Japanese Cherry Blossom

They call it "The Little Black Dress of fragrance".
That's right folks...

Japanese Cherry Blossom, America's #1 fragrance since its humble beginnings in 2007, was my inspiration for this next piece in my BBW series of paper sculptures.

The fragrance--a soft blend of florals, asian pear, and cedarwood--has both sophisticated yet feminine qualities. As one of the first BBW fragrances to incorporate more nuanced, perfumey notes like cedarwood or musk, it broke away from the previous generation of simpler, fruit-centered fragrances that featured a strong single note. To avoid the realm of fruity-tooty, I wanted to create a woman who was both soft and sweet, yet elevated and refined at the same time.

What think'st thou?

And, just for fun, here's the silhouette. I love focusing on a strong silhouette to make the design work. Lots of detail, things sticking out here and there, shape language, etc.
Fun fun fun!

A Paintbrush in hand is better than two in the bush...

I've been itching to pick up a paintbrush again for a while now, and have just had trouble getting over that initial investment of energy to set up the supplies, get started on a project, etc. Amazingly, I got a free easel from a woman at church, which got me more than halfway to the starting line. 

It finally happened last week as I was hanging out with my soon-to-be roomate Frances. We spent the whole day together and while we were digesting dinner and reading on the couch, the mood hit!

I set up my easel, resuscitated all my emaciated paint tubes and derelict brushes, and went at it with gusto. I didn't really care what it ended up looking like...not having put a brush to canvas in almost a year, I just wanted to feel the bristles pushing the paint around again!

This is what I ended up with about an hour and a half later.

Of course it's not finished, but what art ever is?

Here's Frances, reading away as the candles are burning: