Last night I finally finished my twenty puppets. They are in the office today, as I still have to coat them (for UV protection and to make them water restistant, so that one can wipe them down with a damp cloth). A psychologist certainly would have something to say about my last two creations who are lying here side by side.
I have one friend who can’t look at the puppets, not even the pretty ones. I don’t think that he will come to the exhibition opening, but if he does, I have to hide those two. To make sure that nobody is questioning my state of mind, I add another picture of my Magician, who I think looks very mellow.
So the puppets are complete, now I have to think, how I fill the wall space. There is really no rest for the wicked!
Somehow WordPress managed to lose my previous comment, here is a repeat (if I can remember what i said), apologies if it suddenly re-appears elsewhere. How will you display your work? Will they be decapitated heads, or will they have a body applied? I have vague memories of a picture fo the heads mounted on simple black and white bodies which is good. I take it these are glove puppets? Have you considered making marionettes? I am fascinated by the way they move, and the ingenuity of their string mecanisms, and design. You might consider this as an extension of your artwork – a mechanical exploration of the whole character of your puppets if you like. I hope you will honour the personalities of your little people by bringing them to life in performance. Tony
Oh, this is a sign that nothing gets lost in the digital yonder. Thanks for your comment and your interest in the Dedes. I have answered to the previous comment :).
That’s a worry. Nothing actually disappears into cyberspace… I’ve just had another good look at these three heads. They are truly wonderful. So much personality in such a small space. I particularly like the guy with the open mouth and unequal eyes. Reminds me of a macabre poem about a guy called Mr Hyle. “Hyle can speak. You may scratch his throat”. The wizard definitely looks mellow but there is a wize/kindly aspect to him that I rather like too. Tony
Thank you Tony. It is amazing, I showed the guy with the open mouth to someone and his first reaction was to look away. But there is definitely beauty in the ugly :)
Those top two are really interesting! The one to the left looks like a smiling bandit wearing a mask. He had a successful heist! The other screams zombie, or moans zombie, or whatever zombies do!
I was pondering if I should call the one on the right “Boss-Man”. The one on the left is supposed to be a witch. Maybe she just had a good meal of a “Hansel”. She looks indeed very satisfied.
She does indeed! I like!
I thought for a minute that the ‘coats ‘ were possibly the winter version of their ‘dresses’.
That would have had the dressmaker busy….
Oh no! It is just to shine their non-existing fur! I think I have to come up with a “How to care for your Dede” just in case I sell some :)
Congrats on accomplishing part of your goal. I too have a friend who has a hard time looking at my work. The reason being he is a bronze sculptor with all that tradition brings with it and my materials are too poor for him.
Oh yes, I hear all the time: “But it is only paper mache. Children’s stuff! Everybody has done it at one stage!” But then everybody has tried their hand at painting too and nobody says to a painter, “but it is only acrylic.”