Etsy Photos; Take One

How annoying is this!... last weekend, armed with mojitos and giggles, myself and my good buddies Annu and Carolyn attempted to photograph my jewellery so I can finally complete my bloody Esty shop. And so, sat against the stylish backdrop of Carolyn's living room door I took photo after photo of their boobal region decorated with my necklaces.

Now granted, I was taking these shots with an industrial strength mojito nestled between my thighs (which was less dirty than I just made it sound), and with half a bottle of wine sloshing around my belly, but still... only around 10% of the bad boys were clearly lit and in focus.

So it's take 2 this weekend, delaying the opening of 'my bloody Etsy shop' even further. Until then, and because they're not much use to me now, here's a few of the decent 10%...

 

I also tried to take some more arty-farty close-up photos later that weekend, and while quite a few came out pretty nicely, I think you'll agree that they're a little too fussy to actually sell the jewellery... the fake flowers, birdcage, fairy lights and peacock feathers maybe, but not the jewellery.
 

The Mirror Of Venus

'The Mirror Of Venus' (1898) is another Burnes-Jones painting, but this one's a two-fer; inspiring not just one, not eight, but two whole PeaRafflePie pictures. As it's an ensemble piece I was a little spoilt for choice when it came to picking a lady. The obvious focal one is Venus herself, standing there all blue and tall like a Na'vi. But she gets enough glory (what with the planet n'all), so I instead went for a couple of her maidens; one for her interesting angle/reflection, the other for the tones of her dress. I may go back and try the two blond ladies in orange at the side... but that's another story for another time on another blog in another dimension.
I'm sure there's lots to say about the use of the mirror as a metaphor for something, and the direction of the gaze being reflected; subsequently creating another gaze which in turn symbolizes something or nothing. But other people have already said all that, a lot betterer than I ever could.

Venus was the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, and is a very popular subject in art, especially during the Renaissance. She's usually butt-nekkid with very long hair, which is handy for covering your doo-lally, Botticelli-style. I don't blame her really, if I were a Roman goddess forced to spend eternity starkers I'd probably grow it out freaky-long too... then fashion it into some kind of hair-parka / culottes combo.

Burne-Jones was a Botticelli fan, in 'The Mirror Of Venus' he tried to keep the Renaissance elegance but imbue it with a Pre-Raphaelite mood and colour palette. The women's expressions are also very PRB, i.e. slightly sad, wistful and detached. It's all very fantastical and dreamlike... I mean, for one thing, they are looking over a giant puddle on the moon.

... aren't they?
 

Watermark not on print-for-sale through Etsy.com.

The Beguiling of Merlin

Edward Burne-Jones' 'The Beguiling of Merlin' (1872-1877) is a beautiful painting... with the one exception - Merlin's creepy old-lady-face (seriously, Eddy B-J, what is that?). I chose to paint from it mainly because I like all the colours and folds of Nimue's dress. Nimue, by the by, is the legendary 'Lady of the Lake' (an archaic 'Jenny from the Block' if you please) who, in the Arthurian stories, either dished out swords, resurrected knights, or in this case... seduced and imprisoned a wizard.


The PreRaphaelites loved their 'fallen women'; ladies whom, in almost every case, were destroyed by various forms of love:- unrequited, tragic, adulterous, immoral; pick your poison. In today's society such women simply strap on a push-up bra and call the News Of The World, but in the stories depicted in PRB paintings they used magic... sexy magic.

In 'The Beguiling of Merlin' Nimue reads from her book of spells, and an infatuated Merlin wilts like a horny flower. She uses his love for her to pursuade him to teach her all he knows. Once taught, she imprisons him and hits the road. The lack of Merlin's help eventually contributes to Arthur's downfall... it's like Adam 'n' Eve all over again. Bloomin' women.

Fun Fact! The model was Maria Zambaco, believed to be Burne-Jones' mistress. She pops up all over the shop in his work. Go have look for yourself, it's like a very high-brow game of Where's Wally?.
 

Watermark not on print-for-sale through Etsy.com.