I’ve been a huge fan of Corey’s “Tongue in Cheek” for so long,
I can’t even remember when we first connected.
But I’m so happy that we did.
From learning about how Corey first met her French Husband,
getting acquainted with her California family
and her children, and now a beautiful grandchild (!)
to the enchanting images of the vintage,
old and luxurious brocante treasures-to die for,
seeing life through Corey’s eyes has been a joy.
Much needed, especially now in these challenging times.
I’m so attached to Corey’s point of view because it reflects
the vision I bring to my own work.
I’m an artist, living on a small island,
not far from Seattle.
Although growing up, my family lived on
both coasts of the US,
in Europe and South America,
I find great peace and joy
in our little wooded neighborhood,
where connections to nature abound:
beach walks and the discovery of ornately
patterned shards of Blue Willow china from long ago
washed and tumbled by the sea;
long rain misted hikes through the island’s
towering firs and cedars,
the ground usually damp from the grey drizzle
that keeps us “green”;
the wild (and terribly invasive) blackberries
that are so sweet plucked
warm off the vine in the short, warm summer months.
We even welcome the rose-eating deer to our yard-this year,
being homebound because of Covid,
it was a very special treat that our resident doe,
(that we named “Doe”),
brought twins (!) to our lives, all spotty and freckled.
(We named them “Dipple” and “Dapple”
even though we couldn’t tell them apart,
but it was always fun to say, “Oh look! There are Dipple, Dapple
and Doe outside!).
We live in an old island home,
created from beach rock and grey shingles
with the dark wood (and scuffed)
floors and beamed ceilings that were born
from our island’s plentiful woods,
more than a hundred years ago.
It’s where I work and paint and although,
over the many years, I have created a wide variety of art
and loved volunteering in every art project
and auction creation while our children were small.
I’ve found my passion now is depicting the beauty of time passing,
the vintage, the loveliness in the faded
and decay and adding strong swipes of bold
color to the mix, for an unexpected spot of modernity.
I describe my paintings as being influenced by
“The romance of vintage floral French wallpapers
and Chinoiserie with a modern twist”.
So my work features birds and botanicals,
leaves and vines, and lots of
pattern and color.
Lately, I’ve started adding gold leaf to my art stories,
softened and distressed, worn and softly gleaming.
I imagine, as I work, that my paintings are
just a part of the picture as if they were included in a large,
ancient, and darkened mural of a grand chateau that
has been cut away, so that imagery often fades off the side,
only revealing a bit of the intended narrative.
I hope the viewer will make up a new story for themselves.
In 2017, I was invited by the Japanese owned cosmetic company,
Shiseido to collaborate with the Creative Director of Cle De Peau Cosmetics,
Lucia Pieroni, to create original artworks for their limited edition,
Holiday 2017 Collection, “Nuit De Chine’.
It was an honor and a thrill to work with the
special and amazingly talented Cle De Peau Team!
My work appeared in all Cle De Peau’s global markets-Russia,
Asia, the US, Canada-and one of my favorite memories of this
experience was huddling around a small table in New York with Lucia,
the Team, the translators, and all of us collaborating
on ideas and directions and color, mood, and feel.
(My work appeared on all packaging: makeup coffret,
nail lacquers, eye crayons, skincare,
and banners, website banners, even tablecloths
and photo backdrops for Cle De Peau events
to introduce the new collection.)
My work is shown in a variety of galleries,
along with my silk scarf collection,
based on my paintings, my silk and
linen pillow collection and greeting cards.
It was a thrill, just recently, to send my cards to London
to be used as invites for a wedding there!
And my first book cover with my art will arrive next year,
published by Little/Brown, London.
The world is such a wonderful place.
Corey’s blog reminds me of all the beauty that is still “out there”
as we remain at home. I am grateful for that.
Aside from my art, Corey’s life resonates with me because many years ago,
I moved to France to learn the language without speaking a word.
I did know Spanish, and that helped a little.
But it was those first months of listening
to catch a recognized word or to speak a phrase
that someone understood that remains with me
as such a challenge and thrill.
I wonder how Corey felt when she first moved there?
I remember being invited to my first French dinner party
by a couple who were renovating a small old chateau.
Everything in shambles except for the kitchen,
the little dining room, and the parlor.
The long table was packed with friends and food
and it was the loneliest feeling ever-not understanding
what was being said and not being able to join in.
But later, when we all gathered to dance after dinner,
a very charming French tradition I learned,
Cat Steven’s album came on and it was delicious to hear English!!
How kind was the French people to welcome me so warmly,
in spite of not being able to speak “un mot”.
(Much later, when I started dreaming in French and
understanding all the jokes in the Asterisk and Obelisk comics,
I felt a lot more comfortable being chatty.)
So that’s my introduction. Merci mille fois for the
kind opportunity to meet your many, many readers.
It has been a delight to read about your followers’ stories.
Corey’s Daily Doses of beauty-those wonderfully, exquisite and
magical vignettes of lovely inspirational imagery
are so very welcome to see and be inspired by every single day.
Merci Corey for this gift.
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