Day #95: Twister

There has been a lot of stuff in the news with hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes...My older daughter is terrified of tornadoes. I blame it on Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. Well, I was looking at a slinky the other day and wondering if you could make a tornado-ish puppet from one. I decided an experiment was in order.

I was not satisfied. I found a different type of wire -- a big bundle of it -- for Twister 2.0!

Better!

Day #94: Skull Appreciation Day (by Tegwyn)

We made it out to Gallery5 for the "Skull Appreciation Day" show and art-making event. The show is full of skulls, skulls, skulls galore! All designed, created by many different artists from throughout the country. This morning they had all kinds of skull-centric art and activities for children and families. Both of our girls participated, and our youngest made a skull mask.

And a mask is a kind of puppet...

Day #93: Eggin' You On...

My children are often in inspiration to me.

OK, it's true that they often make doing art difficult, they make messes all over the place, they draw on the carpet, they "cause confusion and delay." (If you don't know the reference of that last phrase you are likely not a parent.) But, yes, it is ultimately all worth it.

We had some leftover Easter Eggs that morphed into puppets. Here is the basic evolutionary journey:

Eggs in a helmet. Shiny!

But then the eggs became more...

And then they became very, very scary.  (Beware: Graphic violence towards tiny plastic bear in a play-do sleeping bag may be too much for some people's sensitivities!)

P.S. I am painfully aware that I SHOULD be on Day 120. Bear with me...I hope to catch up.

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!)...

Day #91: A Real Lemon

Really!

I was squeezing lemons. Who knew?

Yep. When life hands you lemons...make puppets!

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.

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!

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!)

Day #89: Carrot-top!

I'm used to finding oddly shaped carrots at the Farmer's Market. Not this one! Straight from the Trader Joe's bag...it's Carrot Guy!

Had to add that kale "bonnet" to give it a bit of, um, decency.

Love it when they come out of the packaging just like this. Puppet-made!