Sinners and Saints-Just a Halloween Costume?-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 

I have written about the juxtaposition  of what appears to be and what is. This is from my Blog Misunderstood Monsters and Mysterious Creatures:

In a world with wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing,

Come misunderstood monsters and mysterious creatures.

Take cover look, a deeper inspection.

Look beyond their gore and unbecoming features.

Like you and me, there may more be.

Longing, wondering, lost and lonely.

Stuck and Afraid wanting to be free,

Defying you to run toward them, and not flee.

Each of us upon closer introspection may find, 

Good and evil in our lives entwined.

 Monster to one, may be magical to another.

It’s rare in life we can have one without the other.

Supplies:  GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes, GSLC Gothic Window Overlays, GSLC Gothic Cross Miniatures ,  Bizarre Souls Images from Etsy, Magazine Images,UHU GlueStick, Scissors, Sanding Block, Neon Highlighters,Copper and Red acrylic Paint, Paintbrush, Heavy Gell Matte Medium, Matte Gel Medium, Ranger Glossy Accents

1. Gather Supplies.
   
2. Print Images You Want to Use as Focal Points. I am using Bizarre Souls from Etsy.
3. Use Magazine Images of Your Choosing to Cover GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes.
   
4. Cut Out Closely and Glue to GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes.
   
5. Use a Sanding Block To Further Define Edges.
   
6. Use Neon Highlighters on Edges of GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes.
   
7. Cut out Images You Want to Use as Focal Points. I am using Bizarre Souls from Etsy.
   
8. Glue Fussy Cut Images to Backgrounds Using UHU GlueStick.
   
9. Paint GSLC Gothic Window Overlays and GSLC Gothic Cross Miniatures with Copper and Red Acrylic Paints.
   
10. Once Fully Dry Use Heavy Gel Matte Medium to Adhere Them to Prepared Backgrounds.
    
11. Press and Dry Complete Flat Weighted Down.
12. Add RubOn Butterflies in Strategic Locations.
    
13. Add Rangers Glossy Accents to Insides of GSLC Gothic Window Overlays.
14. Use a Combination of Ranger Glossy Accents and Matte Gel Medium to Seal in Remainder of Collages.
    
15. Allow to Dry Fully Keeping Them as Flat as Possible.

Final Thoughts: 

We have enjoyed watching Netflix “The Sandman” with an older neighbor lady and she keep wanting to know if the characters are good or bad. We say it is not that easy. Morpheus , is not evil.However he isn’t good either. He is simply a member of the Endless and removed form the concept of mortal morality.

The Sandman is based on Neil Gaiman’s celebrated comic books. It isa reinvention of a relatively obscure DC character. It was pitched as a horror title , but it grew into so much more with an almost a cult following.

The First Season tells the tale of Morpheus, a.k.a. Dream, one of the group of immortal beings known as the Endless who escapes a 100-year captivity and sets about to reclaim his kingdom and his powers.

“People think dreams aren’t real just because they re not made of matter, of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories, and puns and lost hopes.”

“For love is no part of the dreamworld. Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel.”

“Never trust the storyteller, only trust the story.”

“You hurt. It’s Okay. I hurt too. Hold my hand.”

“Maybe he wasn’t the villain of the story after all; he simply needed a long overdue nap. Like a cranky child who’s had too many lemon sugar drops and gone too long without sleep.”

“The price of getting  what you want is getting what you once wanted.”

What I like about Science Fiction and Shows like “The Sandman” is that it can be more real than reality. They can tell us truths in magical more fanciful ways than can be stated in our know realities.  Lessons learned, Destiny wanders. Path, tracing the way things must go.Though blind, he see all. Death greets each person at beginning and end, escorting the soul to “the Sunless Lands.” Dream rules the realm where mortal spend “one third of their lives.” Dreams give rise to hope. Desire and Despair, twins, inspire the extremes of human actions. Desire always pushed people to take what they want: Despair is the realm for those who have sunk below hope. Delirium who used to be Delight is incredibly creative yet lives outside the laws of logic.

Spooky Stories Left Unspoken-A Peek-a-Boo Project

I enjoy listening to podcasts, Aaron Mahnke has many of my favorites on his Grim & Mild Channel-Lore, Cabinet of Curosities, 12 Ghosts and 13 Days of Halloween. His 2022 13 Days of Halloween was titled Devil’s Night. A 12-year old boy and his dog need to get home on the most dangerous night all year. They must cut through the chaos and mayhem to survive. New episodes are released nightly on 13 days leading up to All Hallows Eve. These Episodes are like radio movies, with a soundtrack and voice actors. For the most thrilling listen experience, it is recommended that you plug in your favorite headphones and enjoy these audio dense episodes. 

Supplies:  GSLC Creepy Critters, GSLC Creepy Tree 5 Inch, Upcycled Cardboard Pieces, Magazine Images, UHU GlueStick, Sanding BlockTH Distress Stain of Your Choosing, Rub-Ons, Foamie SpiderWeb, Golden Interference Blue (Fine) Acrylic Paint, Paintbrush, Embossing Dabber, Clear, Black Glint, Black Sparkle, and Vintage Beeswax Embossing Powders, Plastic Palette Knife, Heating Tool, Brown and Magenta  Acrylic Paints, Pure Sheen Black Glitter,Golden Heavy Matte Gel Medium, Awl, Centimeter Hole Ruler, Embroidery Floss, Needle

1. Gather Supplies.
   
2. Cut Pieces of Upcycled Cardboard Into 3 by 5 inch Pieces.
3. Use Magazine Images to Create Backgrounds Securing with a UHU GlueStick.
   

   
4. Add Focal Points Using More Magazine Images Securing with a UHU GlueStick.
   
5. To Add a Vintage Appeal Gently and Randomly Use a Sanding Block to Distress Your Collaged Backgrounds.
   
6. Use TH Distress Stains to Fill in the Scratches-I like Weathered Wood, Gathered Straw, and Iced Spruce.
   
7. Add TH Barn Door Distress Stain to the Edges of Your Collaged Backgrounds. 
   
8. Add Rub-Ons to Your Collages.
   
9. Add Spiderwebs to Collages using a Foamie and Golden Interference Blue (Fine) Acrylic Paint.
   
10.  Use Embossing Dabber and Plastic Palette Knife to Add Clear and Vintage Beeswax Embossing Powders.
    
11. Use a Heating Tool  to Cure the Embossing Powders- This Will Create a Encaustic Effect.
12. Use Embossing Dabber and Plastic Palette Knife to Add Black Glint and Black Sparkle Embossing Powders to the GSLC Creep Critters. Cure with a Heating Tool.
    
13. Use Brown and Magenta Acrylic Paints to Paint the GSLC 5-Inch Creepy Trees. When they are still Wet Sprinkle with Pure Sheen Black Glitter.
    
14. Use Heavy Gel Matte Medium to Secure GSLC Prepared Piece to Collaged Backgrounds.
    
15.  Press and Dry Complete Flat Weighted Down.
16. Use an  Awl and  Centimeter Hole Ruler to Add Holes Along Chosen Parts of Collages.
    
    
    
17. Then Add Embroidery Floss Using a  Needle.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Final Thoughts.

As I have stated before I am not a huge reader so Podcasts make me feel like I am at least “reading” an Audiobook. We have enjoyed watching “Lore-(TV series)” this anthology series brings to life Aaron Mahnke’s “Lore” podcast and covers the real-life events that spawned our darkest nightmares. It Blends dramatic scenes, animation, archive and narration. Lore reveals how our horror legends-such s vampires, werewolves and body snatchers- are rooted in truth.

I like how this artwork weaves together different elements and each seem to have a story to tell. If I were a more clever writer I might be able to reveal them to you but I fear I know them not. Maybe you will have a better chance at uncovering their secrets.

Trips Not Taken-A Peek-a-Boo Project

  When I was younger and more adventurous, I thought I might like to travel the Us and see some the National Parks that boast of natural wonders, breathtaking vistas, gasp worth scenery. 

They are written about in enticing almost pornographic phrases, “will certainly captivate you with its sights, sounds, and smells. Sparking blue lakes and lush meadows will mesmerize you. Flowing waterfall and colorful rocks will have you completely immersed in nature. Please enjoy this extraordinary experience and allure..” 

I think I would still enjoy seeing them but this is my dark side to the national parks…make them a popular  destination for every type of traveler— sightseers, adventure junkies, families, oversea visitors, and everyone in between. Summed up in this one word— “CROWDS”. You never are there in your romantic imaginings as those who first discovered and explored this amazing landscapes, you are there with thousands of others, pushing to be first, taking selfies so they are a center of attention and not the magnificent mountains, majestic meanderings, or calm rivers. They are there polluting beauty with their trivia and rudeness. I don’t mean to be an introverted isolationist but know as I have grown older, I seek solitude and drama free zones with almost every fiber of my being. 

I’ve reimagined these national parks  as how I’d like them to be, these are the inspirations for this artwork. A bit of Old West with a sprinkling of Retro Regal.

Supplies: GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks, Reminisce National Parks Kit Paper Pad and Stickers, Carta Bella Paper-Outdoor Adventures Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-The Great Outdoors Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-Gone Camping Collection Kit,  Sanding Block, TH Distress Stains of your Choosing, Vintage Map Scraps, Exacto Blade, UHU GlueStick, Deco Art Triple Thick Gloss Glaze, DecoArt Matte Gel Medium, Plastic Palette Knife,  Golden, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, Iridescent Copper(Fine), Van Dyke Brown Acrylic Paints, Paintbrush

1. Gather Supplies.
   
2. Use a Sanding Block to Roughen Up Reminisce National Parks Poster Stickers. This is an Easy Way to Add Vintage Appeal to Shiny StoreBought Stickers.
   
   
3. Fill in Scratches with TH Distress Stains of Your Choosing.
   
4. Glue Prepared Stickers To Center of GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks. 
   
5. Use an Exacto Blade to Trim Edges of Stickers That Do Not Fit On To GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks.
   
6. As the Distressed Stickers are Slightly Smaller Than the GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks Add a Bit Of Vintage Map Scraps to the Top and Bottom Using a UHU GlueStick.
   

   
7. Sand Edges of GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks with A Sanding Block.
   
8. Use Bits of Carta Bella Paper-Outdoor Adventures Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-The Great Outdoors Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-Gone Camping Collection Kit, as Ephemera for Your GSLC Chunky ATC  Blank.
   
9. Use DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze as an Adhesive.
   
10. To Add Depth and Interest add Other Layers of Vintage Map Scraps.
    
11. To Unify and Give the ATC “Posters” a More Vintage Look use DecoArt Matte Gel Medium a Plastic Palette Knife and Golden Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint as a “Wash”.
    
12. Paint Edges of ATC “Posters” with Golden Iridescent Copper (Fine) Acrylic Paint.
    
13. To Give it a More Oxidized or Burnished Copper Look Gently Add Golden Van Dyke Brown Acrylic Paint to the Edges.

Final Thoughts:

I have chosen for my virtual tour of the National Parks mostly mountainous locations as mountain man blood flows through my veins. I grew up in Pennsylvania near the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains the north eastern part of the Appalachian Mountains. The closest national park to where I live currently would be Shenandoah, a place my husband has fond memories of, but where we have never traveled as a couple.  

Geographically our virtual trip would start in The Great Smoky Mountains, I feel I’d be at home here among the landscapes of my ancestors, they go there for the fishing. 

Next up Rocky Mountain National Park, I used to think I knew what mountains were until I saw the Alps in Switzerland and later when I was driving to visit friends in Colorado Springs and I saw the Rocky Mountains on the distant horizon. Hour later I arrive at their home but I am not yet in the Rocky Mountain. Colorado definitely can boast world-renowned scenery. Their peaks are perhaps a too grand for my humble beginnings.

Yellowstone is our next stop and here will see the great bison herds-noted it is the only place in the U.S. where they have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Other mammals you may see here are grizzly bears, wolves, lynx, fox, moose and elk. We will behold its many geysers, none more famous than Old Faithful. There is a “Mini-Me” Grand Canyon here but we will move on the big kahuna, the full monty, the real deal, the boss of deep ditches.

 Upon viewing the Grand Canyon it is said that people are overcome with awe. Its expanse is mind-boggling. Its colors defy the most colorful palette you have ever seen. There are layers upon layers of history and geology to discover. It makes you feel small, sobering to some to know they are not the only being in the universe. It reminds us that we are bart of something bigger than us.  It is said to still you, to calm you, a spirituality flows freely here, your energy may be restored and your spirit may soar.  The landscape is semi-arid, way too hot for my liking so we’ll move on.

Zion Nation Park is a red-rock desert and still too desolate for my liking I would imagine.iT does have Navajo Sandstone Cliffs, pine and juniper clad slopes, springs and waterfalls surrounded by lush and colorful almost hanging gardens. To these I would be drawn as I reminisce a favorite album by at Pueblo Musician and Native American Flute Player, Robert Mirabal - Music From Painted Cave. While is Zion we will be sure to do some hiking and if I were more agile the park boast world famous big wall rock climbs.

Our virtual tour will end here in Yosemite. It is best known for its waterfalls, towering granite monoliths, deep valleys and ancient giant sequoias. An ancient civilization called this place their home-the Anasazi people thrived here around 1,500 BC-traces of their villages, network of road and rock art can be found throughout the park today. Maybe we will catch a glimpse of the largest flying bird in North America-The California Condor. It’s been on the endangered species list since 1967. 

Looking back through the years, thinking of  trips I have taken to places I could only dream of growing up poor in Pennsylvania. I am grateful for eyes left wide open as I glimpsed amazing sights and sounds. Scenes once only black and white photographs in  our well worn World Book Encyclopedias. I still remember the green and off white textured covers with golden lettering on the spines.  For me they were the eyes to the world.