Oh why not. After 39 (this is 40) posts to this blog, I figure I might as well try to put a face to the words for you. I thought I'd introduce myself. My name is Grace, though I've gone online as "Sidhe" for over ten years now. I'm 27 years-old, live in Ohio, work at a library, and have adored the Pre-Raphaelites ever since I was....16 or so? My first experience with the Pre-Raphaelites was an admiration in my early teens for Rossetti, but as I grew older, I started to dislike the "thick necks and man-hands" he gave his women (I have since come around again, of course, to admiration for his work). When I was 13, I became smitten with the music of Loreena McKennitt, and really loved her song "The Lady of Shallot." At 16 or so, I was browsing in a mall art store, and came across a print of a woman who looked just like she had stepped out of the song. It was, of course, John William Waterhouse's famous artwork by the same name. I became completely smitten with all of Waterhouse's art, and he remains my favorite artist.A couple of years ago, I became enamoured with the idea of recreating pin-up photographs/modeling. I pursued this hobby for a while, and still enjoy it, but I started then looking more at the beautiful artworks of the Pre-Raphaelites, and other famous Victorian artists, and thinking how fun it would be to try to recreate some of these artworks as photographs, or just make photographs that reminded me of the same style and mood as the Pre-Raphaelites. I discovered that while I enjoyed pin-up modeling, I really enjoyed experimenting with photography in the style of the Pre-Raphaelites I so admire! It is a hobby I continue to pursue.
And, of course, the latest outlet for my admiration of the Pre-Raphaelites is this blog! I appreciate every bit of positive feedback I've received so far about The Beautiful Necessity, the name of which I shamelessly stole from a book about Arts & Crafts. I hope to continue this blog for a long time to come, for as long as the Pre-Raphaelites keep yielding new information to me (so in other words, for a LONG time to come!).
This week's posts (and likely a few beyond) will be about modern novels that feature the Pre-Raphaelites. In each blog, I will review a different title. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Thanks for sharing! The photos are lovely, though I'm not sure if I would have stepped into that pond! I discovered Loreena McKennitt a bit later--I think I was 15, but I just love her music.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your book reviews!
~Margaret
LOL that's actually the typical response when people see that photo, and believe me, with good reason. It was definitely a sacrifice :)
ReplyDeleteStunning photos! And thanks for sharing a bit about yourself!
ReplyDeleteOoo--so lovely to hear so much about you all in one place! :D I'd picked up much of that already...but it was through digging through various sources. I love having it all together! :D
ReplyDeleteAww thank you!
ReplyDeleteHello Grace, you have a lovely hair.Especially the color. Thank you for sharing with us how to get the pre-raphaelite hair. Now, can give a suggestion to the specific color and brand one can use? LOL , I know one can pull of the look with haircolor that is blonde, dark or red hair. But what do you suggest one use for these? And since we're talking color,how about makeup? What color to use? Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteWell, Anonymous, asking for hair color tips would presume that I color my own hair!
ReplyDelete(ok, yeah, I do) ;)
I can recommend what color *I* like to use best, but the most helpful tip I can possibly give after 13 years of doing my own is...if you want a truly natural looking red, DO NOT go by the photos on the boxes. If you find a box photo that makes you say "that's lovely, but doesn't quite look red enough" go with that one, because red pigment ALWAYS ends up brighter than you expect. That's the mistake I think a lot of women make when they try to do a natural red...they go by the box pictures and it ends up too bright.
Sadly, my favorite hair color was a shade from Clairol Hydrience that was discontinued about two years ago. Since then I've been using Revlon Colorsilk in Strawberry Blonde #72, but when I really want to give it a boost, occasionally I'll use Clairol Nice and Easy in Natural Reddish Blonde. See? Both hair colors don't even sound very red.
As for makeup...mercy...I definitely don't consider myself an expert there...I usually end up using the super cheap drugstore brands like "Love My Face" or "Wet n Wild." Play up whatever feature you're most proud of...for me it's my really dark eyes...and go light everywhere else. Really, although most Pre-Raphaelite art has a very natural makeup look, Rossetti is known for his bee-stung cherry lips, so you can't really go wrong when it comes to makeup! :D
Hope that helped!
verry nicce pic.... beautiful girls.. he is you admin blog?.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kutulis! They are rather old pictures of me :)
ReplyDelete