Sunday, May 31, 2009

Ominous Rainbow


Influenced by Tibetan Buddhist religion and culture through my sister Edith but also my own interest and knowledge I've come to know of the importance of rainbows. In tibet a rainbow is very ominous. "An Auspicious Sign" they would call it. It is even told that when a great enlighten Buddhist master dies, his boddy either shrivels or disapear entirely and always a rainbow appears above him.

Well I was talking on the phone yesterday with said sister when Lo and Behold! the sky went from sunny to dark silver, a thunderstorm burst out, then ended then in a middle of a sentence i turned toward the window and was made speechless by the view: a gorgeous rainbow seemed to rise above an island of light in my neighbours' backyard behind the magnificent chestnut tree. Such beauty, such magic! "very auspicious" said Edith as I described the scene. Indeed.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Forest


I finally found the time to upload the image I took of that painting (one of them) while i was working on it, at irina's. (may 10th)

Sunday, May 24, 2009

more mailing labels


These airmail labels are about birds, Owls and otherwise (...get it? other-wise? ...never mind!) They are cute and you put them on enveloppes - if you still use such ancient communication technology. I do. And decorating enveloppe is to me a sacred tradition that I always honour. The great thing is they are for sale on my new Etsy store called "Artrepublik". By The Way, these are original illustrations, each one-of-a-kind, not copied from anywhere. Where else are you gona find that? huh?

labels


Did a small bunch of labels. Hhmmm? What do you think? I am into wolves, yes, you are perceptive. Did some research about Warewolves but most particularly about the "Bete de Gevaudan" which no one figured wether it was a wolf or somthing else even though it was alegedly killed twice by an envoy of the King of France (lots on that on wickipedia). I am just about to post them on my new Etsy store. I like Etsy, so friendly and community-ish. I plan to post lots of stuff on there, it will definitely take some time, but I am hoping to build a descent little store filled with my very personal style of art and collectibles.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

More adventures


Ok. Good news. I went to Irina's last week. Never thought we would start again our painting sessions. But we did. Half the time we spent eating and half painting and going for a walk with Puma, the most loved dog on Earth. Nevertheless paintings emerged. I started 2 that I can now finish at home. Not that I have yet, a week later, but I will and I did do some work on them, one of them... See? And you thought I was a good-for-nothing. Well I did, almost. That put sunshine in my heart and then this week, I made again (Gohd, isn't that crazy?) ...some unbelievable thriftshop discoveries. You thought the wallet was a neat one? wait...

Went to my favorite vintage bookstore (if you leave a to die-for-coment, I'll tell you where) which is truly the best secondhand book store in the world, and went to my usual posts: childrenbooks and Art sections, but wasn't feeling the vibe there, so I squeezed by piles of no-time-to-look-at-them treasures and headed to the "magic wall of wonders" (I just made up that name - if you find a better one you win something!) and went through my usual drawers, depleted, mostly by me I suspect, labelled "Photos", "Travel brochures", "Illustrations"... and started to look about for unexplored area on the tall, wide, and very old wall unit.

At the bottom a drawer was labelled "documents", in it some awsome stuff, a 1800s letter, 1920 train tickets, 2 old sale vouchers frome an Art auction, all with prices from 10 years ago I think, and then I saw it: the little red book. It called my name, I stretched a hand and pulled it out. It was someone's journal, from 1940. Written in bold brown ink. Each day (page) is filled with more or less equal amounts of terrible unhapiness and yet is circling in this patern of unbearably dull routine. Who was he? why was he not working? Old or young? furthermore it has even sadder inuendos, like "I realised what a mess I made of it all"...

The negative energy it radiates is tangible. I will keep this diary and heavy burden of sorrow and think of what can be done with it. I feel it came to me for a reason. I know the right idea will pop-up when the time is right.

And then today I found a very old sewing basket (my 3rd and best one). It may have been originally a fishing [creel?] not sure. I worked hard all afternoon to refurbish it and it's content: lots of cute little needle sets and mending threads of many vintage colours mostly... which put together makes me think more of a man's sewing basket (more of a sock mending kit than a sewing basket). Think so. It was covered with a large amount of rust (from the needles and the basket tin liner) - rusted needles are salvageable with an sos pad and a lot of patience - and so was the tin liner. Looks like the little ball of red wool was home spun and there was an adorable primitive home made needle book that I brought back somehow from the brink of perdition.

I am pretty satisfied with myself.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

off the percheron, on with great patience



A little drawing I did for my Friend, Mentor, Guru, Muse Mania Shmakoff, who broke her leg in 4 places and was hooked to metal rods for 3 months, after falling from a percheron.

Friday, May 1, 2009

The Universe loves me


Hey friends!

I know... I've been full of words and poor in pictures... That's only because I had to reset all my system... all that fun stuff. But now I swear I'm back in business full-swing and filled those long winded posts with pretty pictures everywhere, last week-end.

Until then I must tell you what happened to me yesterday... nothing worth a Hollywood movie - even a cheap one but I went, driven by addiction, to a thrift shop and found a charming pinkish red hand bag - first hand bag in decades! - couldn't resist the combination of materials (little red flowers inside, hot pink outside), also found a decent frame for my Art - bonus - and a book on India's Art, an antique book on cats, an antique little bus card holder, and, last but not least...

But first let me explain: when you go thrift shop hunting, there is that one thing that can happen only in that kind of shopping (well, ok, in libraries as well) - "finding-something-inside", no, not often, and it usually is just a gum wrapper - such as I did find in the pink bag - but yesterday...

I came home and went on an expedition inside an old little wallet I found there with the words "leather Irish made" in gold on it. I found things in it and also in a vintage kid's book. And it seemed amazing to me.

In the book was a library card. I love library cards... and it was the most magnificent library card I have ever seen! Like a road map of the life of this book - about a witch and her many cats!

Inside the wallet I found 3 things: 2 loonies and a little fortune cookie paper. One of the loonies was marked 1988 - the year I came to Canada. The other one said 94, not a significant year for me, but I put them side by side and saw that one had a young Queen on it the other one an old Queen: a symbol of my coming of age, and on the little yellowed paper was typed with an old typewriter the words "courage - everything will be all right". I put all these treasures in front of me and paused. I felt like I was getting a big hug from the universe. Later on, as I peered at my figurine of the goddess of compassion, I felt this tangible wave of love pass through me.

anyway, a pitcture of the world we live in: an irish wallet with 2 candian loonies and a chinese fortune cookie note - perfect!