the ukulele orchestra of great britain
click here for some free happiness, in celebration of the end of this crap September... (can I say "crap" on blogger?)
camilla engman
Has anyone else had a rough September? Mine has been one of the toughest months ever. Today I am only looking at things that make me happy, and Camilla Engman's work is exactly that. I am a fan of her "Collections" series, but there is so so much more on her website, camillaengman.com.
From Camilla's bio: "Camilla Engman grew up in a small Swedish town named Trollhättan. This is where she began looking at life from a perspective that most of us see only momentarily, and just a few are able to record."
Camilla's blog is also a treat.
Camilla's blog is also a treat.
nymphenburg series:
model and mold archive
nymphenburg series:
cumberland pattern by joseph zächenberger
In 1765 Joseph Zächenberger, a skillful painter, created the lush Cumberland pattern for Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufacturers. Zächenberger's pattern was meant to replace fresh flowers at table. At the time, fresh flowers were frowned upon as table decorations as they could wilt during the event.
"In his incredibly lush tableware pattern, one finds slightly off-center bouquets enriched by beetles, butterflies, insects, caterpillars, smaller strewn flowers, with larger single flowers decorating the rich gold border. Always in his painting Zächenberger employed the use of strong hues and deep shading to give the flowers a naturalistic vibrancy." ~from moss
Today, painters require up to three weeks to complete a single plate.
All images from Nymphenburg
pippin drysdale
Pippin Drysdale is a ceramic artist living in Western Australia. An exhibit of her work will be on view in Washington DC at the Australian Embassy in February, 2010.
tasty treat from cannelle et vanille, on a gleena plate
The lovely Aran Goyoaga has posted her beautiful photographs (as well as recipe) of a gluten-free chocolate cake on canelle et vanille. In the image on the right, the cake is served on a gleena butterfly plate, with the currants in a small gourd bowl. Thank you, Aran!
still life saturday with photographer ellen silverman
All photographs are by Ellen Silverman, courtesy of Marilyn Cadenbach.
A restaurateur turned photographer, Ellen Silverman is represented by Marilyn Cadenbach.
mexican tiles make me happy
All images are from Mexican Tiles Tradition
These joyful tiles are available on ebay at Mexican Tiles Tradition.
bonbon oiseau giveaway and sale, through Sept. 25th
photograph courtesy of Bonbon Oiseau
Don't miss a fantabulous sale over at Bonbon Oiseau (30% off), plus a giveaway of the beauty shown above: Made with antique 1920's Parisian crystal beads with vintage celluloid sequins strung and wrapped on two sterling silver bars, along with touches here and there of antique glass beads and tourmeline gem chips. Visit Bonbon's blog for all the luscious details.
vintage botanicals and their history
all images are from slinkymalinkicat
Not only is slinkymalinkicat a lovely shop on etsy that sells original antique natural history prints, it is also a valuable source of information about the naturalists and botanists that created the illustrations. Click on the images to go to the listing and to learn about its history. (the prices are very reasonable)
cassini-huygens spacecraft
Photograph by Cassini spacecraft, courtesy of NASA
The Cassini spacecraft has been documenting Saturn and its moons for the past five years. Above is an image of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, revealing its halo-like ring formed in the upper hazes of the moon's extensive atmosphere. This image reminded me of my astronomy plates.
If you have not yet visited NASA's website devoted to Cassini's mission, do so now. It is a visual, and an educational, treat.
Cassini's raw images
astronomy, math & weather: at farm
Now showing at farm in Wellfleet, MA.
2009 has been declared the International Year of Astronomy by the UN. In 1609, Galileo Galilei first recorded astronomical observations made with a telescope. Also, Astronomia Nova was published in the 17th century, in which Johannes Kepler examines the motion of Mars. I am forever fascinated by this science, and how the movement of celestial bodies affects us in our daily lives.
a clever wedding gift
My friends Ben and Susan commissioned a set of eight wee t cups for a wedding gift. The cups are stamped with the couple's initials, C and J, and the words all relate either to the wedding day: Celebrations and Joyful, or to the couple's characteristics: Creative and Jaunty. Through the words Ben and Susan selected, I feel like I got to know a little about the couple. It seems like the cups are going to a wonderful home.
one more to add to the collection
Cynthia Treen finished another illustration for our plate collaboration. I love the delicacy of this fern, look at all the fine little thorns along the stem (click on an image for a larger view).
When I first saw it, I thought I needed to make an oval plate for it. But then I placed it on a round plate in Photoshop, and really love it. Centered? Off to the side? Two ferns? Three little ferns? What do you think?
still life saturday with butterflies
photographs courtesy of Bug Under Glass
Butterflies collected after they have lived a full life on a farm, available on etsy at Bug Under Glass.
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