Vote for your Bu

Bu's are little droplet shaped vinyl figures. Joining the trend started by Kid Robot and Munny figures, various artists have transformed these blank canvases into art dolls and other decorative things with paint and mixed media. You can vote for your favorite until June 30th.

Figurative artists' call

The Pacific Art League in Palo Alto, CA has a call out for participants in a juried show "Figures and Faces" in the main gallery. They are looking for all media other than film and video. The deadline for jpeg submissions is July 5th for the exhibition in August. Fees apply which look commensurate with other similar shows, and there are also prizes.  The works must be for sale.

John Frame exhibit

Showing until June 20 at Huntington Library in Pasadena, CA is "Three Fragments of a Lost Tale" - figurative sculptures and carved wooden and mixed media puppet/dolls by artist John Frame. At the website is an 8 minute film of the artist at work including some stop motion segments. The scale of the figures is tiny, so the sculpting is even more remarkable especially jointed fingers. He sews costumes and incorporates metal armatures and acrylic/glass eyes.

Also interesting are segments showing John Frame gathering natural materials and using mud and dirt to color and stain wood for the figures and scenic elements.

Incredibly beautiful and thought provoking.

Big Book Big Mannequins

Writer, doll maker and illustrator Sylvia Ion is offering a couple of downloadable PDF How-to books through her Class Concious Big Books. I'm seeing one that is for a life size paper mannequin and another for a child size display stand. Both are built over existing forms, and I can see how the techniques could apply to all kinds of large scale sculptural work. How intriguing. The PDF's are part of a larger ongoing book project, something of a magnum opus for Sylvia, compiling all her life size doll work.

Kickstarter project

Mauricio Baiocchi is in the process of creating a beautiful independent film using puppets and miniatures. He needs what in the film world is a microscopic amount of money to complete the work.

Kickstarter is a "crowd funding" website. Individuals pledge to contribute any amount they can or want, to all kinds of projects and ideas. Some project organizers offer different rewards for different levels of contribution. Your credit card/paypal account is charged only after the deadline specified.

The catch is that unless the project receives pledges for the entire amount requested by the deadline specified, your card will not be charged. It's an all or nothing deal.

Please visit the site and watch the video trailer. I think you'll be as charmed as I was. He's getting there, and he has 37 days to go.