Hello, you crazy faithfuls who wander back every now and again, wondering if I've gotten my creative ass back into gear. And hello to the new visitors I see looking in from Germany, Belfast and Coppell, Texas! I have no idea how you found me, but I'm glad you did. If you have a second, feel free to drop a line on the comment box - I'd love to hear from you and hear YOUR ideas for potential subjects. I still have one heck of a lot of monsters to go!
As any of you who are artists know - sometimes you hit a rough patch, when nothing, but NOTHING cries out to be painted, sculpted, written or snapped, or if it does, unfortunately you just don't feel like you are the person to do it justice.
But hopefully the dark clouds are parting and my monster muses are coming back for a visit - I can't promise something every day, but here, at least, is a start.
Title: PAPA GEDE
Materials: Sculpey, acrylic paint, a rum bottle cap for the hat, various screws and hooks, a strip of purple material for the hat band, hot glue and thread to connect the little bones and the black cock's feather, which was made from a twist-tie. He's about 3 inches high.
Inspiration: I'm going to NEW ORLEANS in November! Our first day there will be the Day of the Dead and we'll be attending a special celebration honoring the dead.
I was urged by my friend who has been there before to bring an offering to PAPA GEDE:
"Call on the Gede when there is a serious, even life-threatening illness that needs healing, or when you have difficult questions that need sound, reliable, and honest answers. Call on GEDE when you need help with grieving, to welcome the dead to the waters of the Abyss, and when you want to enhance sexual potency or heal sexual repression. Call on him to protect young children. Offerings include peppers, pepper sauce, pepper was soaked in rum, cigars, hot creole food, black roosters, black cock feathers, sunglasses with one lens, pieces of marble from a cemetery, crosses, graveyard dust, black and violet candles."
I half jokingly told my friend I could use help with a number of those, so I'd come laden with offerings for the Old Boy!
"The vision of the GEDE appears as some nasty, degraded old drunk at a bar. But Gede is not to be degraded. He is simply above all notions of morality. He laughs at morality. He laughs at her secrets because death renders our secrets laughable. Gede feels us up. All through our lives. He is a hungry and mysterious lover who plays erotically with us throughout life and waits, cockily for each of his lovers to join him. Here he sits in his traditionally outrageous attire, tails, walking stick, and sunglasses, Lord of the Cities of the Dead. His voodoo house brings him a bountiful offering but he remains ravenous. Neither of his appetites can be appeased. He remains isolated for his is the final great mystery from which we all shy away."
And so, here is my offering to Papa G.
I truly am excited about taking part in this ceremony, and look forward to soaking in all the inspiration, color, spice and good times that New Orleans has to offer - along with hunting up some new monsters!
Doesn't she look happy to volunteer?
