Alice in Wonderland Toy Theatre Scene

Okay you know the story line for this classic, so let's hope I put these scenes up in order. Alice falling down the rabbit hole.

The "Drink me bottle" that made her tiny so she could fit through that door.

She had been crying so much, but now she was small she was swimming in her own tears.

 

So what did she have to do to get big again? Well, she did, so here she is breaking out of the house.

And of course, don't forget the mad tea party!!!

 

Nor the Queen of Hearts and the painted roses white and red.

 

And finally the scene with the caterpillar and his pipe.

 

Illustrated toy theatre by William, altered and decorated by me.

 

Marie Antoinette's Masquerade Ball

Finally, what some of you have been waiting for an invite to Marie's masquerade ball. Come follow her through with these delightful scenes (again made by William) and *collage effected storyline. Story in first person as if Marie herself.

A letter from Maria Theresa to Marie Antoinette:
"The only real happiness in this world comes through a happy marriage. I can say this from experience. And all depends on the woman, who should be willing, gentle, and able to amuse ...."

So, I will seek consolation in light-hearted amusement. There is always Artois ready for a game. Come on, off we go. I was always thrilled to enter Paris. It seemed particularly exciting after dark when the street lamps were alight. Another masked ball would allow me to go incognito.

"Your highness .. Artois" ...

"Shush, keep your voice down".

Spinning around, fleetingly moving on my feet, thrilled by my anonymity ... and then I sense him watching me, and although I averted my gaze I went on thinking of him. I stopped dancing and joined my party. I felt myself blushing and was glad for this mask, as he had approached nearby.

Then an impulse came to me – I wanted to speak to him, to hear his voice. This was a masked ball, so why not. "I wish to amuse myself ... for a moment." So I went right up to this handsome blonde stranger and stood before him smiling. "It is an amusing ball ... is it not so?"

"I find it very amusing and you delightfully charming " he answered not in a French accent, "You are not French?" "Swedish Madame". I laughed and betrayed my nervousness ... Enchante.

I wanted to know more of the stranger ... "What is your name" "Axel de Fersen" "Comte Axel de Fersen" I repeated.

Lesemajeste - any move this stranger makes ... and I wondered, after the encouragement I had given him, what I should do if he did ...

"Madam you care to dance? Oh I should say Mademoiselle?

So I fled with my entourage, this was the right and proper thing to do.

We went straight to our carriages, the night was now over, exhilaration had alarmed me ... I enjoyed indulging in this flirtation. I did not think I should ever see the stranger again, but I thought: I shall remember him for a long time ....that seemed enough. If only that could have been enough.

And back to Versailles with the restless night behind us ... and dances ahead of us ... waiting.

 

"My dear sister Sophie, .... I would give my life to save her and cannot; and my greatest happiness would be to die for her in order to save her ...." Axel de Fersen to his sister Sophie.

Moral rights of integrity are attributed to Victoria Holt's estate.

Sad but true story. Story adapted in a "collage effected" narrative form from Victoria Holt's book - "The Queen's Confession." [collage effected - pulling random lines out of novel, mixing up in different sequences and scenes, and adding own verbiage]. Alas,  these histrionic arts – remember it is just toy theater, but this one is historical so I can't change the ending.

Concept Words

I belong to a group of creatives who are into transformation, creativity and connectivity, and we love words.

One of our members has recently submitted a list to us, so check out these delicious words.

Apericolea:

From the Greek, referring to 'a lack of experience of things beautiful'. (That's our culture today*). Beauty challenges us. We experience joy, rapture, hope. We may weep, but we are called forcibly into our lives and to that inner work compelled by the experience of beauty.

Fastasia:

Italian for 'imagination', or better still 'imaginative insight', what Vico described as an authentic species of knowing equivalent to the uniquely intimate knowing of an inventor or creator, more immediate and personal than knowing mediated via the strategems of logic.

Consilience:

Literally a 'jumping together' of knowledge across disciplines, consilience is all about 'connectivity' and the weaving together of ideas from different domains of knowledge to reveal deeper, common groundworks of explanation.

Coeur:

The French word for 'heart' from which we also derive the word 'courage'. The heart: or body's gateway to another order of knowing. "The heart has reasons, which reason does not comprehend."

So there we go, four concept words whose essences weave through and underlie our groups creative and consulting practices.

* John Cimno was watching public TV late one night and heard Bill Myers in conversation with renowned historian and scholar, Joseph Campbell. They were talking about contemporary attitudes towards beauty. Far too many of our youth, our leaders and our communities suffer from apericolea, Campbell said. Beauty isn't cool, commercial or controversial ... or so some would have us believe ... it's because for the masses it is too unattainable, although still aspirational ... but it is not shockable, to be shockable is easy.

Part of our group's vision is to stand against that darkness, and remedy apericolea wherever it might be found. We favour beauty! We are challenged, shaken, transformed; we are never passive in the presence of beauty, whether that is the leaping of a gazelle, the sweep of a symphony or captured in an equation, or painted across the sky at dusk.

Art Journalling/Journaling Session 16: Walking in another's shoes

For people that know me, they will know I love shoes, and usually with heels, the higher the better ... those tend to be the shoes I walk in (and sometimes totter, too). What brings me to my thoughts this weekend is that I've been reading a book by Charlotte Gambil-Scanlon called In Her Shoes, and I tell you what this lady out does any male preacher I've come across. I saw her in action at the Sistas conference and she is really gifted.

Anyway, I have reflected on some of the things from her book, because as a career counsellor (or even as me in a non-professional context) I have been guilty of doing all those things she says in her book not to do. So today's art journaling is also like my counselling reflective journal where I reflect on my day's clients (usually 9.30 at night my days are long!) and look at a quick snap shot of their context and where to go from there.

So on with the art journaling, just painted a few strokes of acrylics paints and then added images of ... yes shoes ... and also card cut out shoes .... then I just jotted down some of those reflections that had meaning to me.

If you can't read the pages they are here:

1. Listen to people's stories – engage in their world and suspend judgement – or better still don't judge. To truly understand someone you have to take the time to dig deeper and go into their world.
2. Give more of my time to them.
   We think that to win people over we have to impress them, or have all the right answers to the questions they ask. All people want is for someone to stop and care enough to give them the precious commodity of our time.
3. Be committed to love people – don't chastise or judge their lifestyles. Measure my words carefully and speak into their life redemptively.
4. Decide to connect with people.
   Adjust my focus away from my own life, and focus onto others. It means slow down. Don't be so caught up in my own journey, that I fail to engage others on my way.
5. Don't see people as an inconvenience or a nuisance.
   See people as a sea of opportunity and need.
6. Don't make or put assumptions on people.
   Every person has background scenery (their context) and I can't understand it clearly until I walk in their shoes.

My life sometimes has a compassion deficit. I need to build a life – a wise and compassionate life, one that is not too busy to stop and understand people.

Moral rights of integrity attributed to the author: Charlotte Gambil-Scanlon.



"Walk in their Shoes" --- message to self.

Now I no longer own a scrapbook shop I don't like pimping products, but if anyone is interested in that book here it is:

And that IS Charlotte on the cover, 2009,
 If anyone is interested here is her link: Charlotte Gambil-Scanlon.

Maison Paris

Okay, I've had chance to finish my next LO, this time it opens up and keeps opening up, to finally reveal the Eiffel Tower.

This one is made with a bit extra card, so it isn't as pliable, I'll use thinner card/paper if I do it next time.

The tower looks like its wearing a skirt!!! (That wasn't anticipated either).

Again I've used vintage postcards and a vintage print of a photo. Here are the original cutouts to give you an idea of how I constructed this.

Paris Oh La La

This scrapbook page has been converted into some vintage collage look. I had some cool vintage postcards which needed to be displayed, so voila.

A close up of the keys and bottle.
And more close detail of the Eiffel Tower.

Thank you Paris. Merci.

Turmoil

A friend's drama ... her birdcage of turmoil.

Don't ask me what paramour means, I didn't know!!!

Pre-Raphaelite Conversations

This piece is a quirky take on the beautiful pre-Raphaelite drawings juxtaposed with dressed up animals playing musical instruments, fish swimming in the sky, and another lady close by listening into the secret music of the animals, which only this weaver can hear.

Here this lady is tired from her weaving and she takes some time to rest, only to be visited by a goblin who has come down from the sky in a vintage balloon. It's an eclectic mix of different eras.

This piece is all about one's imagination and trying to let it create it's own story.

Victoriana Paper Doll

This paper doll is made up of Mamelok relief diecuts, e.g. her skirt is a fan, her bodice is made up of a butterfly and flowers, her hat is also butterflies.

Script: Live one day at a time and make it a Masterpiece!

Art Journalling/Journaling: Session 15 - Using Souffle Pens with Tattoo style rubons

Addicted to Your Light
This week's art journalling is of a song of your choice, my one is Halo by Beyonce.
Choose a song and then analyze the lyrics for various images, then add a background that will encapsulate the general meaning of the song, add the images, followed by handwriting the lyrics using a white souffle pen. A souffle pen is a gel type of pen that has a 3D effect, so when using this, ensure you allow the pigment ink to naturally flow, do not write or print like you normally would with a biro.

Finally, just add the tattoo rubons in various places.

Really simple to do this one. Click on the image to enjoy some of the lyrics, or better still play the song.

Marie Antoinette's Toy Theatre Scenes (revisited)

I was so excited to get my toy theatre back from my illustrator (William) that I never really did too much of the altered art work to them. But I've had a couple of weeks to work on them now, giving it that distinct altered art look.

So here goes the new show with all new characters too.

Ladies and Gentlemen introducing the main characters:

And Marie's 'privately owned peasants':

Let the show begin with our toy theater:

"Louis. I plan to go to our hall of mirrors for some light frivolous play with my friends, do you care to join with me?"

[and here is the full panel with a bit of the collage work]

[and use of typography to add effects]

"On come ladies out into my garden ... don't you just love the topiary?"



"Don't trip on your hem ladies."

"Perhaps you'd like to meet my peasants in my hamlet .. it is so rustically charming."

"Mind the horse, he's just been given some fresh hay."

"See how they entertain me."

"That's my favourite child feeding the ducks."

"I'll try and talk to her, I hope she likes this flower I plucked from my garden for her."

[The final panel showing the sky with vellum clouds and puffed wool].

Story teller's note: the story is not meant to be derogatory of Marie, as she was just a product of her time and she knew no better coming into the kingdom as a child ...she was able to live her fantasies and high life for awhile, but she was struck with a cruel blow from those who had loved her.

Yuk King Tan "Drummer"

I have recently been touring some art galleries in Auckland (New Zealand) and was fascinated by this work by Yuk King Tan (exhibition was 21 July to 8 August 2009 at the Sue Crockford Gallery).

It is a cardboard sculpture on a street trolley.
The sculpture is a pierced and punctured drum made from layers of precision cut corrugated cardboard. It symbolizes the echoing of hte abstract architecture and skyscrapers of a ciy also shaped and punctured by changes over time and history.

Alexia Sinclair at Semi-Permanent 09

This morning I spent some time at Semi-Permanent 09 at Auckland's Aotea Square. Alexia Sinclair was delivering a presentation to several hundred people. I am inspired by Alexia's work. You can see why.

Here's her bio:
Alexia Sinclair is an award winning Australian Fine Art photographer and digital artist. Her distinct style is easily recognisable and highly original. Using a visual narrative to seduce her audience with each photographic feast, Sinclair’s art is dark and seductive, baroque and symbolic. Her multilayered photographs subtly present contemporary notions of fashion and beauty through innovative digital media, whilst restoring antique notions of classicism, elegance and luxury.

And more can be found at www.alexiasinclair.com

And for those who don't know who or what Semi-Permanent is: To put it simply Semi-Permanent is a design event. It consists of a conference and side events which include exhibitions, competitions, workshops and parties. It’s a week long celebration of all things design. Graphic Design, Film, Art, Illustration, Web Design, Photography, Visual Effects, Animation, Graffiti, Motion Graphics, Stop Motion; all these things and more. Semi-Permanent explores the diverse and exciting design world bringing together exceptionally talented artists and designers to speak at the event.