Sublime frivolité

The Unobtainable Now and the Future

2011-12-22T11:45:00.000-05:00

When I first started to create, I produced mostly black and white drawings, for I though colors might distract from the subject I tried to represent. As I learnt, discovered and observed, my mind progressively changed and today, I greatly admire those who succeed in finding a fragile harmony between colors, shapes, textures and subjects in a representative art piece. I feel that the more daring you are when playing with those parameters, the harder it gets to find balance, but it is a risk worth taking: as strange as it might appear, taking a step back from reality often helps enhancing its aspects that matter most to one.

Through his paintings, Simon Birch translates his interest in "the universal ideas of transition, the ambiguous moment between an initiation and a conclusion, the unobtainable now and the future, inevitably crashing toward us" *. I just love how he represents ephemerality, for it seems that the moment he tried to capture was gone before it could be colorfully fixed on canvas. Nevertheless, I must admit that his sketches rekindles my old attraction for monochromatic drawings...

Simon Birch

Simon Birch, 2011

Simon Birch, The things that keep me alive keep me alone, oil on canvas, 150cm x 150cm, 2011

Simon Birch, Foxglove, oil on canvas, 150cm x 150cm, 2011

Simon Birch

Simon Birch, Sketch, about 1,5 m sq, 2011

For an insight of his working methods, I invite you to visit his blog. As always, if you can complete the information on the paintings, I would gladly add it.

The End is Here

2011-12-15T20:28:00.003-05:00

Here comes the time, once more, to be lost in the overwhelming rush that is the ending of the semester. As always, I dream of being able to do more than my body allows...

Continuing the series of artistic experimentation involving multi-armed women, here is a piece drawn by one of my favorite artists, Frida Kahlo.

Frida Kahlo, Autorretrato dibujando, Pencil on paper, 29,7 x 21 cm, around 1937.

Mermaids

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Mermaids swimming in patterns, surrounded by serpentine lines and fluttering flowers, Delphine Cossais' s women are lost in beautiful day dreams. I love the color's softness once in a while broken by bright red, the fabrics like oregami paper and the doll like faces...

For more of Delphine Cossais paintings, I invite you to visit her blog.

I May Forget my Age, but not my Birthday

2011-12-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

Considering my age to be a number unworthy of attention, I do have trouble remembering it, having to calculate it from my year of birth each time it is asked. Though this strange amnesia often attracts puzzled looks, it also has many positive aspects: among them, I do not feel I have to live by the standards imposed by society to certain age groups and it considerably lessen the feeling of getting older. But even without numbers, birthdays are still coming...

This is the cake I would have to my approaching birthday if I had money to spend on a pure frivolity: inspired by a Ray Caesar painting, it is the work of Dante Nuno (Fire and Icing).

For comparison, here is the original artwork:

Ray Caesar (I have not yet found any information about this piece,

if you have some, feel free to contact me and it will be a pleasure to add it)

Thanks to Superpunch for this sweet discovery!

Long Live the Dandy!

2011-12-09T12:45:00.001-05:00

Let us be in the mood for week-end...

It is of common knowledge that I do have a weakness for dandies. Furthermore, thanks to Mad Men, my admiration for the 50's aesthetics has been radically increasing for the past months. These two interests are being here united on the September 2008 cover of Monsieur, which states "The dandy is dead, long live the dandy!".

This French magazine, published since 1920, is self-described as "The elegant man's reference" and multiplies simple yet effective covers. Just has my admiration for dandies is in part based on their mysterious charm, I do not wish to read those magazines, fearful of seeing them loose their appeal...

Baroque Enchantement

2011-12-07T09:32:00.001-05:00

Even when an idea seems to be complete in itself, it has a history and a future and is, therefore, intertwined in something much larger than it seems at first glance.

Take, for instance, the movie Le voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon), written and directed by Georges Méliès. Presented only 6 years after the famous projection by the Lumière brothers, it is an important milestone in cinema's history for it seems to be the first movie where special effects have been used to transpose in images the whimsical vision of the creator. Back then, the style was called "baroque féérique" in French, which I might clumsily translate by "enchanted baroque", a jonction between our modern fantastic and science fiction.

Watching this video leaves me a little time confused: even though it does not present a realistic 1902's vision of the future, I still feel that a director from the past projects me forwards, but to a time that is still behind mine (are you now confused with me?). Even though the movie was interesting when it was first presented, I think theses time gaps definitively enhance the astonishment inspired by this immersion in the imagination the creator.

As all art pieces, Méliès' movie was not born from nothingness: among other things, the scenario has been mainly inspired by H.G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon and Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon. Of course, this did not keep it from being innovative and to subsequently inspire other artists.

Then, 94 years after its debut, Le voyage dans la lune inspired a music video for The Smashing Pumpkins' Tonight Tonight, which won many awards and is still considered among the best music videos ever made. And the loop is not looped, as the inspiration game continues...

The Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight par EMI_Music

(Near the end of the song, have you noticed the name of the boat rescuing the couple?)

Warming Up the Space

2011-12-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

This is an ingenious manner to create a space that one can redefine depending on specific needs or mood. In one of my favorite cities, Firenze, this loft is situated in an ancient carpentry workshop and as been transformed into a living space by the architect Alessandro Capellaro. To separated the different areas, he used about 300 wooden crates found in a flee market, using these not only as partitions, but also as storing place. These half-walls allowed him to preserve brightness and the beauty of the vaulted ceilings, while adding warmth to a pure white and stone decor. If I must admit that with its volumes and shapes, the space already had a lot of potential, the result proves that a great space is not always a matter of money, it can also be transformed by a simple and well developed idea.

Thanks to Marie-Claire Maison for this discovery!

Dior, I Can Sew!

2011-11-30T21:04:00.000-05:00

Here is a message for the attention of the Maison Dior: I am very patient and I know how to sew. I do not mind hand sewing for hours for art's sake. Please hire me!

Capturing Light

2011-11-23T20:01:00.001-05:00

Born in 1815, Julia Margaret Cameron had a fairly short artistic career (a total of 11 years) during which she undoubtedly succeeded in producing striking photographic portraits of celebrities or her time and of members of her household. Birth or adoptive mother of at least 11 children, her motherly sensibility shows in her work which includes more than 200 photographs of children. Inspired by themes and stories dear to Pre-raphaelites, she often presented her subjects in contexts referencing directly to literature.

Looking at her portraits is a reminder that photography is a matter of a capture of light, just as fleeting as is our appearance, our identity, our lives. In this citation, found here, she beautifully expresses her photographic ambitions :

"What is focus - & who has a right to say what focus is the legitimate focus - My Aspirations are to ennoble Photography and to secure for it the character and uses of High Art by combining the real and Ideal and sacrificing nothing of the Truth by all possible devotion to Poetry and beauty."

— Letter from Julia Margaret Cameron to John Herschel, December 31th 1864

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'Julia Jackson', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1867

(A little note about this first portrait: it is the one Cameron's niece, who later became mother of the famous writer Virginia Woolf...)

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'Mary Hillier, Elizabeth and Kate Kuhn', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1864.

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'Temperance', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1864

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'Florence Fisher', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1872

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'The Angel at the Sepulchre', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1866

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'Floss and Iolande', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1864

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'Maud', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1875.

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'Pomona', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1872.

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'Sir John Herschel', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1867.

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'The Kiss of Peace', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1869.

Julia Margaret Cameron, 'The Whisper of the Muse', albumen print from wet collodion-on-glass negative, 1865.

For a description of several photographs, I invite you to visit V&A

Marvelous machines

2011-11-22T09:48:00.001-05:00

Of all desserts, I love my mother's apple crumble (you can see my interpretation of this recipe here). If left alone with this divine dish, I may devour it completely in less time then it takes to peel all the apples. To me, taking some time to prepare the fruits is a mental process enhancing the anticipation and the tasting of the crumble, so until recently, I did not know there was a device such as an apple peeler. If I would not use a modern version, I must admit I love the looks of the vintage ones, with their intertwined gears and their beautiful ironwork...

Apple peeler

Sinclair Scoot apple peeler

Goodell apple peeler

A Mystery of Similarities and Contrasts

2011-11-19T10:29:00.004-05:00

Searching for something absolutely different, I happened to find a 17th century painting called The Cholmondeley Ladies and since then, often do my eyes meet theirs, victim of a mysterious attraction.

The Cholmondeley Ladies, circa 1600-10, Oil on wood, 886 x 1723 mm,

I have been immediately enchanted by the composition, a play of similarities and contrasts: the repetition of the women, only identical at first glance, the reduced color pallet enhancing the contrasts and the abundance of details surrounding the faces of the models against the simple background. The ladies, presented not only in the same position, but in the same bed, were disturbing me, leaving me wondering who their were and why they were represented in this strange way.

The little information I found about this painting made it even more disturbing. According to the Tate Collection, the anonymous painter left an inscription in the bottom left corner of the painting: "Two Ladies of the Cholmondeley Family, Who were born the same day, Married the same day, And Brought to bed (gave birth) the same day"

Isn't it inspiring?

Clashing

2011-11-16T21:13:00.001-05:00

In an abundance of clashing colors and patterns, Yinka Shonubare MBE's headless mannequins are screaming for attention, yelling tales about past and present cultural exchanges, whether they were wanted or not. Very strongly inspired by fashion and art's history, the installations successfully combine classicism and originality, violence and a humorous side (just notice the fans on the lady with pugs' dress...). And I just love how the titles complement his art pieces...

(If you are as curious as I am, you may wonder why there is an MBE after his name. On his website, I learnt that in 2004, he became a Member of the "Most Excellent Order of the British Empire", title he decided to add to his name)

Souvenirs

2011-11-16T09:55:00.001-05:00

I once read about the work of Karim Nader, a neurologist who said that every time we think about a memory, we modify it slightly according to context in which we remember it and the interpretation that is then done. This would imply that with time, memories are becoming less and less objective, but more linked with who we are. His work inspired, among others, the wonderful movie The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

With this in mind, the work of Irina Werning in Back to the Future is particularly interesting. The photographer from Buenos Aires invited her models to recreate one of their childhood pictures, revisiting the memory and creating a new one out of it, one very strongly linked with who their were at the moment when their image has been recaptured...

Irina Werning, Back to the Future, Flor Male and Sil in 1983 & 2010

Irina Werning, Back to the Future, Cecile in 1987 & 2010

Irina Werning, Back to the Future, Flor in 1975 & 2010

Irina Werning, Back to the Future, Lali in 1978 & 2010

Irina Werning, Back to the Future, Nico in 1990 & 2010

Irina Werning, Back to the Future, Oscar in 1978 & 2010

Irina Werning, Back to the Future II, Carli in 1990 & 2010

Irina Werning, Back to the Future II, Carol in 1960 & 2011

Irina Werning, Back to the Future II, Devoto brothers in 1990 & 2011

Irina Werning, Back to the Future, Maria Jose in 1983 & 2011

Irina Werning, Back to the Future II, Evan in 1957 & 2010

Irina Werning says that she discovered she had an obsessive side during the production of these picture: it paid off, since the results are very impressive. For more pictures, I invite you to visit her website.

Pain and inertia

2011-11-11T21:22:00.003-05:00

First I fell in love with the song, then with the video. Adele's Rolling in the Deep as been playing in my studio for weeks now, and still I am not tired of hearing it, even less of seeing its visual version.

Surrounded by plastic sheets suggesting suffocation, in a vast but almost empty room, the singer is seated throughout the whole video, while the camera going forward and backward enhances the feeling of an emotional inertia. Embedded between these sequences are so many of evocations of a persistent pain: the endlessly broken porcelain, the propagation of tremors in thousands of glasses, the burning buildings...

And those who know me a little more will smile when I say, once more, how sensitive I am to a great use of white in a piece of art...

Rolling In The Deep-Adele on Vimeo.

Curiosities Hunter

2011-03-17T08:39:00.002-04:00

Recently, I happened upon the blog of author and illustrator Camille Renversade, "Mon cabinet de curiosité". As I have often talked about my love of cabinet of curiosities, it is useless to say that the name alone was enough to gain my interest. No matter how high were my expectations, they were fulfilled: Camille Renversade succeeds in emerging the visitor in a mysterious atmosphere inspired by the beginning of the 20th century and creates a character worth of Indiana Johns...

Illustrations, collages, sculptures and pictures and are there assembled in what becomes a modern-day cabinet of curiosities.

For more, visit Mon Cabinet de Curiosités.

Under-estimated smallness

2010-11-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

Here is how Don Kenn introduces himself and his art : "Born in Denmark 1978. I write and direct television shows for kids. I have a set of twins and not much time for anything. But when I have time I draw monster drawings on post-it notes... it is a little window into a different world, made on office supplies."

I like how the yellow background of his drawings creates an impression of twilight that enhances their nightmarish atmosphere and how the small pencil lines evoke instability and fear...

I invite you to visit his blog for more Tim Burtonesque, intriguingly nightmarish images.

Welcome Adéline!

2010-11-22T19:23:00.002-05:00

Thank you very very much to all of those who offered a sweet kiss, a kind word, a little gift or a cuddle bunny for the birth of my beautiful little daughter, Adéline. She arrived on August 28th 2010, weighting 4 lbs 15 ounces and charming us immediately. She is the reason why I have been invisible for some time and may be less present in the future...

Colorful repetion

2010-05-31T08:44:00.000-04:00

In her paintings, Misato Suzuki repeats patterns, creating undulations, ruptures and transformations. Mixing beautiful textures and colour combinations with identifiable elements, she finds the balance between abstraction and representation. The repetition of small geometrical shapes in her paintings remind me of some Gustav Klimt paintings...

Misato Suzuki, "Rain Drops", 2005, 48" x 60", acrylic on canvas

Misato Suzuki, "Pigeon", 2002, 54" x 47", oil and acrylic on canvas

Misato Suzuki, "Golden Sunshine", 2007, 48" x 36 ", acrylic on canvas

Misato Suzuki, "Glimmer", 2010, 48" x 36", acrylic on canvas

Misato Suzuki, "ggh", 2005, 18" x 20", acrylic and ink on panel

Misato Suzuki, "Parade on the Snowy Day", 2010, 48" x 36", acrylic on canvas

Well-dressed Walls

2010-05-27T15:41:00.000-04:00

I love the unexpected patterns of Turner Pocock's wallpaper! And their association with vintage, luxurious or worn-out pieces make them even more interesting, moderating the kitsch effect of the wallpapers.

Thanks to Decor8 for the discovery!

Flowing

2010-05-18T09:52:00.000-04:00

I just love Jay-Z's video "On to the Next One": so many flowing images in an harmony of black, white and gray!

In the Air

2010-05-07T08:54:00.000-04:00

Cai Guo-Qiang is an amazing Chinese artist who creates overwhelming pieces using different materials. From his drawings made with gunpowder to his well-planned explosions, from his huge installations to his performances, he impresses me with the strength of his creations.

Cai Guo-Qiang, Head On, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain, 2009

Cai Guo-Qiang, Inopportune: Stage One,

Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan, 2009

Cai Guo-Qiang, Inopportune: Stage Two,

Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan, 2009

For more informations, I invite you to visit his very complete and interesting website.

Children

2010-05-06T10:44:00.000-04:00

Here are some photographies by Julie Blackmon: involving children, they are playing with the usual and the unexpected, whether they are dark or bright. I particularly like the first one...

Julie Blackmon, American Gothic, 2008

Julie Blackmon, Take Off, 2009

Julie Blackmon, Candies, 2007

Julie Blackmon, Vintage Wallpaper, 2007

Julie Blackmon, Attic, 2009

Julie Blackmon, Lost Mitten, 2010

Julie Blackmon, Cherry, 2006

Blooming

2010-05-05T10:01:00.000-04:00

I really like those gorgeous paper flowers by Martha Stewart! But just like real flowers, there beauty seems quite ephemeral: with paper so light, I am afraid it will not take much sunshine to discolour them and make them look faded...

La Vie en Rose

2010-05-04T22:00:00.000-04:00

For many weeks, I have been counting the days that separated me from today and I thought it would never come. But finally it did, and when I woke this morning I could hardly believe we were May the 4th. For this morning I had a new meeting with my baby, and had the chance to see a healthy, wonderful little... girl!

Since then, as Edith Piaf sang, I see la vie en rose! I can not wait to meet my daughter for real, in mid-September...

Émilie et Arthur

2010-04-30T09:41:00.000-04:00

When I was young, my father read a book to my sister and I every night. One of the characters we liked was Émilie, a little girl in a red dress who had a hedgehog called Arthur. I remember thinking it was really an odd choice of pet and it intrigued me very much...

For some years now, I share my living room with the most adorable creature: my dear little hedgehog Napoléon. He is so well behaved, funny and cute! I feel very lucky to have him. Really, Émilie was right!

So Delicate - Yet So Deadly

2010-04-29T10:55:00.000-04:00

I have just been astonished by some of artist Yvonne Lee Schultz's creations: beautifully hand-painted porcelain guns. So feminine and delicate, their ornamental style strongly contrasts with the connotation of death and danger they bear.

I love that they are presented with matching teacups! To me, those teacups are an evocation of the fragility, beauty and frivolity a woman was more than often supposed to incarnate in the past, among others during the Victorian era. The pairing of guns and teacups modifies that idea, giving the hint that women can be sophisticated and delicate without being as innocent and clueless as they seem...

Day Dreaming

2010-04-28T10:24:00.000-04:00

Inviting us in the world of reveries, Boston-based artist Karen Preston creates digital collages where little girls tame wild animals and where birds and bunnies wear Victorian dresses in a mysterious vaporous environment.

Visit A rabbit girl, her Etsy shop, for more information on the prints

A Beautiful Office

2010-04-27T21:55:00.000-04:00

With the arrival of my precious little baby in September, I have to rethink an office space in the living room (since our present office will become the baby's nursery). Here are some good ideas, found on LivingEtc.

Thanks to Beauty Comma for the discovery!

Nature's Awakening

2010-04-26T14:55:00.001-04:00

It is strange how every spring I am surprised by the same phenomenon: one morning the trees stand naked and the next their branches are covered all over with tiny leafs, as if all of nature's tender green had appeared overnight. Yesterday I saw that many threes had big buds and was expecting some leafs soon, but already this morning the two trees standing in my little garden were wearing their summer gown...

In that state of mind, here are some bright, warm and vivifying photographies by Jardino.

Thanks to Decor8 for the discovery!

Flowers

2010-04-23T08:14:00.000-04:00

I recently told you about Émilie Simon: here is another of her video called "Flowers". The dark images, inspired by Tim Burton's animation movies, are contrasting with the sweetness of the song and the singer's little voice...

A curiosity

2010-04-22T08:44:00.002-04:00

Here is a profoundly strange art piece by Ford Madox Brown: called "Take your son, sir!", it was started in 1857. The disturbing expression of the woman, the way she carelessly holds the child, the neglect suggested by the unfinished state of the painting makes it a very curious painting.

Depicting Emma, the artist's wife, and their son Arthur, it has been painted during a period of heated debates surrounding the acceptance of a law authorizing women to ask for divorce when they were abandoned or treated with cruelty. This may be why the woman is presented as threatening to the father of her child, as if she was asking him to take responsibility for his actions.

I love the ambiguity of the composition that makes us look twice and to my opinion, the fact that it is unfinished only adds to its appeal.

The informations about the painting are from the book "Les préraphaélites, un moderniste à l'anglaise" by Laurence Des Cars.

So Many White Butterflies

2010-04-21T08:44:00.001-04:00

This beautiful composition is by Kiyoshi Kuroda.

I am sorry I have no more information: his website is a little confusing and it is partly in Japanese. If someone can complete the informations about this art piece, I will be glad to add it.

Porcelain Beauties

2010-04-20T08:24:00.000-04:00

Marina Bychkova's porcelain creations are just astonishing. Fragile and beautiful, they adopt the postures of humans and they seem to have an intense emotional life. For the last few days, I have been under the spell of their carefully painted faces, their sad gazes and their detailed gowns.

For many other images, visit Enchanted Dolls.

Fashion revolution

2010-04-19T08:44:00.002-04:00

During my visit of "Haute Couture" last week, I discovered -and sometimes re-discovered- some of these fashion photographies by Richard Avedon. During the tour, it was explained that his way of capturing models and clothes was quite revolutionary in the fifties. Instead of working in a studio with rather still and classic poses, he was bringing fashion outside, encouraging models to become actresses dancing, walking and to moving to display the creations in the best way possible. His vision and his work deeply influenced the way fashion creations are now presented.

Richard Avedon, Dovima with elephants,

Evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'hiver, August 1955

Richard Avedon, René, "The New Look of Dior",

Place de la Concorde, Paris, August 1947

Richard Avedon, Dorian Leigh - evening dress by Piguet,

lie St.-Louis, Paris, August 1949

Richard Avedon, Homage to Munkacsi, Carmen, coat by Cardin, Place François-Premier, Paris, August 1957

Richard Avedon, Dovima

Richard Avedon, Suzy Parker and Robin Tattersall - coat by Guy Laroche, Palais-Royal, Paris, August 1957

In addition to his fashion photographies, Richard Avedon is well-known for his portraits and for his artistic photographies.

Just a Little Bit More...

2010-04-16T08:04:00.003-04:00

Some days, I feel as if I needed a double of myself to get everything done in time. This week-end is the last of my semester and I will need all the energy and the motivation I have left to end things on the right note. If only Ingres could draw me one more arm...

This is a study Ingres produced for his Turkish Bath (see below, the lady at the far right). I saw this beautiful sketch last summer and even though it is not a complete work, it is one of my favourite creations by Ingres.

Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres, The Turkish Bath,

oil on wood, 108 x 108 cm, 1862

Memorable Gowns

2010-04-15T08:11:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow will be a day of feast for the eyes: I am going to visit the exhibition "Haute Couture" at the Musée des Beaux Arts du Québec. Presenting creation dating between 1947 and 1957, it features gowns by Christian Dior, Cristobal Balanciaga, Givenchy... The exhibition is presented until April 25th 2010.

Christian Dior, 1954-1955

Pierre Balmain, 1950

Cristobal Balanciaga, 1955

Jean Dessès, 1951

Victor Stiebel, late 1950s.

Roger Vivier, late 1950s

Images from ELLE Québec.

Swallow's Nest

2010-04-14T09:10:00.000-04:00

Some places just defy the imagination and induce the richest daydreams. The Swallow's Nest is such a place: built in 1911-1912 on the Aurora cliff in Crimea, Ukraine, it is a small neo-gothic castle overlooking the Black sea...

Image sources: image 1, image 2, image 3

A Crown for Spring

2010-04-13T08:37:00.001-04:00

Creating ornaments fit for a fairy, a mermaid or spirit, Whichgoose really knows how to make spring come true in spite of the weather. I specially like the hairclip with monarch butterflies...

Dame de lotus

2010-04-12T08:26:00.001-04:00

French singer and composer Émilie Simon always has beautiful videos: with her small voice and her enveloping electronic music, she brings us into her hypnotising world. Found on her album Végétal, Dame de lotus has been presented in 2007.

Friday's Crazy Little Drawings

2010-04-09T08:36:00.003-04:00

With there pointy toes and fingers, long limbs, round heads and huge eyes, Tim Burton's strange little creatures are amazingly sympathetic. I love the sometime tortuous, sometime flowing lines, the soft shadows and the clumsiness of the drawings exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York until April 26th 2010.

Fragility

2010-04-08T08:40:00.000-04:00

It is such a shame: I don't know who took this gorgeous picture or even where it was taken, only that I found it here. The only fact is that is fascinates me: in the decay of this small but complex piece of architecture I find some of the beauty and the fragility of life...

If you know anything about this picture, please let me know.

Dark Holyness

2010-04-07T08:48:00.000-04:00

Holy Virgin, renaissance queen and black sorceress are one when incarnated by Vlada Roslyakova. Let the severe, dark atmosphere and the strong emotions overwhelm you in the photographies shot by Pierluigi Maco for Vogue China, presented in January 2007.

Thanks to Lace and Tea for the images!

A Tim Burtonesque Bedroom

2010-04-06T08:20:00.000-04:00

I love the association of white, red and black, even more when they are combined in a Tim Burton inspired bedroom. Here is such a bedroom, with just enough strangeness, bright contrasts and many unexpected details, presented by Teen Vogue.

Majestic Experience

2010-04-02T04:20:00.001-04:00

Preceding Annie Leibovitz in 2009 and Miles Aldridge in 2010, photographer Finlay McKay has been working on the 2008 Lavazza Calender, creating baroque pictures depicting queens of an eccentric kitsch. I love the vibrant colours, the overwhelming quantity of details and the daring exaggeration!

Thanks to Trendland for the pictures!

Poisson d'avril

2010-04-01T05:32:00.001-04:00

It feels like March just began and already, we are in April! Being very naive and so easily fooled, I will probably spend my day uselessly trying to avoid tricks...

But after all these emotions, I will have some time to relax since the Easter Holiday is starting tomorrow. I will get to spend four days with my family, sleeping late and daydreaming... Whether you celebrate Easter or not, I wish you a very good week-end and see you on Tuesday!

Image: Moldychum

A Swarm of Red Butterflies

2010-03-31T06:55:00.002-04:00

I love when simple means are used to create a new and impressive worlds. I feel like the impossible is attainable, that dreams are closer to reality than what we usually believe... In this state of mind, let me present you In All the World I Dream in Paper an awesome video by Petra Storrs, featuring Paloma Faith.

Crying

2010-03-30T05:03:00.001-04:00

It is a fact that Virgin Mary has been a great source of inspiration throughout art history. Her pureness, her innocence and her kindness have been celebrated in so many masterpieces it is no surprise that modern artists feel compelled to play with the classic images and icons to make them their own, to provoke or to inspire. In Immaculee, published in Numero in 2007, photographer Miles Aldridge presents his own Virgins, looking like crying wax sculptures...

Ensemble

2010-03-29T08:31:00.002-04:00

Some months ago, I told you about Coeur de pirate, a stylish young singer I like very much (you can find this post here). To begin this new week on the right foot, here is another one of her song, Ensemble. The video combines just the right amount of sweetness, counterbalanced with vivifying strength and character.

Peaceful

2010-03-26T16:53:00.000-04:00

Well, what I had foreseen as the worst week of my trimester as been heavy but successful: all I had to do is done and, I think, well done. I am now preparing for a very relaxing week-end starting... right now.

I leave you with one of my favourite paintings, a well-known classic that induced a fascination lasting ever since I saw it in Florence some years ago. Created by Sandro Botticelli, Primavera can be found at the Galleria degli Uffizi .

I love the contrast between the nature's darkness and the pale skins, the bending trees punctuated by vibrant fruits and the sky surrounding Venus, who looks like a peaceful Virgin...

Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, Tempera and oil on wood panel,

203 x 314 cm, 1477-1478.

Have a great week-end!

I Dreamt of a Bird...

2010-03-25T05:44:00.002-04:00

Yesterday night, I dreamt I had received a miniature blue bird, so small it was nesting in a vintage matchbox. I was taking much care of her, but after some commotion I don't remember clearly, someone accidentally hurt my precious bird. My father, my sister and I tried to heal her, putting her all wrapped up in bandages in its tiny matchbox, sitting up with her while she was getting better. But after some time, when we had started to think she would recover, my sister announced me that it had died in its sleep, and I spend a great portion of my dream crying and mourning my little bird. When I finally woke up, I was still saddened by her loss and I thought about it all day...

In the mist of my reflections about my dream, I remembered some birds I saw last summer while I was traveling with my family. With their hand-painted details, their vintage ornaments and their uniqueness, these sculptures do have much charm...

Gladiator Bird, Lady Raven

Gladiator Bird, Quail

Gladiator Bird, Raven

Gladiator Bird, Towhee on Ball

I found pictures of the sculptures on Anthropologies.

Narrative Photography

2010-03-24T08:45:00.002-04:00

I must admit I have not found much about Lucia Arana, except that she is a young photographer from Lima, Peru. Her website contains many photographies, but none of the ones that are presented here... she remains, for me, a mystery.

But that does not keep me from liking those photographies, on the contrary. The compositions are complex, but always crisp. The unnatural positions of the characters give the impression that their movements have been suspended even before the time-stopping action of the camera, reinforcing the references to classic art pieces and to fairy tales. Mystery, gravity and a drop of magic cohabit, giving the impression that the characters are challenging us to discover their secret.

The images have been found at Redvi.

Celebration

2010-03-23T11:34:00.000-04:00

Today, Sublime Frivolité is celebrating its 100th post!

This is a perfect occasion to thank all the faithful readers, the occasional visitors and the passer-bys who are coming to share a little bit of my frivolity: it is always a pleasure to hear about you, to see you follow the blog and to notice your passage. I feel greatly honoured by the attention you give Sublime Frivolité!

To celebrate this very special post, here are some unique - and seemingly delicious - creations by Sylvia Weinstock, a famous "couture cake designer" from New York. Providing each customer with a custom-made creation, the reigning Queen of cakes offers sculptural pastries often adorned with astonishingly realistic sugar flowers.

The images are from different sources: select the image to access the site where it was found.

Vanities and Butterflies

2010-03-22T11:34:00.000-04:00

Taking part in the renewal of figurative art, Philippe Pasqua is a versatile French artist using paintings, sculptures, objects, drawings and 3D pieces to translate his vision of the world.

Provocative, shattering and intense, his paintings tackle subjects such as sexchanges and trisomia. I must admit I have been quite shaken some of these paintings, feeling that a brutal reality was somehow aggressively imposed upon me. Of course, these feelings are by no means diminishing the value of his artpieces: they are a strong caracteristic of his artworks and a part of the artistic experience he proposes.

On a lighter note, Philippe Pasqua also presents scuptures inspired by vanities. Traditionnaly, a vanity is a recalling of the evanescence of life incorporated in paintings in the form of a crane. Covered by butterflies, Pasqua's cranes may seem to leave some of their darkness behind, but in spite of their grace and beauty, the fickling butterflies are also reminding us of our own fragility.

I invite you to visit the www.pasquaphilippe.com: it is quite an experience, I have rarely seen such a professional artiste's site. With its animations, its music and its interactivity is almost a piece of art in itself. During your visit, don't be scared to move your cursor around, many moving icones will be appearing.

Invaded by books

2010-03-19T12:42:00.000-04:00

Week-end is coming, and I hope yours will be lighter than mine: I am so overwhelmed by work and studies, I fear it will never end...

Alicia Martin, Biografias, Casa de América, Palacio de Linares, Madrid, 2003.

Alicia Martin, Biografias, Cordoba, Spain.

These amazing installations by Alicia Martin are an excellent representation of my state of mind... But I know things will be better soon: two weeks and things will get into place. And I will appreciate my free time much more than if I did not have some very hectic weeks before.

Meanwhile, have a great week-end and see you monday!

Anna Sui's World

2010-03-18T08:16:00.002-04:00

Anna Sui is fashion designer very well known for her wild imagination and it is very interesting to see how her blazing style transposes into her living space. Striking contrasts, intrusive patterns and ornaments, femininity intertwined with a perfume of darkness and the perfect balance between vintage and new: it seems her apartment could not belong to anyone else.

Thanks to Lace and tea for this discovery!

Ephemeral Youth

2010-03-17T04:40:00.001-04:00

Vincent Bakkum is a painter and illustrator from Holland currently living in Finland. Using the ephemeral beauty of women as a symbol of death and decay, he says he enhances this idea by the cohabitation of beautiful young women with stuffed birds and fruits. However, these modern vanities are enlighten by bright colours and an obvious Asiatic inspiration.

Vincent Bakkum, Dead bird and white flowers, 69 x 90, 2009

Vincent Bakkum, Tone-deaf North Mongolian Moth-snatchers, 80 x 80, 2008

Vincent Bakkum, Altinaï, 150 x 150, 2008

Some informations about the artworks are still missing: if you can provide the information, please contact me and it will be a pleasure to add it.

Birds, boats and castles

2010-03-16T08:14:00.000-04:00

Ann Wood, a New York based artist, imagines fascinating little pieces mostly made of second-hand material, transfering the spirit of the old objects into her creations. Master of details, most certainly blessed with a lot of patience, she offers luxurious sculptures made of pieces cardboard, fabric and paper.

My Sweet Sweet Surprise

2010-03-15T08:29:00.001-04:00

Dogwood Time by Brittany H. on Flickr

We have been waiting for this news for more than a year, and finally, when we had started to think it was impossible, after being told it would most probably not happen, we received the greatest of all Christmas gifts: we have a little baby on the way!

Our Zygote (the name my husband gave the baby to be when he first learnt the news) is now 14 weeks into its development. He -or she- seems to be going just fine, and we could not be happier...

My Precious Little Secret

2010-03-12T13:25:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed that for some days now that keeping a secret is one of my current obsessions...

A secret is like a seed you hide in the comfort and warmth of your soul. And it grows, sometimes slowly, taking much time to germinate, sometime at a rapid pace, spreading its stems all over your mind. A secret can be blossoming into a secret garden, a source of happiness and calm, as its thorns can damage everything around, suffocating the secret bearer... If some secrets simply die with time, sterile and forgotten, but for many of them comes a time for harvest, whether it is by escaping our vigilance, by a unplanned confession or by being carefully revealed.

For some time now I have been harbouring a secret, and it is almost time to harvest it. Almost, not quite. See you monday...

Photo credits: I have had this photography in my collection for a very long time and I don't remember where it is from. If it is yours, just contact me and I will be glad to add a link to the source of this image.

Unexpected Perfection

2010-03-12T09:11:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, perfection can happen when you least expected it, in a manner you would never have dreamt of. It can appear on a gloomy day, when rain seems imminent, and that some unexpected visitors show up... One of these strange but perfect moments have been immortalised by British photographer Christopher W. Humphries at Belton House, a 17th century country house in Lincolnshire, Britain.

Thanks to .la douleur exquise. for this discovery!

A Touch of Grey

2010-03-11T09:50:00.002-05:00

These arrangements by stylist Tanya Goodwin have just the perfect quantity of simplicity, unexpected and dream. They make me realise that grey is more than a sober in-between of white and black, combining purity and density with a hint of ambiguity...

Shadow Theater

2010-03-10T09:03:00.000-05:00

In the editorial "The Great Illusion", Paolo Roversi plays with light and shadows, both of them of a threatening sharpness. Published in Vogue Italia in March 2010, it features Lara Stone.

Thanks to Fashion Copious for this discovery!

Colors and Beauty

2010-03-09T08:34:00.000-05:00

For many weeks now, we have seen distressing images of the tragedy that stroked Haiti in January. I realised recently that I have seen more images of Haïti since the earthquake than I had in the 26 years preceding, and that my opinion about this country is being deeply influenced by what the media decide to show - or not to show- us. So just to remember that even though it faces many challenges, Haiti harbours much beauty, creativity and treasures, here are some pictures we have but rarely seen in the past weeks.

Those beautiful pictures are from Marie-Louise Fouchard and Roberto Stephenson's book "Intérieurs d'Haïti", but they have been found at JuBella.

Spring's Effervescence

2010-03-08T07:55:00.002-05:00

Hours of suniness are quickly increasing, the air is getting warmer, nature is awakening... At the same pace, my mind is getting out of hibernation and I am in need of creation and metamorphosis. One of my too-numerous projects? The re-decoration of two rooms of my apartment. And those wallpapers from Studio Nommo are inspiring a drastic change...

Thanks to Decor8 for the discovery!

Happy Week-End!

2010-03-05T09:05:00.000-05:00

Chiho Aoshima, The Fountain of the Skull, 2007

Lost Things

2010-03-04T08:11:00.000-05:00

"Lost things" is a stop-motion short film by Angela Kohler and Ithyle Griffiths. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, it showcases flying teacups, a sea of wool strings, a paper whale and a wandering a pair of scissors. It breathes some fantasy to ordinary life...

Thanks to Oh Joy! for this discovery.

White Stripes (or are they black stripes?)

2010-03-03T08:53:00.000-05:00

I have many enigmatic dreams every night. Yesterday, I dreamt about an extravagant parade in which everybody was accompanied by an animal. In the middle of this procession was a strange but beautiful carriage pulled by two huge, athletic slim dogs. In the cushioned opened car was curled up a dying Christian Dior, minuscule and feeble. To my great surprise, the old man was presented to me has my husband's grand-father...

And then I woke up, these bizarre visions melting slowly in front of reality. I think those dreams are like my work, a collage of images that stimulated my imagination, only these are the result of an uncensored mind. The seeing of a huge dog two days ago, the constant publicity about an exhibition of Dior's dresses and family matters were all joined by my favourite night bird, my overly active subconscious.

Of course, this is my interpretation of this strange dream, but if you can find some signification, some hints about my past, present or future in this creation of my mind, I would be delighted to hear about it.

This dream made me think about some images I have collected a long time ago, so long indeed I can not remember where they are from. If you recognize one of those as your own, just tell me and I will give you the credit.

Haunted

2010-03-02T09:37:00.000-05:00

Have you ever read a book, watch a movie, heard a song or seen an art piece only to be haunted by its ghost for days afterwards? When it happens, and it happens for me to rarely, I feel that I have been overwhelmed by something so strong that my soul needs time to reajust. Have that ever happened to you?

Last week, I read "Virgin Suicides" by Jeffrey Eugenides in three days. Since then, five girls and a few enamoured teenagers are constantly appearing in my mind. In the middle of a conversation, in my dreams, while I am working, they are asking for my attention, and my thoughts are invaded by their translucent presence. Their pain, their questions, their experiences are disturbing me...

I still have not seen the movie by Sophia Coppola, but I can not wait to lay my hands on it...

A red drop

2010-03-01T08:50:00.002-05:00

I love white sculptures. With just the right amount of a deep, voluptuous red and some velvet black, it is even better...

Erick Swenson proposes such sculptures, and in his work realistic animals meet drama, vulnerability and beauty.

ERICK SWENSON, Untitled, 2008, Polyurethane resin, acrylic paint, MDF, polystyrene, 86 1/2 X 72 X 72 inches

ERICK SWENSON, Untitled, 2004, Polyurethane resin, acrylic paint, MDF board, steel, 18 1/2 X 18 1/2 X 11 inches, Edition of 3

ERICK SWENSON, Untitled, 2004, Polyurethane resin, painting, MDF board
18 1/2 X 18 1/2 X 11 inches, Edition of 4

ERICK SWENSON, Untitled, 2001, Polyurethane resin, oil and acrylic paint
132 X 84 X 26 inches

ERICK SWENSON, Untitled, 2003, Plastic, fiberglass, steel, flocking, acrylic and oil paint, 91 X 43 X 49 inches

ERICK SWENSON, Muncie Head, 2001, Plastic and acrylic paint
14 X 10 1/2 X 10 inches, Edition of 7

For more of his work, visit his site.

Dreaming about Spring

2010-02-26T11:25:00.000-05:00

It has now been two days that Québec city suffers the assaults of the wind and the snow. After the beautiful warm sunny days we had in the past two weeks, it seems winter now tries to claim its rights. But I now that it is useless, it will be ending soon.

Spring in Quebec is one of my favourite moments of the year: after months of hibernation, people emerge from their homes, leaving behind their heavy clothes to collectively enjoy the first warm sunshines in the streets. Spirits are lifted as flowers and leaves grow and flirting is in the air...

Somewhere in the Old Québec, on a street not so much frequented by tourists, their is an house built around a twisted tree. With its two entrances overshadowed by the tree, the round stairs and the high brick walls, it seems the perfect setting for a Victorian mystery.

I have taken these pictures some years ago, when I discovered this tree and house while I was wandering in the city, tasting the kiss of the sun on my skin.

Together

2010-02-25T10:27:00.000-05:00

Being a very independent, obstinate and perfectionist girl, I am the living nightmare of collaborators. This desperate situation makes me deeply admire those who can make a collaboration successful.

Rene and Radka, two photographers from Czech Republic, have now been working together for 8 years. Their exhibition "Under Water" has been presented in Paris in 2009. Sleeping in the softness of the waves, their body in the lightness, those ladies have some peace I would love to steal.

Wednesday!

2010-02-24T06:20:00.000-05:00

It's the middle of the week: keep going, week-end is not far ahead!

This picture is by Rosanna Anson, found on La douleur exquise, an inspiring blog by Marie, a Georgian young woman with great taste.

How Death can Become Lovely

2010-02-23T08:16:00.001-05:00

I already told you about my love of cabinets of curiosities. This one surpasses from far I those I have ever seen: it is Bonnier de la Mosson's cabinet of curiosities, a gorgeous oddity that can be found in the library at the Museum of Natural History of Paris. Framed by delicate cream and white embellishments, the harmoniously displayed specimens seem to be caught in the middle of delightful conversations- not in death.

Thanks to Morbid Anatomy for this discovery: for more information about this great collection, I invite you to visit them. Just be aware that some entries of this blog can be disturbing (the link above brings you directly to the article about this specific cabinet of curiosities, but you can find the general blog here).

In the Midst of Imagination's Haze

2010-02-22T10:26:00.000-05:00

In James Jean's work, oriental elements border tightly knotted accumulations of paint and translucent shapes in a heavy atmosphere. The brightly coloured flowing lines are contrasting with the elements fighting against a strength drawing them downward. Don't be fooled by the sweet colours, you might get lost in a dark haze...

James Jean, Ballad, Acrylic and oil on Rives BFK, 41 x 60", 2008

James Jean, Shattered, Oil and pastel on Rives BFK, 41 x 60", 2008

James Jean, Chinamasta, Oil on two canvases, 60 x 96", 2009

James Jean, Willowhorse, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 60 x 72", 2008

James Jean, Tango, Oil on two canvases, 60 x 96", 2009

Friday morning's lonely drawing

2010-02-19T11:42:00.000-05:00

Here is an other busy week coming to an end and, at last, I have had some time to work on my personal projects! They are only starting to take shape in my head, but I am already eager to see how they will be once finished. Just to give you a very small hint about what is happening in my imagination, I leave you for the week-end on this little drawing.

Almost Lost in Weightlessness

2010-02-18T08:19:00.001-05:00

Representing the instability that is now our world, Amy Casey's paintings suggest a reflection on the loss of solid ground, of horizon and of invariance. But as the building float in apparent nothingness, the strong bond that link them together becomes their anchoring.

Amy Casey, Big Cities, Small Towns, 41 x 54, 2009

Amy Casey, Drifting, 22 x 30, 2008

Amy Casey, Electralize, 22 x 30, 2008

Amy Casey, Swing, 2008

Amy Casey, Wired, acrylic on panel, 12 x 12, 2009

Amy Casey, Keeping it together, 36 x 50, 2009

Amy Casey, An Abundance of Caution, 13 x 24, 2008

Coloured Vitality

2010-02-17T09:09:00.000-05:00

In Québec, during the winter, we usually have either cold sunny days or a warmer temperature with snow. But these days, it seems winter decided to offer us a little break (knock on wood): while the weather is warm, it is not snowing, they even announced a little sunshine for this afternoon. Even though I know spring is still far away, it makes me dream about invigorating colour, fresh perfumes and the song of the wind in the leaves...

Lucas Allen's photographies, with their crisp colours and their luminosity, keep me dreaming.

Thanks to Decor8 for this discovery!

Fragments of Impossibility

2010-02-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

Once in a while, I hear people laughing at artists depicting animals, saying that it is irreparably kitschy. Josh Keyes is a perfect example that their statement is a rude generalization. In his sharp pieces, he seems to be playing the role of a precise but mad scientist, who can extract from reality fragments of nature that can not be. Represented with a surgeon's precision, his animals are caught in the impossible.

Josh Keyes, Howl, 30 x 40, acrylic on panel, 2009

Josh Keyes, Sleeping No.5, 24 x 18, acrylic on panel, 2008

Josh Keyes, Totem II (Raven Steals the Light), 24 x 18, acrylic on panel, 2008

Josh Keyes, Last Kiss, 40 x 30, acrylic on panel, 2009

Josh Keyes, Dry Spell, 30 x 40, acrylic on panel, 2009

Josh Keyes, Thunder, 30 x 40, acrylic on canvas, 2008

Josh Keyes, Shedding, 30 x 40, acrylic on panel, 2009

Josh Keyes, Rising (Waiting for the Moon to Set),

18 x 24, acrylic on panel, 2008

Josh Keyes, Rise Above, 30 x 40, acrylic on panel, 2009

Josh Keyes, Dawn, 12 x 12, acrylic on panel, 2007

Alexander McQueen Will Be Missed

2010-02-15T20:15:00.000-05:00

Paper treasures

2010-02-12T07:49:00.001-05:00

I have always admired those who with simple means can create wonders. For instance, paper is such a common material it is easy to forget that it offers a multitude of possibilities. Paper Unlimited presents some of those delicate and intricate paper creations. With folds creating angles, shadows and shapes, those very detailed pieces succeed in still keeping a halo of simplicity.

For many other designs, visit Paper Unlimited.

Overwhelmed

2010-02-11T07:27:00.001-05:00

Resulting of the combinaison of hand painting and silkscreen printing, Kyla Zoe Luedtke's work is simply overwhelming. Patterns, colors and shapes are intertwined, challenging the eye to find sense in this abondance.

Kyla Zoe Luedtke, Three Princesses Succumb,

2008, Ink and serigraphy on paper

Kyla Zoe Luedtke, Virtue, 2007, Ink and serigraphy on paper

Kyla Zoe Luedtke, The Fall, 2009

Ink and serigraphy on paper, 24"x36"

Kyla Zoe Luedtke, Duel, 2008, Ink and serigraphy on paper

Kyla Zoe Luedtke, Portrait With Lace and Horses,

2006, Ink and serigraphy on paper

Kyla Zoe Luedtke, The Aviary, 2008, Etching

Kyla Zoe Luedtke, The Changing Room

2006, Ink and serigraphy on paper

Saint-Valentine

2010-02-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

Nowadays, many people consider love to be alike religion: it necessitates devotion to loved ones, faith in people that are, just like us, imperfect and constant efforts to follow an unwritten bible of relationships. But despite all this hard work, we continue to fight for love, and when it crumbles to dust, many decide to start over again once more, because we feel that in the end, love is worth it.

When I was younger, I used to think that with all the people living on the Earth, the fact that two individuals both felt uncommun feelings toward each other was quiet a miracle. And when it happened for the very first time, I knew that I was right: not because of the rarity I had feared it had, but because of the strengh, the lightness and the felicity it gives you.

In my own personal symbolism dictionnary, heart-shaped milagros represent this religiously miraculous quality of love. Born in the Latino-American culture, milagros are religious charms considered to have healing powers and are used as votive offering. In fact, the Spanish word milagro means miracle or surprise.

This Valentine's day, I will renew the offer of my heart to the very first man I shared this feeling with for the 10th time. And if my heart could be seen, he would see a beating version of a milagro.

Three handmade silverved milagros, Cox & Cox

Tuesday's Six Self-portraits

2010-02-09T12:01:00.000-05:00

I admit it, I am extremely picky. So when someone comes to me saying "you should look at this artist's work, I am sure you will love it" , I am always very doubtful. But some days ago, Stephanie Chalut graciously gave me a list of artists she thought might interest me, and to my great astonishment, she was right. I must warmly thank her!

One of these painters is Jared Joslin, who created many interesting self-portraits. Disturbing gazes, cold expressions, studied hand positions and a lot of tension make these pieces stand out.

Jared Joslin, Circus Self-Portrait, acrylic on canvas, 34 x 26, 2007

Jared Joslin, Juggler, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 26, 2007

Jared Joslin, Knife Thrower, acrylic on canvas, 44 x 34, 2006

Jared Joslin, Strongman, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30, 2008

Jared Joslin, Shore Leave, acrylic on canvas, 38 x 28, 2006

Jared Joslin, Self-Portrait with Balck Bird (for Otto), acrylic on linen, 30 x 30, 2007

Sweet little beasts

2010-02-08T12:22:00.001-05:00

I really enjoy the thought of having enchanting little creatures on my wall. Created by Flor Panichelli and offered by Esty's Sweet Bestiary shop, these fellows seem to have been captured in a mythical forest...

Thanks to Decor8 for this discovery!

It Takes Two to Tango

2010-02-05T08:14:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, while researching the work of Mark Ryden, I discovered the paintings of his wife, Marion Peck, a worthy representative of Pop surrealism. The magical atmosphere is often tainted with subtle reproach and is always provoking. Through the huge glassy eyes of her subjects, I feel compelled to direct a critical glance towards myself and towards my way of living.

Marion Peck, Landscape with a Submerged Deer, oil on canvas, 19.5 x 25, 2008

Marion Peck, Leviathan, oil on panel, 14.5" x 11", 2004

Marion Peck, Bunny Love

Marion Peck, Hair, oil on panel, 18" x 13", 2004

Marion Peck, Supper club, oil on panel, 2004

Marion Peck, Birdy and Bunny

Marion Peck, Pepe and Snowball, 2005

Marion Peck, Baby with a Rattle and Queen Charles

Marion Peck, Still Life

Marion Peck, Weiner Venus, Oil on Panel, 20” x 8”, 2003

Symbolic Still-Lives

2010-02-04T08:02:00.001-05:00

Born in Barcelona, Miriam Escofet creates realistic still-lives crowned symbolism and a hint of magic. Rationality and mysticism harmoniously cohabit in the accumulation of beautiful objects, of rich colours and of architectural shapes.

Miriam Escofet, Geometry, oil on canvas, 46 x 46 cm

Mirian Escofet, Gravity, oil on canvas, 51 x 61 cm

Miriam Escofet, Bird's Nest, oil on canvas, 36 x 31 cm

Miriam Escofet, Blue and Gold, oil on canvas, 51 x 36 cm

Miriam Escofet, Dry Pineapple, oil on canvas, 31 x 41 cm

Miriam Escofet, Fossils and Insects, oil on canvas, 36 x 25 cm

Miriam Escofet, The Sewing Box, oil on canvas, 71 x 46 cm

Miriam Escofet, Grande Rose, oil on canvas, 66 x 56 cm

Elusive Oleg...

2010-02-03T07:33:00.004-05:00

Oleg Oprisco is a mystery: apart from the fact that he is an Ukrainian photographer, I have not found much about him...

In many of his pictures, humans are surrounded by an enveloping nature: lines, curves and dots are intertwined in an ensemble that make us feel small and vulnerable in such a strong and beautiful environment. This feeling is enhanced by the careful use of blur and sharpness and of muted colours.

Gold

2010-02-02T08:06:00.000-05:00

I love gold leaf: the way it reflects light, but also how it creates darkness. When you paint on it, the contrast between matt colours and shine is striking.

Today, I happened upon the work of Jackie Morris, a British artist who uses gold leaf and watercolour, a combination that in my inexperience I have not often seen. This marriage creates rich images stamped with fragility, as if the artist had caught an evanescent moment in a golden veil.

Jackie Morris, Art and Soul

Jackie Morris, Three Hares

Jackie Morris, Mute Swan

Jackie Morris, Long Ears, Swift Foot and Woodcat

Jackie Morris, Gold Finch

Jackie Morris, Two Swans

To see more of Jackie Morris' work, I invite you to visit her website,

Return to reality...really?

2010-02-01T07:21:00.003-05:00

Monday mornings are often perceived as painful returns to reality. But what if we decided to change our reality? What if we created our own surrealist world? Maybe we would never have to survive another Monday again. Here is a little inspiration...

Salvador Dali emerging the subconscious' depths

keeping a romantic anteater on the leash,

the animal André Breton had chosen as a bookplate,

Figaro Magazine, 1969

The photography's title is a free translation of "Salvador Dali sortant du sous-sol du subconscient tenant en laisse un tamanoir romantique, l'animal qu'André Breton avait choisi comme ex-libris". If you know the official translation, just let me know!

Coeur de pirate

2010-01-29T09:38:00.001-05:00

About a year ago, I went to see Coeur de pirate, a 19 years-old singer and songwriter. And still, I am under the spell of her light poesy and sweetly perfumed music...