Friendly or Freaky?

What would you do if you were approached by one of these friendly or freaky creatures? Well in this photo by Malcolm Pickney, for NYC Parks & Recreation, them men standing there appear pretty uncomfortable... maybe that's why they both decided to lean against the dirty can instead of wrap their arms around the huggables next to them... and gasp! they may even possibly be apathetic about recycling!!! Let's beat them up.


Wait a minute...

Whoa... look at him...

















We could totally pull something like this off for our show!

Old School Style

According to Wikipedia:

In this movie,[The Mole People], archaeologists John Agar and Hugh Beaumont stumble upon a race of Sumerian albinos living deep under the Earth. They keep mutant humanoid mole men as their slaves to harvest mushrooms, their primary food source, since they can grow without sunlight. The Sumerian albinos' ancestors moved into the subterranean after the cataclysmic floods in ancient Mesopotamia. Whenever their population increases, they sacrifice old people to the Eye of Ishtar, which is really natural light coming from the surface. These people have lived underground for so long that they are weakened by bright light which the archaeologists brought in the form of a flashlight. However, there is one girl who has natural Caucasian skin who is disdained by the others. They believe the men are messengers of Ishtar, their goddess.


More More More?
Go ahead... inspire yourself... I promise it won't hurt.

Once Monster... Today Museum Spectacle

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Huge gator to be honored in Okefenokee/Associated Press/April 28, 2008


Waycross — The most famous resident of the Okefenokee Swamp Park will soon be immortalized, nearly a year after his death.

The skeleton of Oscar the alligator, who roamed the swamp from the time the park opened in 1946, is being assembled like a museum dinosaur. Park officials they decided to pay homage to the 14-foot, 1,000-pound alligator after finding his body last July.

Visitors will be able to see everything Oscar survived in his six decades at the park — a shotgun blast to the face, at least three bullet wounds to the head, broken bones and arthritis. The display also will include what park officials found in Oscar's belly after his death — a plastic dog collar, a dog's tag, a penny, rocks and the top section of a flagpole.

The Okefenokee is a 438,000-acre National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Georgia that attracts 350,000 to 400,000 visitors a year.

Frankenstein's Monster Bust [Unfinished]

-For the Monster Show I've decided to go with a more "classical" monster theme. I've chosen a few bust to complete, two of them featuring the "King of Horror" himself, Boris Karloff. The first being his most famous role as Frankenstein's monster of the black & white, 1931 film: Frankenstein. Hopefully, once its hollowed, and completed with firing I am choosing to paint it similar to Basil Gogo's horror film paintings. His use of color and technique are beautiful and would look awesome on this piece. Some other concepts that will hopefully follow: 1932 version of The Mummy, again featuring Boris Karloff, then possibly a stylized Bride of Frankenstein, and a large dragon bust estimated to be approx. 4 ft high.

-This piece had a neck and shoulders, though it got a little too wet, and due to the weight it dropped off, I'm in the process now of reattaching it. The Bust itself is a bit larger than life-size, originally I wanted it to be about three-times larger than a human cranium, But the armature I made would not support that kind of weight. [I estimated around 30 to 40 lbs of wet clay. Now its only about 20 to 25 lbs.] Let me know how it's looking kids!

April 19th Meeting

At the last meeting:

Group Collaboration - we're working on keeping the 3D sculpture in the show. Instead of creating one huge model, we're going to downsize and possibly create three smaller versions based on A-town’s most prominent satellite communities. We are also planning on passing around six 3 x 3 canvases in which we’ll each take turns in contributing to touching, painting, microwaving, cartooning, etc. At the end, it will be pieced together and displayed at the show.

Krogging - we're going to rape the krog with our signage a day or the day of the opening.

Opening Night – we will sell merchandise… so if you have any items you’d like to contribute… tell someone for goodness sake. We still plan on outfitting in costumes. We’re still having a few performances as entertainment… opening band, main band, balancing act, drum circling, hoo-la hoo-ping, jump roping, and possibly a grand finale burning… maybe a pony too!


Yay… pat on the back…
Alex, Ashlee, Autumn, Caroline, Chad, Goni, Heather, Jacosa, Jenn, Lucha, Patrick, Pepe, Peter, Pinky, Samantha, Sergio, and all those other little people out there helping us :D

Happiest Monster

Love at first sight doesn't always mean anything.

Here's lookin' at you kid

I live ITP in the NW. My name is Herndon. I think my life is great! My only job is to keep people inside me safe from the weather. I don't know why they would want to be sheltered from the weather. I think it's a wonderful thing. The sun makes me feel warm. The rain cools me down. The wind tickles me. The best part of my life is being able to watch the clouds stroll by. Sometimes I try to measure the speed. Sometimes I just ponder in their simplicity. I'm a lonely monster though. No one ever comes and visits me because they think I'm interesting. People just use me for my body. I have a lovely rooftop... will you perhaps visit me?

Monster Go Away! Or I'll Get Some Spray

A lyrical monster tale to tell your kids at night... Monster Go Away! spray coming to a store near you... while supplies last...


It came upon the lunar eclipse...
It had gnarly teeth
and gigantic lips
It made itself at home
under my bed
It went to the store
and bought some bread
It made a sandwich of
stinky cheese & dirty socks

And chased it all down with a bag of rocks

I heard it grumbling as night became day
And that's when I got the idea for a spray
It took 9 days and 9 nights

By then I thought I'd made it right
I sprayed Monster Go Away! under the bed
the smell of flowers circled my head
I fell asleep and when I woke
There was nothing under my bed
Except a note:


I don't dig flowers or their scent
I've gone away! that's where I went!


I kind of admit
I was a little sad
It made funny noises
It smelled really bad
But the monster is gone
And the spray remains
Ready for action and
monster pains

What is that!?

Well... according to The Sun in this article: 'Creepy gnome' terrorises town/Virginia Wheeler/March 11, 2008... it's a gnome... yep.

My suggestion? Watch the video in the article.

Newspaper Props in 'Satyagraha'

Philip Glass’s opera “Satyagraha,” is not only a historical telling but it's also a visual revelation beyond any conventional performance seen on stage. Newspaper is used throughout the piece as a tool to create movement, symbolism, and larger than life puppets. Overall, attention to detail in the performance has enhanced the story and created ambiance –which was key in engaging the audience.

This videography briefly takes viewers on a behind the scenes journey of the how’s and why’s.

. . .

The New York Times: Opera About a Giant's Life, Complete With Giant Puppets/Daniel J. Wakin/April 11, 2008











The tottering puppets are created from newspaper, fiberglass kite poles, light cotton cloth and lots of latex glue. The sets are made largely of corrugated metal. Wicker baskets and brooms become a crocodile. Chairs held over faces become symbolic barriers.

“We decided we wanted to use very humble materials in the making of the opera,” Mr. Crouch said. “We wanted similarly to take these materials, maybe associated with poverty, and see if we could do a kind of alchemy with that, turn them into something beautiful.”

The dominant medium is newsprint. Coated newspapers paper the stage floor. Balled-up pages represent stones thrown at Gandhi. Text is projected on newspaper sheets held up by actors. News pages are manipulated into a Hindu goddess. Long strips of attached pages ribbon across the stage, representing a printing press. (Maybe the newspaper industry doesn’t have to die after all.) “It’s an ordinary object that, when transformed, becomes magical,” Mr. McDermott said. “Ordinary simple actions, when done with commitment, become something powerful,” he said, a quality of Gandhi’s idea of “satyagraha,” a Sanskrit term that can be translated as “truth-force” and stands for Gandhi’s principle of nonviolent resistance.

More literally the newspaper reflects Indian Opinion, the paper that Gandhi founded as a vital part of the struggle for the rights of Indians taken to South Africa as indentured servants by the British. The focus is on the period from 1893 to 1914, the years Gandhi spent in South Africa. Tolstoy, the poet Tagore and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. each figures in an act representing witnesses from Gandhi’s past, present and future.

I live at N5... I have a great disguise...

I saw a monster today. A WaMu monster. As the train made its stop at Arts Center... I saw it. Waiting. Grinning. Hungry. Big window eyes... advertising WaMu nonsense. Edgy, rectangular teeth. Come hither little beings it said. Come sit on my teeth. I'll take care of you and keep you warm... my cement teeth. CHOMP! Hehe it chuckled. A bit salty.

Sour Attack

Watch out kids... Sour Monster's out to get ya...

this "Blue Monster" invaded the city... why can't we?

Look! Look! I wanna... Can we... Can we spread the love too?
...but wait... maybe we shouldn't...

PaPPa FRaNKeNSTeiN

So to start off an ongoing string of monster sightings around town, I'm profiling my favorite local monster-maker.Bill Mayer is an illustrator in Decatur who has been unleashing demons onto the printed page for over 25 years now. For chuckles, check out his Not for Kids Stamp Book:

For the rest of his monster menagerie, go to www.thebillmayer.com.