Often, I take random pics while I am a passenger in a car, bus or train. I call this type photography “drive by shooting.”
From those random pics, I started to create a series called “World on edge“. But this project has slowed down as well since the puppets took over. Normally the first image in a series is totally random. But once I have created one I am happy with, I go out to take images to match the first one.
I mentioned this morning that I believe Deutsch Fraulein would like L’artiste. Deutsch Fraulein started out as princess, therefore her pink dress and the funny little pink pill box on her head. When she was nearly finished, I discovered the German flag on her forehead and I decided to turn her into German girl.
Further to my pondering this morning… Of course only Deutsch Fraulein could mistake the slimy green Monster for a frog and throw him against the wall. After all she grew up with the Grimm’s Fairy Tales. So there were two mistaken identities here: She still thought she is the princess and then she mistook Monster for the frog prince. I don’t really want to explain the reasons for the story, all I can say I am very fascinated by how much our childhood still affects us even when we are older. The whole writing process opened a big can of worms for me.
The finished french artist
Here he is: the finished L’artiste. The puppet I showed last week in progress.
I am pretty sure Deutsch Fraulein will fall in love with him when she meets him. (I will have to say something about her, but this post is about L’artiste).
He doesn’t appear to be unhappy, but when one looks closely at his neck, there are little fish visible (you can’t really see it in this pic, it is too small). In German we have the saying that “somebody is up to their neck in water” (“Das Wasser bis zum Hals stehen”) if somebody is in trouble. Having the fish around his neck says it all, but he seems to care little about it. This saying, I think, is pretty much the same as “being in deep water” in English. Sink or Swim!
But as a second language speaker, you have to think much more careful about proverbs.
I have written the book in English and wasn’t thinking about the German translation at all at the time. There are a lot of similar sayings in both languages. But one in particular will cause me a lot of trouble, should I translate the book. In English you have “skeletons in the cupboard”. (In the book I moved them to the wardrobe – as my cupboard is too small to accommodate my huge family of skeletons). The Germans have a “body in the cellar”. I had totally forgotten until my brother pointed it out.
Of course a skeleton looks different from a body. Maybe I could get away with it, by saying that my bodies have been in the cellar for a very, veeeery long time.
Philosopher and Deutsch Fraulein are the poster couple for the launch invite
Now this went wrong. I accidentally posted it before I was finished.
I managed to finish the printed Launch Invites before the weekend and started to hand them out. They are little bookmark sized glossy cards. Two joined together an perforrated. The idea is to tear them off and give one to a friend. I hope that everybody brings a friend along, because that’s what the book is about.
Now that I am at this stage, I get a bit worried about the event, and whether I manage to get everything organised in time. Easter is in between as well….
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Now I have had the time to dig out my Mood images, I’ve created from the Deluge image I’ve posted this morning. Increasingly I am missing the haptic experience in digital and the multiplicity of the works irritates me as well. But sure enough, when I first dabbled in painting, I missed the undo button the most. How many times do I produce something, I am reasonably happy with, only to stuff it up – never to be retrieved again.
Sitting in the car on the beach watching the sudden deluge through the window. This was Christmas 2011! It should have been a nice hot summer day – in our neck of the woods.
The new dede puppets are not finished yet. I will have to complete them during the day, as I don’t have a daylight lamp in my studio. It makes it very difficult to choose the colours at night. Unfortunately I won’t be able to continue on them over the weekend, as I am teaching a workshop on Saturday and Sunday. In the meantime I have put up an image that sums up this last summer for me (the reason why I started the puppets). I took this image, sitting at the beach in the car, looking at the grey yonder. I am driven by chance, but it doesn’t mean what I do is an accident.
Most of my work is digital and often consists of a series. The image shown here I turned later into a “Mood” Cycle, which I will post later today.
L'artiste
Here is a pic of one of the characters I am currently working on.
I shouldn’t say what characters I set out to do, as I start off with an idea, but by the time they are finished they might end up a totally different character. It’s amazing what kind of thoughts go through your head, when you are creating something.
Two days ago, I mentioned I am working on four characters. Only L’artiste will remain L’artiste. I can see him very clearly, even though I haven’t decided on the final skin and eyes. He has a sligtly crooked nose is wearing a french cap.
I tell you what, having a good idea and writing a book is the easiest part. Selling the book is far more difficult. In particular when you are not a good sales person yourself.
Having had a publishing house some twenty odd years ago, I thought okay, I don’t need a publisher, I can do this job myself. I can find a proof-reader that’s all I need. The design and organising the printer is easy for me. And then, I will go and find somebody who does the warehousing and distribution. I really wanted to out-source this part of the job. I am a book lover and I would have liked to see the book going through the classic book channels, basically sell them through book shops. But that isn’t that easy. The market here in New Zealand is very small and the independent book distributor told me my books is too much of an art book, I should sell it through galleries.
Right, it is an art book, but it also appeals to people who are not into the serious art stuff. It is also a quirky story about real friends in the age of online social networks, anybody who isn’t online all the time, can easily relate to.
If I had written an novel, it would be so much easier, as then I could sell it electronically. But the images in my book really need to be printed, so that the dede puppets come to life.
It appeals to a much wider audience than just gallery visitors. So, the distribution remains still a little bit of a headache for me. I will sell it via an online book distributor and our own website, which I still have to update. I assume most of it will be word of mouth to start with. Thankfully, books are not like buns, they don’t get stale by the end of the day. It just means I will I have to put a lot of effort into the launch event and keep working on it all day, every day.
With the launch one month away, I started making new puppets. It helps me think. They will be placed on plinths around the room. I just noticed, I haven’t given the measurements of the dedes yet. They are not very big, only between 12 and 15cm high and the weight is around 20 to 30 grams. They look and feel very delicate, but in fact they are as hard as wood.
Currently I am working on L’artiste, Two Faced and Envy and I think the last one will become the Devil’s Advocate. Seems like the negative traits are rearing their heads now. I have put off Procrastinator for now. I can’t visualise him yet. But I will get round to him at one stage.
I went to lunch with two friends today and, – we can’t avoid it at the moment – we talked about the launch. I did not intend to have a puppet theatre as such, just play my short pieces. But my friends both insisted I should build a theatre too. Another thing to add to the to do list.
On to the launch.
I wanted to deal with it yesterday, but I do have a day job too and I had to attend to the small detail of earning money.
The launch is still about six weeks away. I haven’t set the final date, as I have to find a venue first. Then I have to confer with my support crowd (consisting of precisely two people) when it best fits into their time-table. This morning I trotted up to the library. As I mentioned before, there are two types of spaces I deem appropriate for the launch: either the library or an art gallery.
The library can only accommodate 50 people max. At this stage I am hoping for a number between 50 and 100 people to attend, so that rules out the library. I sent off an email to a local gallery and on second thought, I even believe a gallery would be the better option anyway.
I came up with a little show for “two hands and one voice”. After all, the Dedes are puppets and they want to be used. The piece is for Mouse and Pirate and the voice, I guess, will have to be me. If I get round to it on the weekend, I will film it with my D60. I knew, there was a reason for me spending all that money on an SLR with a movie function, but actually doing it is yet another first for me. Maybe I change the script and make it a silent movie.
If I don’t manage to film the little puppet show this weekend, my next cast member will have to be Procrastinator.
dedepuppets 