Circus Circus

This morning I escaped to the circus. Well, in pictures anyway. I love the way circuses and carnivals transport me to another world. They are part theater and part murky, magic, other worldly stuff. Both innocent and disturbing. Here's some captivating circus themed imagery that I discovered today~

Carnival BigTop-Hey Harriet Photography

Carnival Clown-Hey Harriet Photography

Acrobats

Circus Performer by Andrew Shaylor

Sideshow banner by Fred Johnson

After the Storm

After the Storm

This sculpture called "After the Storm" was made as part of a project called Peace by Piece  organized by Susan Lomuto aka The Daily Art Muse in response to her experiences with Hurricane Sandy.  After the hurricane Lomuto collected debris from the devastated beaches near her home in New York and sent it out to a group of artists. 

The bottom wooden section of this sculpture is made with pieces of the debris that I received.  I pegged and nailed them together then banded them across with antique tin to form a raft. The tree atop the raft is found lemon wood that I carved and shaped to accommodate the birds and leaves. I carved the birds and leaves from found aspen. The weathered debris in the raft section was coated with a layer of varnish to fix and preserve it. The sculpture is painted with acrylic. It sits on a metal stand and comes apart for shipping. 

A portion of the proceeds from this sale will go toward a charity that supports disaster relief. 

Debris sent to me from Hurricane Sandy

A Summer Order in Progress

In Love with the Moon

Here's something new from my shadowbox series. I've been playing with some slightly bigger boxes. This is 6" x 6".  The moon and figure are carved from found aspen. The arms are vintage German doll parts. The box is framed with a mosaic of antique crate woods.

In Love with the Moon

Happy Mother's Day!

Sacred Heart with Stars

Interview in Art Doll Quarterly

This week I received the summer issue of Art Doll Quarterly. In it I'm interviewed by writer and artist Ricë Freeman -Zachary. Her thoughtful questions made the process an interesting journey. She even shares little tidbits about me such as my previous foray into chicken wrangling...

Also included in the summer issue are articles and images from some of my favorite doll artists. There's a great story called "Stages of Joy" by Idiko Muresan one half of the artist team called Harem 6

Red Antlers by Harem 6

And a feature by talented woodcarver Stephanie Brockway about the making of her fabulous "Toolheads"

"Toolheads" by Stephanie Brockway

Betsy Youngquist's article "Land of the Fantastical" is full of  photos and information about her amazing beaded mosaics.

"Space Explorer" by Betsy Youngquist

For more information on the magazine: http://www.artdollquarterly.com/

Deer Dancing and the Art of Frédérique Morrel

It's deer dancing season. The Yaqui Indian Villages here in Tucson are holding their annual Easter celebrations. Yaqui Easter is a beautiful hybrid of ancient Yaqui religion and Christianity. It culminates with a night long dance of the deer in his flowery grotto. He's accompanied by a small group of musicians playing simple instruments and singing mysterious deer songs.

I like to think that right now elsewhere on the earth there are animal dances taking place to celebrate nature and the changing seasons. The refined tapestry and taxidermy of artist team Frédérique Morrel, created half way around the world in Paris and far from the Yaqui villages reminds me that whether it's a stomp or a waltz I'd like to join in the dance.

Artworks by Frédérique Morrel