Day #77: Ode to the Slinky...

I know you have a good imagination, so we will all pretend that this was posted on Thursday, OK?

Spring is in the air, and I am in the studio with springs! I met with a VCU class the other day, showed them some of my puppets and talked about the materials used to make them. While talking, I realized that nearly all of the puppets I had brought had slinkies in them!

Today's post is dedicated to the fabulous Slinky -- the first of many springs used in building puppets in my studio.

First I had to drill tiny holes in the wooden balls. (We all have our vices...)

I glued the two balls to either end of a Jr. Slinky.

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!

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!

Day #75: Randomly Inspired Object Puppet

I literally was doing laundry when I spotted a fireplace tool and a pair of binoculars. I decided they were destined to be together...at least for this creation. I don't know what this should be called. Is it a bug? A bird creature? Let me know what you think!

Jaws of death...

...or harmless creature?

"It" can also just stand right in front of the fireplace!

Day #74: Even Creepier than the Spider...

...or so I've been told!

This was created from some magazine cut-outs, a glue stick, and some cardstock!

Day #73: For the DJ in my brain who insists on playing "Boris the Spider"

Isn't it crazy when you get a song stuck in your head -- especially when you have no idea WHY it is in your head. It sort of makes sense when the songs we play for our girls get played by the DJ-in-my-head, but why is the DJ spinning "Boris the Spider" today?

I dunno.

I did find a cool spider "molting" in my studio the other day. It might sound crazy, but I really love spiders. They are fabulous bug-munching arachnids and they are such great characters in folklore and mythology. They have been credited with bringing fire to humanity (Cherokee) and bringing stories to people all over the world (Ashanti). Their webs are just amazing architectural creations, and spider silk is fabulously strong and can be quite beautiful when woven by humans.

But still, Boris the Spider? All day? In my brain?

So today, even though it bordered on the creepy, I took my spider molting and hung it from a string to create a shadow puppet on my stage mock-up. Sounds kooky, but I actually consider a good omen that a spider molted right by my mock-up...

Stringing up the spider...

Creepy, crawly, creepy, crawly...

And frustration of frustrations, blogger won't let me upload any videos right now -- not yesterday or today. I'll keep trying and update when I can. (I recorded it with the song stuck in my head and everything!)

Fixed!

Day #72: Spring is humming in Appalachia!

Mid-April is the time we work on our taxes. We prepare our gardens and taste the hint of summer. In Appalachia, it is the time when the hummingbirds return!

Today is a tribute to the hummingbird. I made a mini hummingbird...it's about the size of a nickel.

I found a bunch of neat facts about hummingbirds. Our new show features a hummingbird, so we wanted to know as much as possible.

• Hummingbirds are the tiniest birds in the world, but their brain weight (4.2% of its body weight) makes it the biggest birdbrain!
• A hummingbird's brain is 4.2% of its body weight, the largest proportion in the bird kingdom.
• Hummingbirds are can remember every flower they have been to, and they know how long it will take each flower to refill.
• Hummingbirds can hear better and see farther than humans -- they can even see ultraviolet light! They do not have a sense of smell.
• A hummingbird's tongue is grooved like the shape of a "W" with tiny hairs on the tip to help lap up nectar.
• A hummingbird's heart beats up to 1,260 times per minute; the heart beats 250 times per minute at rest.
• A hummingbird's metabolism is roughly 100 times that of an elephant.
• An average sized hummingbird will have about 940 feathers.
• Females will lay a clutch of two eggs; the babies are about the size of a penny.
• Hummingbirds can fly both forward and backwards; they can hover, fly sideways and even upside-down! A hummingbird wings will beat about 70 times per second. Hummingbird's wings will beat up to 200 times per second when diving.
• Ruby-throated hummingbirds have been known to travel 500 miles over the Gulf of Mexico to breeding grounds. This trip takes about twenty hours.
• Hummingbirds need to eat on average 7 times per hour for about 30-60 seconds; they will visit an average of one thousand flowers per day for nectar. Many plants depend on hummingbirds for pollination.

	Not the best clip -- tricky manipulation while recording!

Day #71: My Fantasia

I love the segment in Fantasia of the Sorcerer's Apprentice. You know, the part where Mickey Mouse uses magic to bring a broom to life and have it do his chores? Well, I wish I could have brooms just doing the work of cleaning, scrubbing, or whatever around the house. Maybe they could wash all of my dishes? That would rock.

I know, I know. Enlightened people are into the whole "chop wood, carry water" philosophy of immersing yourself in your daily tasks as a form of meditation and living in the present moment. I would just rather have most of my present moments engaged in not cleaning. Spending time with my family, time outdoors...and studio time! 

I was wishing that cleaning the house were like operating puppets. Of course, I'm still doing the manipulating and moving, even if I can attach a string...but I can fantasize! I can even attach a string:

OK. It's actually harder to do it with a string.

But there is the reality...it's really just me. Cleaning. And cleaning.

I realize that were I manipulating this as a puppet, I would still be doing it. I guess it would just be more FUN if it were a puppet...