Saturday, I was a lucky girl - had a lovely day in the city with my friend Lynne. We had planned to catch Wendy Addison's Trunk Show at Tinsel Trading but serendipity was at play and we got to squeeze in a Klimt show too! The Neue Gallery is hosting a show on Gustav Klimt, with a handful of his paintings, many drawings, and some other treats. The biggest thrill for me was seeing this beauty....a familiar piece to many of us but you just gotta see it for real. The textures and metallics are stunning!
After a terrific lunch and visit to the gallery Lynne and I dashed down to Tinsel Trading Co. We stood and awwwwed in the window before heading in. I can't believe this is the only photo I have of us together from yesterday.....you can just see us in the reflection of the Pierrot costume that stopped me in my tracks:
I can't remember when I first discovered Wendy - maybe in a magazine? (Like Victoria or M.E.) Might have been when I saw some of her wonderful pieces done in black and white. Then the book Where Women Create hit the shelves and I buckled at the knees when I saw her studio/shoppe. You KNOW what I'm talking about if you have that book. It was indeed a privilege to meet her and to see her journal filled with deliciously juicy sketches. And to stand and watch her theater in motion as she stood with a wink and pulled the tassle-ended string. She's a girl after my own heart - embedding secrets in her work.
We had a wonderful time seeing all her products too. The halloween items are clever - I especially love the skeleton in the coffin. After Lynne left one of the things I asked Wendy about was the costume we had spied earlier. Since I have a thing for Pierrots I asked her stand next to it for a photo. Look how cute she is with her hand through the sleeve. Like a fangirl I ran out onto the sidewalk for a quick snap.
I will print out that photo and place it on my Wendy Addison (signed!) frame. Doesn't it almost look like an "M"? Had to have it....as well as some other goodies from Tinsel Trading.
You might remember seeing on Pam Garrison's blog that she and Jenny Doh were sprinkled with the lucky dust as they got to visit Wendy's studio some months back (which led to an Artist Portfolio in Somerset Studio, Jul/Aug 07).
I've been such a lucky girl - to take a train to the city for a warm October day with a friend, to catch up on conversation, and to feast on inspiring visuals.....the hour ride home was not enough time to scribble down all my thoughts and fresh ideas. Thanks Lynne, thanks Gustav, thanks Wendy!
Lots of incoming goodies to show you...some will wait until later this week when I post my Halloween stuff. How about this from Marylinn Kelly? She delivers sunshine with her hand-colored-with-love envelopes. Do you love her skullies? The pin was a gift earlier this year - don't you think she needs to be selling these on her site? New rubber designs by Marylinn are at Rubber Moon.
Here are some cards.....the first from my ghoulfriend Lisa, I think she needs a tattoo of these guys:
And Michelle was so sweet to send this....she entered it for the Crush Crusade as she was crushing on the ink blot article on Somerset. She dedicated it to me since I crush on red, and then surprised me by mailing it here! I had to get that skull stamp for myself...she was an enabler - oh, and the Top Hat pick for the crusade!! (Skull by Inkadinkado)
Paint the town Red? Judi knew I'd love it. And just a few days ago Lynne sent this....might have to try a few verses of my own.
Two more things I have to share. While at Valley Ridge I was giving Andrew a hard time about his Frank Lloyd Wright stencils he had just scored at Taliesin East. I was teasing him that he should have gotten me some....and I even had the nerve to continue after we got home by threatening to spray paint his picnic table in exchange for the stencils. Such a sweet man, he was actually going to send me two but I refused because I can get my own with a few clicks on the keyboard. It was a touching offer wasn't it? So I never got around to ordering them and this week a fantastically painted box arrived on my doorstep. You guessed it FLW stencils! FROM BONNIE BENSON, another student at Valley Ridge. She witnessed the fuss I made over them and as she passed by Taliesin on her way back home she got them for me. How cool is that? Thanks Bonnie!
And the last story to wind up a really good week is a gift I got from my sweet friend Linda Warlyn. I'm late in sharing this one as it was two weeks ago that she gave me this thoughtful present. If you read the comments on this blog you have no doubt read Linda's warm and generous words.....and wished she had a blog because you just know you'd like her. So in the bag were these two boxes...not any ordinary boxes. Black licorice! I don't even remember telling you here that I like black licorice but I blather on about everything I crush on so I'm not surprised it slipped out. (Easter: black jelly bean mention according to Linda) BUT HERE'S WHY THESE BOXES ARE SO SPECIAL: THEY ARE FROM FINLAND. And you thought I might get through an entire long post without a single mention of ......well, you know. But SHE knows, and so when she pointed it out I fell over in amazement at her cleverness. AND because she knows I crush on scents, and four leaf clovers too, THIS sachet was another PERFECT thing. Thanks Linda! (and start a blog would ya?)
NEXT: my halloween pictures! We are having a party Saturday.....and I'm not even done!
