More.

More about the puppets-in-need.

Bob Baker's Marionettes

Bob Baker's Marionettes
The following is copied from an "LA culture" email list thing that I get...usually there's nothing of interest in the emails. This makes my heart hurt.

Bob Baker's Marionettes is an amazing amazing puppet theater. I've only been there twice. Once as a little girl, once as a grown-up type girl. Both visits are still vivid in my mind.

Here are wooden spoons from delicious ice cream at Bob Baker's Marionettes, from a perfect day in 2006:



Legendary local artist in need
Posted by: "Seldis, Mark" mseldis@musiccenter.org markseldis
Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:29 am (PST)
For immediate release

November 13, 2008

WHAT: Emergency Campaign to generate funds to save The Bob Baker Marionette Theater from Foreclosure

DEADLINE: $29,000 needed by December 3 or Bob Baker's theater and home will be sold

LOS ANGELES- For more that sixty years, puppeteer Bob Baker has brought delight and amazement to children of all ages with his innovative marionette performances. Through shows at his Bob Baker Marionette Theater, located just west of downtown LA and his huge list of film and TV credits, he has entertained millions of people. Today Bob Baker's puppet theater continues to operate on a daily basis with a crew of young puppeteers trained by the master.

But unless you help, this magical theater will disappear in a matter of weeks. Bob Baker, a proud man and a humble artisan, has no choice but to reach out to his public for a lifeline. Two years ago, Bob Baker was the victim in an elaborate mortgage fraud
operation bent on stealing his theater and home. This outrageous mortgage, written under threatening and deliberately misleading conditions, has left him owing ever increasing payments that are beyond his ability to pay.

This week the situation has reached crisis point, and Bob quietly reached out for help. Many talented people have responded to his call. A plan for improving the theater's financial prospects is being formulated by the Valley Economic Development Center and many of Bob's friends and fans are working behind the scenes to protect Bob and his theater and home from the sharks. The theater has enormous potential, Bob wants
everyone to know that he is not going out of business.

But time is of the essence, and right now, Bob Baker needs your donations if he is going to be able to keep up with his mortgage payments long enough to get the loans modified. As of today, Bob needs $23,000 for past due mortgage payments on the theater, and $6,000 for past due mortgage payments on his home. The deadline for payment in December 3, or the buildings will be sold and Bob and his thousands of puppets will be homeless.

If you have been entertained by Bob Baker's Marionettes, if you love the spirit of old Hollywood creativity that he embodies, if you want to reach out and help someone wonderful who has been terribly wounded by the mortgage crisis and outright fraud, please open your heart and give to Bob Baker at this difficult time. The children of Los Angeles are not ready to be without this great entertainer, who has many more years of magic before him.

Tax deductible donations can be made to "The Academy of Puppetry and Allied Arts." Send your check to 1345 West First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 or call 213-250-9995 to make a donation by credit card.

Puppeteer Bob Baker is available for interviews. Contact Richard at bobbakerpuppetmaker @yahoo.com, or call 213-250-9995.

ufos.

This weekend I finished up my images for the Scavenger Project for the Art House Co-op. Above is my response to the "Unidentified Flying Objects" prompt. It is a Polaroid Transfer with a little sewing and pocket-watch gears.

I posted more of my images for this project at my Flickr account. Enjoy. I did.

Space.

I am itching to make some big art. Everything is rather cramped right now in michelle-land.

This is a big ink drawing on mulberry paper...spent a lot of the weekend drawing all these dots and circles. It's lovely and huge and delicate, and I want to make many more of them.

Yeah...that's all for now.

The Principle of the Thing.

This evening I found the Disney short from 1961, "Donald and the Wheel", a cartoon which is certainly on my short list of favorite and influential old Disney bits. I hadn't seen it in 10 or 15 years, and I'll say now, for the first time..........

thank goodness for youtube.

This is the first part.

This is the second part.

Enjoy!

As a sort-of related side note, earlier today I ordered a drop spindle from silversunalpacas.....

Typewriter in the Snow.

November.

I started this blog to write about my news, but the difficult thing is, when I have lots going on....I never have the time to write anything for my blog.

So that's annoying.

It's finally cooling off a bit in LA, but there's no knowing if it will stay as pretty as it is today. We had some rain on Saturday; I even heard thunder, which is pretty rare out here.



On Saturday I went to my friend Jennifer Anderson's opening at JK Gallery in Culver City. Jennifer's work is always beautiful, but I was amazed to discover that she also makes her own frames. New-found respect, for sure!

Take a look at the amazing amazingness on "stitch spectacular"......"on the poking edge of embroidery."

On Friday I'm driving to Bakersfield to go to an opening at Surface Gallery....why Bakersfield?

Why not!?

On November 30, I will be at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts annual holiday sale thingy. I participated in this event last year, and it was a really good day. If you're in Los Angeles, come check it out! And if you do come, make sure you stop by That Yarn Store in Eagle Rock. It's my favorite yarn store, although unfortunately I haven't been there in some time...but really, I don't need any more yarn in my life right now.

Oh yes, an Etsy treasury called "cold november rain":



Links to these good people:

My amazing friend Abbey, of hownowdesign
selflesh
erinzam
seasprayblue
kimwestad
yoola
xfreshbatteryx
robindanely
larimeloom
lupin
StudioElan
cherylasmith

More good things to talk about soon. I can't tell all in a single post.