1. A Bad Day for Hair 2 by Kelsey
2. Gulf water by esoule
3. inaya404 Livejournal via ffffound
4. Tada!
5. She Will Be Loved by curlytops

I have a little song to share with you.
Until I figure out how to code an audio player into this post, please download it here:

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds, in the sky, you’ll get by
If you smile, through your fear and sorrow
Smile, and there’ll be tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through
For you
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear, may be ever so near,
That’s the time, you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying?
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you’ll just….
Feanne - Smile.mp3

Please enjoy these words while listening to the music:

This theme, hope, it’s for myself, for these shadowed times, bit it’s for you as well. My new friend affirms— we help others to heal, when we share our stories and our wounds. My own post today is a composite, semi-abstract body of words and pictures, but I hope to touch you and remind you, you are not alone!

I made this for myself the other week:

Turned out to be prophetic. I spent last week without an Internet connection at home. It was non-voluntary. Very frustrating, but also strangely liberating. Here are some of the things that I did, while I was helplessly offline:

• made drawings and jewellery
• designed journals
• sold journals and jewellery
• did not do my homework
• read five books instead—
  1. The Rainmaker by John Grisham
  2. The House of Mirt by Edith Wharton
  3. Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence
  4. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
  5. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
  — the last two got me teary-eyed.
• befriended a stranger through my art
• had cozy conversation with my grandma
• stayed up til 4am with my mom and her friends in her house
• acquired five new books—
  1. Goddess at Home: Divine Interiors Inspired by Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Hera, Hestia, and Persephone
  2. Pattern Sourcebook: Chinese Style
  3. Pattern Sourcebook: Japanese Style
  4. The Yoga of Drawing: Uniting Body, Mind and Spirit in the Art of Drawing
  5. Art Nouveau: Utopia: Reconciling the Irreconcilable
• harassed the Internet company’s customer service representatives because of the unexplained delay in my Internet reconnection

Yes, I’m in a mushy sort of mood. Just spent a day with my boyfriend. He’s been away for three weeks, getting his hours done in aviation school. We had an oasis day after a long stretch of desert!

I wish you all warm hugs, oasis weekends, and spectacular music.

Love,
Feanne

1. I think about you all the time by waterandsleep
2. (green moths) Untitled by Jeana Sohn
3. Theater of Insects by Jo Whaley
4. Sleeps with Butterflies by Stephani Pui-Mun Law
5. Butterflies by irrr
6. Monarch III by Elisa Lazo de Valdez
7. Kate with Flowers by Erin Petson

I think about you all the time. Really I do. :)

There are a number of special things in today’s collage.

Image number one. The first image, with the mossy vegetating writing, reminds me of guerrilla gardening. Have you heard of that? Ingenious little subsersive phenomenon. I hope to see it pop up around my area. Maybe I can engage in it too. It’s a nonviolent, proactive, productive way of supporting green living and showing protest against the culture of mass consumption and neglective/destructive politics.

Image number three. The butterflies with the musical notes— representative of my frustrated musical ambition. In another life, I may yet pursue my dreams of becoming an opera singer!

Image number four. The lady with the swans, on a beautifully branching tree, surrounded by rainbow butterflies. That’s Tori Amos. She’s one of my favourite singers of all time… and the artwork is by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, one of my favourite fantasy artists. In short, the image is perfection! Here is Tori Amos’ lovely, gentle song, Sleeps with Butterflies. The music video itself is a work of art:

Image number five. The girl with the butterflies on her back. I can’t tell you how much I adore her top! I want to own it and wear it very often. I want to design clothes like that, translucent and tattoo-like. I think it would be appropriate for my art, because mostly, people like to get my drawings tattooed on their skin.

Butterflies have been particularly active in my artist-mind lately. Some recent work I’ve done:

Irridescent green
About longing, hope, and the spirit.

The violet dress
Clothed in delicate wings.

Vegetation
Florid ink blooming on the page… roses from the 1890’s, the period of aesthetes and decadents.

Butterfly necklaces
Irridescent jewellery I made.

The soul and the senses
Remember that Oscar Wilde quote?
Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.

Desktop wallpaper for you! :) Click below to download:

The souls of butterflies (1600x1200 desktop wallpaper)

So I was working on this post, feeling a little blue actually, I’ve always been moody but there’s this persistent dark cloud that’s been bothering me lately… Suddenly a friend I hadn’t heard from in a while popped up on my Yahoo messenger and said hello. Sweet girl. :) Becky is a visual artist— photography, art direction. She does great conceptual work like this. She shared this cute song with me so let me share it with you too. The Show by Lenka. The link will take you to the music video, which I’m unable to embed here.

Bubbly song, right? I do feel better listening to it. Reason #1283874864 why friends are so important in life.
Happy 2009, everyone!

Love,
Feanne

Dear Readers, no collage today, I decided to share my Christmas dinner photos with you instead. ♥

Every Sunday of December, we have our Christmas dinners on my mom’s side of the family. She and her sisters take turns hosting the dinner. Here are photos from the one at my mom’s house. It was also the birthday celebration for my grandfather’s 79th birthday, so his brother came over too.

The picture above shows:
- my maternal grandparents
- my grandfather’s brother
- my mom, her three sisters, and two brothers— the uncles we usually only see once a year or less
- a couple of in-laws
- all us grandchildren, except for my youngest cousin, an infant girl who was asleep at that moment
All in all: My grandparents have four daughters and two sons, and a grand total of fifteen grandchildren.

I have to tell you— we haven’t been this complete in so many years!
A rare and momentous occasion, and appropriate for this time of the year. :)

My mom’s younger brother, eldest sister, me, and my Mama.
Another description of us four: A math/science/computer genius, a peacemaker/congresswoman/singer, an artist/catwoman, and an entrepreneur/artist/trendsetter.

Here is my cousin Zach in between me and my Mama. He’s a budding writer, artist, and designer! We are all very proud of him. :)

Ahhh, my very handsome boy cousins. You know, they used to be so cute, little baby boys with big eyes and round cheeks that we all loved to pinch! And then they grew up, now they go around playing basketball, talking in their low, manly voices, and growing ever taller than me. They’ll make all the girls swoon and sigh, I’m sure!

Just the other day, at the Christmas dinner at my aunt’s house, we all enjoyed a 1950’s video of Frank Sinatra’s Christmas caroling. I adore Christmas carols! I love singing them and I love hearing them. So I looked it up on YouTube for you all to enjoy… the full video is not available online, but here is a good part:
Bing Crosby & Frank Sinatra — The Christmas Song

In addition, I also enjoyed this cute rendition of Baby, It’s Cold Outside featuring Selma Blair. She’s one of my favourite actresses! It’s for a Gap ad:
Baby, It’s Cold Outside

I miss Christmas caroling. I used to do this with my choir. We went from house to house and they always fed us well, and gave us lots of money, which we’d give away to good causes. December here in the Philippines chilly, but most likely nothing compared to winter in temperate climates. I imagine it must be a different experience altogether, to go Christmas caroling all bundled up in winter clothes, to feel the throat and lungs warm up as one sings, and to enjoy the warmth inside the house after everything is done. You’ll have to tell me about that— I’ve only experienced snow once in my life! (While on vacation in Beijing with my family, a couple of years ago.) :)

See the rest from this magical Christmas set by Anton

I’m hoping you’re all enjoying a warm and fuzzy holiday season— lots of gatherings with family and friends, lots of good food and drink, lots of getting surprised at how tall your nephews and nieces are now, lots of seeing people whom you haven’t seen in years. I wish you plenty of snuggling, hot chocolate, and evenings full of music and merrymaking. And most importantly, love. Without love, there is nothing!

Love,
Feanne

P.S. I had actually planned to write about my recent creative activity— culminating in crafted accessories and photoshoots— but I wasn’t quick enough, and Anne beat me to it :P
Thank you Anne for your wonderful blog entry about this Catwoman!
The complete photosets (featuring my handmade gothic cat mask, body chain, and white leather bracelet) are here and here.

Just now, I’m cybering your day’s reading and stopped by NotCot, which took me to Audkawa’s Ffffound. Scrolling down the page, I see a familiar face, even if she is wearing an eyemask.

It was my intention this morning to finish with my little J Crew gourmet food view.

Alas, life always interrupts our best intentions. It seems far more inspirational now to “toast” the “cupcake” in us all.

A good editor runs with the new story. This writing is sounding familiar. Something tells me I was side swiped by Feanne before on my early-morning digital travels.

1. Blush by Julia
2. Succulent by Nathiya
3. Peony by Matthew A
4. Baked meringue kisses by Cannelle Et Vanille
5. Kissy by Kirra
6. The sea by Mirjan

I didn’t plan on having this theme, but I found those images so compelling.

I love that gentle palette too much. I love that tender rosy tinge, especially when offset by soft grey or pale skin or saltwater grey-green or deep lustrous bluish emerald tones.

The color promises youth, freshness, fragrance, warmth. The color kisses the eye, invites fingers to touch, and provokes a secret little smile.

Carl Kleiner Art

This one really drew me in. I had to stare at it for a while before figuring out what it was. What a gorgeous moment captured on film! The splashes look like delicate webbed, foamy architecture arising from the sea.

Does that remind you of something?

The Birth of Venus by Botticelli

Venus, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, was born from the seafoam. I’ve always enjoyed Greek mythology, and Venus has always been my favourite goddess. I remember myself many years ago, when my parents first gave me that Edith Hamilton book on mythology. It is totally different from reading the original poetry, of course, but I truly appreciate how Edith Hamilton made mythology accessible to a broader audience. And of course, I love how mythology has inspired countless generations of artists to produce fantastic work like this.

Here are a couple more classical Venus paintings:
Primavera by Botticelli
The Birth of Venus by Bouguereau

This one is more recent— 1912— but still lovely, and with the same blushing palette:
The Birth of Venus by Odilon Redon

Playing with digital paint one day, I came up with my own portrait of the goddess. Here she is arising from a rose, surrounded by her doves:

Venus by Feanne

I cannot think of this palette without thinking of Marie Antoinette, especially since that eye-candy film came out a couple years back:

Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette

Let’s do some art history research. The Rococo style peaked in the 1730s, and ended around the 1780s; Marie Antoinette reigned in 1775–1793. Strictly speaking, then, most of her reign was already in the Empire period style, but the film portrays her style as being Rococo in essence. The frills, the soft pastels, the excess of silk and ribbons and lacy things, the swirls and lavish s-curves and florals and feminine shapes— all hallmarks of the Rococo style, and all present in the film’s scenery and costume.

A look at the classical paintings tells a slightly different story— the fashion looks Rococo, but the interior furnishings look more Empire style, with their deep regal colors and rectilinear edges.

A couple of examples:
Empire style interiors in this painting by Vigée-Lebrun
Showing us a rose in this painting by Vigée-Lebrun
Rococo frills and pinks in this painting by Drouais

Marie Antoinette seems to have been fond of a particular kind of pink rose. I’m not a florist, so I wouldn’t know how to identify the breed— but anyway, it’s very beautiful.

These Rococo period paintings remind me of the skillfully illustrated fairytale books I had as a child. Those princesses always had beautiful ball-gowns with full skirts— lots of layers, lots of ribbons, in delicious shimmering colors, and with the elaborate hairstyles to match:
The Swing by Fragonard
Portrait of Madame Pompadour by Boucher
Portrait of Mademoiselle Bergeret by Boucher
Apollo Revealing his Divinity before the Shepherdess Isse by Boucher

Always, I am amazed by the amount of love that classical painters pour into their works— each stroke is lovingly, painstakingly painted— every petal, every leaf, every fold in voluptuous fabrics, every delicate lady’s finger. These paintings possess a light— not an overwhelming glorious brilliance, but a gentle blushing glow, illuminating curves and lips and roses.

I may dote too much on these things. :) Tell me about your favourite classical paintings. ♥

Love,
Feanne

1. Katya de Grunwald Photography
2. Natalie Portman via FFFFOUND!
3. Pattern on Graphic Exchange via FFFFOUND!
4. Siamese fighting fish by flag75 on flickr

Something very special happened to me over the weekend. The blue theme is honor of that.

Blue, for me, at this moment, is immensely beautiful, not sad. Elegant and regal, not sorrowful and lonesome. I speak of the beauty of blue in art— the expensive lapis lazuli pigment of Renaissance paintings, the cobalt of queen’s gowns, the deep-hued skies and blossoms of lush, imagined scenes.

I’m excited and proud to present to you my greatest art acquisition thus far. Say hello to the blue lady!

Bieres De La Meuse by Marc Auguste Bastard, 1896.

This is the first piece of fine art I ever loved. It hung on my grandma’s bedroom wall until she moved in with my mom a couple of months ago. It was a gift from her brother, who might’ve actually gotten it from Paris. She calls it “the blue lady”. Last Saturday, she gave it to me, and it is behind me now, leaning against my bed, waiting for me to set up its place on my wall.

I grew up admiring the blue lady. My mom tells me she did too. As a little girl I thought it was such a big poster! It’s a beer advertisement poster by the way, for La Meuse beer, in the Art Nouveau style. We always thought it was a depiction of the goddess of the wheat or something. Well, close enough… I suppose she is holding a bundle of barley, which is an ingredient in beer.

I only discovered all these things in college when I took my art history classes. So you see, I have loved Art Nouveau even before I knew what it was called. I do think the influence flows into my art. See for example:

Art Nouveau: Organic forms and whiplash curves. This deserves a separate blog post all on its own. Maybe in a future theme. :)

How timely is it that I bought this book the day right before the blue lady came to me? The book is a succulent chunk of words and imagery from that very era:

Aesthetes and Decadents of the 1890’s: An Anthology of British Poetry and Prose

Aesthetes and decadents, I’d like to count myself in among them! Here is a poem from the book, written by Arthur Symons in the same year as the Bieres De La Meuse poster:

If I could time-travel, the 1890’s is definitely on my list of destinations. I’d love to meet Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas… Alfons Mucha, Aubrey Beardsley, and Marc Auguste Bastard too.

Where in time would you like to go?

Love,
Feanne

moon

1. Debussy
2. Beethoven
3. Audrey Hepburn

La luna! Your personal moon.
Today’s music is serene. Selene, the goddess of the moon. :) This is for Daydream lily’s “mixtape mondays”! ♥

Love,
Feanne

I’ve never done this before, so… here goes! Hopefully this won’t be too embarrassing… :)

Please press play to listen to my first ever audioblog:

The image on the mixtape— me and my boyfriend cuddling. ♥

Love,
Feanne

Last week I wandered around the Arts & Letters Library, randomly picked up a book on Russian poetry. I have now in my possession, a photocopy of the pages containing the poetry by Anna Akhmatova. Skimming through the book, I found her right away, because it’s easy to tell which poems were written by a woman. The tone gives it away. Sensitive, sensual, sincere.

Love having a xerox machine inside the library:

Love,
Feanne