PFATT Marketplace Update, Oct. 10

BOTH SOLD- Thank you!
Wow, are you sick of me yet?  Seems like I've been putting my work out there for sale more this past week than any other time this year.  Just two more pieces and I promise I'm done for awhile!

PFATT Marketplace will have two works available.  One is a very special orb.  This is only the 6th orb I have created since I began Monkey-Cats Studio.  They are very time consuming and average somewhere between 60 and 65 hours just to paint the figures on the piece.  There are 4 figures that form the major decoration of the orb with a Ms. Moon forming the night sky above them and the bust of a skelly figure completing the bottom of the piece.  The orb is paper mache painted in acrylic paints and sealed in a matte polymer varnish.

This is Winnie Wicked, with her little kitten, Midnight;

Voltaire Vampire with his companion, Ding-Bat;

 Maximilian Moon and Moon-beam;

 and Punkin' head Petey on his way to the Ghoulie Gras.

Ms. Moon forms the sky above the figures

and Slim Pickens skelly oversees the nether regions of the orb.

I'm very happy with this orb and hope you agree!

The second piece being offered is a skelly candy cup complete with candy corn and pumpkins.

PFATT Marketplace opens at 10 a.m. Pacific time (which is 11-Mountain time, noon-Central and 1 p.m. Eastern)  Here is a link to get you directly to my page.

http://www.pfattmarketplace.com/monkeycats.html

I would also like to share with you that I have a 6-page article in PRIMS magazine currently on the newsstands.  I'm thrilled to be included in the pages of this magazine and hope that you get a chance to see the article.  It includes Halloween works...of course!

Thank you to all of you that have supported me through this wonderful Halloween season through your kind words and purchases.  It always helps to have support to keep those creative juices flowing and I hope to bring you new and more creative works in the seasons ahead!

Laurie

New Skelly figure and Mortimer

I have been busy painting on the sculpted works in the studio and realized I have been neglecting to post. Time is passing quickly for me so I thought I would share with you what I have been up to before another week passes.  Below is "Dr. Dem' Bones", who is actually related to "Baron von Spidey Bones" (previous post), and hence has a bit of a family resemblance....well, as far as skelly figures can resemble each other that is.

"Dr. Dem' Bones" is shown getting ready to attend the Ghoulie Gras, hence his formal top hat and white "bone-tie".  He didn't want to show up for the party without a gift for the hostess so he is carrying Larry Lumina, a little jack-o'-lantern, to present upon his arrival.  Also, the hostess has a hairy creature very fond of bones so he has brought along several bones on twine to make sure the little fellow doesn't try to grab one of the Doctor's skeletal bones again this year.  (He never did get that one rib bone back last year!)

There is going to be one more skeleton based skelly figure coming up so if you happen to be coming to Ghoultide Gathering you will find them there.

I also recently had a reminder that I had not posted the finished "Mortimer on the Pumpkin", so here he is!

Hope you like them and have a great week!!

Laurie

PFATT Marketplace Updates Tomorrow Morning!!

Time is flying, and unfortunately the speed of me producing new works is not-yikes!!  Must work faster, must work faster, is my new mantra.  I can't believe we have another PFATT Marketplace update tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (11 Mountain, noon Central and 1 p.m. Eastern) already!    UPDATE: All SOLD...thank you!!

I have three offerings this month,  Baron von Spidey Bones, and two candy containers Lance Lumina and Morrie Moon.

Baron von Spidey Bones is my first full-sized Halloween figure being offered this year.  He has lots of details including his ornate rib cage and the little spiders building webs to help hold his bones together; a rather ornate back of bones, as well, with another spider hard at work;

a small little bone-tie at his neck; a large top hat and a suspicious smiling jack-o'-lantern held in his hand.  He will come signed, dated and numbered by me.  A small note, he is all hand sculpted without the use of molds.

The two candy containers are also handmade paper mache and are hand painted with my original designs.  Both characters, Lance Lumina and Morrie Moon, hold items in their hands and their images overlap a background of a sky filled with stars, swirls and a spiderweb on the back of the containers.

If you are interested in any of the three pieces, go to:

http://www.pfattmarketplace.com/monkeycats.html

then email me at:

monkeycatsstudio@charter.net

after the marketplace opens Tuesday morning with which piece(s) you are interested in and the cost of the piece.  Please remember to include the cost in your email so that I can keep it fair for all collectors.

I'm off to go mix paper mache clay now! Must work faster, must work faster......

New WIPs for Halloween!

Now that some of the other business things are taken care of I am back in the studio playing in paper mache clay.  I have a few skelly boys started (armless and naked at this point), an owl candy container, owl figure, and owl-head handle, plus Jakey Boo (cat) in a jack-o'-lantern and a crow head.  They really don't look like much at this stage, but I'm just thrilled to be in the clay again.

Ah, Halloween, it fills my heart with joy to play in the imagery of the season!  I will show updates as the little fellows develop accoutrements and accessories.

Have a great week.

Laurie

Finishing Up Work for Ghoultide Gathering

The last push to finish up things before packing them up for the trip to Ghoultide Gathering has been going on in my studio.  Below is "Gregory Gourdhead", the only figure on a painted stand I will have for the show.  As usual, time just got away from me and the other poor heads will have to wait for their bodies to be finished at another time.  I love doing these figures because they allow me to sculpt and paint on the paper mache head in contrast with painting the body on a nice smooth surface.  I would love to do a number of them so that the heads could be moved from base to base onto different bodies to play with the display, but that will have to happen at a later date. 

Something new this year is a Skelly Head Box shown below with three new candy buckets I was able to recently complete.  The Skelly Head box can be used as a candy container or for storing any number of things on a shelf or tabletop.  The new little candy buckets shown have a Monkey-Cat, Moon Boy and Witch to add to the characters I have already painted on some earlier buckets.  I have two buckets left to finish and then I am done with my Ghoultide pieces.

I was also able to finish the second round bodied candy container for the year.  It is similar in design to the original candy container, but because they are hand sculpted and painted they are still quite different when placed side-by-side. 

There probably won't be a post next week as I'll be madly packing and boxing pieces getting ready to leave for the show.  If you aren't familiar with Ghoultide Gathering please click on the link in the upper left column of my blog page.  I am so thrilled to be a participating artist in such a wonderful show.  Think about making the trip...it is sure to not disappoint!!
Laurie

EHAG Emporium July Giveaway and "Sir Batty Bones"

Busy in the studio today so this will be quick. First, you need to go over to the EHAG Emporium and check out the July giveaway. One person will win all three works of art from Chris Klingler, Sheila Bentley and Allen Cunningham...that's right, all three!!! Read the post and then be sure to register by commenting on your favorite childhood Halloween costume... blog, tweet or become a fan and you have more chances to win!! The drawing is on July 30, so scurry on over to the EHAG Emporium now!


Secondly, I wanted to share "Sir Batty Bones" of Covington, with you. Sir Batty Bones was an ace flyer before we knew about airplanes....that's right, witches aren't the only ones that belong to flying corps. Sir Batty Bones could handle a broom with the best of them and was highly awarded with the "Order of the Bat" medal, which he proudly wears on formal occasions. So adept was he in flight that the bats would join him in aerial formations and fill the night sky with wings aflutter.

In his youth it was said he and his band of bats could scare with the best of them. Many a boy and girl had their hair raised (literally) by Sir Batty Bones' corps on Halloween night, as they loved to swoop down on the trick or treaters grabbing children's pigtails and ponytails hoping for a dropped piece of candy.

Sir Batty Bones still flies, he just leaves the mischief up to his proteges now....or so he says. He still looks like he has plenty of playful tricks running through that empty space in his head!

Hope you like him!
Laurie

Sir Cob Web Bones

More figures are being completed for the "Pumpkin Ball", and this new one is "Sir Cob Web Bones", lover of dew covered cobwebs and all things arachnid.

Being close to the earth, "Sir Cob Web Bones" took notice of the spiders and insects around him and developed a deep fascination for the spiders' spinning abilities. They seemed much more creative than their insect neighbors so he watched with wonder as the tiny eight-legged acrobats replaced their webs daily. He was amazed by their dance and found a certain attraction to their long thin limbs, which seemed to remind him of many of his relatives.

Over the years he developed a rapport with the spiders and they began to ride on him throughout the day and night. Some were day spinners and some night spinners, but both liked this little skelly as he seemed to attract tasty bugs for some reason. On special occasions they would make him the loveliest of webs so when he was dressing for the "Pumpkin Ball" they went to work. Webs on the hat, webs on the vest and treat bucket, plus four little friends riding on him to attend the affair should his webs need repair after a twirling dance. You have to love such trusted little friends!

Hope you like "Sir Cob Web Bones" and his weavers!

Back to work for me!
Laurie

"Lord Lafsalot"

I am painting like mad this week and have managed to complete a few figures. Last night I put the finishing touches on a new skelly, "Lord Lafsalot", dressed in his Halloween finery. "Lord Lafsalot" is one of many figures I'm creating that are dressed to attend the "2010 Pumpkin Ball" in my little Halloween dreamland. You'll be seeing lots of top hats, fancy treat buckets, scepters and other items carried by this silly group of characters in the upcoming weeks.

Some of the pieces will be available on upcoming EHAG Emporium updates between now and September 30, and the rest of the group will be going to Ghoultide Gathering (October 2, in Michigan). If you have not looked at the Ghoultide website yet you can click on the link in the left column of this blog or simply click on Ghoultide Gathering in the last sentence and it will take you there. The artists are amazing and I'm humbled to be amongst such talent!!

Fall is always a good time for a trip...right?!!! Think about it and if you love Halloween it will be a great place to be-- PROMISE!

Enjoy the day and happy creating!
Laurie

Skyward Soaring Skelly

Oh look out, for there is bound to be fireworks in the night sky if that flying witch, "Bee Wicked", catches up with Sigmund the Skyward Soaring Skelly. You see, Bee had never worried about leaving her beloved broom, Cassandra, outside her door because Cassandra would only respond to the touch and bewitching chants of her owner. This had always been true until Sigmund Skelly learned of a magical bucket that would enchant Cassandra into flight as long as the handle of the bucket was placed over the broom tip. As far as Cassandra was concerned, it was Bee riding her, not that naughty skelly, Sigmund.

You know, I actually am concerned for Sigmund. I am afraid that Bee's riding skills far exceed Sigmund's piloting talents, and if she can bump the bucket loose from Cassandra...well, Cassandra will just dump Sigmund in mid-flight. Sigmund is just a skelly you know, and his bones won't bounce well when they hit the ground and could possibly break. Now, I'm not exactly sure if a skelly's bones can heal after they have been broken, afterall, they are no longer alive in the same sense we are, so let's hope Cassandra dumps him on a big fluffy haystack so that we don't have to find out. (By the way, if you know the answer to that question let me know.)

Sigmund's smile tells us he is pleased with his mischief so lets hope for the best!! Bad Sigmund, such a bad skelly!!!

Have a great Thursday!
Laurie

Painted Orb WIP

What have I been up to? Well, I started on this orb over the 4th of July weekend and I have been painting little details on it as I have time. I thought it was far enough along to share a few pictures of it evolving. The top is a painted spiderweb sky with stars and swirls in the very lowest portion of the black background. I have also finished painting Goddard, the pumpkin boy, holding his skelly balloon and a little row of jack-o'-lanterns off to his left.

I have been having such fun glazing over the cream colored background making the lumps and bumps of the paper mache more visible. I really love that quality of paper mache and I am so glad I discovered the material I'm currently working with. It is very forgiving of my scrubbing (don't read this Carolee) with my paint brushes and fingers.

I obviously have much more to do on this sphere, but thought it might be fun to see it develop over the next few days.

Have a great week!
Laurie