Pat Stuntz is a talented papercutter and editor of First Cut, the quarterly magazine of the Guild of American Papercutters. (Yes, there is an organization for every imaginable hobby or interest!) In the latest edition of First Cut she published the following review of my new craft book series Paper Craft Fun for Holidays by Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Thanks, Pat!
My children always seemed to take Groark, my dragon partner, for granted. They saw him being made, repaired and cleaned. They saw him lying in his case. They helped me set and strike my shows in hundreds of schools from an early age. They knew he was a puppet, but allowed themselves to stay in the soft area we created between fantasy and reality.
On June 16th my grand daughters, Emma and Lily McGee, saw me perform at the Castro Valley (CA) Library with Groark. It was the first time they had seen me perform for an audience (besides a brief appearance at Emma’s 3rd birthday). They were smitten! Immediately after the show they wanted to come up and talk to Groark.
They think he is a real dragon. They do not understand why he cannot come out and just play with them by himself. Why do I always have to be nearby for him to talk or move? One time I said to Emma, “You know that Groark is a puppet, right?” She answered, “Yes, but can he come and play with me?”
So now when the girls come for “over-nighters” with us or when I spend the night at their home, I have to bring Groark out at least once a day, usually at their bed-time, to tell them a story and give them hugs. I hope they can linger safely in the wonder realm between fantasy and reality for many years to come.
Lily and Emma tease Groark!
Frank Lloyd Wright is considered one of the greatest architects in the world. He is considered a master of innovation and designs that flow with their surroundings, BUT how practical are his buildings? How easy are they to get around in? IMHO- At least one of his famous buildings is not designed with the physical comfort and ease of people in mind.
Yesterday I performed again at the Marin Civic Center Library on the the fourth floor of the famous building designed by FLW. It was his 770th commissioned work and completed in the early 1960’s after his death in 1959. When viewed from the outside it is an impressive sight! It seems like an other-wordly castle that rises out of the hills and woods just enough to make its presence known.
With all the amazing amounts of space available one would think that the architect would use it for the comfort of the people. With all the colors of nature’s palette at his disposal, one would think the designer would choose soothing greens or calming, muted tones to relax the humans who would frequent this place. However this building gives me the feeling of aesthetics over application and form over function.
The interior halls are hot, almost stifling in the summer, with the combination of earthy, reddish color and bright light provided by the huge skylight (a necessary addition to the original open-air design). The passages on either side of the atrium become narrower with each ascending level, so that by the time you reach the fourth floor where the library is located the passage ways are so narrow that a couple cannot walk side-by-side, and even a parent and child are wont to walk single-file to avoid feeling closed in. The stairways are narrow, it is difficult to pass another adult going up or down the stairwell. AND the restrooms feel claustrophobic.
The library’s main room, with the majority of book shelves and tables, is located under the parabolic dome. A parabolic dome is noted for its ability to carry sound. Whose idea was it to put a library in a room where every whisper can be heard throughout the building?
All was not lost however, the Children’s Librarian at the MCC, Kathleen Fitzhugh-Remitz, a.k.a. Miss Kitty, was cheerful and helpful, as always, and obviously loved by the children. About 60 children and parents came to hear me portray H.C. Andersen and tell his tales. Everyone present laughed and sighed at the right parts of the stories. The large collection of Andersen story books and 3 of my “Paper Craft Fun for Holidays” books were all checked out before I finished clearing my set.
This year Marsha and I had the opportunity to take classes during the PFMW. She took Pam Corcoran’s Neddle-Felted Puppets class. Using natural wool and specially barbed (and sharp) needles they work the wool until it mats together or felts. This creates a very soft looking, yet durable covering for the puppet.
Here is the baby bear rod puppet that Marsha made in class.
This year’s Needle Felting class:
Left to right:
Astrid Notte, Naomi Kates, Marsha, Pam Corcoran- the instructor, Kathleen Graham, and Nancy Faucett. Taking the picture was Elise Handelman whose mouse and cheese puppets appear on Katleen’s shoulder.
I had the opportunity to take a class on mouth puppet construction (think Muppets
I do not have a name or definite character for him, but the workshop was teaching a process rather than giving you a finished product. What do you think?
After the festival, many of the staff and board members of the Rumpelstiltskin Society went to Peter and Debbie Allen’s palatial old home just outside the farming village of Jamesport, MO to relax after the busy days prior and during the Puppet Fest MidWest. How relaxing it was to sit on the huge front porch with a cool drink, some snacks and good friends! Our conversations were occasionally interrupted by the warble of a cardinal bird, call of the bob-white, or the clip-clop of horse drawn Amish carriages. The Amish passersby would wave as they rolled by – everyone knows Peter Allen.
Visiting on Peter and Debbie’s front porch are Evey Brown, Gayle Schluter, Pam Corcoran, and Rose Sage Barone.
Here I am trying to blend in with the greenery in front of the Allen home out in the country from the village of Jamesport, MO.