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Arts Arlington Featured Artist

Every two months Arlington Council on Arts and Culture highlights an artist who’s actively contributing to the Arlington arts scene. In December and January, I’m the featured artist on the Arts Arlington site sponsored by ACAC.

The artist statement was fun to write because it gave room to think about why I perform and what the work is like. Here’s the part that gets to the heart of working on a new show:
My newest show is “Taking Turns,” which features pigs, dogs and bunnies. Sandra and I used needle-felting techniques to make animal puppets. We took big balls of wool and punched them with needles to create little pigs and dogs. I find that their fuzzy surfaces appeal to young children more than the painted faces of our Sculpey puppets.

Although the show opened in August I am still spending many hours each week refining the way I portray the characters. The hardest thing is to slow down, let a puppet “breath” between steps, and wait for the character to form its thoughts before I speak for it. Often, I ask friends to watch and advise. Jacek Zuzanski of Dream Tale Puppets and retired “puppet diva” Suzanne Pemsler have been terrific coaches.

Read the whole statement here:
http://artsarlington.org/grants-and-resources/artlinks-arlington-networking-for-artists/featured-artist/

Taking Turns

Mathilda and Doggie can’t wait to go to their friend’s party and play in the bouncy house. Then Mathilda can’t wait in line — and cuts in front of Doggie. She is surprised to learn that everyone wants their turn, even grown-ups. Performed with needle-felted puppets, and a gentle pace that suits young children. 30 minutes, best for ages 3 to 6