Today, I am going to toot my horn, pat myself on the back, brag, a bit. 

A mixed media piece that I did about a special kind of circus will appear in the next issue of Somerset Studio Gallery, a Stampington & Co. magazine, on newsstands on June 1.    Yippee! How to find a newsstand these days?  Barnes & Noble and the craft stores such as JoAnne’s carry these magazines, which are full of good art and crafts ideas from artists all over the country – well worth a look!    Click on the badge below which will take you directly to the magazine.


<a href="http://stampington.com/Somerset-Studio-Gallery-Summer-2014"><img src="http://stampington.com/badge/2014/june/images/gal.jpg" width="120" height="160" border="0"/></a>

Circuses are great material for artists –clowns, high-wire performers, animals. I love the look of the old early 20^th century clowns, but circuses seem to me to be more scary than fun. When we lived in Paris, we went to the Carnival Museum, which is only open by appointment and to groups.  The Parisians love carnivals and circuses. The museum is filled with old rides and costumes and the fanciful world to be found in every Parisian’s heart.  The clowns I’ve drawn are a reflection of that part of Paris. The faces of these old-style clowns are often sad as if they hold all the world’s sorrows on their shoulders.  To lighten them, I added butterfly wings to the shoulders. Now they are ones that can fly through the air, whisper soft, with a gentle touch on landing.