SheWalksSoftly

Nimbus the Nihilist

August 26th, 2015

I’m starting a new feature here on SWS: Nimbus the Nihilist. Although she’s a happy, loving girl off camera, in nearly every photograph Ms. Nimbus appears to be in the throes of existential crisis. No one knows why, so we must assume she is a precociously philosophical feline who often ruminates on what it all means…or doesn’t mean.

Join me as I chronicle her many expressions of existence’s profound futility (coupled with classic quotes to encapsulate what I imagine she’s thinking).

I’m starting with my oldest photographs of her two months ago when she joined my home, so you can witness her nihilism blossom over time. If you have any favorite quotes that might be appropriate for future posts, please share!
Pixers Forest Wall Murals

August 24th, 2015

The website photos have large, obtrusive water marks so I could only find a couple from other sources, but Pixers’s “forest after rain” murals are some of the most beautifully atmospheric wall decorations I’ve ever seen.

Although the weather does affect my mood, I’m partial to the foggy, cloudy murals on the site because the hazy glow is much more dreamlike. The crisp light of the sun shows everything in sharp detail, but in the obscured distances beyond the fog…all possibilities exist at all time.

See more HERE.
Allen Williams

August 23rd, 2015

I’m not surprised that Allen Williams has worked with Guillermo Del Toro, as his creatures are strange and wonderful, with a slightly dark, haunting aesthetic.

His use of pointillism is excellent.

Allen Williams
BAKEA

August 22nd, 2015

I highly encourage you to step into the world of BAKEA (Juan Carlos Paz), and delight in all the strange monsters.

I love his use of warm, bright colors…and varying numbers of eyes.

I might actually go to the beach in the summer if I could see things like this.

…Or willingly step outside in a winter coat.

BAKEA
Veks Van Hilik

August 21st, 2015

Today I bring you the dark, surreal creatures of Veks Van Hilik.

From the artist bio:
Veks [developed] his own style: an oneiric, surreal one, while integrating other various influences. Artists such as Gustave Doré, Ingres, Caravaggio, Dali or Breton are constant inspirations from the past centuries but, as cursed by his generation, his work is also tinged by pop culture, video games, comics, street art and tattoos.

Each painting or drawing from Veks Van Hillik presents itself like an ode to fantasy, like a secret window to his dreams and chimeras, of which each scene and character is a subtle mixture of innocence and darkness.

Veks Van Hilik
Hsiao Ron Cheng

August 19th, 2015

Today I bring you the pastel worlds of Taiwanese digital artist Hsiao Ron Cheng.

These are the world where strange children play, and drift…peacefully disembodied…through the ether.

I love the subtle inclusion of a girl, clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time (bottom left).

Hsiao Ron Cheng
di0_0ib

August 18th, 2015

It looks like there used to be a livejournal for di0_0ib, but the link I’m providing is the biggest current collection of work I could find online (sent by a kind reader in response to a mystery artist post).

All dib0_0ib work seems to be done on sketchbook pages. This is some pretty intense sketching, filled with bizarre creatures from alien world’s (and some interesting variations on creatures from our own).

di0_0ib
Prancing Prey Puppet Teaser

August 17th, 2015

Apparently, today is Black Cat Appreciation Day (who knew?). Far be it from me to miss ANY opportunity to show some love for black cats (I’ve been cuddling with my beloved Dr. Morbius all morning).

I present the latest addition to Dr. Morbius and Ms. Nimbus’s ever expanding toy collection. I think you’ll agree it’s pretty much the greatest cat toy ever made: The Prancing Prey Puppet Teaser!

Yep, it’s a Freddy Krueger glove…with MICE. I was hoping to get some quality action shots, but alas, cats are not always the best photo subjects on cue. However, I don’t see how anyone could resist buying a Prancing Prey Puppet Teaser at first glance!

Tell me your favorite black cat (or any cat) story.
Lucrezia Borgia’s Hair Reliquary

August 16th, 2015

I can’t find any lengthy articles about this particular piece, but here we have a reliquary of Lucrezia Borgia’s hair, created in the 1920’s.

It’s a pretty fantastic piece (which reminds me of today’s steampunk sculptures…but clearly precedes them by many decades). She’s got quite a lovely natural hair color. Most women need to get that out of a bottle.

It’s worth reading the bio, as Lucrezia Borgia is shrouded in all manner of scandalous allegations.
Frog Cakes…A Loose Interpretation

August 15th, 2015

You’d be surprised how different bakeries execute the task of making a “frog cake.”

For reference, this is what a frog actually looks like.

And now for some examples of generous amphibian artistic liberty!

This gorgeous lady is all made for date night.

Don’t know what frog limbs look like? Tentacles curling in on themselves with random smatterings of black gunk is a fair guesstimate.

What are those blue dollops of icing on the head? Anyone? I can’t say I understand the mouth either.

This isn’t how legs work.

This isn’t how anything works. But if the customer requested “Oscar the Grouch as a nuclear casualty,” this cake would be on point.

From the fine folks at Cake Wrecks.