It's Inspiring

Anatomy of an 
Inspiration Board
I have not been blogging at Femme et Fleur as much as I would have wanted to of late. Perhaps, like Diana Nyad, when she swam from Cuba to Miami in 2013, I have been in the Doldrums. Of course, Diana needed the Doldrums -- a calm sea that is -- in order to complete her swim. I think artists need the Doldrums once in awhile too.

To get out of the Doldrums it's a good idea to get inspired. I create an Inspiration Board on my studio wall. When we moved to our apartment, I asked our architect to create a wall using sanded homasote. It creates a lovely gray background for tacking things up.

My pins of choice are map pins and lovely hat pins that my step-daughter, Dianna, found for me.

My lifetime supply of beautiful,

vintage pins.

Here is my current Inspiration Board

image by image.

 I have a collection of postcards which I keep

in a plastic bag with a note that says:

Collection -- Not for Sending Out.

I asked Richard to go through them and

pick out ones that he liked for my Inspiration Board.

Audrey turned up quite a lot.

 From a vintage Vogue.

I am so happy that they found the pink.
Choosing images for the board is intuitive.
Usually a color and image theme develops.

 From The New York Times.

I love the dangling contraption hanging

off her glasses. It's a new accessory.

The color palette of sherbet hues is delightful.
I collect images
from magazines and newspapers and keep 
them in a box labeled "Images."

 Two of Richard's postcard choices.

Left: a hat by Marie Louise (French, 1912) 
in the collection of

the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

On the right, a painting by Christian Schad (1894-1982).

 Icons and terrific actresses, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

Have you seen their show Grace and Frankie on Netflix?

It's funny and sophisticated.

Jane is sooo slim and put together,

Lily is the hippie of the two.

 An "Audrey" from Richard's selection, and 
a collage drawing I did 7 years ago.

Oy vey, where do the years go?

 One of my favorite movies of all time.

Saw it in London in 1965.

The whole movie is sung like an opera.

I was with my boyfriend and when we left the

theater, he started singing instead of talking.

 A design by Dagobert Peche (1887-1923) and

a photo of George Balanchine with

Tanaquil Le Clercq.

 Clockwise from top: A Sonia Delaunay design, 

a painting by the Lebanese artist, Saloua Raouda Choucair,

and a picture of a dress by Issey Miyake

sent to me by a national treasure by the

name of Inge Brown.

 Clockwise from top left: a Liberty of London design,

a dress by Ossie Clark with fabric by Celia Birtwell

and a drawing by me.

 A drawing by me.

 A drawing by me and a feathered figure from the 20s.

When I lived in Philadelphia, I found a group of these

place cards in a thrift shop. They are

handmade, and look like they were

used on New Year's Eve.

I think I paid $2 for the lot of them.

 The perfect specimen of manhood,

Gregory Peck.

 A page from Vogue with a painting by Niki de Saint Phalle.

I believe the model is Marisa Berenson

 Top, a painting by Joseph Stella.

Bottom, a birthday greeting from old friends,

Dyan and Michael.

 A page from a vintage Vogue.

 Carey Mulligan with an actor who I do

not know. I love her hat, dress and popsicle.

Anyone know the movie? Looks like South America.

The first one to give me the right answer 

will receive a prize.

 A brick-pattern body suit with denim

jumper by Patrick Kelly.

From Life Magazine.

Jackie Kennedy visiting the Temple of Bayon in Cambodia. 

The gentleman on the far left is Lord Harlech,

British Ambassador to the U.S.

How nice to have a handsome Brit on your arm.

Jackie's pants look custom made. They do

not have a waistband. What do you call that in dressmaking?

 Anyone know? Tell me, and I will send you a prize.

This was her customary way of standing with

hands behind her back.

 A paper doll I made at the

Carla Fernandez workshop

at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

 Jackie with Prince Sihanouk in Cambodia

and a royal umbrella bearer.

The little-girl bedraggled look in fashion.

A kind of Pitiful Pearl for the ultra-hip set.

My Inspiration, all put together!

À Bientôt!