Biscuit's House

Aristo-dogs

Yesterday Puni and I went to see the department stores' Christmas windows in Paris and did a little Christmas shopping as the stores were exceptionally open though it was Sunday (bad idea/bad timing, the crowds were quite huge).

My favorite were the "Aristochiens" paintings by Thierry Poncelet.

 

Some of these are reminiscent of famous paintings from times past, but I think my favorite are those that look just like authentic family portraits you can see in stately homes - the cigar-wielding gentleman, the old auntie with her lace cap - except that they are all dogs.

 

I'm sure they must be very expensive, but I asked for prices anyway - maybe one day I can own one, I would love to.

 

My Blackberry's battery died on me so I coudn't take any more photos, but please do visit the site to see more wonderful aristodog portraits.

Iwasaki Chihiro

Today was sunny, quite a spring-like day, and spring is what Iwasaki Chihiro's artwork makes me think of.

These books (ISBN4-06-932531-X) were given to me by my mother-in-law who also likes her work.

Chihiro was born in 1918 in Takefu, near Fukui where I spent a few years. She passed away in 1974. Her delicate depictions of children are infused with much tenderness. I think I appreciate them all the more since I have a little girl of my own.

There are museums dedicated to her art in Tokyo (also housing one of the world's largest collections of picture book illustrations) and in the prefecture of Nagano. A nice quote of hers can be read here.

And to finish, since it was yesterday (no celebration here since Puni is away), a Hina matsuri scene.

Ichima

One of my favorite doll artists is Ootaka Terumi.

And my favorite of her dolls is the kneeling little girl on the book cover above.

Six years ago, there was an exhibition of her work at Sesse, on the 9th floor of the Hankyu department store near Osaka station. Sesse is a crafter's paradise come true (mixing my metaphors here) : fabrics, yarns, miniatures, bear and doll making supplies, etc etc...I coud happily spend days there. On that day unfortunately I couldn't go because of work, so I sent hubby. I told him, if there are any of her dolls for sale, buy up to 50000 yen. I was far off the mark since the price tag was 150000 yen per doll, but hubby bought me some kits. He said that her dolls were incredibly well made and worth the price in his opinion (which is a lot to say for someone who at best is indifferent to dolls).

He also got me the little book above, inscribed to me on the first page.

Doesn't the little girl below beg to be hugged?

Not only are her dolls (about two to five inches high) unbelievably cute and appealing (there is something just irresistible in the curve of those cheeks) and her gorgeous kimonos the best in miniature sewing, but also a lot of them are decorated with the prettiest, most delicate embroidered flowers.

I have made only one doll so far...with a lot of help from hubby who modeled the head, hands and feet for me out of air-drying clay (I'm hopeless at these things).

Sewing the kimono took me ages - at some points I had to ask hubby for help in figuring out the instructions, and even he had to think hard before understanding what was meant. But it wasn't an unpleasant experience, I took it one step at a time and learned many new words describing kimono parts in the process.

I called her Ichima after what is probably my favorite manga ever - Furisode Ichima, the story of an Ichimatsu doll that comes to life.

I want to make a 10 inch Ichima and I want to make more of the small Terumi dolls...One day...

Mirano

  After a long day at work (day 1 of new position, and feeling like I'm floating around in space), no energy left and no progress on current projects, so here are excerpts from a book about one of my favorite illustrators, Fujita Mirano.

I love the style of her young ladies; not so fond of the children though they have nostalgia value being so typical of their period. Her girls evolve with time and look quintessential 50s, then 60s, then 70s...

My favorite are the 70s girls and the "quinze ans" covers make me feel all sentimental about past and (seen through the rose colored spectacles of nostalgia) simple, happy times (though at the time they were probably quite anguish-ridden). Young girls like to act older than their age, and at twelve I was reading quinze ans and feeling very sophisticated. At fifteen I switched to Jacinte, and at seventeen to 20 ans.

Another 70s magazine I remember fondly is the crafting magazine 100 idées...(wow, 48 euros for the first issue). Probably one of these days I' going to crack and order some old issues...

When I found this book some of the drawings looked strangely familiar and I realized afterwards, I must have seen some of her art in quinze ans in the late seventies.

Bonus photo : Sarah Kay nightie + Puni = adorableness.

Puni lost her 3rd tooth today. The little mouse is going to visit during the night and leave a present under her pillow (fortunately the provident mouse had an emergency stock and needed no late-night shopping trip) .