Posts from ‘Circus’
Carnival Art – Carnivàle de la lune bleue
I had to go when we drove down the highway and I saw those tents and the pretty lights on the Ferris wheel…I just had to go! Carivale de la Lune Bleue is in Bromont and is featuring the circus show La Vie, which stars our very own Mimi. (fashion week: roses in her hair balancing on top of two young shirtless men in my magician’s assistant costume…remember her now?)
I want you to see these paintings. These large canvases were all over the site and sometimes I forget that an artist was standing in front of a canvas with a paintbrush. Art isn’t always for walls. Art isn’t always expensive. Art can be advertising, decor, theater and in this case CIRCUS. The sky is the backdrop and the style is playful.
I love it.
I wore a red bibi with a red bird sitting in a golden flower (at the boutique $90).
I felt like I fit right in with the freaks and the fancy costumes.
Some things are made with such outstanding craftsmanship and love that they become absolutely impossible to ignore. Du Buh Du dolls are one of those things (or more like many… there are a lot of larger-than-life characters to love).
Each and every doll hand made and painted by mom Christine Alvarade (and more times than not, photographed in enchanting setups as well). The details, the colors, the personalities she gives them all… it is more like she is creating life than an adornment!
Enjoy this blast of inspiration as her dolls take you on a beautiful journey 
And last but most certainly not least… the mexican skull ladies… my personal faves 
Happy Thursday!
xox
YEAR 3 as Smirkus costume designer!
This years’ theme was Nature, the seasons, the elements. It was almost to broad a theme to start with. We tried different angles to approach Nature with a narrower filter. We settled on a Nature Rock-opera with a touch of Burning-man and a lot of KL style.
The Winters were purple, like when you see shadows on the snow. We added fun fur and icicle shapes. We put the emphasis on the feet because they are tight-rope walkers.
Here we have one of the Fire girls. This year’s goal was to make as many headpieces as possible. I find a head piece really frames and completes a costume. The fire girls are the contortionists.
Spring and summer expressed in flowers. One day I would love to do a whole show based on the birds and the bees…flowers, insects and foliage.
Autumn-Man, the superhero of leaves. This set of Fall foliage costumes required some hunting for sewable orange leaves. Green fake leaves are easy to come by, but yellows and oranges and reds required some searching. I finally found a supplier specialized in Retail decor. They also sold oversized fake ice cream cones.
Great work Katharina on the embellishments!
Our very Canadian looking lumberjacks. We just couldn’t help ourselves.
And here we have our rock-star unicyclists sporting some very extreme gear. I can’t wait to see these helmets light up under a spotlight. They were made with gem stone studs and a dis-assembled disco ball. Hanna made the power-ranger inspired gear.
These are the costumes for the Water girls. The wavy textures make these my favorite costumes. The girls also had headpieces made with blue hair extensions and purple hand-dyed yarn.
We did it again! This year my costume team consisted of:
Katharina Pitczuk and Hanna Broer (the two blue costumes above)
and Siobhan Martel (who is currently on tour with Smirkus).
Thank you Smirkus!
When I went to Smirkus for the costume fittings this year, I took a little walk one evening and discovered Ramona. Ed Leclair had mentioned this gem, but I had no idea just how enchanted I would be to discover her for myself. She took my breath away and made me dream of a time when she was inhabited and on the road with a traveling show. Since she is currently residing inside a very nice barn, she is safe from rain and sun. The pictures are a little dark and do not do her beautiful paint job justice.
When you open the side door, a little ladder appears that can be hooked onto the exterior door jam.
This is the upper front window in the bedroom. All beveled glass and stained glass windows.
This is the view from the interior living room into the bedroom.
Here is that front bedroom window from the inside.
And of course there are little 3-d stucco angels on the walls. The details in the moldings and finishing back then was truly high art.
Why not put a fireplace into a roulotte? You need to stay warm, entertain and feel like an all around classy lady when you are working a mud show.
And here is the tail end of Ramona. Once maybe she was pulled by horses and had wooden wagon wheels. Just imagine that chandelier clanking about. Could I have designed and made costumes back in the day and lived in Ramona… Definitely!
Visit the Official Site!
