On to personal engagement...
New ideas have been in full flow with the reemergence of longer brighter days. With the fleeting light of winter I hunker down with yarn and a cozy blanket but flower blooms and sunny warmth sends me outside where I work with other mediums. This season has led me to creating hanging art mobiles. It actually started in the winter gloom, creating a Twister movie themed one for my son. This is one of his favorites, being way, way too young to watch and actually a bit traumatized until a close tornadic call in an open shelter at Boy Scout camp brought ideas of storm chasing into his forethought.
My first completed mobile was made with a coke can, wire and string, experimenting with the process. It flows as it should, easily in the breeze. I got this! Now let's make one that does not follow traditional rules. Do I have this?? For those who have not seen this cinematic masterpiece ( I jest, there is no sitting on the fence with this one. You either love it or hate it) there is a scene where cows are flying through the air. This was my starting point. I wanted the cows to look erratic, out of balance, as they should in the middle of a tornado, but after many unsuccessful drafts, continuing to prove to myself that drawing is not my strong suit, I ended up with very stoic, pasture grazing cows. In the end I was just glad they looked like cows. Next off to the wire wind vortices which came about with much more ease. Again, taken from the movie was the addition of a car being swept away, as this was a pivotal scene. Up into our small, full attic I go in search of one 4 x 6 inch box containing Micro Machines (there is a very small portable world full of cars and other transports vehicles which my son was gifted, bribed, when needed), finding one that was a perfect fit if not the right color. A little spray paint and touch up with a sharpie, the hot pink hot rod was transformed. Parts pre-assembled and looking great laying flat on the workspace, whooo, this is awesome. Hum, huummmm, hum...having only made the one now I am in a quandary how to proceed. I now needed to think through the weight counterbalance to make this work. I left it on the worktable enjoying the awesomeness while being mocked by indecision until the solution of fishing weights woke me up one morning. Having a stash of these I was able to adjust the length of wire and size of weight until the storm blew as I had thought it would.
He loved it and all was right in the world.
I hope this season of sunshine and warmth finds you happy and healthy.
Peace,
Hilari
