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...jen o'connor's...Artful Adventures & Daily Inspirations

I Love Art, Adore the Handmade and Treasure the Vintage. I am the Fun Mom, the Silly Friend and the Writer who wants to make more room for beauty in the everyday.

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Wednesday, March 7, 2007

the bewitching cocktail of kitsch






















....raise your hand if you love kitsch...ok, now raise your hand if kitsch scares you a little bit...ooohh look... your hand was up both times...Kitsch has the raw edge of a missed joke and no rules of play. It works in today's decor to unsettle, beg a giggle and disarm pretenses....

Kitsch is the chest of wonders from which I can rarely extract myself without stealing a bit of wit and whimsy. Since youth, I have imbibed its one legged plastic dolls, chipped carnival chalkware puppies, and mysteriously tacky tourists' souvenirs from forever ago.

Look how it appears unabashedly in my delicately colored bedroom... I am completely intoxicated with the work of Kitty Babendreier. I collected Kitty's work feverishly for years, and I am no less than overjoyed that she is now one among my "Angel" artists! Thanks Kitty for all the fabulous mixed media boxes, kitsch-laden collages and bits of magic brew you have sent this way....

I love the way Kitty's boxes nestle beside Pat Murphy's sweet bear, just in front of a small stories studio piece ...and those beaded chairs....yum

...drink up the textures in the next image....... isn't the combo of a kitschy celluloid baby just plain fun next to Jen Murphy's bunny??? Julie Arkell's papier-mache collage hangs nearby from my dresser post. Kitsch revels in the odd, embraces the forgotten, and mixed it all up with contemporary art, beloved antiques and voila! ...it's a perfectly yummy decor cocktail best shared with a friend of similar humor! ...and on that note

Jane...may your bakelite and be-baubled scepter herald (in a 194os typeface...) your indulgence in this medium time and again...be brave..go girl!

... and Thea, I relish in the knowledge, your fabulous herd of plastic, and dare-we-say..."light-Up" camels (gone astray from a manger somewhere in Staten Island) ...were a mere dune away from the dustbin when you rescued them from oblivion, elevating them to their current and lofty posts as confidants in your office...if those camels could talk! ...and how fitting, we met in Cairo, but we are both just chicks from Queens....

So the blog tour continues....along the way, my beloved treasures, objects, art, and vintage goodies mix with my kitcsh-y bits and encourage me to chuckle at yesterday's whims and face tomorrow with mirth. To me these odd treats are like the fun hors'douerves in my decor, setting off the serious and the pretty with a visual nugget of fun.

...I am thinking pink for the next blog and celebrating, not only the alter ego of kitsch sometime soon, but it's brave new little sister....altered art
... until then
peace, love and snowglobes
xxoo Jen
Earth Angels Toys

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Jen,
It's great having the opportunity to see "The Angels" art displayed in your abode.

So true what you had to say in your last post about treasures that are handmade with love. A cherished work of art adds happy energy to a home.

Your blog looks great!
Constance

Thea said...

Jen, you captured my feelings so completely and enunciated my attachment to kitsch and especially to my camels so accurately...I am quite moved. The camels do watch over me, even as I type this--desert fathers looking out peacefully on their Jewish brethern who sit here in my office at Yeshiva, seeking guidance and returning their peaceful gaze. The beasts speak to me as clearly as the students, comfort and delight me, and never fail to surprise. Thanks for your inspiring description of this allure, for your contributions to my herd, and for sharing the Sahara with me. From Queens to the Valley of the Kings--an adventure! Love, Thea

Sam I Am said...

Hi Jen..
Will you be exchanging Blog Links with other bloggers? It's a great way of spreading the word and getting great advertising!
Let me know.. I have your blog on mine already :)
sandy

Anonymous said...

i am sooooooooooooooooooo glad you started a blog. muchas gracias!

Anonymous said...

I find myself tumbling towards Kitch sometimes too. I tend to blame my attraction to wanting to be a 'little-kids mom' though my little one is 12. I don't think I'll ever grow out of that phase...

jessielavon@yahoo.com said...

Hi darling,I just got my own blog up,Hope y'all will come see.While recovering from surgery I am working on a new idea,called Play set in a tin.each one had a paperdoll with acceories and a hanging bead charm.Hope y'all will come see the blog.Y'alls Jessie


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