Clowns.....mini rant!

I've written about clowns before. Yes I am scared of them cos I've never liked anything with a hidden agenda. Clowns are not funny...although as meat they might taste that way.

As for being bringers of relief from pain in a hospital setting... What do you think?  I'd rather be visited by Pennywise or this guy from the French short film Happy Meal.

But maybe it's just me.....  Nope. Clowns are awful.  Really really awful!  Would you like to wake up after surgery with this guy hanging on your headboard? Geez, why not? 

Bathroom Lurkers

Back when we were kids in the 60's Mike and I had the principals of our respective schools give us The Bathroom Lurkers or in Mike's case The Toilet Bums lecture.

**UPDATE: Holy crap! I just found the short film. It's scarier than I remember.  The Scary man video **I think there was even a short film about never going into a park bathroom alone. We always joked it was supposed to be dirty unshaven men in trench coats or something. Which obviously isn't usually the case in child assault cases.

Anyway, I have an odd story for you.

Mike and I had a nice lunch Saturday afternoon. We talked about movies and work and painting.  We were even chatting about the stories about the potty phobes cos we planned to pick up some things at Target on the way home.

So as I usually do after eating, I stopped by the restroom on the way out. As I came out of the stall a woman put her hand on my arm and asked me if I'd found Jesus.

Now honestly was I startled by being approached and touched by someone  I perceived to be a woman? No. I think what bothered me was the giant cross around her neck. I've had experiences with being told that as a person with a disability I was a tool of the devil or unclean.

Yeah, apparently there's some stupid thing about the deformed not being allowed near the altar in the Old Testament. Well, now we have science and stuff so we know about birth defects and genetic anomalies. So you are gonna have to get over that stuff. Human comes in a range of colors, sexualities, genders, limb counts and mental abilities.

Any way.....sorry I got ranting. Back to the woman with the giant cross. As all of the stuff in my rant was whirling about in my head she repeated "Have you found Jesus?"

I pulled away and started washing my hands and replied, "In the toilet? No I was alone." And walked out. Come to think of it, I hope she washed her hands too while she was skulking around in there.

Now I'm sure some of you are thinking that I was unfair to her, but I wasn't the one lurking in a bathroom. If that's leading by example I wasn't impressed. If you want to be mad at me being irritated here's a card to present me the next time you see me.

Really?! Did the prop dude hit a Woolworths Sale? Thoughts on the Original Dark Shadows

 My first Actor crush was Johnathan Frid. I raced home from school to see him every day in lovely atmospheric black and white. On one fateful day a terrible thing happened.

Dark Shadows was filmed in color. Now I'd love Frid no matter what, but the show lost so much atmosphere cos the colors of the accents on the sets and the clothing were very raw.

The one thing that really annoys the hell out of me? The loud obnoxious turquoise candles in the old house. I mean come on! Barnabus wanted everything to be just as he remembered it when he and Josette were alive. You can't tell me tallow candles came in 1960's turquoise.  I just don't believe it. Barnabus was always looking for an excuse to knock the crap out of Willy. Those candles should have sent him into a rage.

I know it's just a tv show and I'll always watch Dark Shadows, but damn those candles! Oh and the ugly bag dresses and the boxy wool boucle suits!
                                                                               

 

Yeah, okay there's a bunch of annoying things. But one place I loved in black and white or color was Sam's art studio. I adored the windows, and all the paintings around.....even the old sofa.

So, do design faux pas bug you when you watch a favorite show from your childhood?

Creation of a Lovely Monster Part 2

 Just a little observation....you never know what people will see in your work.  My husband looks at what I was going to call A Bride of Cthulhu and said...."Wow that really looks like Lucille Ball!"

Which is funny cos... One- I was attempting to create something a little frightening and a little sophisticated. Two- I never cared for Lucy's type of embarrassment humor. Interestingly enough, I have problems with depression and through my reading on the subject, that type of humor is abhorant to many sufferers.

So, yes I unconsciously created quite a monster. Strange how things work out.

The Creation of a Lovely Monster

Combining different colors, genres and styles of clothing can make unusual dolls. I have always loved pannier dresses, sea creatures, and the atmospheric writing of H.P. Lovecraft. Now first off... Yes, Lovecraft was a racist who was afraid of pretty much everyone and everything. He thought he was too good to do menial work. His education left him thinking he was some lord of the manor caught out of time. Amazingly he had a Jewish wife who doted on him for a while but she got tired of supporting him and eventually left him. BUT, I have to admit he put his irrational fears to good use and the paranoia that permeates  his stories really can get that shudder/cold chill factor going when you read his work.

One thing to remember about talent....it is not always given to nice people.

Now pannier dresses, they are fun because of the layers of fabrics that can be used to mimic the frilly pieces in the tails and fins of sea creatures like sea horses or sea dragons and squids. As many of the Cthulhu Mythos seem to be based on squid like monsters, combining a human torso with some tentacles makes a nice human squid hybrid bred from the Elder Gods and their willing devotees.

I usually work with lots of bright colors and patterns, so in this Brides of Cthulhu series, I wanted to strictly limit my color palette and use pattern to create visual interest in this piece and the other dolls I'm planning.

While I was shopping for the black,  silver and white beads for this series, I fell in love with these adorable little brightly colored skulls. The fact that some of them had little rhinestone eyes made them just perfect. Yes, skulls can be cute.

So, now I just need to give her a suitable name and list her in my shop.

Halloween Dolls- Soceresses, Demons and Ghosts.... Oh my! Part 1

Halloween is my favorite holiday and many of my dolls, while they are inspired by more than Halloween themes, fit quite well into the season.

Mythology and history combined to create the black winged demon Lilith.

Bats and cats inspired my little vinyl winged Flutter cats.

Now a sort of gruesome type of period song called Silver Dagger Ballads inspired the floating blue green half doll. In these ballads, men murder their wives or lovers and often go home to a good nights sleep. Now these songs are quite the MRA anthems, so in my version of the poems, the ghosts of the women get their revenge.

The final ghost Lavinia is actually daughter of Titus Andronicus. Titus was a great melodrama of a Shakespearean play...murder  and rape and the lopping off of limbs and even cannibalism.  I guess mind numbing gruesomeness takes your mind off the short lifespan and religious domination you're experiencing.

Matilda, the Batgirl is my attempt to make a cute batgirl. I'm pleased at how well her hair and little embroidered teeth turned out.

Well, these are a few of your choices if you're looking for a doll for Halloween.

My next post will discus monsters... among other things

Newest HexCat Jasper

My newest

HexCat Jasper went to his new home last week and was well received. I'm working on a large monkey that will be used as a model in yoga classes for kids. His head and hands need to be finished and he will be on his way in just a few days.

It's been interesting doing custom work. I hope to do more.