Hallowe'en 2016

Oh boy, am I late in posting this!

There is not a lot of room in the home so the mantle and fireplace is where I focus all of the seasonal displays. Christmas is the one exception to the rule. The living room and dining room are totally over the top Aladdin's Cave overwhelming!

This year I decided to display most of my paper Hallowe'en items. I had a lot more than I realized, this is about half! After putting all of the decorations away I discovered a box that had been overlooked, more cardboard and paper items!

This poster hung on the wall above my computer. It was tucked in a drawer, forgotten about, this is the first time that I have displayed it.

Here is a photo showing the whole Hallowe'en display. The only item moved from the Thanksgiving display was the small green stool. It went from under the marble top table onto the hearth on the right hand side.

Walking into the living room you can see a few items that are not completely visible from the front, the black cat on the pumpkin, the owl fortune telling game, and the side of the wooden box.

I hesitated in putting this picture in the post but decided to anyway, it's just a little closer look at the top half of this year's display.

The bare branches that were added into the mix of faux autumn leaves have been used to hang the Japanese rice straw leis, paper masks, gauze masks and the orange party hat on the right. The Mr. Peanut mask I purchased a couple of months ago. The four paper masks between the American Indian gauze mask and the paper black cat mask, my favourite, I think are villains from the Dick Tracey comics.

Here is a better look at the vignette that I created inside the Hudson's Soap box.The owl on the roll of dennison serpentine is an antique cloth tape measure. The witch candy container was made in U.S. zone Germany. the cat in front of her is a plaster filled celluloid cat.

Here's a closer look at the left side of the mantle, I love the cascading moss like effect that the leis give to the scene.

This picture shows some of the previous picture as well as some of the following picture. I wasn't certain if I should include it but you get a better look at the celluloid witch lantern, the black teapot and the smoker.

The black cat teapot looks extremely well behaved unlike the yowling black cat smoker or worse yet those mischievous black cat salt and pepper shakers.

The little fellow with a face on each foot is a Victorian match holder. The top of his head has holes in it for holding matches as do each of his toes. I suppose the burnt matches were placed in his mouth. He is not a Hallowe'en item but I have seen a lantern in the shape of a foot with a face on each toe, I love this little guy and used the likeness to the lantern as an excuse to showcase him.

I plonked an old paper party hat on the owl cookie jar. He stands next to a black cat teapot. The orange piece of card stock with the woman's face on it has recipes for Hallowe'en candy on the reverse side. My friend Karen gifted me with the bird jug, are you noticing as I am just now, that a tea party theme is emerging.

The wooden plaque above the German pumpkin is a pyrography or wood burning picture of "Cornish Litany".

My sculpture "Ready to Party" is hanging on the wall down in the righthand corner.

Here is a close-up of my sculpture "Ready to Party". It is available, go to this blog post for more information about it.

These plastic disguise glasses are from my youth, once I put them on absolutely no one recognized me!

Below the mantle are more treats, that lovely big German J-O-L with orange glassine paper inserts in the eyes nose and mouth, the happy family look of the pumpkin garland, and four paper plates behind the garland. Hanging on the left is a felt and cloth made in Japan witch.

This vignette features an early crepe papier table cloth resting on the brown stool. The black ebony dresser set has been put use to display various goodies. The two small bowls are filled with candy, the lidded box has place cards and seals in it, while the large tray holds the two candle sticks, an early doily, a corn cob pipe and J-O-L stickpin.

There are party nut cups, invitations, coasters, two orange and yellow milk bottle caps with ravens on them scattered about. There is also a small cloth witch standing beside a pair of brown Victorian walking boots.

The cast iron bowl is filled with bridge tallies and postcards. It is standing on a crepe papier napkin. The silver cat and moon diecut Is most likely from a party hat. Beside it are some black cat stickers and a very tiny but detailed witch on a broom.

On the marble table are two children's readers, a book of party ideas for the Hallowe'en host or hostess, and a copy of Tasha Tudor's book, "Pumpkin Moonshine" that I purchased in the early 1960s.

The black cat is a wind-up toy. He chases a butterfly so other than being black and a cat those are the only qualities that allow him to be present with his comrades, they are quite forgiving.

The box of cookie cutters are reproductions bought in the late 1990s.

The ceramic pumpkin candy dish is Japanese and stays on my dresser year round, he is a favourite.

This view shows the hearth and its contents of paper table cloths, paper plates, and a brown vintage basket filled with paper napkins of different designs. There are pictures following with close-ups of the rest of the treasure trove.

And here we are, a silk screened cloth trick or treat sack, another commercially printed cloth sack with exotic Egyptian pictures resting on a fez. The brown envelope in the back is a pattern for a clown costume dated 1919.

On the right mantle ledge in front of a New Yorker magazine and two children's magazines are some soft plastic candy containers, the witch still has some of her candy. The tiny black cat is made of wooden pieces held together with string. A vintage made in Japan mustache made of crepe hair used in theatre make up and two paper mustaches, all guaranteed to make one totally unrecognizable. The little pumpkin, once you push in his nose makes a very unscary wooing sound, and his eyes light up!

A closer look at the paper napkins and other tableware. The paper gun was an advertising give away from the Army and Navy Store. It is printed on card stock with a glassine paper insert attached inside. When it is brought down with a quick snap of the wrist the glassine paper shoots out with a loud snap.

And finally a close-up of the right hand side of the hearth only to show my nod to Guy Fawkes Day, November 5th, with the English children's book by Alison Uttley, "Hare and Guy Fawkes".

Drawing a blank but the inspiration is always there

I thought that I would give you a glimpse into the way that I create my sculptures, in particular my "Landscape Rattle, By the Light of the Silvery Moon" that is in this months EHAG Emporium.

I don't design any of my sculptures. I run headlong into the making portion, sometimes with an idea and sometimes I just starting making a prop or base for the sculpture, point A, progressing on to point B. Sometimes,quite often actually, point B just doesn't work and so another alternative has to be created; the journey for me, seeing where I end up, is what it so much fun... and surprising.

My post about the making of the trees was point A for my last sculpture "By the Light of the Silvery Moon". Designing this way is scary sometimes but it keeps me on my toes, I have to be conscious of every element that is being created or replaced.

I had the trees but that was it. I was depressed because there was not a single idea... blah, blah, blah...

I felt empty because there was no direction... blah, blah, blah...

I never design my sculptures... blah, blah, blah...

they occur organically... blah, blah, blah...

if I did drawings like everyone else I would have an idea... blah, blah, blah...

(Sometimes the above happens, thankfully not that often.)

The only thought that came to mind was the paper wrapping the barrel of the drum rattle, I had used it for the “Landscape Rattle, Ambrose and Monty, his Parade Lantern”...

as well as the “Landscape Rattle, William and Timothy and the Toffee Apple”; I didn't want to use the painted paper for a third time.

I headed to my paper drawer; this paper was the inspiration. The colour combination didn't feel correct...

but this one the fit the bill.

A song or phase kept coming to my mind, "Dancing by the Light of the Silvery Moon". I had my idea, the Man-in-the-Moon dancing under the trees.

I looked up Jazz dance in Google images and found some great pictures of Fred Astaire...

and Gene Kelly. There it was my idea, pure gold, just waiting to be made.

I never intended to use two trees as they take a while to make and that translates into cost but he had to be dancing under two trees. He was strolling and dancing, having fun along the forest path.

I made the barrel rattle section of the sculpture added the trees and the realized that in order for the trees to appear tall I would have to make the Man-in-the-Moon about two inches to three inches tall. So much for my idea of pure gold, it s now a lump of lead. Are you starting to see how the process goes, point A sometimes does not necessarily connect to point B.

The Man-in-the-Moon is up at the top of the trees having a conversation with two of his friends and will on the ground shortly joining in on the fun.

Placing the Man-in-the-Moon in the top of the trees was challenging, I had to defy gravity. He had to have the appearance that he was floating above and in the tree limbs and not the tree limbs supporting him. I am pleased with how it turned out.

Merton, at the base of the tree on the left surrounded by the fireworks, helps to ground the composition. His eyes and the jumping jack firecracker on the ground in front of him direct your attention over to the dried yellow grasses at the base of the right hand tree which then direct your attention back up to the group at the top.

I had no idea that this is what the landscape rattle would look like. I am very pleased with the way it turned out. "Landscape Rattle, By the Light of the Silvery Moon is available here. 

Behind the scenes, how I build trees and shrubs.

Well, that title makes me sound like a master tree builder, creating these things for years on end, or is that in my mind alone!

The truth is that my wife and I love going for walks in the forest, the rural countryside, and by the ocean; we are so fortunate on the southern end of Vancouver Island that all of these areas are 5 to 20 minutes away from our home. I love looking at the plants and trees observing how the leaves and branches form as they grow as well as the landscape that they are growing in, so it is only natural that they pop up in the sculptures that I create.

The picture above is a bundle of vintage Made in Japan flower stamens that have been wrapped in tissue. Thirty-five years ago I bought the entire lot of stamens from a craft shop that was going out of business, at 75 cents a bundle that was a deal.

The batch of tissue wrapped stamens are then painted with a base coat of brown acrylic paint.

I sort the stamens into piles of one, two, and three stamens. The piles of two and three stamens are then wrapped in tissue paper and left to dry.

When they are dry they are then painted and left to dry. There is a lot of "Hurry up... and wait" during the creative process.

Wire is then cut into six to eight inch lengths. Each small branch is made up of a group of one, two, and three stamens.

The stems are painted, you can see at the bottom of the picture that I vary the placement of the one, two, or three stamen bundles.

Five stems are then wrapped together to create a larger limb. Several limbs create a tree. I use the branches and limbs to create trees or shrubs of different sizes.

Here are a few of the sculptures that have handmade branches and trees in them.

This decoration "Black Cat Came as a Bush" uses a crown made of leaves to create Black Cat's costume, a small bush with a pumpkin in a nest that is resting on his head.

I have created branch staffs for "ilexander", a holly berry candy container...

and this "Giant Portrait Rattle - Jack Came Dressed as an Autumn Jester".

This was the first tree that I created for one of my sculptures, a candy container and table centrepiece, "Patty, Wayne, and the Party Tree". The 24" tree is meant to be decorated with your personal ornaments.

This "Landscape Rattle - Ambrose and Monty His Parade Lantern" has my first very small tree, it stands 10 3/4" high, as part of the landscape.

I have used three small trees as part of the undergrowth for this sculpture, “Landscape Rattle - William and Timothy and the Toffee Apple”.

Bye for now, I must get into the studio and work.

More items have been listed in my Etsy shop.

Click the link under each image to go to my Etsy shop to purchase the rattle of your choice.

"Jack and His Bottle of Homemade Brambleberry Wine".

"Miss Kitty and Her New Rattle".

"Hallowe'en Black Cat Rattle".

"Hallowe'en Owl Rattle".

This large "Jack-o-Lantern Party Rattle" has a chenille black cat on one side sitting atop the Jack-o-Lantern...

And a white chenille Jack-o-Lantern guy on the other side.

Click here to go directly to my Etsy shop.

Studio Update - WIPs

  HAPPY AUTUMN EVERYONE!  

You may have noticed that I did not say, "Happy Fall". Autumn does not seem to be used as much any more and I love the word; it is poetic and has such a lovely sound when spoken. I am a one man crusader to keep the word alive!

... Black Cat is sitting over by the window looking out at the rain. I was telling him what I was thinking of writing about in my blog post. His response was that I was trying to make it more interesting and plump it up, sort of like a marshmallow, full of air.

After a moment he said, "You never write about me and Jack any more."

I was a little surprised at his comment and then promised that I would write about them more often.

He apologized to me for the "full of air" comment that he made about my blog post.

"But you do tend to go on you know" was his next comment; good old Black Cat.

I had promised in my last blog post that I would show you some of the rattles that I have been working on.

Some of these rattles will be used as accessories for veggie guys in the larger rattles. This is what I am planning on doing but I never design an item but create it as I go so my ideas are always in a state of flux until the item is finished, let's see what happens.

The watermelon fellow will be perched, I think, on top of the large rattle. I'm not certain what I'll be doing with the yellow handled rattle but there are a few things percolating in the grey matter.

I found another turned handle, it was on my desk under some stuff. I have three other veggie guys that may be used with the rattles or on another project, I'm not sure.

Well, there we are, proof that I have not been goofing off. I mentioned this because of a conversation between Jack and Black Cat the other day. Well, enough of that I must get on with things. See you later.