Cats and Jammers Studio

Desperate...

I'm desperate...

I have been locked in my studio working on my two book projects. I love these projects, but I feel a little stressed because of the pace and the fact that they are both due at the same time!

So...I have not been out looking for junk. THAT is not a good thing.

It is hard to explain, but for some reason rummaging around in dusty antique shops and shlocky consignment shops is not only enjoyable, but it seems to rev me up to get home and paint or draw.

I tried to explain this to a couple of artists friends once. They did not understand because they were in the process of "simplifying." Getting rid of things. Paring down to the essentials.

Not me. I like more and more junk. I gather it like a squirrel does nuts. Something about old junk just gets me going.

It is a strange thing. Almost like the objects and whatever nutty history they have share an energy that you can collect in the palm of your hand and reroute to that place that gives birth to your artistic efforts. I especially get this "karma" from someone's old handmade castoff. Does a small fraction the sweet soul of the person toiling away in their little basement workshop, for example, on that standing butler ashtray remain behind in the object? Do these objects of some unknown artisan's need to create continue to carry some of that positive "it makes me feel good to make this" aura? I think so.

I love holding homemade craft objects from years gone by. Back when no one thought about outsider art--they just made things because they could. I guess that is the magic of folk art. Of course, the fabulous folk art of the caliber that you can find in the Shelburne Museum is exquisite beyond words. But is also beyond the grasp or budget of most of us, too.

But the simple basement wood shop labor of love from the first half of the last century can hold just as much good energy in it. And you can afford it. Pretty cheap thrills, if you ask me. Inspiring--if you are a collector or junk lover. And maybe even ...magical.

Man, I need a junk fix...

Snow Globe madness

OK. I lied. I did not think I would be wearing my collecting hat this past weekend while I was at the conference in NY. I was suppose to only focus on writing and illustrating. Of course, NOT wearing my collecting hat is pretty difficult for me, since it is almost cemented to my head. In fact, it is actually under my hair, inside my skull. I think I was born with it. It ain't goin' anywhere fast, like maybe not for the rest of my obsessive, collecting life.

SO--I am out with my wonderful writing friends after dinner walking around Times Square like a dumb tourist. You would think that someone who grew up in New Jersey and New York would know better than to poke around in one of those stupid shops in Times Square. Yes, you would think that, and you would be dead wrong. Because the truth is, I don't discriminate about where I will poke around looking for stuff. I will go into ANYWHERE looking for something I think Imight not be able to live without. Well, maybe not anywhere. I don't go into furriers or even big department stores or malls for that matter; I don't wear fur and I would rather buy boring stuff like everyday clothes on line. But, aside from that, I will hunt almost everywhere else for kitcsh.

And when one hunts, one usually finds. And also when one has three kids, one has three legitimate reasons to hunt and find even more. Suffice it to say, we have a lot of NY tee shirts in this house. And one Three Stooges tee. But I didn't leave it at tees. I also went in for the snow globes.

You know what? You cannot find cheap snow globes as easily as you used to be able to. So I came home with expensive snow globes, since A) my youngest son loves them and B) I am working on a book right now that takes place in NYC and I needed some reference.

What's that? You say I could get the reference on line for free? That I don't need to have a snow globe of NYC with a moving train inside? That I am just nuts and compulsive?

In the spirit of the weekend: Bronx cheer to you.

BTW, here is a piece of art from the book I am working on, so there!

OK, I really did go junkin in NYC...a little

OK. I lied. I did not think I would be wearing my collecting hat this past weekend while I was at the conference in NY. I was suppose to only focus on writing and illustrating. Of course, NOT wearing my collecting hat is pretty difficult for me, since it is almost cemented to my head. In fact, it is actually under my hair, inside my skull. I think I was born with it. It ain't goin' anywhere fast, like maybe not for the rest of my obsessive, collecting life.

SO--I am out with my wonderful writing friends after dinner walking around Times Square like a dumb tourist. You would think that someone who grew up in New Jersey and New York would know better than to poke around in one of those stupid shops in Times Square. Yes, you would think that, and you would be dead wrong. Because the truth is, I don't discriminate about where I will poke around looking for stuff. I will go into ANYWHERE looking for something I think Imight not be able to live without. Well, maybe not anywhere. I don't go into furriers or even big department stores or malls for that matter; I don't wear fur and I would rather buy boring stuff like everyday clothes on line. But, aside from that, I will hunt almost everywhere else for kitcsh.

And when one hunts, one usually finds. And also when one has three kids, one has three legitimate reasons to hunt and find even more. Suffice it to say, we have a lot of NY tee shirts in this house. And one Three Stooges tee. But I didn't leave it at tees. I also went in for the snow globes.

You know what? You cannot find cheap snow globes as easily as you used to be able to. So I came home with expensive snow globes, since A) my youngest son loves them and B) I am working on a book right now that takes place in NYC and I needed some reference.

What's that? You say I could get the reference on line for free? That I don't need to have a snow globe of NYC with a moving train inside? That I am just nuts and compulsive?

In the spirit of the weekend: Bronx cheer to you.

BTW, here is a piece of art from the book I am working on, so there!

So much stuff, so little time...

Whoa. I seem to have been too busy to allow myself the indulgence of this blog. What have I been busy with? Well, it has NOT been junkin'. I think I slipped in a couple of days between my last post and now, but I have been pretty obsessed with my book and the art for it. Having my debut as author/illustrator, as opposed to just illustrator has put me in the mindset of eating, drinking and sleeping my artwork in my head and in my hands. I wake up in the morning and think about it, I picture my art in my head when I drive, and I "paint" in my brain while I am in the shower. The whole family is complaining.

So I need a little junk talk to decompress.

I did manage to find a lovely silhouette, circa 1930's, real cut paper, with an inscription. My mother collects these so I have been tuned into them as of late, and I fear another collection of my own coming on.

Also, a great Mr. Peanut ashtray. I have vowed to collect Mr. Peanut junk for years, but I haven't really jumped into that madness quite yet.

But how do collections start? They start with one great item that seems to talk to you. And then, you will find another that speaks to you and you will buy it. Before long, you will have several and that is when the obsession begins. In my case, collections began from one great...

1. ...piece of carnival chalkware. It was a petite Apache Babe all alone on a dusty shelf in a great consignment shop. I knew it was from the 30's most likely, but I was not really sure what it was. About one hundred figures later I now know.

2. ...American Bisque Cookie jar. Sure, lots of people collect cookie jars (Thanks to Andy Warhol). Fortunately for me, most don't specialize in American Bisque, as I mostly do. Something about those wonderful flirty eyes and airbrushed finishes. They have a look that is much like the carnival chalkware. Yeah--about 100 now, give or take. Most of them are AB, but not all.

3. ...piece of Flemish Art. It's the craft thing of years gone by. Wood burning, both using kits and original drawings. Very rustic looking. Lost count.

4. ...Wedding Cake topper. Still a fledgling collection. Only 15 or so.

5. ... random Cowboy chotchke. Well, this is a varied and uncountable collection. It has it's own room and foyer and bathroom and hallway. It is ever growing. It even has a book written for it...

And there are others. Tinted photos, tin litho, lawn ornaments, home made standing ashtrays, hand made door stops, amateur oils, wool felt pennants, old rulers, embroidery, president stuff, etc. , etc., etc..... It is a sickness. But it is a fun one. The hunt is the best part.

But be beware of that first object.....

Happy Birthday, Elvis!

Well, today would have been Elvis' 71st birthday!

To tell the truth, I did not appreciate the King when I was a teen. I was more into The Beatles (whom I still adore). It ‘s only recently, after a series of cosmic events all occurring around the same time--that I have have decided that he was truly wonderful and deserved every bit of adoration and praise he got. Now I can’t get enough of him.

Those events:

1. Buying our first full size Jukebox. A Seeburg C Selectomatic, from 1952. Restored by Zuddie Smith, to gleaming A-1 glory. It was then that we realized that there is some music that was absolutely meant to be heard, first and foremost, on a jukebox. This juke came equipped with records--some of them Elvis. The first moment of hearing him on the C was like truth revealed.

2. Getting another Juke. A Seeburg 222, from 1959. More Rockin’. More Elvis.

3. The first Elvis lamp.

4. Another Juke. The Cadillac of jukes. The Seeburg V200. And more Elvis. And this time he BOOMS on the V!

5. An Elvis bust, Elvis II arrives, courtesy of our friend John. That and a poster for a concert in Buffalo in the 50’s.

6. My wonderful editor receives a fantastic job offer on her cell phone WHILE VISITING GRACELAND!!!! How cosmic is that?!

7. I make my first manuscript sale to her. It is a story about country/cowboy singers hitting the big time.

8. Another Elvis lamp to wrap up a rock and rollin’ 2005.

BTW, I had been drawing Elvis on art and tiles and dishes for several years before all of this. I love him as artistic ICON. He makes for great art in any medium. I try to add references to him in illustrations all the time.

When my oldest son was little, any time he saw someone with black hair and even the hint of sideburns he would say, “Mommy, I think I saw Elvis.”

I dunno. I think there is something important about all this stuff. But I am not sure what the heck it is, except that somehow I KNOW it means something.

If you figure it out, let me know.

In the meantime Happy Birthday, Elvis!

Elvis. The stuff that art is made of.

Los Tres Amigos

Well, I figured out how to use the new camera, and I have made an attempt to capture the three guys who were clearly ready for their close-ups. I'll have to go on one of those sites that makes repro fiberglass shades so Elvis I and Elvis III wear matching head gear on either side of the couch.

They truly have converted the family room into the ELVIS ROOM. In addtion, my good friend Shennen and her kids gave us juke box tree ornaments that play "Blue Christmas" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" ! What fun! Thanks, Bersani's!!!!

RECIPE FOR SUCCESSFUL JUNKING

Well, I'm off to my favorite consignment shop today. I love this place. It’s in a not too cool suburb south of Boston. It gets great stuff, and offers the stuff at great prices. Dealers always check it out because the marked prices are reasonable enough to allow for markups. Also, the other shoppers, most of whom are NOT dealers, are usually there for newer stuff, so the competition is not overwhelming.

It’s the gold mine where I got my two alligator purses and tons of other stuff. I find it usually takes me about an hour and a half to to through the place. And often it is on the second round, when I find the good stuff I missed the first go-round.

Here is my RECIPE FOR SUCCESSFUL JUNKING:

1. Go into a shop loaded with stuff. You want a place that has a lot of turn over and a constant stream of stuff coming in every week. Look for a shop that has newer used goods, as well as old. Better for it NOT to be in an urban setting. You want the kind of place where Mr. and Mrs. We-like-new-stuff think of when they want to unload the contents of Grandma’s house, collect the money, and buy more new stuff.

2. Walk into a place like a hungry mother lion on the lookout for fresh meat for her cubs. You know--get that glint in your eye. Be real hungry. Lick your chops. Be alert for small objects. Look unstoppable. But be polite and don’t push. If you have that intense “directed” look, people will get out of your way without being pushed or shoved. You’ll look slightly crazed and they won’t want to get too close. ALWAYS SMILE. That makes you look REALLY NUTS and the other hunters and gatherers will smell danger and inch away.

3. On the first walk around, do a fast scan, but try to do a pretty complete scan. Obviously good stuff will pop out and you can begin to make a pile of your finds.

4. Then (MOST IMPORTANT) go in for the zoom shots. It’s the zoom shots that usually yield the great finds. Move things on shelves. Look under tables. Look up. Sometimes good stuff is hanging from the ceiling. I just got an 18th century single chair that was hanging from the ceiling. I tend to find my best stuff in the last 15 minutes I am shopping. Like: Lilac Fiesta ware, Wallace Nutting hand colored photos, hand blown glass art, alligator bags, great vintage cookie jars, old noise makers, old toys in original boxes, etc. I did pass on a decoupaged Elvis and I am still kicking myself. But I don’t think I was channeling his spirit back then.

5. Don’t shop alone. It is much more fun if you go with a buddy to do this. I take my MOM. She is my best shopping buddy. We egg each other on and have for years. It is very important to have a good junking buddy when you go junking. Good finds seem that much better when someone else says, “Oh! That’s great!” In fact it is SO important, I think I will blog about that next.

6. If your first instinct is to buy, look carefully. Make sure it does not have damage you can’t deal with. Make sure it IS What you think it is (not a repro) and then buy it. Someone else now has my decoupaged Elvis, that I picked up several times and then put back down. I still think about the good stuff I let get away over the last 30 years I have been junking.

Most of all: Have fun! It’s only junk. It's decorating on the cheap. As long as you are not spending grocery money to satisfy the fix, and your family is safe and warm, enjoy yourself. Life is too short to not do that.

Collecting someone else's history

II guess you could call me nosey. I like glimpses into the lives of other people. Not famous people. Just average, everyday Joe's and Jane's and the details they surround themselves with. I especially love seeing the chotchkes and knick knacks they surround themselves with. I love taking those things and drawing them into my illustrations.

Since I am not going to turn into a cat burglar and literally start sniffing around inside the houses of complete strangers, the best way to do this is with photographs.

One of my favorites is Diane Arbus, whose work was filled with the details of lives lived in all their glory or lack there of. But I especially love the work of Milton Rogovin, whose work I first saw back in 1976 when I was still living in Buffalo. Mr. Regovin is still alive. At the end of this month, he turn 96!!

Here is his web site: http://www.miltonrogovin.com/

His work is rich with the stuff that makes life real: the textures of fabrics and buildings and pavement and flesh. Even in B/W his pictures are colorful beyond belief. I find them inspirational and have for almost 30 years.

I wish I could sniff through his archives.

But I can’t, so I try to capture some of the details that make for great settings, to the extent that I can, by looking for amateur photos in normal settings. As art pieces these pictures rarely cut it, but as records of a life at a particular moment in time, with the stuff or junk of the time, they are like found treasure. Lately I have picked up pictures of storefronts and businesses. My favorite find is a shot in someone’s livingroom. With any luck those pictures have people, TV’s, furniture and wallpaper. They’re wonderful for reference.

SO I am on the lookout for abandoned lives captures on the pages of old black paper.

The stuff that my art is made of.

Toyland....

Every year around this time, I start to think of the toys I had that somehow bit the dust while I was busy growing up...

I think of Barbies--original Barbies, from 1959.

I think of sand pails and other cheap tin toys and by-gone game boards.

I think of old teddy bears and Ginny dolls and Chatty Cathy and Patty Playpal. Oh. And Tiny Tears. Tiny Tears was THE baby doll for quite a while when I was a kid.

I had tons of dolls when I was little. But I do not collect them, and I really have no interest in them now other than the ones I actually had, or the quirky soft sculpture needle modeled dolls I made for about 10 years. Dolls tend to bore me. Especially dolls that are pretty or lovely or all dressed up. Yuck.

But I always think of one Christmas gift, circa 1959, that was a miniature drive-in movie. Somehow that toy would come to represent my collective memory of my playthings from the 1950's. Drive-In movies were the stuff that summers in the 50's were made of. We went before dark and played in the playground until show time. Then back to the car and the little metal speaker for the coming attractions and the first movie. Then off to the snack bar for hamburgers wrapped in foil and back to the big screen to see the NY Yankees--or rather the heads of the New York Yankees--in animated advertisements for Yoo-Hoo. Then "10 Minutes to Show time," then movie number 2.

So I decided recently ton a little Google action to see what it was that I am remembering. I found out that the Drive-In toy was put out by Remco, and it actually was 1959. I came upon a listing on eBay: over 200 bucks. Yikes!

BUT-- I discovered that there are all kinds of Drive-in movie items to collect, as well as other related stuff.

EBay is wonderful and dangerous at the same time. The wonderful part is obvious. But the dangerous part is more complex. Of course, the danger is the ease with which one can collect and pursue the objects of one's affections at all hours of the day or night. But the greater danger is the ease with which one can discover other genre's to obsess about. Thanks to eBay, you can develop a yearning for stuff you didn't know you needed at all---until you see it.

Drive-in stuff....maybe I had just better stick to drawing it. That collection might require more space than I can afford to give it.

Like a cowboy the post rode off into the sunset...

SO here it is again....

I love cowboys. I always have. When I was little, I was in love with Roy Rogers. I dreamed about riding horses and wearing chaps. I used to dress up in cowboy clothes. Or, I guess I should say "cowgirl" clothes. I still wear cowboy boots and have them in lots of colors. But I think the days of me getting back on a horse are long gone.

So--- when we were redecorating our house after an addition some years ago, I decided it was time for a "Cowboy Room." Then, all the cowboy kitsch that I collected over the years (and continue to collect) would have a home.

But here is the thing about collections: they grow. And grow. And grow. Now the cowboy room, is also the cowboy hallway, the cowboy bathroom, and the cowboy mud room. My favorite stuff is cowboy chalkware. There is a lot of that out there. Great stuff: chalkware cowboy lamps, both on bucking horses, one supposed to be Dale Evans, and I am not sure who the other one is. BTW, when collecting this kind of stuff you will really inspire yourself if you listen to Roy singing with the Sons of the Pioneers. And Bob Mills, too.

On a related note, I am still hoping to get an original Howdy Doody puppet one of these days.

In keeping with my love of the KITSCHY COWBOY, it is only fitting that my first book as author as well as illustrator is about cowboys. Singing cowboys.

Singing CAT Cowboys. The current working title: THE BALLAD OF TEX AND SUGAR, being published by Sterling in the spring of '07.

OK. Blog break over. Now back to Tex and Sugar. That dummy is still being refined before I start painting. I left the two of ‘em, still singin' their little kitty hearts out, waiting for me to get them all drawn out already. Back to the drawing board...