Everything's Coming Up Alice

This seems to be the week of Alice .... . . and Tim and Johnny.
Everywhere we turn there are fantastic images of Johnny Depp and
Helena Bonham Carter as envisioned by Tim Burton in the current
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
This classic story has enchanted and inspired many versions and many
illustrators to create visions to accompany Lewis Carroll's romp
through Wonderland.

We all carry memories of our childhood books and their illustrations.
I must say, my memories don't look anything like these remarkable
characters created by Blanche McManus.
My Alice didn't have near as much style !
What a sophisticated palette of magic she created ... .
quite the jazzy storybook.


Love the multiple top hats on the Mad Hatter.
Love Alices' fan.
Love the perspective on the checkerboard croquet court.

Love the perfect dollops of R E D.


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Thanks again to Diane & the ever enlightening Finsbry Collection.
And
if you'd like to read more about Blanche, go HERE.
She was a fascinating woman , born in 1870 on a plantation
in Louisiana -- - who married, moved to Paris and traveled
the world. She wrote and illustrated childrens' books as a
means of introducing them to other places & cultures.

Red :: A Little Goes a Long Way

Red is such a brilliant spice, that very small additions are often
all that are needed to bring a composition to life.

These three pieces seem to perfectly illustrate that . . .
"Just a dab will do."

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photo 1 : Beauty As Currency
photo 2 : Cross Dressing Kings
photo 3 : Puzzle Over Puzzle

All - Mixed Media by Judith Thibaut

Renaissance Red :: Bronzino

No one captured the rigid formality of court life in Florence
better than Agnolo Bronzino ( 1503-1572).
These are three of my favorites. The sumptuous details in the jewels
and fabric leave me slightly swooning .. . . especially the rare softness
of the red in each of these paintings.
Since one of my personal challenges for 2010 is to "Expand my Vision" -
I loved playing with these classic images to give them a bit of a
Fractured Renaissance effect with the multiple polaroids a la Mr. Hockney.

I rather think this group might have welcomed a playful moment
away from all that court formality .

Here's hoping you'll be having more than a few playful moments
this weekend ... . .


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Bronzino portraits : Altered Photographs by Judith Thibaut

Valentines Made from ... . What !! ?

I'd been saving these grocery bags for months.

Loved the funny little faux Victoriana illustrations ... . . and the red/black
color palette on the brown craft paper.

Then it hit me : I'd rip up the grocery bags and cut out little hearts
with my pinking shears. The next step would be to outline the pinked edges
with my gold leaf pen.
Of course, everything is more fun when layered with some gold tulle
and stitched over black cardstock.

Voila! Valentines pour vous !!

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Sending you all hugs for a lovely weekend ... . .

Jjj

Multiple Mirrors of Edinburgh

I know I always say this ... . . but, you REALLY must click on this photo to
view large. I adore photographing mirrors which reflect other mirrors for
a rather endless bounce of ongoing play, and this was the ultimate
opportunity.
Some of you may remember this image from a previous post on my favorite
(and Very Red .. .) hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland: Prestonfield House.
For a another visit to this small gem, do go HERE to refresh your memory.
Especially if you'd like to hop from the New York Red
of our evening at the Gramercy Park Hotel to a Scottish experience.


Just to the left of the main building .. . down a stone walk &
across a green velvet lawn .. . you'll find a circular stone building
which started life as the original Georgian stables.
Today it serves as a wondrous ballroom whose walls are draped in
red velvet with a series of ornate gold mirrors circling the entire room.

Let's don our kilts and dance the the night away.... . .


And, don't forget to glance over your partners' shoulder
to catch the sparkling reflections in all those golden mirrors ,
before you head back to your cozy room at dawn.

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If you're feeling the need for more reflections
do go by Theme Thursday and check out some other thoughts
on Mirrors.
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Browse the beautiful Prestonfield House website for
an enticing experience ... .
or see more of my own personal photos, which document
my visit to this enchanting Scottish spot - HERE.

Rhapsody in Red

Think Edgy Bohemian. Think Peggy Guggenheim in Venice.
Think perfect mix of sumptuous fabrics, regal furnishings and
monumentally scaled art from the personal collections of Cy Twombly,
Damien Hirst and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Who could put this all together with such panache ??
Perhaps only the multi talented Julian Schnabel ... . .
artist, film director, interior designer and noted pajama collector.

And where could this little slice of heaven be found ?
The Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City.

Dive in. Enjoy.
Let's retreat to the Penthouse to prop up our feet and consider the
perfect evening after a day of museums, galleries and just a
bit of shopping.

I'm thinking room service.
Won't you join me ?
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Read more about this project in an enlightening
article from Travel & Leisure ... HERE.

Red Theatrics

After declaring February to be a Month of Red ... . I decided my first
Red Leap would need to be my blog banner. Moulin Rouge pour moi??
Why not jump in and start with a bit of Can Can . . .


Upon further inspection, I found Red to be the color of choice for
all things theatrical - be they Paris or New York, magazines or posters.

Red is also the color of choice, which spanned the realm from
Hamlet to Josephine.
Whether a small touch or a big splash .. ... .. Red is HOT !

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All images from the wonderful Finsbry Collection

Reflections on Red :: A Brief History

When Theme Thursday announced this weeks' topic to be R E D ,
I was thrilled. As many of my regular readers know,
Red is always thrilling to me ... . .. so much so that
I browsed my photos for everything with a red tag attached and found
dozens of images in every category. Oh my . Where to start??

Interiors : though I generally prefer a neutral palette with small touches
of red, I was reminded of one of my favorite Deep Red powder rooms,
done for a client who wanted total immersion in a rich luscious surprise
in this tiny space. (Do click on this photo to view large and see all the
remarkable details in these unique antique pieces)
Travel: this is my all time favorite red repetition image from my travel files -
the Liverpool Docks with Red Brick / Red Bouys / Red Columns and
A Red Boat. How often do you run into a boat which appears to be totally
dipped in red paint?!
Art: Another venue where small accents of red, in an otherwise
black / white palette are a favorite theme ... . found in many pieces of
my mixed media. This one is called " She Always Stopped Traffic .. . "
and features a Phillip Treacy hat layered over vintage sheet music
and silver tulle.

Wardrobe: It's found head to toe in my closet ... . .. mostly with great
quantities of black in between.
I can't bear leaving out so many other really fab R E D photos. February is
such a great red month ... . we haven't even started with the Valentines.
Why stop with one day of Red ??

I've made an executive decision - this is RED Month at studio Judith.
Total immersion .
If you love Red as much as I love Red , stop by for more enchanting Red.

This will be fun!

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Warm up for more adventures in Red with other posts
here at Theme Thursday.