Finished up my work on Carousel Players' Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures. Written by Mark Crawford, directed by Jessica Carmichael, it is a truly wonderful production. Every kid should see it. Heck, every person should see it. A few shots of my work. Unfortunately, I don't have a good photo of the 14' tail.
Currently working on puppets for Shotgun Wedding. Super fun. Also a mask for Ottawa-based photographer Lesia Maruschak and puppets for XPT in Atlanta in May.
Not a word from me in ages, but my fall was wonderfully busy with much mask and puppet making, writing, and workshops. Spring is shaping up to be even busier, but this is good – I work best when very busy. With five projects on the go, I should be working well indeed! In the wee hours of tonight, I’m working on a project that I’m co-creating with Alexa Fraser. It’s titled Eating Animals. Darksome fun. The croc (as well as his lower jaw, hands, and teeth) will be cast tomorrow.
A huge thanks to the Ontario Arts Council for supporting the exhibition of my Science Fiction B-Movie puppet installation in the Niagara Artists Centre's Plate Glass Gallery. I had a blast making these puppets, and working with my fellow Puppet-A-Go-Go members is always inspiring.
So Voix de Ville was a blast. A photo of Alexa Fraser, me, and poor Dante-the-Puppet as we wait to perform The Enormous Elsewhere's Magic Show of Mishaps.
Me wearing my artist and my NAC board pres hats at the same time. Annie Wilson and I start talking at about 15:00.
In about six weeks, this sweet garage will be fixed up and studio ready. Finally, a contractor is coming through. New windows, drywall, insulation (essential for the cold Canadian winters), new lighting, new electrical outlets, a railing for the loft. It will be good. Of course this means I’m spending far too much on Pinterest looking at storage and studio set up, but there are worse ways to fritter one’s time.
I’ve been somewhat lazy this summer, and with September ten days away, work anxiety is setting in. But the anxiety is nice and focussing – I want to get work done. Lots of work done. I am excited about many of my upcoming projects. The two projects I’m turning my attention to this week (aside from two commissions that must get done) are an upcoming show at the Niagara Artists Centre (NAC) and a puppet show that I’m plotting with my frequent collaborator and good friend, Alexa Fraser.
In September, Puppet-a-Go-Go has a show in the Plate Glass Gallery of the NAC. The show is not a live puppet show, but rather a tableau. An audience of puppets watching a puppet show. All four Puppet-a-Go-Go members have to make a bunch of puppets for the audience and then we each (and this is the part that has me so excited) make a scene – a frozen moment – for the puppets to watch. The scene changes monthly, and my scene – my frozen moment in time – is first up. Seamore (or with those eyes, should it be Seemore?) the Squid, pictured above, is part of the puppet audience, and I’m going to make some other deep sea creatures to sit with him. Seamore is made from an old tablecloth and a too-small dress. I have a fairly intense squidphobia, but a friend of mine who is an excellent storyteller recently told me about an encounter he had with a squid, and the story was so vivid and funny that I felt compelled to stitch together Seamore.
My other current work obsession is the puppet show that Alexa and I are developing for the spring. It involves water, wetsuits, and will likely feature a different puppet cephalopod. More on it as it develops.
Many thanks to the Ontario Arts Council for supporting me in exhibiting my work in the recent Puppet-a-Go-Go show. I was thrilled to receive word recently that I’m the recipient of an Exhibition Assistance grant. The OAC also generously supported me in the continued development of Virginia, a TYP play that I’m co-creating with Cole Lewis, an artist and friend who I greatly admire. Earlier this month, Cole and I spent two days at Carousel Players working on our script and design with the help of some very talented people, Jessica Carmichael (Artistic Director of Carousel Players), Sam Ferguson (sound designer), Deanna Jones (actor), and Tara Koehler (actor).
Photo courtesy of Carousel Players.