Beginning of Winter

These are our Mod outfits for the Lennon show

What's been happening in Jell-O Art Land? I missed the Salon show. The intake was on Saturday and the weather was iffy so I gave up the notion of hauling it down from Market to the gallery and abandoned the idea of putting it in the show. I had a couple of pieces to sell, but gave one to a friend and now I'm thinking to give a couple to the silent auction portion of the Queen's Ball instead. To get that moving I made new Jell-O but without the heat on some of it got moldy and I lost my momentum.

I'm a fucking wedding cake, okay?

I wore some to Market for Halloween, despite the rain, but it was a wimpy costume and I knew it. I had a bad attitude all week about a costume. It used to be so fun to drag out boxes of fabric and old clothes and put together something meaningful but somewhere along the way I lost the energy for that. Mostly the problem is that a rainy day with a bike cart is about as hard a Market day as anyone wants to do, so adding in some nice and ruinable costume is too much. Maybe it is also because performing with the Radar Angels uses up a lot of costume energy. We sang with the Slug Queen for the Lennon Birthday show and although it was a quick 12 minutes that went by in a blur, fun was had. I put together a kind of a Twiggy outfit, a short a-line dress in a black and white fabric that looked vaguely Mod. I sewed a minimally finished thing and had simple accessories and a cool turquoise Jell-O. The show was a Saturday night and we were supposed to be there about the time I usually get finished unloading so I hurried up and Indi gave me a ride and we made it in time. Not in time for a sound check, and the show started an hour earlier than expected, but it all went well and dancing was a blast. Dancing to the Beatles was an effortless way to return to some of the good feelings of my twenties and that was an unexpected joy. I suppose the beer helped. Anyway, success and the singing was great. I'm gradually learning that if I push myself to show up it is always worth the effort.

So next is the Queen's Third Ball, when Markalo Parkalo tries to raise some money for LILA, the nonprofit he heads. Radar Angels are on the bill and we will sing with him for quite a few songs. We'll do Across the Universe and Can't Buy Me Love from the Lennon Show, plus some Radar classics like Stayin' Alive and Come Go With Me and a few new ones. I'll dress as the Queen of Jell-O Art because I can and it is a ball, and I have another new Jell-O that I haven't even worn yet.This show is on a Friday night, even worse for me as it is the last outdoor Saturday Market the next day and that will take a lot of energy I won't have if I don't get home and to bed by ten the night of the Ball. It will be hard to leave but I will have to.

I've told a few people to come here to look for Jell-O Art information but that is well-buried now in all of the posts from earlier in the year. Look for the ones in March for technical help on your Jell-O. Someone asked me about gummy worms made from Jell-O for Hallowe'en and I probably gave her bad information about the stiffness as she wanted more jiggle, but like any media you do have to work with it awhile to get the magical results in a dependable timeline. It's magic but you have to give it time.

The singing is fun but I don't think my performing angel activities are going to be that extensive. I don't think I can do the ten minutes of the Wowathon as it is on one of the mid-December weekends when Holiday Market is all I can keep up with. I know I would enjoy hearing the stories of 40 years ago but really I will enjoy more having some peace and quiet at home. Setting up and taking down that show every weekend takes some hard hours (at least six) and the 16 hours of selling is like a full week to me. I suppose we adjust to the demands of whatever we are doing but I know that if I push myself during that time some seam is ripped in some part of the fabric and some payment is exacted. Christmas already has a lot of potential to cause distress as most people know. There can be too much caring sometimes. I'm kind of getting used to being in the spotlight on a stage but it still brings a lot of unexpected stress.

I'm feeling that today. I really don't care about the Jell-O in my living room calling for my day's attention. I'll have to make myself sit down to it. I know it is fun when I get into the flow of creation and make it go from pieces to art, but that doesn't translate to always excited to begin. However, Sunday is the day off in which these activities are supposed to fit, so it will have to happen, at least some step of it. Maybe I'll just throw the molding pieces on the compost and call it good. I already spent that extra hour we got today and now it is going to get dark long before I want it to. Winter is not my favorite season. I guess that is one reason I have Jell-O Art though...it cheers up the darker days.