Works of Art: Baba Yaga

This is the actual illustration I was trying to place when I was doing this post. I adore these book illustrations by Nathalie Partain from 1932.

Here is a more modern variation on the theme illustrated by Jessica Souhami. Love this one too.

Whilst reading her biography I noticed that her parents are descended from Russian Jews and here she is illustrating a Russian classic. It really interests me to see how we are shaped by elements from our own past and that of our forebears and how we sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously find ourselves going down a similar path.

My interior design taste most closely reflects that of my paternal grandmother. What about you? Any inherited traits or tastes? I'd love to hear your stories.

Log faces and a log cabin

There are logs stacked in our fireplace from the pear tree we had to take down in the garden. When I look at them I can see faces. I see an old babushka and her younger relative and they seem to be protesting loudly. 'Why are you on top of me, you are so heavy!' Or something to that effect. Can you see it? The face above them is sleeping peacefully, so I think they might just like complaining.

I imagine that before they came to live in my fireplace they lived somewhere like this.

Here is one of the pictures to whet your appetite. I love this. Folk art at its best.

russian pensioner olga kostina used 30,000 plastic bottle caps to decorate her home
image © reuters / ilya naymushin

Uppercase magazine

I was given a copy of this lovely magazine by my friend Eloise Renouf, who just happens to be the cover artist...and what a marvelous cover it is!

Such an inspiring affair, everything about it. I just keep looking at it and feeling excited. It has people's work, people's houses, people's clothes. Honestly, it's got everything a nosey person like me could possibly want.

Oh hold on, it says it is a magazine for the creative and curious. Curious is much better.

The first artist that I was curious about was Nancy Mims, who designs textiles in Austin, Texas. I love that shot of the Audrey Hepburn poster on her own design colourful wallpaper. If you are feeling curious and want to see more, she has a website.

Or how about Vintage Sue who makes accessories which she sells under the brand name Giant Dwarf? She has a collection of over 300 dresses! That is exactly the kind of thing somebody curious like me wishes to know. Thank you Uppercase magazine.

John Reyntiens stained glass window

This is such a lovely story, pointed out to me by my little sis who saw it on the News earlier on this week.

The artist here is an old friend and a lovely fellow. He has worked away year after year to progress his designs and career and it is so wonderful to see this achievement, the reward for all that time and effort.

Well done Johnny! :)

Here is his website where you can see some of his other work.

Matisse happiness

Last night the man of the house came home telling me he had to do illustrations for a website using the lines of Matisse as an inspiration, but with only two colours and tones of them. Tricky. So we did a bit of research and I remembered how much I LOVE his work. Oh, the colours, the patterns, those still life paintings and those interiors. He caught me grinning at the screen and asked why. It was because looking at the images just made me feel happy.

Foxy footstool

There are quite a few little projects in the pipeline here at freckleface HQ.

This is a little footstool I bought at a car booty last summer for the princely sum of £2. I have been meaning to refurbish it for some time. I knew I wanted the fabric to be orange and white and quite graphic, but couldn't find exactly what I wanted. When I saw this tea towel by Lush designs, I decided it would do very nicely, thank you.

I had always remembered this picture by Kirchner because of the fantastic complementary colours in the dressing gown, and I knew I wanted to go for that contrast.

Anyway, here is the project from beginning to end.

A gorgeous Xmas present

Possibly too beautiful to use? Certainly the most stylish tea towel I have ever had. Eloise is selling them in her shop. I feel very lucky.

Seraphine de Senlis

I stayed up late last night to watch a beautiful and moving film about a French artist of whom I had never heard. Her name was Seraphine Louis although she is widely known as Seraphine de Senlis, after her home town.

I loved the cinematography, which captured French rural life in the early 20th century so beautifully and the central performance of Yolande Moreau was wonderful. It was very inspiring to see her total compulsion to paint and utter absorption in the making of her work.

She spent her early years in an convent after being orphaned. A resulting lifelong deep faith ensued combined with a love of nature, which she viewed as God's work. She had no formal training, but felt that she was guided by her guardian angel in the works she painted.

Winifred Nicholson

If I lived somewhere, anywhere, it could even be a cave, and I was only allowed one decorative item to cheer things up, that one thing would be flowers. I love flowers. Large or small, scented or unscented, brightly coloured or really subtle, blowsy or modest, I love them all.

And someone who captures the decorative beauty of them better than anyone for me, is the wonderful Winifred Nicholson.

This last one is a bonus ball just because I love the delicacy of touch, the colour combinations and how she has made something so ordinary look so exquisitely ethereal.

Catriona Andrews

I love this blog. Simply love it. Things don't happen fast on it, but when they do they are wonderful treasures.

It is the work of Scottish artist and illustrator Catriona Andrews (Cat to her friends, which I always think is a lovely name). She tells little stories about her life through her drawings. She loves nature and being in the countryside, which I can totally empathise with and she seems to have loads of interests.

My favourite things are her monthly visual diaries. So many stories in there!