ULLABENULLA

Pixie Boots!

Truly charming illustration by Andrea Joseph via Moleskinerie!  Which pair would you chose???

dream in blue...

Image by Fuyuko Matsui

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.

definition

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!!!

History of the Color Wheel Images...

I adore these images from a marvelous article on the History Of The Color Wheel!  They just sing with potential and cry out for creativity!  Did you know that it was Sir Isaac Newton who created the first color wheel? 

Link found via Jordan Ferney.

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!

link and via

"...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.

link 

Sunday Swoon...

Ethereal illustrations of  'SwanLake' by the ever creative Gabriel Pacheco.

Elder Tree Mother...

Delightful painting of The Elder Tree Mother a story by Hans Christian Andersen painted here by Arthur Rackham!

Brambles...

LINK

How Do Your Bulbs Grow?

One of the true pleasures of early Spring, is seeing so many beautiful bulbs pop up out of the ground!  They remind me daily of  the pleasure of small beauties, and warmth to come.  How I would love to see a few bulbs like these amazing designs created by Emile Galle, via the wonderful blog Des Papillons...

Inspiring Indeed!!!

Happy Sunday!

  

Take Me Away To The Place Where Quiet Meets Enchantment...

Beautiful and truly enchanting etchings by Russian artist Vitaliy Gubarev.   Link via the ever inspiring blog Carnets D'une Marraine.

Hinkie, Hankie...

Yes, yes, we NEED the rain, but I am still tired of it, and wanting a little sunshine to brighten my days...  Shall we join Puck and Blossom at the Spring Time Ball???

Paper Princesses...

Oona Patterson is a storyteller from Brighton, who creates magical scenes of silhouettes and paper-cuts to illustrate her tales.  Delicate little figures cut from pages of old books, take on a life of their own as they flitter across an open book stage.  A photo compilation of her book REAM can be purchased Here!

Images via Design 21

Dancing Ribbons...

The swirls and dance of these painted ribbons just sing!  So simple and yet so very sophisticated!  Lovely...

Found Here.

Singing To The Moon...

LINK

Rabbits and Cabbages - Oh my!

With Easter around the corner, I am loving this textile design by Thornback & Peel!

silence...

via

Little Dancing Girls...

Charming illustrations by Maia C. Larkin.  Their childlike puppet quality make me smile!!! 

Proud...

link