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Omnia vincit amor; et nos cedamus amori* I received this really incredible illustration job for a book cover. The subject matter is about a traveling showman who utilized the "Pepper's Ghost" illusion with a portable theatre. He traveled using a Ghost Show from 1873 to 1897. He was at one time Britain's best known showman. I finished the preliminary drawings and she gave it a thumbs up. I plan to begin inking it tonight while watching Six Feet Under. Miles emailed and asked about my once owning a real Pickled Punk and was wondering if I would post more photos of it. As the story goes, the husband and I were traveling cross-country back in the mid-1990s in search of old carnies to interview for his book, Circus of the Scars, and we heard that Captain Harvey Lee Boswell was selling his sideshow banners and we were very interested. We drove to his compound in North Carolina and hung out with the good Captain for about three days. During that time he gave us a tour fit for a Queen! We saw Marie O' Day, and Gold Tooth Jimmy, as well as Homer Tate's Pygmies and just tons and tons of stuff. Thankfully I made a list of the things I saw, but like I said, we were there for the banners. We found them up in the attic of one of his out buildings and picked out ten, 5 Snap Wyatt's and 5 Fred Johnson's. As a parting gift, Captain Boswell took us to his bedroom and he went to his closet and pulled out a pickled punk. He said that this was his absolute favorite punk, and handed the precious little punk over to us. 
I was recording our visit and have Captain Boswell talking about the history of the banners, the punks, and he was even teaching me how to speak "Carny," also known as "Ciazarn", which I botched horribly. On our travels in search of carnies, we ended up at this amazing secret Gypsy/Circus/Carny gathering out in the middle of nowhere down in Florida, by invitation only. It was amazing, like this tent city with bon fires and music and food and dancing and drinking and wine, very Victorian. I felt like I was truly in a different century. Right on the edge of the darkness, you could hear the circus animals bellowing out in the darkness - elephants, tigers, horses, very odd to be sitting by a large fire and hear an elephant trumpet, with others answering the call. (I just want to state right here and now that I am against ALL animals being used in circuses.) There were bonfires everywhere, and I even met one of the The Flying Wallendas who seemed very much like circus royalty, especially the way the crowd parted as soon as he arrived. Later that night, I actually heard a carny talking in Ciazarn right in front of us. I really wish I had boned up on what Boswell taught me, then I could have shocked him by talking right back at him in his own language! We sold Kenny a few years ago and he now happily resides in Florida with a most wonderful and awesome collector. People have been emailing about the status of the Human Heart Curio, as I have had a few folks inquire about possibly buying it but I decided to go ahead and hang onto it for a while. One offer I had, they not only wanted me to lower the price considerably (Really now - how many human hearts are out there embedded in Lucite for sale?), but also requested that I take apart the curio and just send them the heart! I was absolutely heartbroken. So, the heart curio is safe with me for now. I just finished the Ozzy book (I recommend it) and am now reading a very good book about the Tyburn Tree and some really excellent book about Medieval torture devices. I am anxiously awaiting four books to arrive from Amazon. They are: * Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter * The Big Book of Gross Stuff * Necrophilia Variations * The Instruments of Torture My bedside table is overflowing as it is. Too many books, never enough time! The much anticipated skull finally arrived the other day from the proprietor of the Niagara Falls Museum, and I just could not be happier with it: 
From what I gather, this looks to be a female skull. The size is much smaller and lighter than the male skulls that I have, and the bony mass is thinner. The forehead does not have a slight slope but looks vertical to me, the vault is flattened on the sides more, and the zygomatic bones are certainly not massive, but more smoother. So I am going to say, female! Check out that massive hardware on the forehead! There is one just like it in the back, also. I am also certain that this is a Victorian era skull because of the jagged and uneven cuts around the calvaria, you can tell it was cut with a hand-saw rather than a Stryker saw because of the tentative stop and start cuts that usually happens with hand sawing. I also noticed that the teeth have absolutely no fillings but! there are cavities. And for your amusement, here are more of my long lost and recently found Kiddie Drawings from when I was 7 to 8 years old: 
I have no idea what I was thinking, but different faces all lined up in a row like this are just asking to be doodled on. James Madison and Andrew Jackson are in drag. Herbert Hoover just looks a mess while Martin Van Buren actually looks kind of cute. 
She looks somewhat tentative standing there with her jaunty hat and a monster huge hypodermic needle jutting out of her mouth. Notice she is being serenaded by an evil looking drummer and there is a large ghostly image of her profile with her amazing hat. I really wanted that hat. 
Already dreaming about the Tyburn Tree. And check out the bones being used as hair curlers! What an imaginative looking scaffold, with hooks and even a trap door! The cut-out heart on the bed was inspired by Dr Seuss. 
Two girls visiting the local hospital. Penny with the pony tail is obviously the nice one, and Jenny with the two pony tails could probably use a little self-control when dealing with the patients. Of course, the little guy on crutches looks like he is enjoying Jenny's attention. 
I hated weddings back then and pretty much don't care much for them now. The poor sod standing at the alter is already having misgivings, and I love the guy on the bench catching a few zzz's with his girlfriend. 
My punk rock roots at a tender age. 
This is just a frenzy of activity. Check out the frenetic energy, as if I couldn't get this drawing out fast enough. Here is the fourth poster border I was working on, the border is pretty much completed. 
I came up with four more poster ideas today, I get so wired up on ideas I can't crank out the posters out fast enough. So this week-end is my birthday, the first without my Dad sending me a birthday card. I took it better then I thought I would. The husband and I are going to drive around and see what we can find. While he is sleeping, I will probably work on my book (back to writing on the week-ends) and work on another research job I just received from my client today, this one is going to be about Masonic stuff. When I am finished with the freelance job, I have a framed curio commission job I am very very excited to work on, all the components are here and I can't wait to begin pulling everything out of its boxes and putting something together that tells a story. *Love conquers all things; let us too surrender to love. (Vergil) |
F R I E N D S The Mutter Museum Billy Jamieson Circus of the Scars Zamora, The Torture King Matt the Tube Orgone Research Sideshow World The Human Marvels Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire Cam Garrett The Queen's Obsession Miss Oblivious Claudia Andrei Gothic Tea Society Blooddrop Clothing and Fineries Altered Bits: Altered Art
    
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