I've Got You By the Strings........!

Everywhere, in every age, one of mankind's favorite forms of performing arts has been puppetry. It seems to have had it genesis in religious ceremony, in conjunction to priestly power. Some early evidence of puppetry have been found in Egypt, Greece and Rome.
Fertility was the hoped for effect of ritual use of this primitive puppet holding wheat, sun and with a movable phallus.

When the organized spectacles crumbled with the fall of the Roman Empire, the puppeteers moved on carrying their small worlds with them performing in the barbarian world unsung, and sometimes not noticed. These are early examples of puppets found in Roman ruins. Bearded puppeteer holding the string.

A puppet is an inanimate figure that is made to move by human effort before an audience. It is part of man's ancient urge to re-create life that results in this many-layered art. More diverse than painting, sculpture, dance, song, or story, puppetry has something in all of them. It is also a means of communication, an extension of human expression.
From the Nishka Indian culture..........this puppet has doors in its chest that open to reveal a painting of its soul, or spirit.

You can even pick up a handkerchief, or a necktie and give it emotion and life.
NeckTie Puppet
My version of a Handkerchief puppet.........This foundling has all her worldly possessions attached.
An example of a puppet theatre. This is the oldest puppet theatre in Europe. It is located in an 11th century Brussels church.

A puppet must always be more than his live counterpart-simpler, sadder, more wicked, more supple. It is created to perform, entertain, and to make a statement.
As does Charlie..............
Punch is considered one of puppets royalty. He had his early roots in Italy. After many years, he helped in the evolution of a unique kind of theatre. One where the audience is also involved. The special power of this type of punch puppet theatre is that Punch and his cast can be ready to play a special new drama in an instant, based on the audience. The legitimate theatre cannot do that. They must rehearse in most cases. The movies cannot do that either. Live puppet theatre can create a personalized show that has the ability to go beyond amusement.

Some American hand puppets of the 19th century done in a folk art style.

Somewhere someone may be making a puppet that resembles nothing human, or animal at all. It may be an abstraction, or anything!
An artist from Zurich conveys an illusion of life through the use of moving symbols......what will the next puppet be...........yours?

Hangtown Field Trip.............

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Pass those frolicking in the fields..........

AND go beyond my family who are always standing and sitting patiently.......................................................

Now ease on down the road..........
to meet my posse for our trip to Hangtown!........................................................Posse being an appropriate word for a town named for vigilante justice.

Hot on the trail to view the curiosities at Gothic Rose Antique

First jewelry..........a girls best friend!

Triple threat welcome......


Dressed to stare.........


Dressed to kill...........Femme fatal Eva Fangoria.......


Taking it easy among the elegant clutter.........

Memorial to those that have passed.....................

Strange buds...........


The back room where your fate can be sealed....sometimes in a jar........



Wicked wares stored in the back room.......



Exit the Gothic catacombs........the end to a perfect day!

Photo-Secession...........Visionary..........Sepia into your Head!

Everyone is talking.......

Everyone wants to know.............

As soon as possible.........

Please...........
Is it possible?
To...........advance the creative possiblities
of Photograpy............

Inspiring women want to know...........will I become visual rather than technical.........

and in the end become a symbol of the progressive movement?

Pretty Much Useless

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There are many things in this world.....that have become pretty much useless. This happens for a variety of reasons. Things sometimes just simply outlive their original intended purpose. Such is the case of the matchbook. Back in the days when smoking was the fashion, they were a "hot", pardon the pun, form of advertisement, as well as a light. Now, that smokers have almost become extinguished.......(did it again).......the matchbook no longer has a reason to carry on. But fear not, along came paper artists, and revived them............gave them a new meaning.........which is to live on in their creations.

The other day.........at a thrift store I purchased a giant plastic bag of flattened match books without the matches. What a find........most everything I find is........ what a find.........the trick is remembering the visualization I had when I first saw something and thought it was a find. Here are some pretty much useless matchbook covers...... unless you figure out a way to recycle them again.

I think the artistic mind can pretty much find a use for everything tossed aside in this world.

I know this because I go to the Salvation Army drop off station at least once a month, and so do about 500 of my closest friends.

We are poised behind a yellow shaggy rope waiting for the rolling tables, filled as high as they can be without toppling over, to make an appearance. We wait for the goodies donated by unsuspecting dumpster heroes. Then instinctively we know when it is time to pounce on the table. Grabbing first and then looking at what we have in our hands later. There are rules........no making eye contact, no talking, because you cannot do two things at the same time....especially when there is serious business at hand...and be sure you are pulling a small cart that looks like a milk carton carrier on wheels. You will be ridiculed if you use a large shopping basket or cart. After about 20 minutes the tables are wheeled away with people hanging onto the sides, trying to dig their heels into the concrete.....but never fear........if that treasure has escaped you ..........there are many more tables waiting nearby with promise to come.

Sometimes people are kind and will hand over something you have been lusting after.......but mostly they keep it themselves.......... all the while you knowing that they don't have a clue what they are going to do with it. It is the thrill of the hunt that always drives them on. Which now brings me to a question........if you give something away that you do not care about, or even like is that really giving it away with the purest intentions? Just a random question trying to blend in here, but seriously.........what do you think?

So, it continues.........the search for new uses of pretty much useless stuff, from matchbooks to the bounty of the Salvation. All that limits you is your imagination.