in the light of dancing spectres

I've just made this image with a fantastic and crazy application called 'bonomo', its so much fun, almost as good as the 'brushes' app on my iPhone. You have to practice a lot, because there doesn't seem to be as much control...enjoy!

Inspiration from Madeleine Vionnet

Here is really one of the most important couturiers ever in my opinion. Currently they have dusted off a collection of her works, and I quote:

Although the name of Madeleine Vionnet is hardly known today, in her heyday she was regarded as being as important to fashion as Picasso was to painting.

A landmark first retrospective of her work at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs pays a long overdue homage to her contribution to changing the face of fashion from 1912 until 1939, when she closed her fashion house in the shadow of World War II.

In fashion circles she remains a legend, one of the first modernisers and most innovative designers of her time, particularly for her pioneering use of the bias cut and draping which freed women's bodies from the constraints of the corset.

Her influence on later generations of designers as diverse as Cristobal Balenciaga, Azzedine Alaia and Yohji Yamamoto has been unparalleled.

"These are pieces which are not about prettiness but about beauty," says Pamela Golbin, curator of the show, who spent the best part of two years assembling the 130 models on display.

karma, karma, karma

As seen in West Preston..someone is obviously exploring this particular phenomena with their
spray paint..I wonder if they were thinking anything, or just like the word? I don't really find this aesthetically inspirational, it just appeals to an aspect of my humour...

Enjoying the warm dark beach

Outside right now, it is cold and gusty big rain is slapping against the glass panels in the roof, so this gorgeous late afternoon shot I took at Peregian Beach, (south of Noosa) just feels perfect, and in a way, although I'm glad to hear the rain in dry old Melbourne, that warm dark beach is just what I need to think about today.

heart of colours

I held my heart as it opened in the light of new directions, change, Love

Nina Ricci-fall 09

Most of the catwalk at Nina Ricci fall 09, saluted the eighties, I thought, but then there were the stilt shoes to give it that otherworld edge. (I wonder if the models get circus training!) I love the pink, all pink, and then black long sheer legs here. Very sexy and beautiful.

Bonnaroo 09 street style

This is a singer called Annie Clark, who's stage name is: St Vincent. She was spotted at the Bonnaroo music festival in the US. How gorgeous is she!!

Vogue Australia, May09

Isn't this just gorgeous!!? Classic, yet kind of quirky and original. Well done Aussie Vogue!!

Rory, with his crossword Sunday morning

I'm still playing with 'brushes' on my iPhone. Its such a great app! You can do these simple sketches or full-blown paintings, all quite small, but very responsive and sensitive, and you can 'undo' really easily....

looming sky

I've just been looking at a lot of photos on a site where you can buy royalty free images, I just looked at sky pictures. I still thought that this one I took when we visited Queensland some months ago spoke to me more about light and dark, changes and natural beauty. I took it with my little pocket Leica, while we were spinning down the freeway on our way to the coast.

yellow shoe coincidence

Over the period of two days, I spotted two people wearing bright yellow shoes..must be a trend?
Admittedly, they are each wearing their shoes in a totally different sort of context, but hey...I thought it was extraordinary...

Nino talking

I still think about Nino my little beautiful extraordinary ET black cat. He only lived for two years, and in that time I learnt a lot from him. He used to talk a lot about his world and his experiences, and he'd respond to my questions. He still inspires me with his beauty and grace.
When he was happy, like he is here in this picture, his tail would fluff up..

A busy corner in my studio

I should say 'one of the busy corners of my studio'! These two gals are old, old old, from my mother's collection. (Sophie van Rood) They still inspire so much, the expression on their faces is priceless.

Bather,by František Kupka

Bather by František Kupka.
I found this on the MOMA site, where I love to visit from time-to-time, especially when I'm in New York, its my first point of call. I get very emotional there for some reason, and have been known to weep in front of a large Matisse painting of the dancers. This artist is so adept with that watery moody thing. I'm inspired by that today, as I gaze out across a watery grey sky here in Melbourne...