after years of watching the movies and discussing it with family and friends. I enjoy how truly frank and ballsy Lizzy is in the book. My plan is to rewatch the BBC mini-series when I'm finished with the book, as I haven't seen it since I was quite young and watched it with my mom.
I'm reading the little red Collector's Library edition, and in it are these wonderful drawings by victorian illustrator Hugh Thompson. There's a shocking lack of good quality images online of his work, but here's what I could find.
'And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody.'
It's an attack of pretty. I wish I could fathom wearing anything but bulky wool or cashmere sweaters every day. Soon enough all the spring fashions will be in the windows, soon enough...
squarely. blunty. all neat in little charts and graphs.
Today on the métro, an extremely attractive young guy got on just after me. He was carrying an art portfolio (the same kind I bought last week), so I thought he was neat from the beginning. Then after a few stops he pulled one of these rubiks cubes out of his bag and started fiddling with it, hands like lightning. Soon enough everyone on the crowded train was staring at him in the corner. He was so close to being finished too, but I imagine that with these things it doesn't matter if it looks like you're almost done unless you're actually done.
I am a very visual person, but I cannot for the life of me picture how to solve rubiks cubes. I wonder if part of my brain has trouble putting things in terms of squares, boxes, geometry. In photo class tonight I took instruction to hold a flashlight in the dark and move it at only 90 degree angles while the camera was on bulb. In the picture, my lines weren't straight. I can draw a fairly straight line with a pencil, but a circle, not so much. Yet when I move I much prefer soft and circular motions. When I think, I think in circles, not in lines. I connect things from beginning and end to make perfect little wholes and then put them aside; I can't do linear plots. My eyes move around artworks, people, places, all in circles, and a lot of the time I don't take in everything that's there, like in the middle of a circle. Example: it took me two days to look up in my own Parisian bedroom to see that the light source is a birdcage lamp (ironically shaped like two squares, one on top of a bigger one). Yet I was completely enamored with the fact that I finally have an armoir.
you went behind the clouds, then all the rain came down.
I've been listening to The Elected album Sun, Sun, Sun all week. It reminds me of a particularly relaxing vacation at the beach a few summers ago. In this weather I need to be reminded.
Annnnnd the spring/summer collection from Ace & Jig. Simple and super cute– I love the big red stripey shirt, and its photo. All the photos are actually very well done, très bien faites.
I woke up a little late today only to find the sun shining through the thick red and orange curtains in my room. The sun. I see it so rarely that I've begun to actually take notice when it comes out. Maybe in the long run this Parisian weather will help me appreciate and take advantage of good weather more often. [insert quip about me keeping on the bright side of the street/fence/life, whatever.]
I got dressed and went to the corner store to buy some eggs. I've had a craving for fried eggs (sunny side up, of course) for about a week now, and this was my morning damnit! This little store around the corner is called 8àhuit, which just means "8 to 8". I take it to be France's exponentially more amazing version of 7-11. (They even sell this delicious raspberry yogurt that comes in a little glass jar, and a dozen varieties of those terrific pudding-type desserts that everyone here loves.) I bought the eggs and a little container of apple mango pressed juice (ugh, so good), and upon arriving home, immediately got back into my comfy clothes. This had to be done right.
(For the record, the sun was STILL shining at this point... such a record for Paris.)
Toast, butter, fried eggs, salt, tons of pepper, juice, sunshine... the simplest things, it was just so perfect.
Then I felt compelled to listen to this song and its accompanying album so cleverly titled Album.
Took a shower, did some yoga, glanced at my email, and left for the darkroom. Spent hours there, made good prints. I've been taking the bus to the studio this week, which I much prefer to the metro. There's so much more to look at out the window.
Little Otsu is a truly amazing publishing company and online shop that's based in Portland, OR. (I've featured their products before, remember?) They support green publishing and independent artists– two things I care for so deeply! The Little Otsu blog has a fun little featured series where readers submit photographs according to a theme. I turned in three photos for the theme Living Things Among Us and they are officially live! Check them out here.
Big thanks to Little Otsu for featuring my work! I am so thrilled to be included among all the amazing artists featured on the blog.
In other news, here is a wonderful sculpture I saw at the Louvre today.
View the whole Messerschmidt exhibition online here. They're most amazing faces I've ever seen. And they were made in the 1700s, which surprised me because it seems like a very contemporary (though classical technique-wise) concept, sculpting screaming/grimacing people. N'est-ce pas?
I've been compiling a list of songs about weird love for a long time now, and it just so happens that tomorrow is valentine's day. So in the spirit of caring, I present to you odd love: songs of love gone awry and strange, just in time for st. valentine.
If you're interested in hearing my other themed mixes, check out my 8tracks account.
As for me, I will be spending the whole day with my one true love: the darkroom. oui oui oui.
Steven Alan does a great job at making complementary collections for men and women. His styles are congruent. (I love that word, even if it makes me think of 8th grade math class.) I love man style like this, and my posting of this gorgeous model is my valentine's day gift to all you ladies out there.
And to say that I gasped when I saw that backless black dress would be an understatement. It's not listed for sale on the site yet, either. I wonder...
