The rest of the world

It seems Jell-O art or whatever the kids are calling it these days, is finding some notice in the east side of the country. I was aware of the Gowanus studios competitions and had heard of the jellymongers of Great Britain, but this Slate article actually poses the question I have often asked myself, can gelatin be art? You know the answer, of course.

Those people are all about the jiggle and the edible, but still it's nice to know I am not the only gelatin fanatic, besides the ones I already know anyway. I wonder if they know about us, or if we are just too podunk to be famous. I'm thinking there is an Old Queen among the Slug Queens who has great connections in NYC who could bring us together someday.

I'm probably going to offer my installation to the Storefront Art Project. It seems like a wonderful place for a corner full of dried ruffles. I guess I have to wait to get the mask back from the Salon, which will happen when I get back from my trip East.

Haven't made any Jell-O at all this week, but I'm anxious to get back to it.

Nothing New Under the Sun

Upon further googling, I found gelatin art and even a book with plastic templates to make the process super simple. Primarily for use in cake decorating, the flowers shown by Cake Connection are made with wire stems and florist's tape, with very thin gelatin petals that are quite beautiful.

Mine look much more one-of-a-kind and are thicker and stranger than theirs, but they have not only products to sell you but a video showing the entire process. It does give me a few ideas for texturing and shaping using flat molds, brushing on the gelatin in its liquid state.

Still, I will forge ahead with my plan to make many of these, and expand the possibilities. They do fascinate and delight. That may be quite enough.

A new species of flora

I've started this new blog for my latest art series, gelatin flowers. I've developed, over 23 years of making Jell-O Art, a technique for making gorgeous, seductive flowers out of dried gelatin.

The variations seem endless, the colors brilliant, and it's so much fun I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. I'm there in the photo on my birthday, with my special hair ornament.

Also shown are a few of the roses on apple branches, of which I've made about a dozen and a half now, and a closeup or a few of some of the orchids. I'm working on irises now, and a mermaid or two, and will be making fairies, many other types of flowers, and who knows what else.

I've written many posts about the process and my exhibit in the annual Jell-O Art Show that happened April 2, 2011, at Maude Kerns Art Center, over in my blog divinetension. That blog includes other thoughts about Saturday Market, where I sell every weekend, and other things happening in my little life, but this one will be exclusively for the jello art.

After 23 years, it was just a brilliant flash of an idea to try to sell this art. It seems to be working. Every week I spend many hours explaining the process and convincing incredulous folks that it is indeed not glass, not plastic, but gelatine. Except for the dye, the flowers are 100% gelatin and water. My cards say they are useless objects of senseless beauty, or senseless objects of seductive beauty, and that they are no longer edible. People can't quite grasp the concept, so far, but the objects are so glorious, I have sold several to people who are just as fascinated by them as I am. I'm excited to show my new ones each week, on Saturdays, and also at the Tuesday Market.

I might just be the only person in the world making and selling these right now. My living room is full of big trays of petals and leaves waiting to be jelloed together. I'm also decorating boxes for them and figuring out how to make them into headbands, pins, tiaras, and whatever else comes to mind. Stay tuned!