I thought Jell-O Art Season was over in April but this year it just has no end. I ended up loving the Fourth of July event and am so happy I didn't miss it in my short-sightedness. Here's another photo of me and one of three of the many Angels who were in attendance that night (with Joanie and Angela).
I was going to edit out the guy in the undershirt but then noticed the one behind him...one of many people who took the opportunity to wear the colors. He was too cute. The thing I am holding is my hanky, which was my ironic comment on my own patriotism. I had planned to blow my nose on it onstage in the style of Frank Zappa or someone, but of course forgot and it remained a silly aspect of my costume. I borrowed most of that stuff from Ron Pike who has a suitcase of ironic patriotism.
The Slug Queen Coronation came and went rather quickly, and I had new Jell-O to wear and another costume variation. I wrote about it in my other blog, Divine Tension, here. The Jell-O I had on my head came from a group of headpieces I made from the wedding Jell-O I took to Australia and back. Some of that was thrown away by the caterers, but I took way more than I needed so made groupings of it. I've decided to put them in the upcoming New Zone Show, the Salon du Peuple, otherwise always known as the Refusee show as it originally was a show for those refused entry into the Mayor's Art Show. The Mayor's Show continues but I haven't tried to put Jell-O Art in it for awhile. I might someday. The best piece I think I ever made is the book from 2012, but although that may have been a peak it may not have been my masterpiece. That remains to be seen.
Anyway I love these new ones so much. Flowers are so perfect for the medium that I hope I will always have an array. I hate to let go of them but think I will let some be sold in the New Zone show. I only get 65% (if they sell) but it will spur me to make more. I recently sent a piece, the last floating piece from my son's wedding, to my sister as mourning Jell-O. She lost her husband and the somber colors of this piece lend themselves to the occasion (and I checked it out with her, so it isn't just an enormously inappropriate gesture...). Guess I don't have a photo of it, sadly, but here is the wedding Jell-O from this spring. The sizes vary and they are all on headbands, but I'm not ready to sell any of this stuff yet.I have some other pieces and since I have another month I might make a few more.
It isn't my usual gaudy colors as I tried to stick to her colors of champagne, dark blue, moss green and a touch of burgundy. I couldn't really restrict myself to that.
The stuff in the jar shown here is a piece I recently did for my friend Pamela's birthday. I was going to make her a crown but it seemed that the half hour she would have worn it at Sweet Life would not have been that satisfying (for me, anyway) so I put it in this jar I had. It did use some of the Australian flowers, with a commercially made hummingbird crown I liked. 
Putting it in jars makes it doubly hard to photograph but it won't need dusting so that should make it more valuable to the owners. Of course I know that someday they will no doubt throw it away but it does please me to think of it sitting on their shelves for however long it does that. Wonder when it will start appearing at garage sales or Goodwill? My opinion is that they should save it for the Jell-O Art Museum and feel free to donate it whenever they tire of it. Let my son be the one to throw it away or better still, when I am dying we will have a ritual of throwing it all on the water where it will slowly melt and sink as the remains of a beautiful art life. Yes! I will make that happen. Someone can film it and it will be Chihuly-like. Okay, you read it here first. Remind me when the time comes, or do it after I go. Make some special stuff with my ashes in it.
Enough morbidity. I made a piece for our Slug Queen, Markalo Parkalo, in his signature color of purple. It is, to be honest, recycled pieces I had sitting around from the son's wedding and the year I made a lot of slugs, but it worked for him and he was thrilled. He is going to have a lot of costumes like all great Queens and it should look great on his head. Here it is.
He says he will light it up with el-wire which should be very cool. I always like to photograph it in sunlight so the reflections show around it as extra ruffles and dimensions, as one of the most delightful aspects of it is the transparency. His isn't all that transparent so the light should help people see the nuances.
More to say, but this is pretty long and my weekly call with Mom is about to happen. The Jell-O Art year is full already and we still have months to go! Let's see if we can keep up.
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