#Kathryn vercillo

[sueclancy]

Verbal questions answered with visual art: a new interview style

This week I primarily worked on fine art commissions that are holiday gifts so nothing here about that. Here’s a new interview style thought up by Kathryn Vercillo and I was her test-subject! Kathryn Vercillo amazed and impressed me again by creating a “visual interview” whereby she asked me questions using words and I answered using only images!! I gotta admit this was the most comfortable…

[nnoceurr]

The latest interviews in 2024:

Rachel Chak on being a DJ in London and making money as a creative | Rachel's DJ sets

Kathryn Vercillo on her virtual book tour, collaborating with other writers and more

——————————————————

Subscribe and join 540 writers and creatives today to catch upcoming interviews with creatives!

Subscribe to my newsletter to get your free resources:⁣

- 12 months of writing prompts

- A Spotify playlist for your writing and creative sessions🎶

Exciting stuff happening in 2024🥹

- Interviews with authors and creators on my newsletter, including Karina Kupp from Chill Subs, Rachel Chak and many more👀

- Creative challenges, TBR, writing tips and resources just for you

If you want to get all these and catch the interviews before they are out, subscribe and join 509 writers and creatives today❤️‍🔥

[petalstopicots]

Have you ever wondered about the proper etiquette for commenting, or the correct protocol for collecting emails for your mailing list, or perhaps whether it's okay to share a link to your latest blog post in a comment section? If so, this post is for you. Kathryn Vercillo breaks it down for us and explains Craft Blogging Netiquette. The dos, the don'ts, and the depends. https://www.petalstopicots.com/craft-blogging-netiquette/ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=692873412198129&set=a.590689945749810&type=3

[meonfocusblog]

Kathryn Vercillo "Crochet Saved My Life"

Interview with Kathryn Vercillo. Today we have the Honour to have a very Special guest.

Today we have a special Post, we very happy to have Kathryn Vercillo The Author of “Crochet Saved My Life” the book that you all know helped me to get out of Panic Attacks and Anxiety with Depression.

We decided to do a Post interview instead of a Podcast but, later today you can be able to hear the audio of the interview on our podcast.

I’ll leave you with this amazing interview 🙂 Enjoy!

  Pleas…

[sartle-blog]

Mental Health Art History: 5 Artworks Depicting Asylums

Yard with Lunatics (cropped) by Francisco Goya

There is such a cliche about artists and madness. Perhaps there’s a bit of truth to it: people who struggle sometimes see the world creatively; creative people may struggle to fit into the boxes that define the norm. It’s tempting to simplify this, but it’s a mistake. Many people living with mental health issues aren’t able to create at all, despite desperately wanting to. Illness takes over. And yet, there are some amazing people who persevere and create magnificent works of art despite their challenges.

In fact, a surprising number of works from famous artists were created while those people recovered in asylums, at mental health retreats, or other inpatient care. Some were created afterwards, but depicted what the artists saw in those places. If you’ve ever seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest then you know that art can depict those places in the most horrifying of ways. We may even want to look away. But looking at those challenging pieces can help us better understand some of the darkest times an artist has gone through.

Here are five works that specifically depict the asylum / hospital experience.

1. Corridor in the Asylum by Vincent Van Gogh

Corridor in the Asylum by Vincent Van Gogh, The Met Museum

Vincent Van Gogh created magical works of art depicting nature. His flowers, wheat fields, trees, and seascapes continue to inspire the imagination of viewers today. The painted-in-detail film "Loving Vincent" is only one of many recent examples of how artists continue to draw from his work.

The artist painted what he saw. Not all of his life was spent soaking in the beauty of landscapes bathed in natural light. He spent one terrible year of his life in the Saint-Paul de Mausole asylum. What he saw was the empty, seemingly-endless hallway represented in Corridor in the Asylum.

His letters at this time indicate that there were more than two dozen empty rooms in this corridor. He was relieved that the patients who were there didn’t harass him about his work or seem to judge his finished paintings. Still, he wasn’t exactly thrilled to have this as his inspiration. He only did a couple of other paintings of the asylum’s interior and he strictly avoided depicting what his own room there looked like, despite sharing paintings of his personal bedroom from when he was not at the asylum.

Life at the asylum was anything but pleasant. He wrote of his experience, “one continually hears shouts and terrible howls as of animals in a menagerie.” The terrifying sounds must have echoed horribly in that corridor. One patient he shared space with had auditory hallucinations and Van Gogh wrote that he seemed to be responding aloud to sounds in the corridor that no one else could hear.

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, MoMA

Despite the need to paint some of his experience, Van Gogh did all that he could to paint the more pleasing landscapes he remembered from his life before the institution. Whenever possible, he would sit in the asylum’s gardens, painting what he saw there instead. He arguably even created some of his best work there, including Starry Night. He was forced to imagine better times alone since nobody ever came to visit him in the asylum.

2. The Madhouse by Francisco Goya

The Madhouse by Francisco Goya at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

Not one to sugarcoat things with a pretty name, Goya aptly called this painting The Madhouse. A similar painting from the asylum is called Yard with Lunatics. It leaves little to the imagination in terms of what his experience there was like.

Goya actually painted two versions of The Madhouse, the first in a vertical format and the second as the horizontal image most people are familiar with. In both we see the chaos of the madhouse experience. Naked men grapple with each other or with invisible deities. Chiefs and kings represent authority figures that easily suggest the horrifying power dynamics in 18th century asylums.

Comparing the earlier and later images, the difference that stands out most is that the latter is even more chaotic than the first. It’s as though the setting was eating away at Goya’s mind and he had to change the painting to reflect the madness in an even more thorough way.

Although he may have been losing his own mind there, his work is representative of an important turn in art history as it relates to mental health. He was on the cutting edge of what would emerge in the nineteenth century as a fascination with the subject of madness in art. There was a shift in society; madness had been something people gawked at for entertainment and was now becoming something to hide away in asylums. The art of the time reflects a new interest in what it means to be a part of this shifting culture when you as an artist are coping with mental illness.

3. Creative Therapy by Jacob Lawrence

Creative Therapy by Jacob Lawrence, Cleveland Museum of Art

The asylum experience doesn’t have to be horrible. Some people check themselves into an institution to get treatment and get lucky - they’re there at the right time in society, with the right doctors, and they get the care that they need. Art therapy has been a part of many asylum stays, and certain artists have thrived thanks to that creative outlet.

Depression by Jacob Lawrence at the Whitney Museum of American Art

Jacob Lawrence painted his Hospital series depicting the experiences he had while dealing with depression in an institution. Most of the work from this time is dark, as one would expect from scenes of an asylum. One of the most well-known works is Depression, which describes not only his own experiences of that mental illness but the depressed experience of being in the institution. Likewise Sedation, featuring psychiatric pills, emphasizes that there’s a clear question about whether the illness or the “cure” is the problem.

Sedation by Jacob Lawrence, MoMA

However, Creative Therapy offers a more positive take on what can happen in the asylum, particularly in terms of healthy treatment. It depicts the artist participating in an art therapy group there, led by a psychiatrist, in which he explored different aspects of his art and used color and perspective in new ways. Art does have therapeutic value, and when artists are allowed to work with it in therapy it can make all the difference in whether their creative impulse shrivels or thrives.

In a fun twist that he may have appreciated, Lawrence’s paintings have served as important discussion starters among older adults in contemporary art therapy groups.

4.Henry Ford Hospital by Frida Kahlo

Henry Ford Hospital by Frida Kahlo at the Dolores Olmedo Museum

This one isn’t quite from the asylum but it might as well have been. Frida Kahlo had spent her pregnancy on bedrest only to suffer a miscarriage that required an abortion to complete the process. That horrifying experience happened at Henry Ford Hospital.

She went into a deep depression, which she tried to process through her art. Each stage of the miscarriage and hospital experience is depicted in this painting, which began as a sketch while she was still in the hospital. The viewer’s eyes don’t know where to look and may want to turn away altogether. It’s lonely, scary, desolate, and desperate.

And although the experience didn’t take place in a traditional asylum, one can imagine that in this hospital setting she experienced that similar combination of focus on her the weaknesses of her mental health combined with inattentive care to the horrible experience of loss and depression she underwent during her two week stay there.

Although this is perhaps the most famous work depicting Kahlo’s struggles with infertility, it’s not the only one. In fact, some argue that it’s a critical theme throughout her work. This was only one of three medically-necessary abortions she had, and she suffered other miscarriages as well. Undoubtedly, this affected her mental health. The hospital bed is symbolic of the inevitable tie between physical and mental health, though historically society has often chosen to ignore this important link.

5. The State Hospital by Edward Kienholz

The State Hospital by Edward Kienholz

Edward Kienholz wasn’t a patient at an asylum. He was part of the staff. It didn’t make him any less affected by the horrors that can happen when things don’t go well in an institutional setting. The State Hospital reflects those horrors in all of their gory detail. He created this piece in the 1960s, nearly two decades after his two year internship in the hospital, but the experience was seared into his memory.

He described the asylum in terms that include the words: prison, brutality, and dirty. He even said that One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest was a model asylum compared to what he saw where he worked. His installation includes a model who was in actuality about to die from cancer, so he expressed that living in the asylum was essentially like being dead. The cavernous spaces in the heads in this piece suggest minds atrophying.

For several years prior to this piece, Kienholz’s installations were designed to shed light on individual horrors including those afflicting people troubled by mental illness. This piece added a new element though; holding society accountable for the abuses these marginalized people endured.

This post is part of our series on Mental Health Art History. We’ve previously shared two posts on artists with depression, plus posts on bipolar artists, artists with schizophrenia, and the unique condition of Misere.

By: Kathryn Vercillo

[celestetsang]

The latest interviews in 2024:

Rachel Chak on being a DJ in London and making money as a creative | Rachel's DJ sets

Kathryn Vercillo on her virtual book tour, collaborating with other writers and more

——————————————————

Subscribe and join 540 writers and creatives today to catch upcoming interviews with creatives!

⁣Subscribe to my newsletter to get your free resources:

⁣- 12 months of writing prompts

- A Spotify playlist for your writing and creative sessions🎶

Exciting stuff happening in 2024🥹

- Interviews with authors and creators on my newsletter, including Karina Kupp from Chill Subs, Rachel Chak and many more👀

- Creative challenges, TBR, writing tips and resources just for you

⁣If you want to get all these and catch the interviews before they are out, subscribe and join 508 writers and creatives today❤️‍🔥

[asexual-cactus-blog]

Mount Sinai Researchers Used State-of-the-art Technology

Although much of the focus on obesity and infertility is on women, it absolutely affects men, too. So if you are having issues with erectile dysfunction don't ignore it as there is much you can do without taking drugs that will perhaps have harmful side effects. Though the results thid medication are nothing less than brilliant, the drug does have its share of side effects. In the last six months, two other Network Ten stars have spoken out about being embroiled in these scams. An individual named and requested if I may well acquire an antique table off her palms - an attractive table, mine within just swap for easily starting to be it out of her course. Adult males can purchase PT141 for the erectile dysfunction and gals can crank out retain the services of of this drug for taking pleasure in and strengthening their demand of ingesting far too. Therefore, men should handle issues and changes carefully because these can cause stress. The Ashanti Regional Hospital (Kumasi South Hospital) will from August 1, canada online pharmacies 2018 open Ghana’s first all men health unit to handle all kinds of Erectile Dysfunction. A person who is addicted to alcohol will continue to drink the substance despite apparent side effects. Uncommon side effects include chest pain and erectile dysfunction. • The effects of this erectile dysfunction drug begin within 20 minutes of taking the pill. A man's vision changed dramatically after he took a gulp of a drug he bought online that is commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction. While we know colored vision disturbance is a well-described side effect of this medication, we have never been able to visualize the structural effect of the drug on the retina until now,” said Dr. Rosen. Chickens in China have received an estimated 2.6 billion doses of amantadine. For congestive heart failure, MedlinePlus recommends doses ranging from 6 g to 20 g per day, which varies on a case-by-case basis. The recommended dosage of arginine varies depending on the treatment. A recent study from Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health has recently published a report supporting a natural treatment. The Erectile Dysfunction(Ed) Drug Market report provides crucial information about the market, including Opinions from Industry experts, and the recent progressions and developments of the Erectile Dysfunction(Ed) Drug industry. Men suffering from erectile dysfunction may benefit from 5 g of L-arginine per day. Doing so may delay or lessen the severity of his andropause symptoms later on in life. “Although the results from these analyses are hypothesis generating and need validation in an independent cohort, our data support the hypothesis that ED may be a modifiable condition in CCSs,” the investigators concluded. To improve the weak memory in patients of Diabetes Mellitus, Kali Phos, Nux Vom and Phosphoric Acid are the natural Homeopathic medicines of great help. When patients come in with visual symptoms after using sildenafil, Maturi said, there’s often something else at play. “To actually see these types of structural changes was unexpected, but it explained the symptoms that the patient suffered from. Certain special symptoms in women include excessive growth of body and facial hair, irregular menstrual cycles, or the menstrual cycle coming to a complete stop. Hypothetically, two twin brothers agree to participate in a 6-week research study designed to assess how different combinations of macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) affect body composition. It is the stage in a man’s life, specifically in his midlife, in which he experiences changes that affect his physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Millions of people are affected by high blood pressure o hypertension. For this cause, this kind of food stuff are furthermore a no-no Whilst yourself are attempting toward reduce additional fat. For this reason, many people make the mistake of assuming that all supplements are safe. Updated on March 22, 2010 Kathryn Vercillo more Kyolic Garlic Formula 109 Blood Pressure Health (80 Capsules) Buy Now Supplements are products that are available to people over the counter. Viagra lost its patent protection in the UK in June 2013 so generic drugs, called sildenafil, can now be marketed.

[thecrochetcrowd]

10 Most Important Health Benefits

10 Most Important Health Benefits

Lion Brand Health Benefits to Yarn Crafting by Kathryn Vercillo.

Health Benefits with Yarn

We all know that crochet and knitting has fabulous health benefits. Kathryn Vercillo wrote a blog that appears on Lion Brand’s Website titled 10 Most Important Health Benefits  of Yarn Crafting.

I didn’t expect to read anything that I didn’t already know about but boy oh boy, was I surprised!

Crafting helps…

[lovefelicidade-blog1]

Opções Avançadas de Técnicas de Crochê

Depois de descobrir os pontos essenciais de crochê, você descobrirá muitos pontos de crochê avançados alternativos que poderá estudar. Um grande número de Make upon The pontos fundamentais. Muitas vezes, consiste em um número de pontos para a costura idêntica, como é o caso do crochet v-sew e do ponto shell.

Marque esta lista de técnicas de crochê para aumentar suas técnicas! Kathryn Vercillo Um dos meus fatores mais amados sobre crochê é que você pode começar a ganhar atribuições impressionantes imediatamente depois de estudar apenas os princípios extremamente básicos do ofício.

Estratégia Crochê

Tapeçaria crochê é na verdade um método de colorwork em crochet onde várias cores de fios são transportados em toda a linha, às vezes trabalhado na frente, juntamente com outras situações na parte de trás, para gerar belos tipos de gráficos.

Rendas de cabo de vassoura é uma forma particular de crochê, onde você atrai loops para cima em um tarugo (ou no início, um cabo de vassoura), após o qual você pode operar novamente para agrupá-los coletivamente em loops. Isso cria um material incrivelmente único.

Inciantes do Crochê

Começando rápido para iniciantes, permita-me compartilhar as idéias e dicas que irão ajudá-lo a melhorar e avançar para técnicas avançadas extra em nenhum momento.

Em combinação com correntes de crochê e ponto de deslizamento, há quatro pontos de crochê que podem ser considerados como os pontos de crochê fundamentais - mais freqüentes. Eles são crochet único, meio crochet duplo, crochet duplo e agudos de crochet. Estes pontos de crochet são todos variantes uns dos outros, subindo no topo de um como resultado de agudos.

É uma costura seriamente fascinante - você realiza uma fileira de crochê duplo, mas o resultado parece ser duas filas de um crochê. Isso ocorre porque uma barra horizontal é feita no meio de cada ponto único. Para iniciar a linha, encadeie três e insira o gancho na segunda corrente, passe o fio e puxe por meio de um laço. Confie neste loop como sendo o fio no início de um cotidelo de crochê duplo diário, então insira seu gancho em outro, costure um laço e termine o trabalho como normalmente faria.

A abordagem por renda será o tipo mais antigo de crochê e, ultimamente, desfruta de um renascimento, uma vez que produtos complexos são bem conhecidos hoje em dia e, sem dúvida, não são apenas para mulheres idosas. O principal benefício da renda é a sua velocidade - Exceto que você está usando aplicativos em miniatura, as polegadas voam!

Com nossos tutoriais você pode conhecer todas as principais formas de variações de crochê e pontos, você será capaz de incorporar várias técnicas em um vestuário atraente ou decoração de habitação.

Cro-tatting. Esta técnica é aplicada para obter o olhar de tatting enquanto lida com uma agulha de crochê. O gancho cromada é por um longo tempo e reto, que tem uma cabeça menor do que uma agulha de crochê convencional.

Tipos de Pontos - Crochê

Pontos de frente e de trás-write-up podem fazer desenhos maravilhosos que inclui cabos, embora deixando a mercadoria, no entanto, versátil. Não me preocupo Realizar layouts de cores, mas tenho a tendência de gostar de costurar / estampar e de alta qualidade de fibra "fazer as conversas". Estou extremamente a fim de ser proprietária do meu produto Advanced Crochet Techniques, seja utilizável / vestível, satisfazendo o contato além do olho. Apenas o meu sentimento, escusado será dizer. Todo mundo tem que descobrir o que é melhor para eles, cada um dentro do ganho e utilização da mercadoria final. Isso é fantástico em ganhar coisas para si mesmo - escolha!

10 Abr 2013 Eu sei que eu tenho que dominar o crochê tunisiano, porque você pode encontrar muito mais padrões agora que usam este método, e eu gosto dos vários aparecerem do material. Lion Manufacturer, desejo que você apresente um kit - provavelmente com a bolsa fofa que combina a decisão de Vanna em roxo e o Glamour em cobre da Vanna; Eu precisei realmente fazer isso por muito tempo!

Não permita que a operação extra o afaste. Estes são realmente pontos maravilhosos. Você descobriu todos os fundamentos que você precisa ter

Enrole o fio em volta do gancho e atraia o fio pelos dois loops restantes dentro do gancho (fig. 11).

[sueclancy]

The Artists Mind by Kathryn Vercillo - an interview

My longterm readers know I’ve an interest in both creativity and mental health. When I saw “The Artist’s Mind” by Kathryn Vercillo I had to interview her. Fortunately Kathryn generously responded to my questions about her new book! Clancy: What are you drinking while we’re chatting? I’m having a dark french roast coffee. Vercillo: Yum. I am a lifelong coffee drinker with at least a couple of…

[wonkybraingirl-blog]

I learned to crochet when I was a little girl. My granny taught me. I had no way of knowing this skill would get me through some of my stormiest days years later. I will forever be grateful for the time she invested in me.

My Granny will be 94 this month. She is sporting a beanie I crocheted for her.

Chiari Malformation and Meniere’s Disease most definitely wreak havoc on ones’ day to day.

Looking lovely a few weeks before or after my third brain surgery. I’m really not sure.

Learning to cope isn’t easy. Needless to say, the last 15 years have been challenging. Some sunny days, lots of sunshine in fact. Some stormy days. Some tornadic days. It’s funny how if you’re not careful, the stormy days will cast dark shadows swallowing up the sunshine, your sunshine. 

Crocheting is my therapy, if you will. Physical and mental yarn therapy. 

The skillful maneuvering of the hook with one hand, while holding the yarn with other is helpful in keeping motor skills sharp. Chiari tends to diminish motor skills. I experience this on a low to medium level, depending on the day. Crocheting is my therapy.

Counting stitches and remembering a particular stitch for a project provides a challenge for anyone. Add a crowded brain and a spinal fluid blockage and well, it’s not always pretty. Chiari tends to affect short term memory. I experience this on a relatively high level depending on the day. Luckily, the basic technique of crocheting was emblazoned on my wonky brain all of those years ago and stored in my long term memory. That knowledge shouldn’t be going anywhere. Fingers crossed. Crocheting is my therapy.

The sense of accomplishment I feel upon completing a project is a moral booster for sure. The ability to take a few skeins of yarn and create one of a kind pieces is most satisfying. Crocheting is my therapy.

Creating unique items for friends and family is delightful. Being commissioned to create is almost intoxicating. Ok, maybe not intoxicating but man oh man, it feels really good to know that folks value and appreciate your work. Crocheting is my therapy.

Heck, crocheting gives me an outlet when I can’t sleep, which is often. I average 3 1/2 hours of shuteye a night. One can only watch so much Netflix and news. Crocheting is my therapy.

I found this article from The Craft Yarn Council to be of particular interest. Scientific evidence is available touting the neurological benefits of one little hook and some yarn. Crocheting is my therapy.

Yesterday, I stumbled across a book that peaked my interest. I went ahead and ordered it. I’m anxiously awaiting its’ arrival. Crochet Saved My Life  by Kathryn Vercillo includes testimonies from individuals who claim that “handmade heals.” Crocheting was their therapy.

If you have a wonky brain like mine, strongly consider learning to crochet or knit. It will be challenging at first but I assure you the challenge will be beneficial in the end. If you are without said wonky brain and struggle with relaxing, crocheting is the antidote.

“Her fingers work steadily, flicking the yarn – a light lavender in some places, nearly plum in others – around a small golden crochet hook and drawing it secure through a loop made a moment before.” – Jaclyn Shambaugh

  Yarn Therapy – Get ya some I learned to crochet when I was a little girl. My granny taught me. I had no way of knowing this skill would get me through some of my stormiest days years later.

[petalstopicots]

Have you ever wondered about the proper etiquette for commenting, or the correct protocol for collecting emails for your mailing list, or perhaps whether it's okay to share a link to your latest blog post in a comment section? If so, this post is for you. Kathryn Vercillo breaks it down for us and explains Craft Blogging Netiquette. The dos, the don'ts, and the depends. https://www.petalstopicots.com/craft-blogging-netiquette/ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=605766210908850&set=a.590689945749810&type=3

[creativeorangecounty]

Presented by Threadwinners in collaboration with Kathryn Vercillo

Opening Reception Jan. 6, 6 - 10PM

Special Event Dates (Details TBA): Jan. 20 & 27

Closing Reception Feb. 3, 6 - 10PM

GALLERY de FOX presents Healing Circles: Mandalas for Marinke, a collaborative crochet art installation by San Francisco-based crafter and writer Kathryn Vercillo and the local crochet collaborative Threadwinners (Alyssa Arney and Liz Flynn).

Join us for the opening reception at GALLERY de FOX on Saturday, January 6, from 6 - 10PM.

Mandalas for Marinke, spearheaded by writer and crafter Kathryn Vercillo, is a widespread community-based crochet project that honors and remembers the life of Marinke Slump, known to the online community as Wink from her blog A Creative Being. Wink, unfortunately, took her own life in 2015, which devastated Vercillo. To work through her sadness and depression, she reached out to the vast network of crocheters, knitters, and crafters to create and collect beautiful, vibrant mandalas in Marinke’s memory. Intended to raise mental health awareness and address suicide prevention, this collection of over 1,000 handmade mandalas is a testament to the meditative, reflective outlet that the art of crochet can provide. Healing Circles at GALLERY de FOX is a very special installation of this vast online project that invites guests to come together, reflect, and perhaps heal or reconcile traumas of the past and present.

Admission is free; donations are welcome. A portion of proceeds from exhibition sales will go towards the next steps of the Mandalas for Marinke project.

Stop by to see the show on: Saturday, January 20 - Event details TBA Saturday, January 27 - Event details TBA Saturday, February 3 - Closing reception, 6 - 10PM

[collagescrapexchange]

By Kathryn Vercillo

[sartle-blog]

Art and Fashion: Christian Louboutin - Flowers and Shoes

Christian Louboutin and photographer Peter Lippmann have such a love affair going on. They collaborate almost every season to bring a passion for art history to life. The images seem to say that Louboutin's accessories could enhance any era, but perhaps only the 21st-century is quite ready for these two.

Each lookbook that they create brings together Louboutin's shoes with scenes styled to look like images from a particular time in history. For SS '14, they turned their eyes to the Impressionists. They weren't happy to just recapture any old Impressionist subject, though. They wanted specifically to showcase over-the-top colorful bouquets of flowers. 

There's something intriguingly feminist about the collections they create together. Stiletto heels and clutch bags too tiny to hold don't scream feminism. And yet, the way that these images are all about femininity and strength, with no hand of a man in sight, is certainly a striking thing. Since both shoemaker and photographer are male, it could read as their male gaze stamped on the work and yet it doesn't. These are the types of flowers, shoes, and art prints that women buy for themselves.

Inspiration: Cezanne

There are several Cezanne paintings that this stylized photo seems to have pulled from but the most obvious one is Le Vase Blue. Everything from the lush fruit to the wine bottle has been made more lush. Surely, you'd rather have those overflowing flowers sitting on your table? And, of course, your Louboutin purse right beside it. It's probably got your cell phone inside, ready to snap a photo of your table for Instagram.

Inspiration: Van Gogh

No other artist is as well known for sunflower still life paintings as Vincent Van Gogh. But which one was the inspiration for the Louboutin lookbook? None of the flower amounts are quite right. Van Gogh painted three with fifteen flowers, two with twelve flowers, and several with fewer flowers but never quite as many flowers as these. Of course, Louboutin embraces abundance so it's no surprise this vase has some extras. Besides, the flowers aren't so much the point in the end. The art is all about the heels, haphazardly cast aside perhaps after a long day of hard work or before a long night of passion.

Inspiration: Jan Brueghel the Younger

The inspiration here is so obvious. Jan Brueghel the Younger might have been better known for his Basket of Flowers than this (An Arrangement of Flowers) but how could Louboutin and Lippmann resist the inspiration of the ornate vase? The flowers spill luxuriously over the side. And on top, of course, instead of a teeny tiny butterfly is that grand shoe.

Inspiration: Jan Brueghel the Elder

Both Younger and Elder painted elaborate flowers so why not draw inspiration from both? In fact, the Elder was sometimes called The Flower Brueghel because they were such a common theme for him. The arrangement here looks most like Flowers in a Ceramic Vase. The floral shoe at front and center gets the most obvious attention but what's up with the extra pair tucked directly into the bouquet?

Inspiration: Claude Monet

Apparently the artists decided it should be a theme: shoes planted in the bouquets. Perhaps it's the next gift idea for partners who are trying to make a huge statement with the flowers that they send. Just a bouquet is no longer enough. Of course, Monet was known more for his Waterlilies than this Vase of Flowers, but maybe Louboutin didn't want his shoes ruined in water.

Monet may have been the inspiration for more than just this one photo. Louboutin notes that the very specific shade of red that is the hallmark of his shoe bottoms is very close, if not exactly the same as, the color of the red poppies in Monet's Coquelicots. Although, fun fact, the shoe itself that first got the red-bottomed treatment was a shoe inspired by Andy Warhol's Flowers.

Inspiration: Camille Pissarro

Camille Pissarro enjoyed trying his hand at a variety of different art styles. When he saw what others were creating, he wanted to do it, too. So he would probably be thrilled to see that Lippmann and Louboutin have used others, including him, for inspiration. This is perhaps this most Impressionistic of all the photographs, drawing a lot of little details from the original. Who is the woman who comes home to this place and sets that purse against the books by her flowers?

Inspiration: Henri Fantin-Latour

Henri Fantin-Latour painted a lot of flowers, particularly a lot of roses. It's hard to guess which one inspired this image, though. The contemporary image took a lot of liberties adding a bird, the Louboutin shoe, and a bug crawling on the shoe. There's probably a lot of rich symbolism here but what exactly it means is anyone's guess.

Fun Fact: The only American magazine that Louboutin reads regularly is "Gardens Illustrated." Gardening is one of his favorite pasttimes.

By: Kathryn Vercillo

[ooakindness]

Kathryn Vercillo, of Crochet Concupiscence, is interviewed by Happily Hooked Magazine about the health benefits of crochet & her book, How Crochet Saved My Life.