ULLABENULLA

Castles In The Garden...

Finishing up a two day class at the Castle today, in the NEW CLASS ROOM, so I thought these Asian Vogue photos would be appropriate!  Wouldn't you love to have a castle or two to stand in your garden???

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Oh to be a Child Again...

Doesn't this just make you think of wonderful sleep-overs, dress-up and yummy food? You are never to old to play!

Happy Saturday!

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Undine & Huldbrand

I find this watercolor of a swooning Undine, being embraced by her romantic hero Huldbrand stunning! 

The subject is taken from the short tale Undine by the German writer Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué (1777-1843).  Painted by Henry Fuseli circa 1819-1822

Ondines or undines (Latin: unda — a wave) are elementals, enumerated as the water elementals in works of alchemy by Paracelsus.^[1] They also appear in European folklore as fairy-like creatures; the name may be used interchangeably with those of other water spirits.^[2] Undines were said to be able to gain a soul by marrying a human and bearing his child.

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Slovakian Fairy Tales...

These stunning prints are by Katarina Vavrova of Slovakia.  Filled with wonderful symbols, and details her work evokes a dream like quality that I adore.  A few of her prints were designed for a Hans Christian Andersen Compitition in Tokyo and evoke wonderful memories from fairy tales we all love.  Others were designed as personalized Ex Libris, and are evocative and truly magnificent in their details.  ENJOY!!!

Photographic Fables...

I adore these photos by Italian photographer Roberto Kusterle.  His work brings to mind fables and fairy-tales, as well as deep emotions...   These images, in particular, are very stirring and wonderful at the same time!

Wandering...

“ and there was the night, too: but the night was fondest of wandering & wandering among all the bright & gentle kinds of flowers which you & i call ‘stars’ because we don’t know what they really may be. ”

fairy tales by e. e. cummings.

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Animals from Finland...

I'm off to the Castle today, to teach my Hand Reliquary Class!  I thought I'd leave you with these truly delightful collages by Reetta Isotupa-Siltanen from Finland!  I love her use of pattern, and the implied simplicity of her work!  Truly delightful!!!

Prints available HERE!

Diary of Flowers and a Ghost...

"When I got out of graduate school, I stopped Painting because it was overwhelming and because I couldn´t find myself in the material. But I also stopped because I was forcing myself to be a painter because I thought that was what my education had taught me. I realized I had accepted a lot of belief systems that were not necessarily mine. From then on, it was just a slow process of deconstructing this education and breaking things down to simple words. And 'beauty' was one of them.... I felt that I was part of a long tradition investigating what beauty is all about—the mystery of it, the elusiveness of it. So, I set out to understand what that word meant for me." 

 A Diary of Flowers - Above the Clouds, Jim Hodges, 1995, Ink on 100 napkins with pins. 

PRESS ON IMAGES TO SEE LARGER!

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"...a tangled diorama covered by a large bell jar...  Inside, a lump of earth seemed to sustain a few examples of scraggly plant life, as well as a scattering of dead leaves and a couple of brightly coloured butterflies. Above it, a larger plant might have given the scene some shade were it not made entirely of clear glass. This strange form gives the lie to the rest of the construction: every element in the piece, from the pine needles to the ladybird that can be spied in the undergrowth, is realistically rendered in coloured glass... Its preciousness shouts down the melancholic echoes indicated in its title – one ghostly form rising up over other (differently) ghostly forms, all of which conjure some bucolic and cutesy illustration of a hedgerow wilderness that is itself a ghost of something that perhaps never existed."

GHOST, Jim Hodges, 2008, hand blown glass.

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Pastoral May Dance...

Johann Peter Neeff (1753-1796)

Mayday Festivities Among Raindrops...

MAYDAY began with a flurry of raindrops and drizzle here in Northern California. But as you well know, Magic comes easily here at the CASTLE - rain or no rain. When I arrived in the morning KARIMA asked me to create a MAYPOLE for our window maiden to carry.  I immediately envisioned something out of my childhood in Scandinavia, a (paper) flower topped wheel for our young lass to carry in celebration! Here she stands, in all her glory, eager to welcome our guests and wish everyone a JOYOUS MAY!!!

 

Stork Dreams...

I'd Love A Swing In My Studio...

Image  link, via Old Flowers 4 Me.

Paper Blossoms...

I love this paper flower installation created by Jo Lynn Alcorn for Maya Romanoff Wallpapers at Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2009.  Such wonderful whimsy and tactile materials to create a stunning wall treatment thats unique and one of a kind! 

HOPE...

“Hope is the dream of a soul awake.”

—French Proverb

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John's Enchanted Optical Illusions...

Spending a day with John McRae at the CASTLE is always like taking a bath in creative inspiration.  Ideas and images get tossed across the shop, as we chat about new finds, discoveries and directions!  Yesterday was no exception!  John ALWAYS has something new up his sleeves!  Here he is with one of his magical 'Optical Illusion Spring Tableau's', a truly enchanting Victorian style handheld folly, made from a convex mirror, miniature trees and foliage, dresden, and an antique handle.  Look within - at the mirror -  and you are immediately transported into a three dimensional illusion of a springtime tableau!  Magic as only John can do!!!

 

Paper Pinwheels!

I'll be working with John McRae at the CASTLE today and on Monday!  If you are in town, come by and say Hello!!!  I've been wanting to share John's Paper Pinwheels for a while now, so today seems appropriate.  This is also a great post on how one artists mind works - namely Johns!  

John came to my house a few months ago, and admired my hand-tinted 'French Merchant' prints that I have hanging in my hallway.  One in particular caught his eye immediately.  Called 'Merchande de Moulins a vent' (Windmill Merchant) by Carle Vernet, it shows an older woman with a basket full of wonderful toy pinwheels. See image below.

Let me tell you, I've had this print hanging in my home for over two years and not once did I think to take direct inspiration from it.  John did!!!  A couple of weeks after his visit, not only had he recreated the pinwheels in the print, but he come up with a few of his own designs, and created a class out of them!  Combining juicy papers, Dresden, wooden sticks, and cotton batting dolls John's Whirling Wonders would be perfect for any party!  

If you'd like to make your own Paper Pinwheels, John's class will be held on Saturday May 30th, from 11:00 to 5:00.  (Call 510-204-9801 to reserve a spot!)

  

Birdcage Fashion!

This has to be the ultimate Fancy Dress Costume that I have seen yet!  Kasey McMahon of Southern California has created a 'Birdcage Dress' that really works!  She even has a link on her Websight on how to create your own Birdcage Dress in 25 steps!  Don't miss some of her other clever projects to be found Here!   Gives a whole new meaning to having songs at your feet!!!

Ethereal Blues...

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Fairy Tale Couture From Russia...

From Russia with love...  Slava Zaitsev creates exquisite Haute Couture straight out of a Russian Fairy Tale!  In his 70's, Slava is known as the 'Red Dior'.  In honor of the 100 year anniversary of Sergey Dyagilev's Seasons in Pairs, Slava's designs this year hark back to the world famous Ballets Russes, that kept Paris on its toes in the beginning of the 20th century.  His extravagant use of braids and ribbons, and rich jewel toned colors make me think of Russian Princesses eagerly waiting to dance in the cold chilly moonlight!  DREAMY!!!

More Images HERE.  Via Wearable Art Blog

Dreaming Spires...

Everyone could use a place to escape to now and then...  I would love one of these Dreaming Spires Playhouses to call my own!  Handmade in England by Judith Needham, from natural english willow, this is surely the most whimsical creation of 'Green Architecture' I have seen yet!  Tempted???  You can purchase one for yourself on Etsy Here.  If traveling is more in line with your daydreams, perhaps a Rocket Playhouse is what you need...  Either would keep me quite happy!!!

HAPPY SUNDAY!