What's a Christmas without the Nutcracker ?

What's a Christmas without the Nutcracker? I hope you enjoy the Nutcracker ballet as much as our family does. There are so many companies that produce this throughout the world and can never pick a favorite. Enjoy this small clip from the Nutcracker and watch it through the eyes of a child. God Bless and Merry Christmas.

Finalizing my Project

~~~~ ~~ THE PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKS OF SHELLY PERKINS ~~
~December 12, 2012
In a quest to finalize my project for this semester at the University of Oklahoma, I’ve found that I’m wanting more. I don’t want my project to be over and plan to make additional images for my Wonderland interpretation. I loved getting to know how I work and how I go through the process of making my artwork, from the initial concept and idea down to the final image and large inkjet print. There are a few images that my project will never be complete without, one of which is the White Rabbit. How can Alice go to Wonderland without chasing after the White Rabbit who is always late? (I’m currently on a mission to find a white rabbit that my little Alice could cuddle in a portrait.) Another image I plan to make includes the caterpillar, possibly with a smoking hookah, and finally the Mad Hatter and well, you’ll just have to wait and see about him. The Mad Hatter images I made looked a little too creepy for my final presentation. I wanted to stay away from the creepiness (which is the path I took for my last large project but instead wanted this final class project to have a light-hearted feel to it and to bring back memories of what others may have remembered about “their” Alice for their own childhood. Here is a collage of the final images from my project (albeit finished for the class, but not quite finished for my own personal project). This will be my final posting on my student blog for this Digital Photography at the University of Oklahoma. I’ve had a great time…now Enjoy and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Have a Blessed New Year!!! ( FOR MORE INFO ON MY ONGOING WORK — CHECK OUT WWW.SHELLYPERKINS.COM )

Shelly Perkins Photography www.shellyperkins.com

Ben Heine's Mad Hatter

December 11, 2012
I wanted to share some other work I found that I’ve really enjoyed. Ben Heine’s work ~ WOW ~ Lovin' this artist.

Alice in Wonderland

Did Lewis Carroll have a Mental Illness ?

~~ ~December 10, 2012

Did Lewis Carroll have a mental illness ??
I had not addressed this in the blog before but some historians have wondered if Lewis Carroll, the author of the original Alice story, had a form of mental illness and even worse. Whether he did or not, I do not know, however the author did record in his journal his bouts of illness with terrible migraines. I too have migraines and know how debilitating they can get at times. Here’s a short article written by news publication Varsity in the U.K. about Lewis Carroll.
http://www.varsity.co.uk/culture/4085

Twisted or Just Child Play ?

~~December 9, 2012
Was Lewis Carroll twisted or did he just enjoy the innocence of child-play?
I want to think in my mind, that Lewis Carroll who was a professor, simply enjoyed spending time, teaching and entertaining young children. He did not have any children of his own and by terms of his employment he was not allowed to marry and therefore did not. He spent much time with the school’s Dean and his family (the “the real Alice” was the Dean and Lewis Carroll’s employer). Without confirmation otherwise, I believe Charles Dodgson, a.k.a. Lewis Carroll, was an educator who loved his job of teaching children and delighted in seeing the eyes of the innocent sparkle when he told his tales. If you can step back in time and remember when everything was new and an adventure. Why shouldn’t we all carry that feeling around with us and go out into the world and see everything through the eyes of a child?
Smithsonian link on Lewis Carroll’s Shifting Reputation http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Lewis-Carrolls-Shifting-Reputation.html?c=y&page=3#
~~

Interpretations of Alice in Wonderland

~~ ~December 8, 2012

A few more clips of other Alice and Wonderland interpretations. I can’t get enough of Wonderland now. I’m so in love with the whole little story. I’ve been researching the back story about the original author and the surroundings of the original writings, which are somewhat strange but all in all, it’s a great story to make-believe.
Here’s a little clip from the original Disney 1951 animated film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgbntWU7pG8

Here’s a fun short video with various Cheshire Cat clips. I LOVE the Cheshire Cat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cl5Bd_-FzA

Here’s another little Youtube link from another Wonderland film. It has somewhat of a Little House on the Prairie feel to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=ZhHun-Jq7s8

Here’s a link to the entire film of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a 1972 British musical film based on the Lewis Carroll novel of the same name. It had an all star cast, and John Barry composed the score. In 1973, the film won the BAFTA Film Award at the BAFTA Awards Ceremony for Best Cinematography, won by Geoffrey Unsworth, and Best Costume Design, won by Anthony Mendleson. Cast: Fiona Fullerton – Alice Michael Crawford – White Rabbit Peter Sellers – The March Hare Dudley Moore’s name was in the credits too… still have yet to find him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgWshJ9yN7c

Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland filmed in 1972
And Lastly…. Here’s the U.K. trailer to the latest Disney Alice in Wonderland film produced by Tim Burton. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9POCgSRVvf0

My Art Process ~ Alice in Wonderland

~~December 5, 2012
I wanted to include a little behind the scenes look at the process I go through to make an image. I usually have an idea in my mind and will often sketch out a scene. The final image may not look exactly like the sketch but it’s more of a beginning point. Much of my work is about the process not just the outcome and I wanted to offer a glimpse of the steps that I take to get to the destination.

Shelly Perkins Photography www.shellyperkins.com