matouenpeluche

A (little) Thursday pick me up...

I'm not sure about other countries, but in Australia this kitten is too young to drive...

YIPPEEE! It's Friday!!

 

Happy Friday one and all! How good does it feel? It makes me feel like dressing up like one of these eccentric Sock Monkeys! 

These images are actually from a mini-calendar / bookmark set I bought on my travels during the week. They are so fun and imaginative and full of personality. There's a different Sock Monkey for every month of the year. This is the link for the company teNeues that produced it.

...and pardon me for not visiting blogs and replying to comments - I've had terrible internet trouble but all seems to be well now!

I hope everyone has a restful and relaxing weekend!

Birthday Books (part II)

 

Here are another couple of books I got for my birthday. The image above is from Dali: The Impresario of Surrealism by Jean-Louis Gaillemin. Again it is a compact book full of his work and terrific photos of Dali at various stages during his life. It's great seeing all his work together - he really was the prolific genius in my opinion. There's also plenty of biographical info about him too from cradle to grave so to speak.

To the left is the cover and the painting on the right is one of Dali's with the impossibly wonderful title: Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bumblebee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening, 1944.

The next book I am very much looking forward to reading. It's called Me Cheeta The Autobiography and it's by James Lever.

You remember seeing those old black and white Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies on TV in the wee hours of Sunday morning? No? Well a whole bunch of Tarzan movies were made in the 1930s and 1940s in Hollywood and the Cheeta of those films wrote this book (ahem). Anyway, it's supposed to be utterly hilarious and a gripping read! I'll let you know! The image on the Left is the book's cover and the one on the right is a painting by Cheeta called Study in Purple and Turquoise #6: 'Water'(2001).

I trust everyone is having a lovely restful and relaxing weekend!

P.S. The lovely Christina of Down and Out Chic is having a fabulous giveaway of Diana's (City Lights) photography! I suggest you hot foot it over there to enter!! Just think...you could win this gorgeous "Couch" print! 

The Four Seasons.

I finally completed Jeremy modelling the four seasonal looks for '09/ '10. You can find them in my shop from top to bottom: The Look this Spring, The Look this Summer, The Look this Fall, and The Look this Winter.

I think Jeremy has a big career ahead of him as an international catwalk model, don't you? I've already fielded some calls from Lagerfeld's people and really, when Lagerfeld says you're OK you're already on your way in my opinion.

Happy Hump Day all!

The must have looks for Fall and Spring...

On the left we have the latest look for Fall (or Autumn as we say down here in Australia). Vests are big news with all the fashion houses having at least one version on the catwalk. Our model has teamed it with a black tie which is a nice contrast to the pale shirt worn underneath.

On the right we have the must have look for Spring. Notice again that vests are big news but they are in lighter fabrics and pastels are the preferred colour palette.

Our model for today is Jeremy. You can find these as prints in my shop here (Fall) and here (Spring).

I have very much enjoyed watching and reading all the reportage from the New York fashion shows. So much so that I felt compelled to do my own version. Stay tuned for the Winter and Summer collections!

 

Ah Chas - you know me so well...

I have a morbid fear of hairdressers and Chas Adams has more or less summed up why I've only ever been twice. Those two visits were to get an expensive drinking straw perm (basically an afro that took about eight hours to do) which I promptly turned into dreadlocks. That was when I was at Uni by the way - fear not gentle readers I am no longer a rastafarian feral drawing machine these days - I have a neat bob which I cut myself. Much easier to maintain!

So, take it away Chas...

...and Weber has summed up why I have a problem with boutiques. I much prefer the anonymity of a department store.

You can find these and many more cartoons here.

Happy Friday!

The story thus far and beyond...

I've been drawing practically non-stop, that is when I'm not seeing wicked exhibitions at the MCA (More on that later!) and wandering around cherry blossom festooned jardins!

...So, just to fill new readers in: this is the story so far re-mermaid Jemima:She takes Harry for a walk, She has a shower with Nigella in her Underwater Boudoir and she is surprise by The Interloper.

...and here are two new episodes:

 

The drawing on the left is our hero Jemima and her BFF Nigella having a quiet night in. Jemima is knitting and Nigella is having a bit of a gossip with Frederick the shrimp.

On the right, we have Jemima leading her weekly Crustacean Calisthenics class a service she provides free to all portly crabs, prawns and horseshoe crabs who live in her area.What a thoughtful doll she is!

You can find all of the above in my shop! Just follow the links.

I am currently mid-way through yet another installment - but I'll show you later if I am happy with the finished results!

...and here's the latest called: Invitation Only.

Happy Thursday gentle readers!

Bonjour Le Weekend!

YIPPEEE! It's the weekend!!...and this is how I feel - particularly as I have a whole two weeks off!!! Can you believe it? I can pretend I'm a bohemian artist for two (count 'em) whole weeks!!

*Ahem*

O.K. now that I have got that out of my system I'd like to introduce you to my new favourite photographer: Philippe Halsman (1906 - 1976). Halsman, the Latvian born American portrait photographer, is probably one of the most famous photographers of his generation. He was not only responsible for taking iconic photos of anybody who was anybody but was also responsible for the "Jump Book".

 

Halsman said at the time, "When you ask a person to jump, his attention is mostly directed toward the act of jumping and the mask falls so that the real person appears." Halsman even created his own philosophy of jump photography, called "jumpology". He published his iconic book in 1959 and it had up to 178 photos of everyone from Oppenheimer to Marilyn to Nixon to The Duke and Duchess of Windsor in full flight.



I am a big fan of his other photos too some of which you have probably seen before. These two of Salvador Dali are very nice I think.





Images from top are: Philippe Halsman and Monroe, Bridget Bardot, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Salvador Dali and skull, Savador Dali and Rhino. All Photos are by Philippe Halsman and you can find them in Google images. You can also read more about Halsman here - he had quite an extraordinary life!!

Have a super duper weekend all you glorious bloggers out there!!

and

don't forget the GIVEAWAY of my work at Gabbi's and Jess' blogs!!

What the papers didn't mean to say - scandalous stuff!

I rediscovered this little gem of a book my Dad had bought way back when. It was published in Britain in 1965 by an Austrian flautist of all people. Its  gentle humour is pretty lovely and despite my sophisticated 21st Century self I laughed out loud to a couple of the newspaper bloopers.

...and in other news, Sydney has been having unseasonably warm weather: 29 degrees for goodness sake!! Anyway, it was rather lovely for walking around in - I shall post the photos we took tomorrow.

I trust everyone is having a lovely Sunday!

Happy Friday + a cartoon...

THE MAN WHO LIKES TO TALK POLITICS
Arnold Roth/1977

I'm not entirely sure that I understand this cartoon 100% but perhaps I understand enough of it to find it funny. Then again I could be wrong! ...all I know is that anybody who talks politics for too long or too fast leaves me feeling a little like these penguins.

...and I think it's a fine piece of cartooning.

A choice Arnold Roth cartoon from 1977. Born in Philadelphia in 1929 Arnold, amongst other things, did record covers for West Coast Jazz musicians such as Dave Brubeck.

This is another cartoon form my Man Bites Man book.

Happy Friday one and all!...and have a glorious weekend!!