I have been crushing on artist Clare Elsaesser’s sea and river paintings for quite some time now. Women who wade in water—particularly the Russian River near her home in Jenner, California—are a recurrent theme in her artwork. Clare’s paintings keep the watcher at a distance, which I like very much, and I often find myself wanting to tap on the shoulders of her models, or eavesdrop on the conversations between the wading couples. You can purchase sewn prints of these paintings and many others on Clare’s Etsy shoppe: Tastes Orangey.
Betty Bib (A.K.A Lesley Buckingham of Sussex, U.K.) is known for her whimsical fairy creations, and lucky for us, she also has a fondness for mermaids. Betty has been kind enough to share her mermaid ladies with me, and I’m thrilled to share them with you. Each mermaid is hand-embroidered with metallic fibers, sequins, and all sorts of trinkets. Betty has a way with details, as you can see, and when you purchase one of these mermaids, tucked inside the box is a scroll with that mermaid’s name on it. Visit Betty’s blog for more of her beautiful mermaids and artwork.
(Special thanks to Belen Gomez for introducing me to Lesley!)
Retailer, Anthropologie, is known for their unique window displays. No two are alike, no matter what part of the country you are in. The windows often look like art installations that outshine the clothes. For Earth Day 2012, Anthropologie is turning their storefronts into underwater seascapes. Jellyfish, octopi and coral are recreated to amazing effect in paper and mixed media materials. Some of the windows are so intricate they almost look real. It’s gorgeous and for a great cause. Anthro is teaming up with The Wyland Foundation to help spread the word on how we all can protect and preserve the world's oceans. If you’re on twitter, follow the hashtag #AnthroEarthDay for facts and tips and stuff. Check out Anthropologie's facebook page to view more of these amazing windows.
In 2010, Katy Perry launched her second studio album Teenage Dream by rocking a bright blue mermaid wig. Over the course of nearly three years she’s become a living, breathing Rainbow Bright, mood-swinging from blue to purple to black to blonde, and now, back to blue. I’m certainly not complaining. There are only a handful of artists on this planet who can wear such a shade with confidence. Katy Perry is one such artist. Like all great artists, one must have a Picasso Blue Period, and with the breakup of her marriage to Russell Brand, it seems all this blue is her way of publicly expressing hurt and grief. Believe me, I’d like to associate it with the huge mermaid trend in fashion right now, but I highly doubt it. Hang in there, Katy Perry. I hope the many shades of blue are soothing to your healing heart.
Portrait of a woman by Picasso and Katy Perry at a Viktor and Rolf fashion show
FYI: More to come on Katy’s Blue Period. Stay tuned…
I must be in a dark mood today, huh? I don't know why. It's nearly 50 degrees and sunny in Minnesota. In January! I am sure this is the first sign of the apocalypse. Anywho, I've wanted to post about these H.P. Lovecraft inspired paintings for a while now. They're by oil painter Travis Lewis, and they are darkly divine. You can purchase prints of these at his Esty shop.
The funny thing about blogging is that you're talking to everyone and no one at all, so when people are kind enough to drop me a line, it usually takes me a minute to get over the shock. Really? You care? Someone actually cares?!Charity Daw is one such person who reached out to me and I'm super happy that she did! Charity Daw is an L.A. based singer, songwriter, painter, milliner, goddess, gadabout, and super-freakin-awesome-fashionista with a love for mermaidy things. (Yeah, she's all that and a bag of sea salt chips.) Her hats are gorgeous, intricate conffections exploding with coral and pearls. Her paintings are as bold and feminine as she is, often depicting mermaids and ladies who evoke the spirit of the sea. This post really does her no justice. I encourage you all to swim over to her website or Etsy page and explore her whimsical world. It's pretty and glittery, and totally for modern-day mermaids.
These awesome portraits of Coney Island Mermaid Parade patrons are by Nick Ray McCann. Aparently they're part of an ongoing series, which I'd love to see the rest of. There's one portrait in the series I refuse to put on my blog, but you can see it on Nick's website. You'll know which one I'm talking about. That poor Cheshire Cat...
It’s safe to say that Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine is a modern-day mermaid.
Her music is passionate, feminine, deep and wild. I love the way she can take her voice from a ripple to a tidal wave. One of my favorite songs of hers is from a deluxe version of her album Lungs called The B-Sides; the track Swimming is about break-ups and finding the strength to pick yourself up and start over again. The lyrics are brilliant and include gems like:
"Rotting like a wreck on the ocean floor, Sinking like a siren that can't swim no more..."
Oh yes, add that to your playlist. Well, Florence is working on her next album, and she just released the first track: What The Water Gave Me. The title comes from one of Frida Kahlo’s earliest paintings, and the song itself has references to Virginia Woolf, who sadly took her own life by filling her pockets with stones and drowning herself in a river.
From the symbolism in Kahlo’s painting to poor Virginia Woolf, one could imagine this song being the most depressing, suicide rock ballad ever. Surprisingly it’s not. Well, not in the obvious way. It’s brooding and dramatic, for sure, and Florence pushes her siren rebel yell to its limits, but it’s rather electrifying in a melancholic sort of way.
Image of Florence Welch by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images via EW, Frida Kahlo painting via Oil Painting HK
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