You probably think I fell off the wagon again, but I have actually been studiously building puppets and photographing them for this blog. (Really!)
My fabulous red laptop, however, decided to go on strike (or something). She would not boot up. She turned out, but then I would click on my little icon and nothing would happen. For days now, I have been turning my computer on several times a day, crossing my fingers, saying a little prayer, sprinkling Holy Water, chanting, whatever. Today I must've done something different, because it actually worked.
So, for those of you who have been following along consider this an apology for the deluge of multiple post notices that are about to appear in your inbox.
Fingers crossed that my computer will continue to function for today!
P.S. I will be backdating the finished posts for continuity's sake. Then I think I will pick a week and call it "Summer School," where I can really catch up!
P.S. Update to my update: I've been trying to upload video clips...blogger has been slow and uncooperative. So things are taking much longer than I would like. My apologies!
Showing posts with label Personal Ramblings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal Ramblings. Show all posts
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Day #96: A Little Bit Nuts
I was finishing up at the studio and contemplating what I could do for today's post. I was thinking about all the materials at the studio. Wondering what I could use. I looked around...
A bunch of nuts, bolts, nails?
So I came up with an idea that really didn't work out. I took a wingnut and tried to make an object puppet. I wanted the nut to be like a fish fin on a bolt. I tried, but it didn't really work like I wanted to.
But I think an important part of any process is coming up with ideas that do not work. Ideas that are, well, bad. Before you can be good at something, you need an opportunity to be bad at it. Brainstorming is mostly finding bad ideas in search of a route to a better idea.
As you can see, it didn't work.
But there are many more ideas out there!
A bunch of nuts, bolts, nails?
So I came up with an idea that really didn't work out. I took a wingnut and tried to make an object puppet. I wanted the nut to be like a fish fin on a bolt. I tried, but it didn't really work like I wanted to.
But I think an important part of any process is coming up with ideas that do not work. Ideas that are, well, bad. Before you can be good at something, you need an opportunity to be bad at it. Brainstorming is mostly finding bad ideas in search of a route to a better idea.
As you can see, it didn't work.
But there are many more ideas out there!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Day #92: Feeding the Soul of the Artist
Perhaps I have been under a rock, but I recently read (and re-read) "Art and Fear." This is an amazing read! I had read some excerpts from the book, but now I've read the whole thing. Twice. I highlighted, underlined, and scribbled in the edges. I want to take passages and blanket my studio wall for inspiration. It was like deeply nourishing food that tasted like chocolate. Make sense?
Recently, artist Patrick Dougherty visited Richmond's Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Patrick builds giant, outdoor installations of native plants -- mostly saplings. I was fortunate enough to attend his artist talk, which echoed so many of my underlined passages from "Art and Fear." I was pretty jazzed up about that! A few days later, I had the pleasure to volunteer for a few hours as he built (with the helping hands of many, many volunteers) "Diamond in the Rough."
I really enjoy his work (end result), but I equally enjoy his process. The level of community involvement required is a work of art on an entirely different level.
As an artist, I sometimes feel like I am working in a vacuum. It's me and a roomfull of raw material that I am responsible for transforming into my work. Yes, yes, at least I have puppets to keep me company, right? (And Pandora...let's not forget Pandora!) Sometimes I even have assistants come in. Sometimes my kids join me (then I can guarantee nothing much will get done). But it's really still all up to me.
Sometimes you can be your own best friend. Other times you can be your own humongous roadblock.
I feel fortunate that there is a component of my work that involves going out into the world and physically sharing my work. That is my real end product. Yes, I can make puppets, but they need to perform or what's the point?
My point today is that getting the nourishment and support you need is part of the work of the artist. Things that feed my inner artist: time talking with other artists (thank you), walks, exercise, libraries, nature, climbing trees, yoga, Carmina Burana, reading to my children, chopping vegetables (really, it's true!)...
Recently, artist Patrick Dougherty visited Richmond's Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Patrick builds giant, outdoor installations of native plants -- mostly saplings. I was fortunate enough to attend his artist talk, which echoed so many of my underlined passages from "Art and Fear." I was pretty jazzed up about that! A few days later, I had the pleasure to volunteer for a few hours as he built (with the helping hands of many, many volunteers) "Diamond in the Rough."
I really enjoy his work (end result), but I equally enjoy his process. The level of community involvement required is a work of art on an entirely different level.
As an artist, I sometimes feel like I am working in a vacuum. It's me and a roomfull of raw material that I am responsible for transforming into my work. Yes, yes, at least I have puppets to keep me company, right? (And Pandora...let's not forget Pandora!) Sometimes I even have assistants come in. Sometimes my kids join me (then I can guarantee nothing much will get done). But it's really still all up to me.
Sometimes you can be your own best friend. Other times you can be your own humongous roadblock.
I feel fortunate that there is a component of my work that involves going out into the world and physically sharing my work. That is my real end product. Yes, I can make puppets, but they need to perform or what's the point?
My point today is that getting the nourishment and support you need is part of the work of the artist. Things that feed my inner artist: time talking with other artists (thank you), walks, exercise, libraries, nature, climbing trees, yoga, Carmina Burana, reading to my children, chopping vegetables (really, it's true!)...
Monday, May 23, 2011
Day #90: R&D
I've been looking through books on wildflowers and native plants for the region in which my new show (in progress), Little by Little, is set. It's tricky because there are so many choices! The Appalachian region is teeming with life and full of micro-ecosystems.
I'm look for flora with visual appeal and textural variation -- and it has to be accurate. We were camping last weekend and just happened to be near the AT. I had my books, walked around, and found an interesting specimen: the may apple.
These plants carpet the floors of many a forest. They come in single leaf or double leaf. The double-leafed varieties will bear fruit. First a flower, then the "apple."
Pretty neat!
I've been looking for fabrics/techniques to re-create these for one of the scenes that just happens to be perfectly times with when these interesting wildflowers are flowering....fabric stores are just as dangerous as bookstores. (OK, even more so!)
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| While wandering in the woods, these were everywhere. I like the shape of the leaves -- great for giving something an interesting shape to give it a uniqueness that works for the new show. |
I'm look for flora with visual appeal and textural variation -- and it has to be accurate. We were camping last weekend and just happened to be near the AT. I had my books, walked around, and found an interesting specimen: the may apple.
 |
| The leaves act like umbrellas for the single flower. |
These plants carpet the floors of many a forest. They come in single leaf or double leaf. The double-leafed varieties will bear fruit. First a flower, then the "apple."
Pretty neat!
 |
| You can see the "apple" forming in the center! |
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Day #86: Puppet Pondering
Well, we returned safely from the wilds of West Virginia and western Virginia (not to be confusing). We had performances in Charles Town, WV and then camped near Brucetown, VA.
I spent a lot of time in the woods and learned about lots of things...which I photographed. I, unfortunately, could not locate the camera with the photos. I just found out that it's because the camera was never unpacked from the truck.
Oh.
I guess that would explain that.
So I have been riddled with guilt and angst about not posting on the blog. I must confess that I have had a tough time coming up with puppets that I could execute in one day that were interesting to me. It was fun and mentally challenging, but it has become draining. But I want to honor the spirit of the blog by continuing to work at it and complete my days of posting.
Today I visited with my friend and fellow puppet-builder and puppeteer, Terry Snyder. We both talked about our processes and how fun it was to see how other people worked. The process involved in the act of creation. How you take "stuff," work with it, work with it, work with it, until it becomes way more than "stuff."
Then I remembered Rule #6 for Puppet-A-Day....that I could change the rules at any time. So...here we go!
There will still be puppets -- have no worries! My focus is going to be changing to more stuff about process. Documenting in more detail the puppets featured in the show that I am building. I've actually photographed much of this process that I have not posted on the blog (because I saw it as unrelated). Well, now I see it as very related. Now I can have a day devoted to owl wings -- a day for the face -- a day for the body -- a day for the rod -- a day for troubleshooting -- a day for the mechanism -- you get the picture. I think this will actually be potentially useful for other puppeteers. And I like the idea of documenting stuff.
Most of all, it is imminently "do-able."
I will still intersperse some wacky stuff in here (for fun), but I will mostly post up "a day in the studio life of a working puppeteer and puppeteer."
And, yes, I count this as a "day." After all, part of the process is thinking about your process!
P.S. If I double up on my posts for the rest of May, I will catch up. Wish me luck!
I spent a lot of time in the woods and learned about lots of things...which I photographed. I, unfortunately, could not locate the camera with the photos. I just found out that it's because the camera was never unpacked from the truck.
Oh.
I guess that would explain that.
So I have been riddled with guilt and angst about not posting on the blog. I must confess that I have had a tough time coming up with puppets that I could execute in one day that were interesting to me. It was fun and mentally challenging, but it has become draining. But I want to honor the spirit of the blog by continuing to work at it and complete my days of posting.
Today I visited with my friend and fellow puppet-builder and puppeteer, Terry Snyder. We both talked about our processes and how fun it was to see how other people worked. The process involved in the act of creation. How you take "stuff," work with it, work with it, work with it, until it becomes way more than "stuff."
Then I remembered Rule #6 for Puppet-A-Day....that I could change the rules at any time. So...here we go!
There will still be puppets -- have no worries! My focus is going to be changing to more stuff about process. Documenting in more detail the puppets featured in the show that I am building. I've actually photographed much of this process that I have not posted on the blog (because I saw it as unrelated). Well, now I see it as very related. Now I can have a day devoted to owl wings -- a day for the face -- a day for the body -- a day for the rod -- a day for troubleshooting -- a day for the mechanism -- you get the picture. I think this will actually be potentially useful for other puppeteers. And I like the idea of documenting stuff.
Most of all, it is imminently "do-able."
I will still intersperse some wacky stuff in here (for fun), but I will mostly post up "a day in the studio life of a working puppeteer and puppeteer."
And, yes, I count this as a "day." After all, part of the process is thinking about your process!
P.S. If I double up on my posts for the rest of May, I will catch up. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Day #84: Rebirth and Butterflies
Continuing with yesterday's theme...Well, a variation, perhaps. Yesterday was death -- today rebirth! I can't think of a better image than the butterfly.
Butterflies are amazing. I'm going to have lots of them in the new show we are building. Tiger Swallowtails and Monarchs! We will have them in both 3-D and in shadow.
Today, I made a quick mock-up of a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly. The mid-section is actually made from a "dead" pen.
When I was about nine or ten, I was really into butterflies. I thought maybe I would become an entomologist and travel the world collecting butterflies, discovering new species. Surely I would become famous and have a species named after me! I read up on butterflies. I memorized all the types listed in our home encyclopedia. (This was, you must understand, before anything like Google -- or even the internet! -- was even an idea for mere mortals.)
I collected all kinds of supplies. I was ready. Ready to begin collecting butterflies. Spring was in full swing. We were living in Virginia Beach at the time, and we had irises and zinnias in our backyard. I was ready. I had a jar.
I spotted one. A Tiger Swallowtail. I got it! Right in my Mason jar! I was prepped to do "the deed." Make it a specimen. Pin it. But I just couldn't do it. I saw it fluttering and beautiful and realized that I would never be a butterfly collector. I released the butterfly, released my dream of becoming a world-traveling scientist, released my vision for the Heidimius Danettacorus (or some other Latin sounding variation of my name)...but still embrace my love of butterflies.
Happy Spring!
Butterflies are amazing. I'm going to have lots of them in the new show we are building. Tiger Swallowtails and Monarchs! We will have them in both 3-D and in shadow.
Today, I made a quick mock-up of a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly. The mid-section is actually made from a "dead" pen.
When I was about nine or ten, I was really into butterflies. I thought maybe I would become an entomologist and travel the world collecting butterflies, discovering new species. Surely I would become famous and have a species named after me! I read up on butterflies. I memorized all the types listed in our home encyclopedia. (This was, you must understand, before anything like Google -- or even the internet! -- was even an idea for mere mortals.)
I collected all kinds of supplies. I was ready. Ready to begin collecting butterflies. Spring was in full swing. We were living in Virginia Beach at the time, and we had irises and zinnias in our backyard. I was ready. I had a jar.
I spotted one. A Tiger Swallowtail. I got it! Right in my Mason jar! I was prepped to do "the deed." Make it a specimen. Pin it. But I just couldn't do it. I saw it fluttering and beautiful and realized that I would never be a butterfly collector. I released the butterfly, released my dream of becoming a world-traveling scientist, released my vision for the Heidimius Danettacorus (or some other Latin sounding variation of my name)...but still embrace my love of butterflies.
Happy Spring!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Day #83: Death and Dishwashers
No, I did not fall off the face of the Earth. I kinda felt like I needed to, though. I've been under an onerous deadline that I just had to let go and re-evaluate. We've been building a new show and have had a number of setbacks. I had been trying to catch up and work crazy hours; then my creativity felt like it was dying. I overdosed on studio-time.
I killed it by working too many hours.
So today's post is Death. Well, Death as a finger puppet! Charming, huh?
I had forgotten you could overdose on creativity. That pushing too hard kills the joy. I love working in the studio. I relish the opportunity to work with my hands and create. I love bringing a story to life: from the idea to the script to the fully developed show, and then to the audience.
Well, last week I worked too many hours, too full-on, and stressed out enough that I did it. I killed the joy. Fortunately, it's a temporary situation with an easy remedy: time away from the studio. Time to recharge my batteries.
Being away from the studio, I had time to reflect. I remembered other times where my creativity had dried up: stressful times. Times when I was not getting enough sleep. After the birth of babies. Final project time in college. I remember one year really well: the year I sprained my neck by banging my head on my window sill after being woken up by the neighbors across the street. It was around noon. I had just pulled an all-nighter, turned in my project, and was falling asleep. Unfortunately, this was the exact moment that the band across the street was practicing "Enter Sandman" ad nauseum. I still can't hear Metallica without thinking about that day.
I did not intend to take off as much time as I did, though. I was planning on heading back this weekend when my husband decided that we should go ahead and get a dishwasher. Wow.
Now, we cook a lot in our house. We make things from scratch -- I love to cook! It's another creative outlet for me and one that is something that puts me in a somewhat "Zen" state of mind. I don't have to think much when I cook. I just mix up ingredients, taste, adjust...until it's right. (I need to get to the state where building a puppet show is like that again.)
Back to the dishwasher. So my husband worked hard all weekend and then all day Monday -- then we went crazy washing dishes. Pushing it to the limit. Washing the enameled coverings for the gas stove and everything! (Gosh, going crazy in your 30's and 40's is so different from your 20's!)
I have been thinking about Puppet-A-Day and going through some books of mine. I've decided to start up a new thread to include great puppets for teachers and librarians with tips on using puppets. I have lots of info on this and have done workshops. I think it only makes sense to document some of this stuff in the blog.
But today (and maybe even tomorrow) I want to recognize the Death and Rebirth of my creativity.
I killed it by working too many hours.
So today's post is Death. Well, Death as a finger puppet! Charming, huh?
I had forgotten you could overdose on creativity. That pushing too hard kills the joy. I love working in the studio. I relish the opportunity to work with my hands and create. I love bringing a story to life: from the idea to the script to the fully developed show, and then to the audience.Well, last week I worked too many hours, too full-on, and stressed out enough that I did it. I killed the joy. Fortunately, it's a temporary situation with an easy remedy: time away from the studio. Time to recharge my batteries.
Being away from the studio, I had time to reflect. I remembered other times where my creativity had dried up: stressful times. Times when I was not getting enough sleep. After the birth of babies. Final project time in college. I remember one year really well: the year I sprained my neck by banging my head on my window sill after being woken up by the neighbors across the street. It was around noon. I had just pulled an all-nighter, turned in my project, and was falling asleep. Unfortunately, this was the exact moment that the band across the street was practicing "Enter Sandman" ad nauseum. I still can't hear Metallica without thinking about that day.
I did not intend to take off as much time as I did, though. I was planning on heading back this weekend when my husband decided that we should go ahead and get a dishwasher. Wow.
Now, we cook a lot in our house. We make things from scratch -- I love to cook! It's another creative outlet for me and one that is something that puts me in a somewhat "Zen" state of mind. I don't have to think much when I cook. I just mix up ingredients, taste, adjust...until it's right. (I need to get to the state where building a puppet show is like that again.)
Back to the dishwasher. So my husband worked hard all weekend and then all day Monday -- then we went crazy washing dishes. Pushing it to the limit. Washing the enameled coverings for the gas stove and everything! (Gosh, going crazy in your 30's and 40's is so different from your 20's!)
I have been thinking about Puppet-A-Day and going through some books of mine. I've decided to start up a new thread to include great puppets for teachers and librarians with tips on using puppets. I have lots of info on this and have done workshops. I think it only makes sense to document some of this stuff in the blog.But today (and maybe even tomorrow) I want to recognize the Death and Rebirth of my creativity.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Day #82: Strawberry
My mom will be the first to share how, as a child, I would not eat strawberries. Not with a fox, not in a box, not here or there or anywhere! Fortunately, I've grown out of it. Today at the farmer's market, there was a strawberry that looked remarkably like it SHOULD be a puppet.
I can't decide if it looks best in right or left profile....
This would have probably haunted me as a child given my strong aversion to strawberries. My four year old just wanted me to hurry up already and take the picture so she could EAT IT!
I can't decide if it looks best in right or left profile....
This would have probably haunted me as a child given my strong aversion to strawberries. My four year old just wanted me to hurry up already and take the picture so she could EAT IT!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Day #76: Snail's Pace
I am thinking I should have a category of puppet called, "Things I picked up randomly and turned into a puppet." Or stuff that I discovered its "inner puppet."
Things have been moving along in studio-land. I have a number of puppets in a sort of amoebic form...almost becoming. There's a phase in building a puppet show where you feel like you will never be done. I've lived through it before, so I know it's not true. (I will be done!) It's like a phase in pregnancy called "Transition," where everything just seems like it's falling apart, but really it's a sign that you are almost done.
So I feel an odd sense of both panic and relief. Simultaneously.
But, back to the snail.
I walked in the door, looked around, and grabbed a Scotch tape dispenser. It's one of the funky ones that looks like a purple donut. I pulled out the white tab...yes!
So, this is another object puppet possibility. Love to discover those. Especially under the pressure of having just walked in the door!
Things have been moving along in studio-land. I have a number of puppets in a sort of amoebic form...almost becoming. There's a phase in building a puppet show where you feel like you will never be done. I've lived through it before, so I know it's not true. (I will be done!) It's like a phase in pregnancy called "Transition," where everything just seems like it's falling apart, but really it's a sign that you are almost done.
So I feel an odd sense of both panic and relief. Simultaneously.
But, back to the snail.
I walked in the door, looked around, and grabbed a Scotch tape dispenser. It's one of the funky ones that looks like a purple donut. I pulled out the white tab...yes!
 |
| Hmmmm....do you see it? |
 |
| SNAIL! |
So, this is another object puppet possibility. Love to discover those. Especially under the pressure of having just walked in the door!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Day #64: Breakfast Theatre
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| Puppets: Part of your complete diet! |
Today we will take a trip into Heidi's brain. This will be a bit of imagination theatre on your part, because I want you to envision the puppet act that I saw at the breakfast table today.
There was one lonely leftover pancake. So sad. We were all full. The pancakes were great -- I've been working on my gluten-free variations. Today I added chestnut flour that my sister-in-law brought back from France. It gave everything an extra special touch.
But there was one left. I hate to waste it, so I wondered if I could make a puppet...
This is what my brain saw... Imagine a beautifully laid out breakfast table. Pancakes, maple syrup, a bowl of fruit and some almonds. Coffee. Tea.
Cue music. (Something classical with flute.) A banana moves upright and peels itself. The peel wanders over to the plate of pancakes and taps it with one of the peel pieces. One of the pancakes "stands" up. The peel separates and morphs into the legs and arms...and hair...
Two little almonds then leap from the bowl along with an apple slice. They bounce along and leap onto the pancake to make a face. The puppet does a pirouette, wanders around the table, burns its peel on a bit of hot coffee, explores the breakfast table...
I could go on and on...
I would have to build a break-away marionette (of sorts) to make this work. I'm sure if I was having breakfast with Phil Huber or Joe Cashore or Albrecht Roser I could totally have pulled this off!
Play with your food and have a great day!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Day #46: Based on a true story
I was in the studio working away and wondering what to do for the blog today. I'm itching to post up one of the new puppets, but they still need some tweaks (and they need to be dry!).
What to do?
That's when the phone rang. It was my ten year old daughter, calling past her bedtime.
"Hi, mom."
"Hi, Sweetie. What's going on?"
"Um...I lost my tooth and Daddy is asleep already."
"OK...you lost a tooth?"
"Uh-huh."
It dawned on me a moment later. "You are worried that if you don't tell me that maybe the tooth fairy won't figure out that you lost a tooth tonight, huh?"
"Um....well...uh-huh."
So tonight I will get home and need to make a special delivery to underneath my daughter's pillow.
Before we hung up, my daughter asked me what my puppet was for the day. I told her that I hadn't figured it out.
"Maybe it could be about my tooth?" she suggested. "Maybe you could even make a tooth fairy puppet!"
Of course, I can totally make a tooth fairy puppet. Thanks for the inspiration! So here we have it -- our sparkly tooth fairy.
(For those of you who have been visiting a while, you might recognize the head...yes, it's the same head from Gramma of the Little Red Riding Hood finger puppet series! If you remember, I had to attach the head with Velcro so I could "disguise" the wolf!)
Good night! I am heading home to figure out what the going rate is for a molar...
What to do?
That's when the phone rang. It was my ten year old daughter, calling past her bedtime.
"Hi, mom."
"Hi, Sweetie. What's going on?"
"Um...I lost my tooth and Daddy is asleep already."
"OK...you lost a tooth?"
"Uh-huh."
It dawned on me a moment later. "You are worried that if you don't tell me that maybe the tooth fairy won't figure out that you lost a tooth tonight, huh?"
"Um....well...uh-huh."
So tonight I will get home and need to make a special delivery to underneath my daughter's pillow.
Before we hung up, my daughter asked me what my puppet was for the day. I told her that I hadn't figured it out.
"Maybe it could be about my tooth?" she suggested. "Maybe you could even make a tooth fairy puppet!"
Of course, I can totally make a tooth fairy puppet. Thanks for the inspiration! So here we have it -- our sparkly tooth fairy.
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| Wings! |
Good night! I am heading home to figure out what the going rate is for a molar...
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Day #44: Happily Ever After? (Contains puppet violence)
Let's be honest, "Little Red Riding Hood" is a pretty gruesome tale. Wolves, strangers, dark forests, big teeth, devoured grandmothers, and an axe. Not your typical Disney special.
In 1976, Bruno Bettelheim wrote a book called The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. It's been a while since I read the book, so I will just quote from Wikipedia (please excuse my laziness...it's late!).
In the book, Bettelheim discusses the emotional and symbolic importance of fairy tales for children, including traditional tales at one time considered too dark, such as those collected and published by the Brothers Grimm. Bettelheim suggested that traditional fairy tales, with the darkness of abandonment, death, witches, and injuries, allowed children to grapple with their fears in remote, symbolic terms. If they could read and interpret these fairy tales in their own way, he believed, they would get a greater sense of meaning and purpose. Bettelheim thought that by engaging with these socially-evolved stories, children would go through emotional growth that would better prepare them for their own futures.
Point is, Bettelheim makes a case for the necessity of sharing dark stories such as "Red Riding Hood" with young children. How else will children develop and be able to confront the darkness within our world if they do not have the basic archetypes within their consciousness to grapple with it or to even acknowledge its existence?
For today, I think you know what's in store...We've seen Little Red, The Wolf, and Gramma so far. That leaves us with just the Woodsman.
I feel I must state that no real wolves (only a symbolic, archetypal wolf who really deserved it) were injured in the creation of today's post. The next few images are as graphic as it gets in the world of finger puppets. (You have been warned!)
And they all lived happily ever after...except, I suppose, the wolf.
THE END.
In 1976, Bruno Bettelheim wrote a book called The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. It's been a while since I read the book, so I will just quote from Wikipedia (please excuse my laziness...it's late!).
In the book, Bettelheim discusses the emotional and symbolic importance of fairy tales for children, including traditional tales at one time considered too dark, such as those collected and published by the Brothers Grimm. Bettelheim suggested that traditional fairy tales, with the darkness of abandonment, death, witches, and injuries, allowed children to grapple with their fears in remote, symbolic terms. If they could read and interpret these fairy tales in their own way, he believed, they would get a greater sense of meaning and purpose. Bettelheim thought that by engaging with these socially-evolved stories, children would go through emotional growth that would better prepare them for their own futures.
Point is, Bettelheim makes a case for the necessity of sharing dark stories such as "Red Riding Hood" with young children. How else will children develop and be able to confront the darkness within our world if they do not have the basic archetypes within their consciousness to grapple with it or to even acknowledge its existence?
For today, I think you know what's in store...We've seen Little Red, The Wolf, and Gramma so far. That leaves us with just the Woodsman.
I feel I must state that no real wolves (only a symbolic, archetypal wolf who really deserved it) were injured in the creation of today's post. The next few images are as graphic as it gets in the world of finger puppets. (You have been warned!)
And they all lived happily ever after...except, I suppose, the wolf.
THE END.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Day #33: RATS -- I left my camera at home (Part 2)
Seriously, rats.
I couldn't believe I had left my camera at home. I was going to be working a really long, late night at the studio and no camera.
But "rats" is a good name for this post anyway. It wasn't supposed to be a good name for a post the post about working on the mouse puppet -- but I had done my math poorly. So now it was the perfect name.
Math?
I'm using felting techniques to create these puppets and wool fibers shrink as you work them, so there is some math involved. I knew I might have some technical difficulties on my mouse puppet, so I was working on a "rough draft" and using a different type of wool.
Uh-oh. I should've known better because different fibers can have different shrink rates. I was looking at about a 50% shrinkage...but really I was only going to get about 42% from this wool. Usually, I sample fibers and test the shrink rate. But most are about 50%, so I decided to chance it. [Note to self: bad idea.]
But I'm making lemonade from my lemons. I need a puppet I can mess up on a bit without worrying about it. Now I have it. Yes, it was supposed to be a little mouse. It's going to be a giant rat. Yippee!
Now for the fun part!
Eyes....I love putting eyes on puppets; it's when they come alive for me. It's when they get their personality. I tested several types/sizes of eyes. I played with eyelids. Here they are some of the combinations I checked out:
I was going to call this post "They Eyes Have It," but I'll settle for "Rats!"
Stay tuned...
I couldn't believe I had left my camera at home. I was going to be working a really long, late night at the studio and no camera.
But "rats" is a good name for this post anyway. It wasn't supposed to be a good name for a post the post about working on the mouse puppet -- but I had done my math poorly. So now it was the perfect name.
Math?
I'm using felting techniques to create these puppets and wool fibers shrink as you work them, so there is some math involved. I knew I might have some technical difficulties on my mouse puppet, so I was working on a "rough draft" and using a different type of wool.
Uh-oh. I should've known better because different fibers can have different shrink rates. I was looking at about a 50% shrinkage...but really I was only going to get about 42% from this wool. Usually, I sample fibers and test the shrink rate. But most are about 50%, so I decided to chance it. [Note to self: bad idea.]
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| I realized early on that the puppet was not going to shrink to the size I wanted (grrr....), so I altered plans and started shaping it into a rat form. Can you see the rat? It can be tricky to identify a puppet/character (unless you're making it -- then it's easier) when it's still in the process of being created. |
Now for the fun part!
Eyes....I love putting eyes on puppets; it's when they come alive for me. It's when they get their personality. I tested several types/sizes of eyes. I played with eyelids. Here they are some of the combinations I checked out:
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| Too big? |
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| Too small, but almost beady... |
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| Closer... |
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| Hmmm.... |
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| Playing with eyelids... |
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| Hmmm.... |
I was going to call this post "They Eyes Have It," but I'll settle for "Rats!"
Stay tuned...
Monday, March 7, 2011
Day #32: Pacific Trash Vortex Jellyfish
It's fun to recycle and create puppets. Today I was stuck at home, recovering from a nasty stomach bug...and I had to use what I have at home. We have stuff at home...but I must confess that I absolutely abhor plastic bags. We try so hard to avoid plastic, but it doesn't seem to matter because we somehow keep collecting it. We bring our own bags to the grocery store, but still our collection grows. And grows...
Have you heard about the Pacific Trash Vortex? Accounts vary in terms of the size of this giant patch of garbage that has coalesced in the Pacific Ocean. The size of Texas? Twice the size of Texas? Bigger still?
Well, point is that it, well, is.
So today's puppet is a tribute to the amount of plastic that we have in our house and to this growing "island" in the Pacific that I hope will never actually appear on any map.
Have you heard about the Pacific Trash Vortex? Accounts vary in terms of the size of this giant patch of garbage that has coalesced in the Pacific Ocean. The size of Texas? Twice the size of Texas? Bigger still?
Well, point is that it, well, is.
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| Very scary. |
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Day #30: The Humanette
Wow. I finally stumped Wikipedia. There is no entry for Humanette, which just goes to show that this type of puppet is a bit obscure! Humanettes are a human-hybrid puppet. Typically, a puppeteer will use their own head and attach a miniature body to it. They can they manipulate the hands and/or body in order to bring their character to life.
I've seen this kind of puppet used in cabaret shows, but one of my favorite uses was in a show called "Salmagundy" by Perry Alley Theatre. In this performance, Bonnie and Andrew Periale tell several stories and during one of the tales, Bonnie plays the daughter of Andrew by becoming a humanette. She portrayed a delightful young girl and it was done so perfectly; the show was zany and loads of fun!
I need to give a bit of backstory...I was really stumped tonight. It had been a long day (writer's conference, park, birthday party of a friend...busy). We had fabulous homemade pizza for dinner. Yum! I kept thinking about today's blog and coming up with nothing.
It was getting pretty desperate. I even started looking around for a paper bag (I am going to have to do it sometime this year, right?). Then my kids start chiming in with lots of suggestions. My ten-year-old came out with a stuffed dragon and was moving it all around.
"That's great, sweetie, but I didn't make it," I said.
"But you could make it move!" she exclaimed (with a fabulous demonstration).
"Well, yes...but I am supposed to be making the puppets or adapting them. I would be cheating if I just wiggle a stuffed animal around. It has to be something I made."
I stared at my daughter for a moment. I thought about how, technically, I had contributed more to the creation of my daughter than I had to the stuffed animal she was holding...AH-HAH!
Oh yes...I was going to turn my daughter into a puppet!
I grabbed a lovely handmade dress from the sock-monkey (thank you, Julia Hebner). I took a pair of stockings, stuffed them, covered them with white gloves, and inserted them into the dress: arms!
We found a black shirt and were all set to go...a humanette is born!
My daughter is quite the drama queen. Seriously. Just see for yourself!
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| The Humanette! |
I need to give a bit of backstory...I was really stumped tonight. It had been a long day (writer's conference, park, birthday party of a friend...busy). We had fabulous homemade pizza for dinner. Yum! I kept thinking about today's blog and coming up with nothing.
It was getting pretty desperate. I even started looking around for a paper bag (I am going to have to do it sometime this year, right?). Then my kids start chiming in with lots of suggestions. My ten-year-old came out with a stuffed dragon and was moving it all around.
"That's great, sweetie, but I didn't make it," I said.
"But you could make it move!" she exclaimed (with a fabulous demonstration).
"Well, yes...but I am supposed to be making the puppets or adapting them. I would be cheating if I just wiggle a stuffed animal around. It has to be something I made."
I stared at my daughter for a moment. I thought about how, technically, I had contributed more to the creation of my daughter than I had to the stuffed animal she was holding...AH-HAH!
Oh yes...I was going to turn my daughter into a puppet!
I grabbed a lovely handmade dress from the sock-monkey (thank you, Julia Hebner). I took a pair of stockings, stuffed them, covered them with white gloves, and inserted them into the dress: arms!
We found a black shirt and were all set to go...a humanette is born!
My daughter is quite the drama queen. Seriously. Just see for yourself!
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| I'm not sure she wanted this one up... |
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| Grumble, grumble... |
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| (Um...she's not exactly camera shy, is she?) |
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| This is my favorite! |
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Day #27: Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss -- and a different type of "hand" puppet altogether
In our house, we have read lots of Dr. Seuss, and The Lorax is one of our favorite stories. When our older daughter was two years old, she requested it EVERY night for months in a row. My husband and I can still recite most of it from memory -- and we were always totally busted if we even tried to skip a page. Even at two, she had an amazing steel trap of a memory.
I didn't realize it was Dr. Seuss' birthday until it was almost noon. As soon as I did, though, I knew I had to acknowledge it in the blogosphere. But what to do?
Since The Lorax was a favorite, I felt that I had to include that. One of the things I love so much about that book is the way you never see the face of the "bad guy." When the Once-ler is shown, you only see his hands. But you learn so much about his character just by looking at his hands. Ah-ha! A different kind of hand-puppet -- one where the character is referenced only by hands. Interesting...
I think I could write a dissertation on the faceless Once-ler and mega-corporations (and how Dr. Seuss had incredible prescience), but instead I will just note that you can create a whole character just through use of the hand and gestures. For your typical hand puppets, the hands of the puppet are important for communicating so much, too. Think about it. The face of the puppet is static...so how is it communicating? Oftentimes, it is through arm/hand movement and gestures (and body movement and gestures) In Japanese Bunraku tradition, the use of gesture has so much meaning and importance that each hand has its own puppeteer! (That's a slight oversimplification, but I would have to dedicate a year or more to explaining Bunraku...and you have to spend thirty years training before you can operate the right hand of the puppet.)
But we can all agree on this: Let's give Dr. Seuss a big hand!
I didn't realize it was Dr. Seuss' birthday until it was almost noon. As soon as I did, though, I knew I had to acknowledge it in the blogosphere. But what to do?
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| You never see the Once-ler -- only his hands. |
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| So for today's puppet (and in tribute to Theodore), I made some green gloves to recreate the Once-ler. I had some great fabric in my stash that worked perfectly! |
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| The whole family at work -- with hands galore! (No faces...) |
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| My daughter's knitting project (the same daughter who used to request this story over and over again!). She does some great stitching. |
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| I think it's actually scarier that you cannot see the Once-ler's face. You cannot look into his eyes; he cannot look into yours. There is no chance to connect on a personal level. |
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| Hands can portray emotions -- like excitement! |
But we can all agree on this: Let's give Dr. Seuss a big hand!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Day #24: Ooey-Gooey (a brief philosophical discussion)
Ooey Gooey was a worm,
A mighty worm was he.
He sat upon the railroad tracks...
The train he did not see.
Ooey gooey!
-Ogden Nash
I should not try to watch the Oscar's while working on puppets. I lost track of time and now I have FIVE minutes to finish this post!
I was a bit stumped as I, once again, had to make a puppet away from the studio and all of my supplies... A brief look around led me to some Play-do. Not the ideal material. But we've made excellent sculptures with Play-do in our house. (My older daughter has sculpted beautiful roses.)
The red Play-do called to me. A worm, naturally.
The only problem is that, in truth, you cannot make puppets out of Play-do. I made some rods by robbing a sushi made, and was able to stage some puppety looking photos.
But, like I said, this really isn't a puppet.
It doesn't move well; puppets are supposed to move.
So I made another worm. It doesn't look as sculptural. It's not as photogenic. But it moves well and would function much better as a worm in a performance.
So which is the better puppet?
A mighty worm was he.
He sat upon the railroad tracks...
The train he did not see.
Ooey gooey!
-Ogden Nash
I should not try to watch the Oscar's while working on puppets. I lost track of time and now I have FIVE minutes to finish this post!
I was a bit stumped as I, once again, had to make a puppet away from the studio and all of my supplies... A brief look around led me to some Play-do. Not the ideal material. But we've made excellent sculptures with Play-do in our house. (My older daughter has sculpted beautiful roses.)
The red Play-do called to me. A worm, naturally.
The only problem is that, in truth, you cannot make puppets out of Play-do. I made some rods by robbing a sushi made, and was able to stage some puppety looking photos.
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| The "saddle" of the worm. |
But, like I said, this really isn't a puppet.
It doesn't move well; puppets are supposed to move.
So I made another worm. It doesn't look as sculptural. It's not as photogenic. But it moves well and would function much better as a worm in a performance.
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| I confess. I robbed the sushi mats to make these rods. |
So which is the better puppet?
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Day #21: Beastly Traffic
Loooong day today.
Today's post is dedicated to those who have known the pain of traffic jams.
The alarm went off at 4AM (and I had just finished up yesterday's blog right around midnight!). We had a performance scheduled at an elementary school in Norfolk this morning. Our departure time was scheduled for 6AM. This allowed for a great deal of "tunnel traffic" padding in our schedule. Little did we know that the military bases in the area were doing special maneuvers of some sort and had tightened up security. Let's just say that the five-mile stretch between I-664 and the tunnel took us almost an hour! The total 95 mile trip took us 3 and 1/2 hours. Yikes! (And we were able to actually turn off the truck more than once as we sat on the highway-turned-parking-lot.)
We remained in contact with the school throughout the ordeal, and they were very understanding. A school in Norfolk would have to be understanding with such a large military presence. A number of parents and teachers experienced similar delays.
We arrived a shocking one hour and eight minutes after our anticipated arrival time. We were all a bit grouchy (it was waaaay past breakfast time -- and breakfast was in the trailer with the puppets). But we managed to get the show set up quickly and were ready to start just twenty minutes past our scheduled time -- huzzah! (Special thank you to Sam and Melanie who really, really stayed focus to get set up in record time!)
I will say, it was a great performance! I think there is something about stress that keys you up a bit and increases your focus.
We were pretty stressed out, too. It has been YEARS since we were not ready to begin a show at the scheduled time. I think I was pregnant with my first child the last time we had a delay; this was well before my husband and Melanie joined the company. Once I got horribly lost heading to Keysville, VA -- but that was before the advent of GPS.
Today's puppet is really toy theatre! I have taken some of my younger daughter's cars, made little people from magazine cut-outs, and created a crayola backdrop to go along with it! I thought about making a mini-cranky (we were all, in truth, quite cranky) to create moving scenery for the background...but our time in traffic was not really spent moving much. (And, let's be honest, I have to get up early again tomorrow morning...sleep is good.) Maybe this is just a form of puppet therapy for me...
The beautiful sunrise was a treat -- our silver lining. After setting the toy theatre up, I decided that the traffic jam would be much more interesting with dinosaurs. I mean, traffic jams caused by too many people are rather trite...but dinosaurs would be cool. Traffic Jurassic!
Tomorrow we leave the house at 5:30am and head North on I-95 for three performances in Manassas...wish us luck on the traffic front! (And no dinosaurs!)
Today's post is dedicated to those who have known the pain of traffic jams.
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| OK. None of the magazines had miserable looking people. Just use your imaginations! The sunrise was beautiful today... |
We remained in contact with the school throughout the ordeal, and they were very understanding. A school in Norfolk would have to be understanding with such a large military presence. A number of parents and teachers experienced similar delays.
We arrived a shocking one hour and eight minutes after our anticipated arrival time. We were all a bit grouchy (it was waaaay past breakfast time -- and breakfast was in the trailer with the puppets). But we managed to get the show set up quickly and were ready to start just twenty minutes past our scheduled time -- huzzah! (Special thank you to Sam and Melanie who really, really stayed focus to get set up in record time!)
I will say, it was a great performance! I think there is something about stress that keys you up a bit and increases your focus.
We were pretty stressed out, too. It has been YEARS since we were not ready to begin a show at the scheduled time. I think I was pregnant with my first child the last time we had a delay; this was well before my husband and Melanie joined the company. Once I got horribly lost heading to Keysville, VA -- but that was before the advent of GPS.
Today's puppet is really toy theatre! I have taken some of my younger daughter's cars, made little people from magazine cut-outs, and created a crayola backdrop to go along with it! I thought about making a mini-cranky (we were all, in truth, quite cranky) to create moving scenery for the background...but our time in traffic was not really spent moving much. (And, let's be honest, I have to get up early again tomorrow morning...sleep is good.) Maybe this is just a form of puppet therapy for me...
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| A much more interesting reason for a traffic jam: DINOSAURS! |
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| Those people should look a bit more worried...if this were a horror flick, they would be doomed! |
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| We did drive past Williamsburg...I was inspired! |
Tomorrow we leave the house at 5:30am and head North on I-95 for three performances in Manassas...wish us luck on the traffic front! (And no dinosaurs!)
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Day #9: "Marshmallow" Baby Robins
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| Model Magic Marshmallow |
It's always a treat for us to be able to see other puppeteers perform and catch up. Drew is a great puppeteer and puppet builder -- super nice guy!
Of course, there was still the need to build a puppet...and I had a plan!
It evolved this morning. I heard birds chirping out the window. Thoughts of Spring danced in my head. Before going to bed, I had packed a little bit of Model Magic as a special treat for the girls. Model Magic is very portable and non-messy; it is on our list of "car-safe" activities. As I thought about the birds, I imagined little baby robins with their mouths open wide...and how it would be fun to recreate them as little finger puppets from the model magic.
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| Our younger daughter |
We left the house shortly after 9AM for our afternoon performances. The girls were thrilled with the model magic and began making all sorts of stuff. The material reminds me of slightly stale marshmallows in terms of consistency -- but it's not sticky and doesn't get all over everything like real marshmallow would. (My older daughter decided to make a few marshmallows to demonstrate the similarity.)
I made two baby robins and a plump, juicy worm. My older daughter made a little nest for them.
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| You CAN do art anywhere! |
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| The worm did not survive the truck... |
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| Worm!!! |
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