Lions and Tigers and Bears

Surely C.F. does bears? For those of you who even remotely think that I pull your leg when you read the entries, and for those of you who are huge C.F. fans and just can't get enough, and for those of you who will see Precious in a photograph this evening and in person in the future (for appreciation, edification, reiteration, and just an excuse to use my camera) I took a picture of this article that I happened to come across in the very lovely national magazine that I was delighted to see still carried on the news stands. You can see a C.F. Original lion featured, which will be the subject of the next book, Cats, and you can read about the museum exhibition in Arizona dedicated to exquisite C.F. original gems.

Our public library on Broadway will be carrying all three C.F. books. Speak to Ryan in reference if you have trouble locating them. The books will be available from our library to all others on the island through inter-library loan. If they're always out, because you can bet they will be, you can reserve them or ask your library to purchase their own copies.

Better yet: Visit www.cforiginals.net , spring for the pittance, and get your own!

Andiamo!

This evening, tonight Saturday April 14th, is the photography exhibition opening. If you can find IMAC, you can find the gallery. If you continue one door down, you can find the girls in the window. If you can find the photograph of Orchid in the yellow silk chiffon babushka, you will see precious ruby (And pearl, and lapis, Oh my!) Precious. Precious, a gem of a gem, is a museum quality C. F. Original. Should you notice them in the photos, Orchid's diamond earrings are custom creations by goldsmith Ben Kahn.

From Near to Far

And Here to There
Funny Things
Are Everywhere!
- Dr. Seuss

After spending better than a combined half-century in America's financial industries and with the two of us never having consulted for anything less than Fortune 200, my husband and I feel over-qualified to judge a bank; any bank. This is about our favorite bank.
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We have both agreed that there is nothing wrong with judging an institution by its pens and its monkey. The plastic pens suck; the coconut monkey rules. The coin arcade, one of the numerous free services, is a great secret. It's worth bringing your piggy bank there just to get the bank's signature red cherry lollipops.
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Welcome to the Monkey House, Commerce Bank. We love you!

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P.S. Before you send me stupid notes asking me why I carried the monkey to the bank, let me tell you: I didn't; the funny coconut monkey was already at the bank. Don't blame me for the monkey, that's all I know about it, I didn't make it, I have nothing to do with it.

Hellboy

That's Trixie in the photo; Hellboy is the movie. But, I bet I got some of you. I know that there is someone out there who is not familiar with my work who looked at the photo of Trixie and exclaimed, "Now what the hell is THAT?!" Admit it; I got you.

Hellboy was wonderfully colorful and comic book-y and had lots of bad jokes in it. I love bad jokes; I laughed through the whole thing. It was a fun flick despite the fact that it cribbed from almost every known movie and every character on the planet. Hellboy, himself, appeared as "Hot Stuff" as a baby. Hot Stuff with a deformed hand is still "Hot Stuff"; we all know that. My husband left the room during the first two minutes after exclaiming, "Ughhhh, Star Gate! They're doing Star Gate!" UhHuh. And they did Alien, Predator, Star Wars, Carrie, and a slew of other 'been there, done that' all-too-recognizable things. Maybe they were supposed to be familiar and recognizable; perhaps it was a spoof and that spotting the similarities was supposed to be part of the fun. Maybe. However, I did find myself yelling, "Flame on!!" Then I realized, uhoh, that's Marvel comics, not Dark Horse.
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It had good vs. evil, romance, and bad humor. It was Matrix-like enough that I was happy. It had good comic book lines like: "In the absence of light, darkness prevails." "There are things that go bump in the night. We are the ones who bump back." And my favorite line, delivered by Abe Sapiens who was a total rip-off on Creature from the Black Lagoon: "If there's trouble, all of us freaks have each other."

Muttontown Mansion Mania

The evening of Saturday, April 14th, will be a busy one for art events on our Gold Coast. Hmmmm, does one attend the gallery opening for photos that have been completed of Orchid, or does one venture in search of the mansion where portraits of Orchid have yet to be hung? Hmmm. Given the choice, does one worship at the alter of commerce or beseech the god of charity?
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Not to be remiss in my 'secret divulging' duties, I am honor bound to tell you that there is a major charity art auction being held in the wilds of Muttontown. We are talking about real art work here, the 'to-die-for' 'kill-for' kind (the thousands and thousands of dollars kind) not the cheesy paint-by-numbers stuff typically palmed off as 'art' in Island hotels. The Opening for this art auction is Saturday evening, 7 to 9. Yes, folks; the exact same time as the photography exhibit Opening. Directions: From Little Cow Harbor: 25A to Oyster Bay. Cross 106. Make a LEFT at the next light onto Muttontown Road. How can you miss the Mansion?
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Edward Bulwer-Lytton was a nineteenth-century Renaissance man who dedicated his life to writing and getting his point across; he repeatedly beat a dead horse to death. It's not important that you never heard of him; literally no one reads him but me. I was once told by a rare book dealer that I am the President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Bulwer-Lytton Fan Club. And, that in addition, I am his sole fan. You needed to know that he is a pedantic redundant wonderful novelist in order to read the next statement and not get more of a headache than you already have. You will also probably remember this paragraph when you "Tutt tutt tutt" and "But but but" come Sunday or Monday morning. Pay attention.

Here, I will take a moment, because this is important, and do a little Bulwer-Lytton on you: "Exactly my point. You plan to spend this Saturday night perusing art; good art. Not all art is equally good, but some is equally good. Can you see the dilemma? No matter which way you turn in life (In this case, I remind you, you turn LEFT. To the right is Coe Hall, the event is not at Coe Hall.), there is always a choice. How can you miss the Mansion?"

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Lovers of Waterhouse, connoisseurs of Art Nouveau, followers of the pre-Raphaelite movement's cult of the red-haired girl (and most local residents) are sure to recognize the calling cards which I have placed in the photo. An innately talented, ambidexterous, native of Great Cow Harbor, that person will be at the Mansion in Muttontown on Saturday night. Yes, at least one magnificent original painting by this international artist will be there for super lucky wealthy bidders to attempt to acquire. And, yes, it this amazing, incredible, master of oils whose typically huge canvases grace mansions all over the world, who plans to immortalize Orchid in paint in the as-soon-as-we-all-get-some-time future.
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Foxy Lady

Lilith Jones moves like a slender wraith, passing through the neighborhood and quietly changing it forever with a wave of her equally slender paintbrush. Animal lover extraordinaire, she has spent countless hours adorning and transforming the walls of one of our towns most beloved, extremely well-used, buildings with her incredibly detailed artwork.
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The truly unfortunate part is that Lilith is so good that many people think that her work is stenciled, or worse, that it is decals. It is neither; her glorious beguiling murals are completely painted by hand, painstaking brushstroke by painstaking brushstroke. Lilith is available for commissions. She can be reached at info@cathycara.com .

A Rumor of Gems

While even I couldn't hallucinate the person on the cover into being Orchid, I recognized Precious immediately. From start to finish, the book was absolutely delightful. If you are an aficionado of C.F. Originals, you will not want this book to end. Ellen Steiber has unwittingly wrote the most marvelous book-sized ad for C.F.'s work that could ever be possible. For all of us who simply love gem studded animals worn on our collarbones, she has produced a paper treat that is the equivalent of a luscious box of chocolates with the added bonus that there are absolutely no calories. (Unless you munch and read, of course.)
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Warning, however: This book will raise your lust level and your piggy bank will empty out as you attempt to garner and adorn yourself with a real C.F. gem. I must add: they're worth it. If you could see Precious' genuine ruby self in person, you would realize that there is a very good reason why C.F.'s work is in galleries and museums. Richard has included a wonderful photograph of Orchid wearing Precious in this month's exhibition at the gallery.

The Goddess Has Spoken

Many of you already know that the GoddessDiana is planning a special in-store celebration for the photography opening of Richard Gardner's work on April 14th. The calendar date has been marked for you with a lovely piece of cobalt coated Amethyst from Brazil; I keep hemming and hawing about what sort of necklace it should be embedded in. In the photo you can also see a peek at the baby dragon bracelet which still needs just a bit more work. To swoon over jeweled dragons visit www.cforiginals.net .

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If you have been dying to see the girls and missed my exhibit in February due to the snow, you have another chance. Due to the endless kindness of the goddess, they are currently in her window. Bring your friends and step next door to the gallery to appreciate how incredible the photographs of them are.

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Reminder: for those of you who may still be confused..... While all of the sculpts in Richard Gardner's 'doll photos' are connected to me, the three largest pieces are collaborations between myself and A.D. . Orchid, Window, and Vamp are spectacularly AngelDevil.