What will I become?

from the book "Safe Counsel", 1928

painting by Yugo Kohrogi

It's a banal thing to comment on, but I like the use of colours in this painting.


SO can this classify as portrait painting, or what?

nude in the wood by Arthur F. Kales

think outside the box

Via one of my brand new followers blog, Sadie Leanne Higginson's Results of insomnia...
Oh, and hello, new followers :)

things I saw in Italy

I would love to live in this house, I'd sit in the glass bit at the top and drink tea while making beaded jewellery:

I bet these two people sit in the window all day and look at the going-ons in the street. Click the picture if you want to see how grumpy the person to the left is:

Kitty LOVES being taken for long walks on the beach in her leash. Seriously. Kitty LOVES it:

The rats in Turin are massive, I saw several in the flood at night and I'm not exaggerating when I say they're the size of small dogs.
I was told the rats normally run off when they see people, but I managed to charm them by baby-talking at them in a gentle mellow voice so they 'd feel safe. They're probably more used to being thrown rocks at than being talked to in a mellow voice, so they kept looking at me curiously. I love how cute this rat looks with it's little mouth open:
Om nom nom.. it was looking at me while it was eating:


I'm impressed by how old these doorbells look, and by how randomly they've been put up on the wall. I like stuff that makes me feel like I'm time travelling:


This vegetable garden must be looked after by a kindred soul:

I've seen a film: Avatar

I woke up this morning with a feeling that I *had* to write a film review of Avatar, and so I did, even though I find it kind of strange that I had a feeling it was necessary.

When I first saw this picture of some blue elfin alien tribal girl in the newspaper I thought it was the most beautiful picture ever, and I was so excited that there would be an entire film just like that picture. As soon as I realized that Avatar was a Big Thing, I pretty soon grew tired of hearing about it. What? More than three people have heard about it? Fuck it, it's not underground enough for pretentious little me.. I don't want to be pretentious though, so I gave it a chance. Kind of.

When I went to see Avatar, I knew I'd love the visuals but suspected that the story would be full of things I'd complain about. And I was right.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the film and I even liked parts of the storyline, but I always have stuff to complain about, so here we go:

photographic silkscreen/vinyl by Barbara Kruger

Avatar is full of bad clichés.
Of course it takes an American white male to save the day, and of course he gets to sleep with the prettiest N'avi. And she's really pretty. I mean, it wouldn't have been the same if she looked like Walt Disney's Goofy or something. She's also tribal, kind of like a native, and in addition, animal-like. A blue version of The Other.

What seemed to me like the second half of the film was a really boring war sequence, with people running and chasing and doing battle stuff. My younger brother says this is the best part of the film. I think the best part of the film is where they just walk about and look at the pretty scenery, and explore the amazing ways the planet works.


In fact, I think Avatar would have been so much better if they skipped the storyline altogether and had more of the "ooh, look at that beautiful tree, it has glowing lights on it, and it's like a collective consciousness central thingy", "woha we can connect our neurons with animals!", "ooh and look at that pretty flower and that floating bit of land in the air, how weird and amazing, the world is a great place, and it's all connected, so lets take better care of it!".


It's a shame that I feel that the storyline doesn't live up to the visuals, as it's sort of annoying with something that is so close to being perfect, yet is not entirely perfect. It feels wrong to complain though, as Avatar is such a fantastic experience of lush beautiful imagery, and I'm glad I've filled my brain up with pretty pictures of imaginary alien botany from Pandora.

save the animals

I've been to Italy and have photographic proof of things I have seen, like this graffiti I saw on a wall in Turin.


I saw more things, and will post pictures of some of them sooner or later (with 'later' being the keyword).