STEP RIGHT UP

PT Barnum is complete. I decided to add a FeeJee Mermaid as well. Here's what Wikipedia says about the FeeJee mermaid.

The original exhibit was popularized by circus great P.T. Barnum, but has since been copied many times in other attractions, including the collection of famed showman Robert Ripley. The original exhibit was shown around the United States, but was supposedly lost in the 1860s when Barnum's museum caught fire. The exhibit has since been acquired by Harvard University's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology and is currently housed in the museum's attic storage area.
The Fiji mermaid came into Barnum's possession via his Boston counterpart Moses Kimball, who brought it down to Barnum in late spring of 1842. On June 18, Barnum and Kimball entered into a written agreement to exploit this "curiosity supposed to be a mermaid." Kimball would remain the creature's sole owner and Barnum would lease it for $12.50 a week. Barnum christened his artifact "The Feejee Mermaid" and began to "puff" her to the skies. In Barnum's exhibit, the mermaid was allegedly caught in 1842 by a "Dr. J. Griffin." Griffin was actually Levi Lyman, one of Barnum's close associates.

PT Barnum

FeeJee (Fiji, Feegee) Mermaid

ZOMBIE STAND

I decided to post some pics of the progress of my zombie stand and how it was made. I used some old pickets from our fence and a scrap 2x6 to create the stand. The uglier the wood the better.

I then taped off an area and roughly painted in the dark blue. I also painted the 2x6 black.

Then I printed out my text to use as a template and transfered it onto the wood using chalk.

I painted it...

then I distressed it using sand paper and more paint. So there you have it.

BARNUM HAS A BODY

Here's what I've gotten done so far on the zombie. All that's left are the legs and then it's on to making the stand for him. I'd be a lot further but I got distracted this week and found myself making baby shoes when I really should have been finishing him up. I've got a busy next few months and I can't really procrastinate anymore. But the baby shoes did turn out cute. I'll post a pic later. I promise to get a better pick of the zombie when he's done.

ZOMBIE HEAD

I thought I'd share the progress of my zombie since that's all I'm working on right now. I'm pretty happy with how the missing part of his skull turned out and the lumpiness of the brain.

P.T. BARNUM IN COLOR

P.T. BARNUM ZOMBIFIED

I've decided to do a plush version of P.T. Barnum as a zombie, for the Night of the Living Artist show. He's not someone you think of when you say artist. But he was a collector who created a world he wanted to share with an audience. I've chosen him because of my obsession with the circus and the many art related projects I've done about the circus over the past couple of years.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING ARTIST

I was recently invited to participate in this, Night of the Living Artist, show that will go up October 10th and run till October 31st. The concept for this show is brilliant. Using whatever media I prefer, pick an artist ( living or dead ) that has influenced me in some way and Zombify them. Awesome! Right up my alley. Funny and creepy. I'm working on sketches now and I'll post them soon.