Muskoka Winter Wildlings

 

A few days ago, a group of buddies and I made the trek up to Muskoka to check out the Muskoka Wildlife Centre, to see what animals were kicking around in the dead of winter. Unfortunately for us the bear was hibernating, but there were plenty of other creatures milling about. Some of the animals were a little shy (or uninterested), like the Grey Wolves and the Fox, but the Bobcat and Lynx were oh so friendly! I'm glad I've got my wild cats straightened out now, because the difference between a Cougar and  Bobcat is night in day; Cougar is horror! Knowing the difference when hiking around Northern Ontario may come in handy some day. The Bobcat & Lynx were irresistibly adorable, with their giant paws and strange house-cat faces, and I kept fantasizing about a cuddle-fest with the Bobcat (who had an eye removed from cancer, giving him a permanent *wink). Another trip is in order, perhaps this summer, when we potentially get to handle the animals.

This trip left me fantasizing about keeping some sort of wild animal as a pet, my favourites being the Bobcat & Fox (and an Owl!). Of course it is illegal to keep any native wildlife as a pet in Ontario (for good reason), but it doesn't stop their images from being incorporated into any artists' visual repertoire (including mine). I thought I'd look for photos of some prolific artists who found a wild animal enter their life, and see how they incorporate this animal bond into their art. My favourite story of artist-animal bonding is of painter Suzanne Valadon, who kept a pet goat in her studio in Montmartre, and would feed her goat with carrots that dangled from her neck like a necklace. Too bad I couldn't find any photo documentation of this! Below is a picture of Frida Kahlo with her deer, and following is Picasso with his little Owl, who flew into his studio one day in  Antibes, France. Coincidentally, both Frida's deer painting and Picasso's owl visitation happened in 1946. I can't stand how fierce Picasso's owl is looking despite that it is just a twee bundle of feathers ! It has that same intensity that Picasso himself possessed, and in the same way the fawn echoes Frida's gentle and beautiful nature.

Painting: Frida Kahlo, The Little Deer, 1946

source for Frida images: here & here 

Photos: Michel Sima, Picasso and an Owl, 1946.

source for Picasso images: here & here

(Leisure Hours, John Everett Millais, 1864, oil on canvas, Detroit Institute of Arts)

Well today is my day off, and I don't know about you, but this is what my leisure time looks like...

Hair-Brained

           

source: Barber & Fritzhttp://barberandfritz.com/

For some reason I'm really obsessed with spiral braided headdresses, maybe because they are so unpractical! The braided headdresses in the photos for luxury hair product line Barber and Fritz, as well as for Danish jewelry artist Denise J. Reytan, incorporate an element of installation art, with a look ranging from folky, to aristocratic, to strange. Photos that are styled using elabourate props are my favourite; a crafted headdress is both hat and fancy hair-do. The best part is instead of making and re-making such a complex hairstyle, the"do" can be removed whenever.

I also needed to throw in some of Toronto artist Winnie Truong's gorgeous & strange pencil drawings. She is such a master of clothing her Neolithic characters in hair they've weaved to armour and embellish themselves with. My absolute favourite detail within these drawings has to be the "hair flower" woven into the side of a messy bun. The texture of the hair flows into the flower creating flora that looks prehistoric.

source: EINTR8 by Denise J. Reytan, Photos by M. Fischinger http://www.reytan.de/

 

Source: Pencil Crayon drawings by Winnie Truong http://www.winnietruong.com/

Winterish Wolfhound

Before/After:

Hello,

I wanted to post a drawing that I was working on that I decided to colour digitally. I was having a lot of fun creating the tie dyed effect in the background because there was a lot of white space to work with. I thought that a white winter scene could use some pizazz. I was spending hours indoors with a hot toddy and some roasted peanuts (!) figuring out how to use photoshop. Internet tutorials sure are helpful for autodidacts. I love the idea of hand-drawing something and adding colours digitally now, and plan on continuing this winter with some more feverish cold-weather scenes.

Creature Comforts

Turquoise House, Russian Federation/Cozy Upscale Throw from Modcloth/Enamel Teapot from Maisy & Grace/Ebba Shearling Booties/Photo from Hello it's Valentine/Triple Ginger Cookies from 101 cookbooks/The Abominable Snowman.

It's still snowing outside! Last night I was watching the snow fall for an eternity, lit by the orange street-lamps outside. It's almost as if the weather is acting on cue this year. Definitely in a nesting mood lately. I made some Triple Ginger Cookies from 101 cookbooks, swung back with a pot of tea,  and studied some video tutorials on writing HTML and CSS scripts, a little like learning a new language for me. I'm also in the process of figuring out the shipping fees for my etsy shop to get the ball rolling on Siouxvenir the vintage shop. I was also browsing around for some winter-themed goodies while procrastinating about starting a new drawing, a stately Russian abode, some comfortable household items, hot beverages, cookies... some critters from the park?

On new years my friends and I ventured into High Park to toast at midnight. We found the most rickety little bridge over the littlest creek deep in the park. We barely popped the bubbly in time, slipping all over the place, but somehow managed to under the influence of a few alcoholic ginger beers spiked with rye. I heard an owl on the way home, and just caught its silhouette in the trees before it swooped down and vanished. I could tell it was an owl because I could see it's head turning and bobbing. The park is so full of cool things, I have to remember to go more often.

Russian Headdress

      

     

Russian Patterns. Source: http://forums.thefashionspot.com/showpost.php?p=8925415&postcount=59

Welcome to 2013.

I found these scans from what appears to be either Russian Vogue or a Russian pattern magazine. I especially love the last image, with the pearls dripping down the back and the gorgeous lace bonnet. As a symbol of the new year I thought it was fitting to show some way of bringing traditional into a new era. This new year should be all about creative energy, power, celebrating traditions, and bending the rules a bit, or at least thats how I would like it to go. I keep all these things in mind as I am building my shop to offer up some goodies in the near future. Stay tuned!