Hell-O Jell-O

 We chose a theme early this year, to get it out of the way. It's Hell-O Jell-O 2025 and we hope it is nice and open to interpretation so artists have lots of latitude. I have been thinking about interpretations of hell, even though it is a concept I don't believe in, but then concepts used in Jell-O Art don't have to have any grounding in reality.

Of course Jell-O itself wouldn't do that well in a hellscape, due to melting, but the stuff would dry fast, so I might still be able to use it there. And the rendering would be quicker. But besides being just hot and full of fire, I don't know that much about hell without moving right over to the hell-on-earth kinds of things we are presently observing.

And Jell-O Art is supposed to be an escape from oppressive realities. So maybe some musings on Hell-O and how we are currently using greetings in the post-pandemic era. Actually we are only post- on one pandemic, and seem to be lined up for a few more that we won't even know are coming. Could go back to using Barbie as a stand-in for myself in a tableau but am not sure that is a direction I am willing to pick up again.

So I'm just going to make flowers for awhile. The way I make them is pretty easy. I have eight plastic tubs of dried gelatin pieces in various shapes, colors and sizes and I will sort through them,  choosing ones of similar or compatible colors and sizes to group up as a start. Then I'll select maybe six or seven per dish and start assembling flowers. I melt some plain gelatin in the microwave for 30 seconds in a little half-pint canning jar and then use a little spoon to dab it on the places where I want the pieces to fit together. I hold them in place for about 90 seconds so the gelatin can set, then put them on a place and spoon a little more molten gelatin on them to reinforce. I'll make it resemble some kind of floral thing and then put some kind of leaves on it. 

If small, I "glue" them to branches and make long-stemmed roses or little plants, propped up in more jars. I might make a core of tiny filaments or stamen-like pieces in a contrasting color. If I want to make big ones, I used to fasten a hairband of some kind to the bottom so I can wear big flowers on my head. I ran out of the good hairbands so am not sure how many more of those I will make, but I do love them. You have to be a little careful about making them comfortable to wear, and when you wear them, hug people very carefully so you don't poke their eyes out.

I'm wanting to work big this year but am not focused on anything yet. I like to play around for a month or so while something comes to mind. It could be about the theme, or it could be something for me to wear in the show, like this one I made last year. 

And I'll probably make some on sticks to sell at the show, as people do like a keepsake. Have no ideas about the shirts but we'll see when we get closer. If I use a celebrity, I'll find photos of them to work from, but I can always interpret the theme or just do something fun to print. The t-shirts are almost always very last-minute.

You can scroll through some previous posts for more details on how to use Jell-O as an art medium, as I usually repeat the instructions rather frequently so everyone gets a chance at some artistic success. It can be easy, or frustrating, depending on how you approach it. I like to discover something new every year, so I might push myself to try something I haven't, if I can think of anything. Just have to set aside some time to sink into it.

I do have plenty of sticks, as it is fruit-tree pruning time and this sunny weather has allowed me to almost finish that fun task of winter. I love sticks and have them all over my yard, creating habitat and piles since only so much can fit in a tote every other week. I suppose it looks messy to some people. I've now become the messiest yard on the block since my bad neighbors got evicted and all of their left-behind trash was hauled away. I've tried cleaning up a bit since that house is going on the market, and a couple of my pieces of yard art were already hauled off from the side next to them. I get it...one man's treasure, etc., but they had better lay off my aged wood boards that surround my gardens. I like it. I like moss too but I do clean it off the sidewalks every year, as well as the roofs. I have a lot of moss. I'm trying to get ready for the rain to come back because that is probably going to be some major staying in weather, which is when I will have plenty of time for more Jell-O.

Jell-O Art Show March 22!

 The date for this year's Jell-O art show has been set, and the Radar Angels have started meeting to figure out the theme and focus for the performance. We all enjoy the brainstorming phase which takes most of January and sometimes spills over into February. But we're on a short timeline so we have to get busy!

I made two batches of Jell-O, but nothing is really percolating for me yet. I need to brush up on my skills...I'm  having trouble getting the gelatin out of the dishes, probably because  I'm leaving it in too long. 

To briefly remind readers how I do it, I work in dried gelatin so I can take my time and do things you can't do with wet. If you are new, I suggest you start with wet, and you can even use Jell-O brand boxes if you want. Use less water and try out some techniques like cutting it and using molds, etc. Buy some of the Knox clear gelatin, or the Kosher kind, and play with it, adding some dye or food coloring or whatever. It is not a particularly cooperative medium. 

You can use plastic molds, anything you have or want to try. If you can't get it to release from the mold, get it wet, wait a bit, and let it rehydrate enough to be flexible again. 

For my recipe, I fill a quart canning jar half full of cold water, and put in 6 ounces of gelatin powder. If you are using Knox, that is a lot of envelopes. I think there is 1/4 ounce in those little envelopes. So us professional dried gelatin artists buy it in bulk on the internet. Last time I think I paid about $10 a pound and try to get free freight as it is heavy to ship. If you have a lot, you can just throw it on the compost if you don't like the results.

I stir in the gelatin powder well, then let it sit for ten minutes or so to "bloom." You will see it solidify but in a grainy opaque way, so then melt it in the microwave for 2 minutes. When it is a clear liquid, you can pour it into molds or your planned containers. I use glass pie plates and plastic or glass bowls, trying for fairly thin layers so it will dry. Then I put it on top of the high pieces of furniture where the heat collects. In 6 or 8 hours it can be pried out and flipped over to dry on the back. You can cut it, tear it, fold it, lay it over shapes, do whatever to get shapes and pieces you can use for your plan or your play.

I usually then use melted gelatin to glue pieces together to make flowers, animals, birds, whatever. I spread out a lot of pieces of various colors and see what I can make from them. Now, when I don't have much of a plan, I just play with it to get myself in the mood.

Of course some people like to use the wet Jell-O to make sculptures in that last week or few days before the show. That's also fun, but you might want to practice a few things first just to get familiar with things. Gelatin does get moldy and rotten and smells awful so be careful if you keep it around. You can try a little bleach to get rid of the mold sometimes...or out on the compost it can go. 

 It's all supposed to be fun, remember. If you want to see more photos, there are a lot on the MKAC website where there is an event tab for previous shows. A call to artists will eventually go out but it is easy to miss the promotions and the little 3-hour show. You have to pay attention! 

I do have a FB page, Gelatinaceae, and hope to regularly write here, so stay tuned. There is lots of instructional info in previous posts plus reviews of past shows when you scroll down. Get to cooking!