Thank you Tabitha for this lovely piece of encouragement which came as I was pounding out the next book (pounding?) And thank you for giving me permission to post it here.

Hello Barbara,
We corresponded a while back when my daughter Ivy (9) just loved your book Cinderella. I just wanted to let you know, my younger daughter, Willow (7), just finished reading it last night (did it in 2 days she was so hooked!) & was all smiles. She brought it to school today to (hopefully) read some to her class. Loved it! Next she’ll read Thumbelina…

We are awaiting your next project with anticipation! Saw the new website (I have to say I did love the old one, but I’ll adjust). Love the art… it’s just great & so “Matisse”, who is my personal fave.

Anyway, fab reviews once again here & here’s to the next great book!
Tabby

YES I can cut a beautiful portrait (from thick black homemade paper) of your child or your honey, your mother or your dog WITH A ONE WEEK TURN AROUND IN DECEMBER. (Usually it takes two or three.)

(Right now I am working on this cat whose name is Scratchy—talk about a challenge.)

FAQ

CAN YOU DO IT FROM A PHOTO?      Yes I can.

In the ideal world I  like to meet the subject for twenty minutes, make some sketches, and take some photographs. I can also do very good work from jpegs.

HOW MUCH DO THEY COST? $390 buys you one cut out portrait that will fit a standard (8 by 10)frame.   Multiples of one image (either as a cut outs or a high quality print) are discounted from that. You can also get way bigger and teensy weensy which can be very cool.

IS FRAMING AVAILABLE? Yes with all kinds of options. One popular way to go is the black “glass sandwich” frame. Another possibility is to mount the silhouette on cream paper and have the name written next to it with a dip pen in black ink.

OKAY SO WHAT IS THE FIRST STEP? Press that beige button at the right and let’s get started or contact Brooklyn Mercantile

To make it easier for my mother to move (closer to a younger man she likes) she has hired a company to digitally re-imagine her stuff in the new digs.  Although I myself have no plans to move closer to a younger man I too have imagined my stuff—specifically my art—- in some new digs.

The better for you to take a look, and imagine it (perhaps)

]

inside your very own home.

Yes it is true, this marvelous art (paintings and prints and cut outs) are for sale. They can be sent to you via UPS when you pay by check or paypal. In advance of my show in the fall of 2010  you can seize this opportunity to buy DIRECT FROM THE ARTIST at prices reasonable enough not to spoil your enjoyment.

Another way to look at the pieces is by clicking through the gallery.

http://www.barbaraensor.com/gallery/

Also

Check me out in the  Brown Alumni Magazine ! Yay Brunonia.

http://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/content/view/2429/32/

Imbabura, the boy mountain

No it is not. I am fresh back from visiting a magical valley in Ecuador which is between two flirtatious  mountains, locals refer to as “mama” and “papa.”  Imbabura, the proper name for the boy mountain, is viewed above, from my lucky host Rami Arim’s desk. Cotacachi, the coquettish —and sometimes snow-capped— object of his affection was in full view from Daphna and Rami’s guest bedroom where I was lucky enough to get to stay.

What with rival mountains on the horizon, as you can imagine, it all got very interesting.  A  constant swirl of clouds in the valley barely hinted at the drama of their unfolding love story. And oh my gosh, as if that wasn’t drama enough, there is also always the possibility of a volcanic eruption:

There is just no rest for the vacationing storyteller!

Speaking of which this three minute-ish piece about my storytelling activities aired on a local cable show last month— while I was away.

http://www.bricartsmedia.org/community-media/brooklyn-independent-television/neighborhood-beat/park-slope

The red polka dotted shirt  is the real star of the segment—thank you Ariel for giving me that! And many thanks to Rami and Daphna as well,  for generously inserting me—in reality and in this photograph as well—between those two magnificent amorous parental mountains. If this were in Brooklyn I would say this picture was taken at the top of Rami and Daphna’s stoop. But like I said before it is not. 

Yes it is true, the website looks different. The box is gone. The box is already open. We are thinking outside the box.

I am working on a custom silhouette order right now. All my silhouette orders are handled through Brooklyn Mercantile. Check out their new and improved website or stop by the store.

It was fun:  a book party (my second ever)  and a gallery opening (my first ever) and I admit I was a little nervous. But not for long. People did actually show up, not usually the ones who had said they would.  And I got to watch people from different parts and periods of my existence chatting together as though it was perfectly normal. I got to meet Io (pictured below) who loved Cinderella and couldn’t stop reading Thumbelina. She looked a lot like her mother Robin Perl who I’ve known since we were freshmen in college but only recently got back in touch with courtesy of Facebook! 

Thanks to Ariel  Danny Kaye sang about Thumbelina and Ugly ducks turning in to swans. Georgia poured, John snapped. Karen and I argued about whether John McCain was evil or weak and confused. Dean Lozow another lost Brown friend came from Minneapolis with someone I should have met in college but somehow didn’t. Did I mention people actually bought art and talked about buying MORE art and Matthew  BARTERED for it, which was magnificent, since, in addition to playing the accordian, the man  tweaks this  website and teaches blogging tricks. I signed many books with a dip pen.  Darren the framer showed up and was duly praised.  We danced, we ate, we drank. I explained how the story of Thumbelina is exactly like the life of Obama ( both didn’t quite fit in, both travelled the world, wouldn’t be pigeon-holed and with a mixture of politeness and determination became the subject of songs…) And nobody seemed particularly dumbfounded by the blinding  truth of this newsflash. Ariel in a flaming red jacket played gorgeous music from around the world about Barack Obama.  It Barracked.

Oh and I got  a chance to publicly pat  important people on the back like Anne Schwartz, Rachael Cole and Lee Wade from Random House for steadfastly midwifing the book (no small feat) and Kim Maier of the Old Stone House. That’s the summary. It was fun.  Thank you if you came.  I’m going to add just a few more pieces. I can’t stop… If you didn’t come (or even if you did) and you’d like to see the exhibit stop by  the Old Stone House (TheOldStoneHouse.org) on Fifth Ave in Park Slope Brooklyn either Sat, Sun and Tue, 4-6 pm and Thursday 4-8 or call or email about setting up another time.  (Some days it will be Tjasa or John,other days I will be there with my scissors working on silhouette portrait commissions. The exhibit is  going to stay up until January 11th. Held on by popular demand. Sort of. Be well. We did it! Barbara  >

You are cordially invited to an opening party for Thumbelina, Tiny Runaway Bride, an exhibit and a book. Also we will hold a glass up to celebrate a new president- elect.
WHERE: The Old Stone House, Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets, Park Slope Brooklyn
WHEN: Saturday November 8th, 6 to 9 pm
MORE INFORMATION. OldStonehouse.org

Visit the exhibit throughout the months of November and December during these hours:
Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 4 to 6 pm
Thursdays 4 to 8 pm
or by appointment (917) 604-8732

Going up in November at the Old Stone House in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. And here is a sign to prove it! You can come and see it anytime at Fifth Avenue and Third Street in November and December provided it is Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays from 4 to 6 PM and Thursdays from 4 to 8. Or by appointment. Can you read the phone number on the sign? It says 917 604 8732.
Print

At 2 o’clock I’ll be reading Thumbelina Tiny Runaway Bride at Barnes and Noble on 86th & 2nd,( not to be confused with the one nearby at Lexington) . Stop by if you are in the neighborhood