M.J. Rose

These photographs are inspired by fairy tales — we think these photographs could inspire new tales too…

The artist describes her work, below.

From Bored Panda,

I Bring Russian Fairy Tales To Life

By Margarita Kareva

“My name is Margarita Kareva, I’m a photographer from the Ekaterinburg (Russia). I started taking pictures about 5 years ago, had not even suspected that it will be my profession. Since then, I often say thanks to the Universe for giving me a passion for my life. I love to read since childhood, and perhaps my love of reading has made me a dreamer and a person living in their fantasies. And I’m glad that I had a way to play out my fantasies with the camera. It is very important for every person – to have their own way of expression. My way – is to share photos from a fairy tales. Photos with unusual models, with animals, with a combination of quaint colors. Most of the photos in my portfolio is a creative photography (noncommercial) because I think it is very important to do something that you really like…”

For the photos, click here.

“Fantasy doll maker” is probably the best job title we’ve ever heard. And these dolls really are fantastic.

‘Forbidden Fruit,’ by doll artist Mari Shimizu.

From Dangerous Minds,

Surreal dolls reveal the dark fantasy worlds that live under their ‘skin’

“Fantasy doll maker Mari Shimizu hails from Amakusa, Kumamoto Japan where after graduating from Tama Art University, she dedicated herself to creating and photographing her intricate ball-joint dolls. Shimizu is deeply inspired by the Surrealist movement, especially Nazi-hating Dadaist, photographer Hans Bellmer whose scandalous work often incorporated dolls. Here are a few words from Bellmer on his artistic approach that appear to directly align to Shimizu’s ethos:

The body resembles a sentence that seems to invite us to dismantle it into its component letters, so that its true meaning may be revealed ever anew through an endless stream of anagrams.
Shimizu carves openings in her dead-eyed dolls in order to provide the viewer insight into the inner-workings of her inanimate creations. Themes that run through her work include mythology, religion, death and nature in which rabbits are common themes. Rabbits are symbolic for a myriad of reasons and perhaps as it pertains to Shimizu’s work is how the rabbit is regarded as an “Earth” symbol—as it is the earthly aspect of its existence that allows the animal to retain its composure in the midst of chaos. Rabbits are also categorized as being “tricksters” in various mythological tales and folklore from around the world including Japan. Shimizu’s utilization of the dolls as unconventional artistic vehicles is about as tricky as it gets…”

For the rest (many photos!), click here. Note: Some of the images of Shimizu’s ethereal dolls are NSFW….

This is our new fantasy lifestyle…

From The Vintage News,

Australian couple Bought a decaying Neoclassical French Chateau and started blogging the restoration process

“Renovating a decaying neoclassical French Chateau is the ultimate dream, right? – Just the mere visit in a once sumptuous, now eerie palace lived by French aristocrats, where every corner has its intriguing story, gives me goosebumps. So bringing back the glory to a crumbling, massive palace, makes the 94 room Chateau de Gudanes, Mount Everest of renovating. So, Australian couple Karina and Craig Waters in 2011 decided to “climb the summit” i.e to revive the 18th-century ruin as soon as they saw the abandoned beauty mansion in the Midi-Pyrénées online, that had been sitting on the market for four years.

Karina Waters, a former corporate and tax accountant lived with her husband Craig, a surgeon and their two children in Perth, Western Australia. In 2011, they’ve decided to buy a house in France, and they had almost given up the exhausting hunt, when the couple’s 16-year-old son, Ben, spotted the forgotten property on the internet.

The Australian couple immediately flew to Paris and drove 700km to view the enchanted mansion, and at the first glance they have found their calling: ” to bring this decaying beauty to life.”…

For the rest, click here. For the restoration blog, click here.