YELLOW UMBRELLA CONCERTO

Sometimes there are books that are ageless, indeed Yellow Umbrella is one of those books.
The front cover makes me feel like im looking at the first Wet & Wendy photo shoot, taken from above on a city street.

Yellow Umbrella is a wordless illustrative book written and illustrated by Korean Jae-Soo Liu, it comes with a CD in which Dong Il Sheen has composed mesmerising piano music to transport the reader into their own interpretation of the story. When the umbrellas pass over a bridge, the music changes to the pinging sound of rain falling on metal,  transporting you right into the pages of the book. It's so wonderful.

BUY IT HERE

You can also see Shanna Sweeney's adaptation of the book here and get a taste of the original music  too. Click here, this is great.

FLASH FLOOD

Dear Umbrella Flash Mob,

Please come and perform outside the Wet & Wendy HQ.
Email me and Ill send you the address,
We'll be here waiting for you rain hail or shine.

Love
Wet & Wendy 

AND NOW THE SHIPPING FORECAST...

I love the romanticism that comes with fishermen and their stories, I love watching shows like 'The Deadliest Catch'. The simple, functional weatherwear is an inspiration to Wet & Wendy. Weather Utility at it's best....If only I wasn't afraid of boats.

These photographs taken by Corey Arnold catch a personality you don't often see in imagery of the great sea-fairers.

COREY ARNOLD as described on his personal Bio, is a photographer and Alaskan commercial fisherman. From 2003-2010 he worked as a deckhand on the Bering Sea crabber f/v Rollo and more recently, runs a wild salmon gillnetting operation in Bristol Bay, Alaska.  The off season is filled with travel, gallery exhibitions, magazine and ad photography assignments with a bit of backyard gardening, cat maintenance, and skateboarding in Portland, Oregon. He is currently working on a life long project entitled FISH-WORK which chronicles the commercial fishing lifestyle throughout the world. See Him Here.

VERY SUPERSTITIOUS

A few of us got talking last night about superstitions. Im one of those who grew up never putting shoes on the table, always throwing spilt salt over my shoulder and my mother would have a fit if she heard the click of an umbrella indoors.

I have opened a lot of umbrellas indoors lately.

I have found that this superstition dates back to the Ancient Egyptians.
Umbrellas were used by Egyptians to protect themselves from the sun, and opening an umbrella indoors was seen as an insult to Ra the Sun God who it was feared would punish you with terrible luck.

And so, for thousands of years, the panic and guilt of opening an umbrella indoors has been passed on by the types of grandmothers we can all relate to. I am fortunate enough to be in the umbrella business myself, and with samples flying around all over the place needing to be opened,  I am now exempt from any such bad luck and removed this superstition from my memory, it's very liberating you should try it.

POTICHE

Set in 1977 in a provincial French town, POTICHE is a free adaptation of the 1970s eponymous hit comic play. Catherine Deneuve is Suzanne Pujol, a submissive, housebound 'trophy housewife' (or "potiche,") who steps in to manage the umbrella factory run by her wealthy and tyrannical husband (Fabrice Luchini) after the workers go on strike and take him hostage. To everyone's surprise, Suzanne proves herself a competent and assertive woman of action. But when her husband returns from a restful cruise in top form, things get complicated. 

This is set to be Wet & Wendy's film of the year.

BLOW OF WIND

Like Wet & Wendy, French artist Sandrine Estrade Boulet aims to put a smile on your face. She sees fun and positive narrative in everyday and sometimes mundane streetscapes. Aren't we lucky that she created her work; coup de vent  as she saw the halarity in this discarded brolly?

All her artworks are doctored images which she creates on her computer, she even encourages readers to send their images to her to create a little scene.

Check her out here.

WHERE FOR ART THOU SEASONS?

I feel very different as each season kicks in, I have a definate love/hate relationship with Winter, I feel whimsical at the onset of Spring and Summer I'm probably at my peaceful peak.

I thought I'd share my seasonal moods through various artworks.


AUTUMN

Autumn is the only season where there is a change in something tangible, the leaves change colour and fall off the trees and we all know its Autumn. Maybe when the seasons merge even more we will call the season No Leaves.

Georgia Okeefe painted Pedernal My Front Yard Autumn 1941 many years before I was born, even with all the weather changes since it still perfectly sets my Autumn tone.



WINTER

In Winter my head feels heavier. Is it full of stormy seas or just a bad curly hair day? The weather is a bit smudgy and all over the place.
I love thinking that this beauty doesn't even need an umbrella.

Albin Brunovsky, worked from 1955 - 1990. Check to here his other works.


SPRING

Dutch Artist Santtu Mustonen captures my springtime awakening with all his colour and texture.
It feels like something great is about to happen and that there is still dirt and grit underneath all this sunshine. More amazing awakenings here.


SUMMER

The gush of Summer is the reward I get for all the dark clothes and endless nights in during the Winter.
Summer joy is not having to check the weather report because you just know the sun will shine in heady warmth tomorrow.

Matthew Brandt's photography is the perfect mix of old and new, I love the way his recent portraits have the esscence of the 1800's as opposed to the vintage 60's- esque you often see. This series 'Lakes and Reservoirs' feels like the sun was so hot it burnt the image and maybe even the artist's picnic lunch.
See more here.

ELEMENTARY DEAR WATSON

This was the explanation that Sherlock Holmes gave to his assistant, Dr. Watson, when explaining deductions he had made.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson dressed for the weather and their love of weatherwear is duly noted here at Wet & Wendy.

"As evening drew in, the storm grew higher and louder, and the wind cried and sobbed like a child in the chimney".- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Guernsey, England has recognised the 150th anniversary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes with a new issue of stamps. Designed by Keith Robinson in the style of Sidney Paget who illustrated Conan Doyle’s original works, the Guernsey Post is also sponsoring the writing of new mystery story called Sherlock Holmes and the Curious Case of the Alderney Bull.

You can buy the whole set here at the Sherlock Holmes Stamp Website

A bit about Doyle himself.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born May 22, 1859. His first collection of short stories, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, was published in 1892. The last of his series, The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, was published in 1927. Conan Doyle received his knighthood in 1902 and lived to the age of 71, passing in 1930.

Doyle was friends with the famous American escape artist and magician, Harry Houdini.

Like Holmes in real life, Doyle helped free two men who were wrongly charged with murder and other horrible crimes by investigating the cases personally.

Awwh I want to be a detective so bad, but for now I'm going to invest in the Sherlock Holmes Handbook, you know carry it around under my arm. Buy here

RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD

SUNDAY, RELAXING SUNDAY