I took these photos at home. I’m always looking for the play of light….whether it be a well defined shadow on a wall, the shine of metallic thread in a fabric, a reflection off a glass vase, cabinet or chandelier. Well used light adds dimension, play and movement to a room. It affects our sense of place whether we are conscious of it or not.
We arrived this morning at 6am and have been in a jet lag fog throughout the day. I’m trying to type now but the fog has seeped into all the edges….. aah tomorrow morning, I’ll write.
But, before I go to sleep, this is in Paddington. All the kids in their uniforms look so cute. It reminds me of all my years in uniform. Every one of my schools made me wear one. At the time we all hated them and would find ways to modify them. I remember walking on the insides of my leather school shoes to make them all worn and screwed up. I have no idea why we all thought that was a great look.
“We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.”
— Tom Robbins
Getting ready for the press tour for my first Aussie film, Matching Jack. This is one of the areas I had jewelry laid out. Spent Saturday getting together the many outfits I need for press (50 interviews, one premiere = 4 days in Sydney and Melbourne). Whilst some of it’s radio, a lot is tv or print. It’s quite a task to get all the clothes sorted. Sometimes I’ve worked with stylists, other times I do it myself. I am so specific about what I like, it’s often easier for me to put it together myself. This is just one of the areas where I had jewelry laid out.
My daughter came home that afternoon and saw the pile of high heels lined up and tried them all on which is a feat when you are only 2. She preferred mixing and matching: one open toe Prada with a Dior boot. Anything would look good on her.
Because in Los Feliz it goes like this:
Los Feliz 3: a independent old school movie theater, Skylight books: independent hands own book store for readers, Skylight theater: independent theater where people actually still see plays, Skylight books AGAIN but this time with coffee table books, graphic novels and magazines, old school drug store with a walker in the window (who has the guts to do that), kid’s store store with awesomely cool kid’s clothes, Cafe Figaro: enough said, vintage clothing store that has great cheap pieces, and finally a magazine stand in case you didn’t find the right one at skylight. And you can see it all across the street from your struggling artist apartment (see earlier post). If you’re not adequately confused/ overwhelmed by my syntax then you should lay off the wine and go to bed which is what I should have done hours ago.
We are still in Los Feliz wandering the neighborhood and across the street from Cafe Figaro is the ubiquitous struggling artist Art Deco Apartment Complex. It seems that myself and everyone I know has lived in one just like it at some point in their LA life – mine was in West Hollywood. They are perfect for many single artists as they often have an overabundance of one bedrooms. These tiny crumbling apartments are filled with history from their original green/black or pink/black or yellow/black tiles in the bathroom to the musty hallway carpets and tiny wood closets. My living room was red and another time pink. My bedroom was blue and my kitchen yellow. I got to get a lot of overindulging out of my system in that apartment: whether it was wall paint or drunk conversations with my buddy over the back fence. Yes, there was a back fence and my friend’s apartment was at the back of the art deco building in the parallel street. We got to be old fashioned country neighbors exchanging a cup of sugar and stories of the night before. Best thing about these buildings: you’re friends are all in the same boat (and by boat I mean struggling artist living in dirty, worn art deco apartment ).
All Tampons, Sexy Lingerie and PMS rages must GO.
This is the first post in a series about Los Feliz. I have chosen, what for me, are it’s defining elements – it’s long standing gems. Let’s start with Cafe Figaro. The part of me that misses Europe loves this little cafe’s authenticity: the red leather banquettes lining the walls, the pressed metal bar, the chalkboard specials menu written in messy cursive and of course, the chef’s unwillingness to allow for any substitutions.
One afternoon I sat here alone with nothing but a copy of Tropic of Cancer and a very strong coffee that at happy hour was exchanged for a glass of rose. I had no sense of the Los Angeles that was outside the doors; I was in 1930′s Paris imagining a torrid time in 20′s New York.
It was 102 degrees in LA today. I was at an audition for MI4 when I saw this sign above me. I don’t know why but I hear John Cleese’s voice saying to me. ”You’re thirsty? It’s bathroom water for you, young lass.”
I love my daughter’s spaces in my house. This is in her playroom and there she is in the photo on the wall: sleeping peacefully by the beach. Her areas are whimsical and lighthearted; we all long for a bit more of that when we’re grown up. Who decided we had to make life serious? What a big bore.
“Those who shun the whimsy of things will experience rigor mortis before death.”
— Tom Robbins
