun has dipped behind a house and a cloud, so I'll paint until school pick-up time in an hour instead.

Ahhh. Think I'll listen to some Librivox Bronte and drink a nice, warm cuppa too.

xxx

Altogether now...

Update pics!

"Tess", "Shopping In Paris" and "Lady Sybil"

Dwellings, plus Lizzie and Darcy.

Rear Window's Grace Kelly in that amazing dress (want!), Lady Mary and teeny tiny Jane Austen lady (see below)

Two Jane Austen ladies and the perfectly groomed Parisian gorgeousness!

and I think that's it for today...I'll be popping them into the shop in a few minutes.

xxx

Penultimate update post!

More for tomorrow's shop update!

A few prints:

Downton Abbey's Lady Mary

Grace Kelly in Hitchcock's "Rear Window"

...and maybe some Dwellings!

...and who do you think this character could turn out be?

The update is planned for 1pm GMT. I'll be posting once more on here before then. Hope we see you there!

xxx