Today I'm attending a dolls houses and miniatures fair here in The Netherlands. Such a fair is always a great opportunity to meet people I haven't seen for a while, see what they've been up to, and 'discover' new artists and their work.
Looking very much forward to it, I must say!
(SQ)W.jpg)
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Behind each star a small dream hides
But will not show its head,
Unless you're very, very good—
And fast asleep in bed.
Poem by Annette Wynne.
-02-01W.jpg)
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Now that you're gone
There's nothing
that I ever wanted more
than to feel you breathe
just like before.
As the day turns into night
and the pale stars shine on me
I cannot shed
this sense of dread
nor the shadows in my dreams.
I can not sleep,
I can not rest,
nor drown in tears,
my soul's distress.
Please stay with me,
don't go just yet
Just one more day,
my dearest friend!
CROPW.jpg)
The silence screams
with emptiness
It's getting light
and you're not there.
Come back to me,
my sweet old friend
Before the night
is here again.
And the day turns into night
and the pale stars shine again
And I still can't shed off me
this abhorrent sense of dread.
José Pereira Torrejón
© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.
Anthropomorphic taxidermy is an art form that was quite popular in the Victorian era. As author Rebecca Burgan writes in an article titled Anthropomorphic taxidermy: How Dead Rodents Became the Darlings of the Victorian Age:
"The practice of taxidermy allowed people to honor their precious pets by stuffing and mounting them for eternity. Preserving dead animals also satisfied scientific curiosity, as well as the desire for protected beauty." (Rebecca Burgan, published in Atlas Obscura, December 5, 2014).
This particular art form, which is derived from 'regular' taxidermy, and which, I must admit, may appear morbid to many of us today, shows stuffed small animals engaging in human activities like reading, playing cards or musical instruments, having afternoon tea, etc.
The rat "reading a book" pictured above is from my own collection. It's a contemporary specimen which I bought some time ago. Apparently, the process of preparing such a delicate critter for display is not easy and quite time consuming, which makes it rather expensive. This particular example is mounted in a straight position underneath a glass dome. It is shown reading a book which sits on a book stand.
I'm pretty fond of my 'pet rat,' and that may be the main reason for sharing her with you here. For those interested in the subject I highly recommend Rebecca Burgan's article which you can access on the Atlas Obscura web site by clicking HERE.
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
"She will love well," I said,
"If love be of that heart inhabiter,
The flowers of the dead;
The red anemone that with no sound
Moves in the wind, and from another wound
That sprang, the heavily-sweet blue hyacinth,
That blossoms underground,
And sallow poppies, will be dear to her.Extract from "Ode to Silence" by Edna St Vincent Millay (1892-1950) .jpg)
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
A house within the womb of another house, which, in turn, is inside an apartment which is part of a much larger, fourteen story building.
I wonder if this little thing is aware of how 'cocooned' she really is...
CROPW.jpg)
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
There are more guests at table than the hosts
Invited; the illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall.
The stranger at my fireside cannot see
The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear;
He but perceives what is; while unto me
All that has been is visible and clear.
W.jpg)
We have no title-deeds to house or lands;
Owners and occupants of earlier dates
From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands,
And hold in mortmain still their old estates.
Extract from "Haunted Houses" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Have a peaceful Sunday, everyone!
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Don’t embrace defeat, even defeated,
Proceed like God, who never cries,
or like Lucifer, who never prays;
or be like the oak grove, whose grandeur
has need of water and won’t beg…
Extract from the poem "Piu Avanti," by Pedro Bonifacio Palacios (1854 – 1917)
W.jpg)
© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.
Fair skin, freckles,
the day you married
you looked divine.
But that's so long ago;
gone are your fair skin
and your freckles;
All that remains
is a faded photograph.
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
"Vino Triste" by Washington "Canario" Luna (1938-2009), English translation below.
You can listen to the song performed by Canario Luna HERE.
English translation:
That man who enters the bar
without a shadow to bark at him
The one that threads and passes by
without face or any signal
He orders a drink
with his back towards the street
And drinks alone, motionless, taking it slow
Taking it slow
He pays, thinks of another drink
without spending a single sentence
and then he leaves alone
towards the night, and nobody
That guy is wounded
and Death knows it.
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. Copyright of song "Vino Triste" is with its rightful owner; published here for educational purposes only. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author(s).
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
In the Hebrew Bible, Sheol (Sheʾōl) is a place of darkness, silence, and dust to which the spirit, or vital principle, descends at death. Source: Britannica
W.jpg)
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
My fascination with vintage robots in sci-fi movies from the 50's and 60's is evident from the below image. Here we see a battle damaged little bot flanked by the remains of two of its less fortunate peers.
I made them a while ago using different materials, and as a matter of fact they have already featured in a previous blog, which you can see by clicking HERE.
Have a great week ahead!
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
He is not dead, this friend – not dead,
But in the path we mortals tread
Got some few trifling steps ahead
And nearer to the end;
So that you too, once past the bend,
Shall meet again, as face to face, this friend
You fancy dead.
Extract from "Consolation" by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
To you, because I care.
W.jpg)
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
She's one of my smaller dolls; a barefoot cutie, 8 inches tall, and despite her small size, has quite a personality too!
When I pick her up, she gives me a certain 'look', as if saying "Put me down now, I'm not a baby, you know!"
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
W.jpg)
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Little Billie doesn't like taking a bath, that much is clear from his behaviour. But no matter how much he cries and moans, he always ends up clean and proper and smelling of soap. Good boy, Billie, you 'survived' another bath!
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
How sweet it were, if without feeble fright,
Or dying of the dreadful beauteous sight,
An angel came to us, and we could bear
To see him issue from the silent air
At evening in our room, and bend on ours
His divine eyes, and bring us from his bowers
News of dear friends, and children who have never
Been dead indeed,--as we shall know forever.
Alas! we think not what we daily see
About our hearths,--angels that are to be,
Or may be if they will, and we prepare
Their souls and ours to meet in happy air;--
A child, a friend, a wife whose soft heart sings
In unison with ours, breeding its future wings.
James Henry Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)
A while ago, I bought the beautiful old shadow box pictured below. It represents an old (Tudor?) interior with a nice fire place.
Although the box is very shallow, its shape, as well as the clever way the furniture was made, all contribute to creating the illusion of depth.
I'm thinking of adding a few little things to it, not too much really, just some finishing touches here and there. I love this piece, it does have a character of its own, and I definitely want to preserve that!
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Piglet lives in my living room. From his vantage point on top of the Centennial, he oversees the entire room, as if standing guard.
His metal body seems to be made of recycled items. He has been with me for a few years now, and I enjoy his silent company. I think he's quite cute; do you?
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Hugsjá - Norwegian for: 'to see with, or within, the mind'
Close your eyes and see, my friend; with eyes closed you will see.
W.jpg)
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Do you see her...?
W-01-02BWKT02W.jpg)
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
The work continues, trying to bring some structure in the chaos.
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Hi everyone! As the end of year festivities have drawn to a close, it's time to look forward and hit the ground of the new year running. Let's make the best of it together!
For the past few days I've been 'restructuring' my storage room (aka 'prop room'), because, honestly, it had become an impenetrable jungle with the properties of a celestial black hole, where stuff disappeared never to be seen again.
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.