matouenpeluche

René Bouché

 

 

 I have recently discovered social portraitist and fashion illustrator René Robert Bouché. Bouché (1905 - 1963) is one of those artists I feel I have much to learn from. He is a lovely illustrator/ artist yes but more than that he has a soft casual line to his work and colours that I very much admire. I suspect it takes a lot of hard work and skill to have such a light touch!

You can read more about him here!

Imges from here. 

 

...and in other news - what a relief that dreaded hump day is over and done with! Three cheers for Thursday I say! I hope everyone is having an OK week so far!

 

Poppy III

Is it just me or is it always very busy around this time of the year? I seem to be spectacularly busy for some reason. So much so that I have been unable to visit any blogs this past week or so. I'm sorry about that. I'm especially sorry for myself because it's one of my favourite down time things to do! ...and thank you also for all the lovely comments everyone leaves!

Sydney has also entered that frustrating time of year when it's chilly and hot and slightly humid and freezing all in the one  day! I don't like to whinge, but it's a bit tricky to know exactly what to wear! Still, it is a lovely Spring. I think the Chinese have a saying that goes something along the lines of "Spring is like a child's face: very changeable".

This is Poppy III by the way. She's off to a garden party and looking very fetching as always.

I hope everyone has a lovely week!

 

Shadow Shot Blossoms.

Goodbye cherry blossom! See you again next year!

Spring hit Sydney hard this year - I've never seen so many glorious blooms, blossoms and flowers! This is my Shadow Shot post but it is also my goodbye and thank you to all the glorious blossoms we were treated to over the past few weeks. Mother nature - many thanks.

Shadow Shot Sunday is a meme set up by the inventive Tracy of Hey Harriet! It's a heap of fun! You can join in too - here are the instructions on how to do so!

 

Happy Sunday folks!

Five from the Ground + Happy Weekend!

I have stumbled across a very intriguing shop called Five from the ground. It is a Japanese on line furniture and nick-nack shop that sells antique/ industrial like objects. Ikea it is not! The on line shop has everything from ancient looking postcards and letters to table lamps and cabinets.

Here's the link---> Five from the Ground. It's a lovely store to browse!

I hope everyone has a splendid weekend!

Image via here.

Things that have caught my eye...

Notty by Evangelione

 

Love Park Philly by Allisonostertag

 
Mockingbird print by Miss Brigette

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Porcelain Figurine from JoeVintage  and Black Satin Pumps from Bubblepipe

 

 

Yes! They are all from Etsy - the best shopping emporium in the entire universe!

I hope everyone is having a good week. Tomorrow is Friday here in Sydney and really it just doesn't get much better than that. Well, apart from Friday afternoon that is!

A Lion Called Christian

Happy mid-week everyone! This is the movie I was talking about earlier in the week that I found really quite moving. You might have already seen it or perhaps have seen the footage of "the reunion".

 

It's the story of how two Australians, who were living and working in London during the swinging sixties, bought a lion cub from department store Harrods and one year later, with the help of George "Born Free" Adamson, re-introduced this lion to Africa. John Rendall and Anthony "Ace" Bourke ran a furniture store called "Sphisticat" and this is where they raised Christian for a year. They gave him the run of the basement. After a year though it was clear the cub was getting far too big and mature for the basement and so after much negotiating were finally able to get Christian a place at conservationist George Adamson's Kora National Reserve. From here he would be (and was) re-introduced to the wild.

It's a very touching film and I'm not ashamed to say I shed a few tears while watching it! I strongly recommend it to all cat fanciers and animal lovers alike!

 

Top image from here and second image from here.

 

Musical Mermaids and other tales...

Goldfish Gardens                      Midnight at the Turtle Trocadero

Happy Monday! For some reason I am very exhausted after my Monday so I hope my head doesn't fall onto the keyboard before I finish this post!

So here are my weekend drawings: more mermaid prints for the ever growing Mermaid series. On the left is the lovely Jemima at Goldfish Gardens playing the harp. I think Goldfish Gardens is a tea house for well-to-do goldfish who go there after a game of tennis or golf during the week. On the right is Miranda playing the harpsichord at The Turtle Trocadero. It's midnight so the turtles are being a bit wild and silly. Boy can they cut a rug!

Other than these two drawings my weekend was very quiet. I did manage to take some more Spring blossom shots and I watched two magical films one of which I'm going to do a post about later this week - that's all I'm saying at this stage!!

I hope everyone has a super week full of loveliness and wonder!

Shadow Shot Sunday!

For my shadow shot today I have a small window which belongs to The Conservatorium of Music. The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is a grand turretted gothic building that is on the edge of the Botanics. It was built in 1815 as "a Palace for horses" or stables for Government House which is nearby. The stables were redeveloped in 1915 into the music school. The shadows here are from one of the frangipani trees that grow in the area by the entrance.

Shadow Shot Sunday is a fab meme orchestrated (sorry!) by the lovely Tracy of Hey Harriet! If you'd like to see more shadowy shots from around the world go here. If you'd like to join in go here!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Happy Friday!

I don't know about you, but I plan on doing plenty of the above this weekend. Meaning, I plan on having some fun! Fun for me is drawing, watching gorgeous old movies and more drawing!

...and I also plan on looking at a bit of this:

It is the height of Spring here in Sydney and everything is blooming! I have already done a post on the tulips and cherry blossoms in the botanics but I am keen to get back into the gardens and take some more shots. This pretty piece above, by the way, is actually from a card I have that uses the Japanese designs originally printed on silk kimonos dating from the early Edo period.

I hope everyone has a super lovely weekend!

First image from here and the second from here.

Aubrey Beardsley

 
Happy Thursday lovely people! This week has flown by for me. I have been busy but I've managed to squeeze in a look at an Aubrey Beardsley book I have. His sense of line and composition never ceases to fill me with awe! ...and in one so young! He died at the age of 25. I often look at his work and think about what he might have achieved had he of lived a few decades more.

I hope everyone's week is going well!

Images from here.