Merry Chrismas from the Johnson's

I thought it would be fun to create a diorama that looked like an old photo; the ones with the white deckled edges that usually had cursive pencil written on the border; (thankfully) indicating who the subjects were.  The project started to be a study in black and white.  I found a foam box in the dumpster, covered it with celluclay, then thinset so it could give tooth to the mosaic polymer clay tiles.  After that, lots of beads, smalti, old jewelry and of course, my fave, Apoxie Sculpt.  'Used acrylic paints and Gilder's Paste also.  It measures approximately 11 inches square.  But, It likes to think it is bigger.

I should warn you that as I write this, I am coming down from a bad Nyquil jag.   I have lost my censors being ill. I picture myself being carried off by white coats and yelling, "it's not me, it's the cold medicine!"  But, I think it is me.  So, I hope it is not too offensive when I say that all these kitchy frames you can buy with loving family adjectives on them make me nauseous.  They are targeted at those who learned communication skills from watching old re-runs of Bonanza.
  I sound so arrogant! 'Must be the Nyquil.  I have become a creature I don't know.  And, after lying in bed for too long, I realized how much I think in metaphors.  Everything is a metaphor. I look at something and I am sure I see it's higher purpose; to show me in symbols.  It drives me nuts and I started to pull on my hair and inside I was screaming, "Stop seeing Metaphors!" 
 Turning it around, in a kind of Byron Katie approach, I thought that a bumper sticker that said, "START SEEING METPAHORS" would be funny.  'Yellow background to it, similar to "START SEEING MOTORCYCLES."

 This is Laura Marling, from the CD a Creature I don't know.   The name of the song is Sophia and I love it.  It starts out slow at first but, it turns into a totally different tempo half way through.  Tempo changes are good, metaphorically speaking.

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH***CELEBRATE

 

Okay, there is one of these frames in my house with warm, fuzzy adjectives.  I think all that stuff on the frames is there in my family.  But I would be lying if I said that like any family, we do not have our share of growing pains and drama.  Not the least of which included me ordering my son the other night to get me some fucking gelato. Yeah, the effenheimer is cheap and easy; a readily available profanity whore.  And I gotta lot of ornery currency to use right now.  ( He was in the USMC so he can take it.)  And what is wrong with learning communication skills from the set of Bonanza?  

Okay, study the Johnson's.  There is more to this piece than your first gland glance. 


As disconnected as this blog is right now, perhaps you will see a thread running somewhere through it; I much prefer the broad spectrum of adjectives, including the difficult ones.  I like a Patina on my people.  I am going to leave you with a "new-oldschool-Christmas Carol."  Really, what's so funny about peace, love and understanding?  And I am going to blame the blabbering on Nyquil.  Happy Holidays Everyone!!  (p.s. My husband and son just got back from the store with the gelato.)