Meet "Scarlett"

She's quite the Acrobatic, She'll be suspended in the front window of Guardino gallery, when she makes her debut on April 28TH.

She measures 58 inches long! I laid her out today to begin her final costume, her head dress will be a bit more elaborate. Her head is carved from an old wood tool Jennifer gave me. Juggling pins for her thighs, chair legs for arms...

She can do so many poses, and is quite the vixen, I got lucky she props up so well, either arm can be forward or back and her trunk can twist, she almost comes to life .

A close up of her top half...

Her mid section, is an old vise I cut up, I loved all the old nails, you can see the shaped juggling pins here

The old Tops are from Tory,,, well they just screamed boobs, they defy gravity and are "firmly" doweled in place

A close up of the feet I spent 2 entire days deciding how to attach them, I needed lots of movement, so they were flexible, when shes flying. I still may paint her toenails, as any proper showgirl would.

Here she is again, sitting up on her own she's quite talented, and shes insisting a red and white stripped canvas be a backdrop, who am I to argue.

With 22 pieces to introduce, stayed tuned , there will be a lot more posting before the show.

Thanks for looking!

Coming Soon! April 28TH

Sneak Peek of my Showcard!, it's at the printers. Now lots of details to finish. I WILL update my blog with lots of photos in the coming weeks. Trying to finish up all characters. My acrobatic girl, that will hang from the front window of the gallery, she's being a little finicky. The learning curve has been steep, figuring out how the puppets will move with a simple lever, for gallery patrons....Stay tuned. Got my art posse coming over to give me some much needed feedback this week.

EXPO-SED

The pdx Expo is in full swing. Lots of people come dressed vintage-y. In addition to decorating our shopping carts, I apparently need to have a costume! This beauty above did not disappoint.

Not the best photo, but this couple were right out of the 50's!

One of my missions: yes I had a shopping list! Was to get old tool boxes to stack up on a high ledge in the entry way... I may paint one an off white...we'll see.

There were the usual clowns hanging around, or in this case rolling around. I have such a love for these creepy fellows, that I could never afford or justify the price. So it's kinda fun to think , I can now make a folk art clown of my own that, I would love just as much.

Monkeys riding on horses, just like nature intended....

And then there's the child size manikins hanging from hooks...didn't even ask the price...

And a fun discovery, a globe painted with chalkboard paint , brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? I'll have to borrow that one for sure.

This Vaseline glass has always been a favorite to see. Did you know it's made with Uranium? Read about it HERE

Little toys, without Cracker Jacks

Here's a photos of my Haul, 5 Old Velvet jewelry boxes, 25 gold wood stars, polka dotted Doll clothes, feathers, striped cloth covered wire, a ruler and a wood masher I was gifted..

And finally posed, inside one of the shell shaped old velvet boxes, is a bag of beach glass, scooped up last week on Kauai, by one of my best shopping/ art buddies , Dayna.
I was telling Dayna, I will put it, in a specimen jar and label it like dispatch from L.A.
Click her link above and see what she did , you will not be disappointed!!

Meet Some Character's...

The Circus Puppet Theatre is being whipped into shape for their April 28Th Debut..... These Two Clowns are "Boatman" and "Cletus"

These four pieces of wood, I've cut out on a band saw and shaped, after their stained, they'll be attached to the following heads.

This is "Birdman" on the right. He seemed lonely so, I made "Birdman's Brother". They'll be appearing in a book about the Troupe, and their adventures.

This life size Clown head is carved from a single block of wood. I'm still deciding on how to paint his face, & what Clown features will look best. I decided to attach his head to this old drawer and give him arms. what will go inside the box? Hmmmm....stay tuned.

Here is a new Clown "Saltine" .Eight pieces will be joined together. Shaped doweling, found objects. I cut and shaped his shoes, many layers of paints stained and sanded to give it a old vibe,

Here is a close up of Saltine, his face was carved from a old shoe shine brush.

And now Saltine, put together. He'll be strung up and hanging in the theatre.

You'll be able to move all the puppets by jiggling a stick. Interactive fun. By Sunday I hope to have All the Puppets behaving themselves so you can meet them.
Tomorrow I'm taking the day off, to have a play date with a friend.

Mar Goman @ Guardino Gallery

What a treat to see Mar's work tonight. From the 1st time, a bunch of us saw her "The Story of Lucy" show, see a recap HERE. Well, were lifelong fans. Her originality and vision shine through......... Tonight, in spite of the weather reports of snowfall, I went to support this amazing women.
L-R, Me , Mar and Gloria Sowell... in front of a wall of journal pages, I couldn't decide which one to take home and was vacillating between two, then over heard her say that one I had chosen was her favorite....SOLD

Then there was this special jacket being modeled....

Here is the quote close up...well said

Here is a closeup of the wall...there is more to see HERE on the gallery website. And check out the photo blog there. See her stuff until Mar. 28Th.

Nighty Night.

New Work

Marionette Puppet Theater Report: The head in the middle is 9 inches tall, carved stained painted, he'll be an acrobat in the window attached to a body. The clowns on either side measure 25 inches tall. and will be suspended in the theatre.... My photo taking skills are a work in progress...so enjoy some pictures from earlier in the week....

My friends bedroom has quite the collection on religious art...amazing

Couldn't resist one corner of the living room featuring old circus toys.

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The table was set, and the tea steeping...

And finally Abby the wonder dog, joined us at the table, sweet.

As I continue working every spare minute on my "marionette puppet theatre" carving, planning, writing their story, and even fantasizing about a book or Zine with glossy photos. I'll have lots more photos within the week. 6 more puppets are in the final stages.

Clowning Around

Where does the time go? Above is my almost finished clown figurine, carved face arms, feet, the jointed limbs I made from found objects. He measures about 32 inches when his legs are straight. It felt so good to complete him, I have many carved heads , waiting to come to life before my end of April deadline...stay tuned!

And because it's always good to mix business with pleasure....I'll quickly recap the last couple weeks.

I strayed from the art cave long enough to visit Funky Junk Sisters, with the lovely Dayna. Who looks quite fetching in this girdle, you go girl!

Here are the funky junk sisters, with "Modern Prairie Girl" in the middle. I did love her sweet dress.

Here's a overhead shot of me , surprise...... carving. A bunch of us met at collage to work on our projects.....

And finally...... Tabor Porter, Jewelry artist extraordinaire. Showing off a piece of his art, currently staring at Cannibals Gallery in Portland. The theme is Tangled Hearts and Wounded Relationships, just in time for Valentine's Day.......