Magical Reality - Pierre et Gilles

The most beguiling and etherial portrait photography comes from the beautiful minds of French photographers Pierre et Gilles.  They create mesmerising otherworldly images, full of sparkle and romance.  People talk of Pierre et Gilles as premier creators in the field of erotic art, but while their photographs contain a great deal of implied sexuality, and images naked individuals, the pieces seem far more innocent.  The figures are often modern portrayals of martyrs and saints, the naked figures are sometimes prone and vulnerable, and some seem blissfully childlike.  The photographs are beautifully lit, needless to say, and possess all of the qualities of a sultry Renaissance painting, with lavish backgrounds and elaborately dressed personas.  For being portraits, the images are each vastly different and possess an overwhelming narative quality, while remaining very untouchable and mysterious. 


Dita and Marylin, when they were an item





Kylie Minogue



Steiff

 

http://steiff.com/

Mohair, Beady eyes, and felt hands may be the keys to my girlish black heart.  The classic German beloved toys known as Steiffs have been in my family for generations, and If you ask around, I bet you'll find that many others who feel equally delighted by these little warm fuzzies. 
They cost a pretty penny, but even to behold in pictures they are among the finest of toys, and are well-loved the world over.

I only have one Steiff toy with its original tag, but in spite of its value I don't think I could sell it...probably because it is a BADGER!

Ink and construction paper sketches

I haven't been doing much in the way of drawing lately but one thing I do love to work with is black and white on colored paper.  These two pieces were the sketches I thought turned out the best...

Selections.9 - dime novels

Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Vanessa Howard

Girly and her brother, Sonny


Director Freddie Francis' 1969 Brittish cult horror-comedy-oddity it a delightfully stylized tale of the super deadly, filthy rich, and overflowingly proper English family, who populate the rooms of their sprawling estate with kidnapped gentlemen friends.  Sounds great, right? Well, it is.
I have been ruminating on this cinematic gem for some time, not quite knowing what to say.  The main characters, Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny, and Girly, all keep to a strict set of rules, complete with bed times, regimented crochet, and daily doses of vitamins and minerals.  Their etiquette-soaked lifestyle, however, has a distinct tinge of malice and insanity, and the characters react in unpredictable ways when rules of the house slowly begin to be broken with the arrival of a new friend.  The new guest catches Girly in the prime of her pubescence, and she must face the choice of grown-up life or childish games. What makes the film is not the exquisite and decaying mansion, the quirky Mary Poppins-esque dialogue, or the various vengeful murders, but the Character of Girly.  Vanessa Howard plays this role with a constant mask that can be only construed as "I want to be sexually ravaged."  It is this powerful quality that entices the many victims into the manor, to be toyed with and then inevitably "put on trial" for rule-breaking and then "sent to the angels."
The self-proclaimed "happy family" of the film is in a constant state of vague but piercing tension, most of which tends to be aimed toward the power figure and head of household, Mumsy.  When Mumsy and Nanny spend their regular afternoons crocheting, no one is to finish before the Mumsy, no matter their crochet prowess.
"You must never forget, you are only the Nanny, and I am the Mumsy."

"Friend in #2" disrupts the household to shambles, as he causes Girl to doubt her structured and sheltered upbringing, and acknowledge her own humanity.

 

"Nasty Nanny is no good,
Chop her up for firewood,
When she's dead, Boil her head,
Turn it into Gingerbread."

Matchstick women

Bellacozy and Holdfast now provide handmade matchbooks in every color.  They may be ordered blank, monogramed, with pinked edges, or with images.  In any event, you need look no further for your novelty matchbook needs, perfect for weddings, parties, or our favorite, as business cards. 

free puppets

thinking locally

Earlier this week we dealt with a double dose of social art events, those being OKC's Momentum Art show '11 and the Spy FM's last bash at the Speakeasy.  We are devastated that the Spy FM will not be returning to the public radio stations and met a lot of good people involved with it at their going-away soiree.  The Spy will still be available to listen to online at http://www.thespyfm.com.

Oklahoma City photographer Romy Owens ha a nifty photobooth set up and we were very pleased when she asked us to take a turn at it.

Update - Miniatures

We have been picking up steam, finally beating the post-snowpocalypse slump.  Bellacozy has been attempting to use flocking fibers, but has had no luck so far and Holdfast has recently completed an upcoming mystery umbrella project.
The progress made today has been on some little paper egg vignettes, tiny creatures included.  I took a great deal of pleasure from assembling miniature snowy landscapes and tediously gluing tiny leaves and birds to twigs.  A fair amount of fantastic realism can be achieved with toy animals, cotton and glue.  The eggs aren't done incubating just yet but they will be ready and for sale in time for Easter!