Posted in documentary, film, inspiration, Music, Zappa, tagged film, humor, illustration, inspiration on April 4, 2019| Leave a Comment »
So this is a really great short documentary. No jive!
Take 15 minutes and go watch it now. Go Now! The link may only work this week; it’s the Documentary of the Week at Shortoftheweek. If you’re at all like me you’ll feel a bit sad, but also all gooshy and warm inside afterwards.
Posted in faerie, illustration, inspiration, tagged bug, humor, illustration, inspiration on February 20, 2019| Leave a Comment »
This post is for everyone who needs of bit of cheer on what is a pretty lousy day.
Right now I feel quite a bit like the white rabbit in this picture. Time just seems to be getting away from me. I can’t seem to catch up.
J’s health situation is finally resolved, with him being mostly his old self. But I’ve lost so much time and momentum over the last year that I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Sorry to have so shamefully neglected my blog for so very long. I have managed to build up a huge amount of photo/links in pinterest for lots of interesting things. Hope you have been enjoying that in my absence.
So here’s to better times ahead.
Let’s all do a little cat dance.
Or perhaps attend a Grand Moonlight Bug Dance. Let’s all think lovely thoughts.
Hugs, PamV
Posted in book, illustration, Uncategorized, tagged book, illustration, inspiration on August 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Yes, I am going to go on as if this fun little imagination series of posts was not Rudely Interrupted by reality. So I’m sorry I’ve been gone but really; in the words of Han Solo “It’s not my fault.”
Imagination is a very powerful tool. So very powerful that it is important to remember to use it mindfully. Not carefully, imagination should be allowed to soar and swoop and go to places never before visited . . . but mindfully.
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine is the story of a fisherman’s daughter Sam (Samantha) who has a expansive imagination. She tells people her mother is a mermaid, that she owns a kangaroo and she talks to her cat (Bangs) who understands and talks back.
Sam spends her days riding in her dragon-drawn chariot and telling her friend Thomas to go to different places to search for the kangaroo (who’s always just stepped out).
Her father tells Sam all the time to “talk real” and “stop all the moonshine”. Sam doesn’t listen much, she’s too busy playing imagining games.
One day without thinking about it, she tells Thomas that the kangaroo went out to Blue Rock, which is far out in the harbor. A bad storm blows in and puts Thomas in terrible danger.
Sam feels terrible and scared and tells her Father who rushes out into the storm and saves Thomas. Sam has learned a Valuable lesson about real and not-real. From now on she knows to use imagination in a mindful manner.
The next day Sam’s father brings her a little animal he found on a banana boat while it was unloading. She says it’s a kangaroo, he says “No, it’s a gerbil.” She takes it over to Thomas who is very sick in bed and gives it to him.
This wonderful book shows us how vital it is to not lose sight of what’s around us while we are indulging in imaginative play. Don’t put yourself or others in danger, don’t forget that something is cooking on the stove, don’t forget to cage up the baby in the playpen so it can’t hurt itself, don’t ignore the baby if it needs a change or snack, and don’t sit on the dog/cat. But also do not forget to play around in your imagination, no matter how busy your everyday life gets. Make some time to play.
I really like the illustrations in this book. The choice of doing them in pen and ink with ink washes and having only one other color (an olive green) really emphasizes that it’s the mind of the reader/imaginer that is populating this world.
Gosh, this has been a really herky-jerky post. I hope you have enjoyed Sam, Bangs & Moonshine any way. If you liked it enough to want a copy you can find a copy pretty easily on ebay or the net. I got mine years ago at a library sale — don’t you just love the library sales? So many books, so little space to put them in my little house.
Posted in book, illustration, inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged book, humor, illustration, inspiration on June 28, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Imagination is so very powerful and it is a skill that requires practice and should be encouraged. Playing imagination games with simple things that would ordinarily be thrown away is one of the greatest pleasures of childhood. That is what today’s story is all about.
Christina Katerina & the Box is all about the fact that little children just love cardboard boxes. It begins with a new refrigerator being delivered down the street from Christina’s house. Her mother is all in awe of the new appliance but all Christina can see is the box, which she promptly gloms onto.
First (with some help from her Dad) she turns it into a castle . . .
Where she plays happily until her friend in the neighborhood comes home from vacation. Then the box becomes a clubhouse.
That lasts for while, then in a disagreement over club procedures her friend sits on the roof and squashes the box.
So she makes it into a race car. That lasts until the box finally collapses; but Christina still won’t let her Mother throw away the box.
She colors it to make a mansion floor.
Where everybody has a grand party. After the party her friend cleans up and the mansion floor gets wet and disintegrates. Raking up the box remains Christina’s Mother is glad that the box adventures are over.
But wait, Christina’s friends Mother just got a new washer and dryer . . .
So off they go on an ocean voyage.
Posted in inspiration, tagged adventure, humor, inspiration on June 7, 2017| Leave a Comment »
So I jinxed myself with the last post, all that I’m not updating until something dies.
Well, something died. J’s ipod bit the dust, and I thought no biggie I’ll just pick up a new one.
Ha! Turned out to be a biggie; my old, old computer wouldn’t even talk to the new ipod. Called the support-line just in case but the problem was defo sad old computer. So we have a new computer and now I’m doing the data switch-over and also integrating “old saddie” into a network dance. Why keep “old saddie” up and running? Because he has some of my favorite software which is not compatible with “newbie shiny”.
In the immortal words of Emily Litella “It’s always something”.
Posted in illustration, inspiration, tagged humor, illustration, inspiration on April 19, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Today I managed to upgrade the tv box. Now I look like this:
and I feel like this:
and later I will be like this little girl:
But first I have to get cleaned up and change my library books — they’re due today.
I will deal with the other technically challenged devices at a later date. Probably the day before they become totally obsolete or when they are definitely dead.
Posted in illustration, inspiration, tagged book, cooking, humor, inspiration on February 16, 2017| Leave a Comment »
A particular passion of mine is little dishes. Children’s or doll’s dishes, pots and pans and all things kitchen. So it makes sense that I also am quite fond of little cookbooks. Like this vintage Little Golden Book:
Susie’s New Stove is cute, that’s it just plain cute. My copy is a bit grungy but still cute.
Susie, who is cute as a button, has just gotten a brand spanky new toy stove — which in those days was a little metal electrical stove that did get very hot and really cook things. Which was a bunch of fun, I had a vintage one of these little stoves when I was little and we had bunches of fun using it. Mine looked more 1920s and stood up on curvy legs.
Learning to cook is a process, like learning to do anything is. First you put on your apron so that not only do you look good (so important) but so you don’t goop up your clothes.
Then you decide what to make and look up (or ask your mother) what you need to make it. This is my favorite recipe from this book:
You’ll notice it’s not so much cooking as heating up things. And that the essential last step is to turn off the stove. We don’t want to leave a hot little thing to accidentally start any fires. Or melt any of our play children.
This is the table of contents. It is the last page of the book, sort of ironic placement. Which is the menu for Susie’s Daddy’s birthday meal which he says is delicious. (He’s one of those great dads these storybook children always get.) Actually my Dad was pretty happy with all the little things I cooked but I remember mostly making grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup from a can. My stove was big enough to put a small real saucepan over both burners to make a whole can of soup — boo-yah!
This last picture is Susie and Mike getting ready to cook a real dinner on the real stove. Ha!
Reading over this post it’s pretty obvious that I’m trying fairly desperately to find a way to feel a little cheeriness/happiness in what seems like an increasing wack-a-doo world. This week I chose to think about silly little food. And cute aprons.
So though it was in a totally disjointed awkward way I hope I gave you a moments respite from the real world.
Remember, more silliness over on Pinterest.
Posted in illustration, inspiration, Social Media, tagged illustration, inspiration, pinterest, Social Media on February 10, 2017| Leave a Comment »
at least I can let you know that I’m on Pinterest now. I have, oh six or eight boards ranging difference interests. The one that is linked here is called Color and Splash and it has mostly illustrations; the sort of thing I’ve been blogging about here. If you click on my user name pvlaughingmoon (it will be under any enlarged picture down by the description) it should take you to a page where you can see all my boards. You might like Weirdness in General or maybe Silly Little Things or even Food Art. Just saying: it’s there if you want to check it out.
I’m not giving up the blog and I do plan to get back to weekly posts as soon as I can — it’s been a icky-bug-suffering start to the year. When I do have a tiny bit of energy it has been consumed by the agean task of cleaning out the workroom. Hey, I can see a big patch of floor! hooray?
Posted in ephemera, faerie, illustration, inspiration, tagged holiday, illustration, inspiration, vintage on December 29, 2016| Leave a Comment »
No, I’m not a Grinch or anything like that. It’s just that I’ve been crazy busy and sick with the flu on top of everything.
So here I am, better late than never, wishing all of you the happiest of holiday seasons and the best of all things in the New Year.
I chose this picture for this year because of it combines the sophisticated faerie with her art nouveu/deco feel with the sweet innocence of the pretty children. And bonus, it has a wonderful tree covered in old-timey decorations.
Last word: Just remember not to eat anything bigger than your head.
Posted in faerie, illustration, inspiration, poem, tagged dragon, faerie, illustration, inspiration, song, vintage on August 25, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Wow. This is something I hadn’t heard in ages, but once upon a time was pretty much the soundtrack for my life. . . Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul and Mary.
I went to the Muddy Color blog as I do most days and there it was a whole big lovely post by Donato about this great old song. Read the post, click play and if you’re like me you’ll put your head down and sing along. Hooray! I remembered most all the words.
Many, many thanks to Donato for loving Puff and for telling people that you have to keep your dream dragons alive. And yes, I still have the battered 45 from when I was just little.
Much love and some more pictures of Puff.
Posted in doll, figurative art, illustration, inspiration, sculpture, Uncategorized, tagged doll, figurative art, illustration, inspiration on June 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »
I got an email from Stephanie Blythe telling me that fellow NIADA artist Lisa Lichtenfels needs all our help. In the same six weeks her husband passed away and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As all artists know when you work freelance when you can’t work you don’t get paid.
Please help Lisa pay her cancer co-pays and stay current with her living expenses. You can go to this link to learn more about the medical gofundme for Lisa that a dear friend of mine (Connie Smith) has organized.
Lisa Lichtenfels is one of the kindest, funniest, most honest people I have ever met. I met her in 1993 in Chicago where she showed her work and gave an inspiring slideshow talk about where she lived and worked. It opened with her saying that she had been reading and seeing all about people who lived and worked in fabulous inspiring places including a recent magazine article about a person who lived in a castle. She opened the slideshow by saying “This is a picture of the fixed-up side of my house.” We roared with laughter — Lisa didn’t live in a fancy place or even a totally fixed up place; she lived in a house where, she proceeded to tell us, it took six months to evict a “sitting tenant” (a squatter). “This isn’t the house we wanted; this is the house we could afford.” Her dry wit, her personality, her art — there just isn’t anything at all that I don’t love about Lisa.
Later during the visiting artists critique my doll was criticized for having incorrect thumbs. I was told “look at your thumbs and sculpt what you see”, I held up my hand and said “I did.” The poor artist looked at my hand and flustered said “Look at someone else’s thumbs. Take photos.” Now I need to explain that my family has anatomically incorrect thumbs — they are strange looking. They work great but they’re a bit odd, sort of double jointed and the last joint sticks out away from the hand. Then during the general viewing of the visiting artists pieces I was talking to Lisa and explained about the freaky thumb thing and she looked at the dolls hand and my hand and said “I like that it has your thumbs.”
I know for certain that I am not the only person who feels so strongly about Lisa, as a person and an artist. I am hoping that you will be willing to help her, both financially and by spreading the word about her need.
Now for the photo portion of this post:
This is Lisa with Phobe; one of her life sized Ticket taker pieces. These were made for posh people who had a private theater in their houses and wanted a sculptural piece to sit outside as if ready to take the ticket stubs.
These three photos came from Lisa’s website. I hope she forgives me for copying them so I could share them. You can also find more info on this Facebook page. Also try doing a google image search.
Please help.
Posted in figurative art, illustration, polymer clay, sculpture, tagged figurative art, illustration, inspiration, sculpture on May 9, 2016| Leave a Comment »
And Forest Rogers, my friend takes Gold for 3-D illustration AGAIN!
That she is getting the recognition for her talent makes me very happy indeed.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you “The Morrigan”:
Let’s all do a big happy dance to celebrate the truly wonderful Forest Rogers.
There is a link to her blog/website in my blogroll so you can always check in her.
pamelavelner.blog 