Today’s studio closeup is of a new piece that is part of The Museum Series: The Beloved Beaver. I have a fascination with cutaways, cross sections, dissections (whatever you want to call them) allowing us to understand inner workings of worlds we cannot see. The intricate illustration of the beaver dam and beaver house in the center of this piece is a perfect example of this and I wanted to preserve all of its detail the artist originally intended. I remember Racine, WI’s Public Museum in the 1970’s had this tunnel you could go in which serpentined through the museum and inside there were cross sections of the hibernating animals of Wisconsin. The tunnel then morphed into what was buried inside all of the Native American Burial Mounds scattered throughout the city. You literally felt like you were underground but you were only on the first floor of the museum(!) And you only realized this when you'd come out of the exhibit blinded by the intense daylight of the lobby. Trippy! I think in the early 1990’s they got rid of that awesome exhibit which gutted me. I’m still not over it. I always keep a lookout for any old Racine Public Museum postcards or guidebooks, but I have not been successful thus far. Never know though!

The piece itself will house two dioramas and two National Geographic filmstrips which I have included closeups of here. One setback with working with old filmstrips is that some of them fade over the years to a sepia tone. I wish there was a magical real life photoshop tool to bring them back to life in the physical world. I have been experimenting with a translucent paper called “Opalux” and drawing inks but I’m still not there yet. Instead, I am currently using colored cellophane to try to bring more life to these old images.

Don’t be surprised if the next time you see this piece some of the inner painting changes here and there. There are still some things calling out to me to resolve; I just don’t know what the solutions are yet. It won’t change drastically, but there are certain things irking me when I step back and look. When I get like this, it’s best for me to look at, and work on, a different piece for a while which is what I intend to do. Please enjoy!

Title: The Museum Series: The Beloved Beaver
Year: 2020
Media: Acrylic Paint, Tempera Paint, Paper Dioramas, Filmstrips
Total Dimension: 11”x14”

Unfortunately, I come with no stories for today's Carolaoke offering. Some days are just like that, I guess. I've been in my head A LOT lately and sometimes the inability to form words or coherent sentences can be a side effect of head time. But it is Music Monday so please enjoy my scratch track version of Gwen Stefani/No Doubt's "Bathwater" and I hope to be back to my old wordy self soon. Please keep well.

Today’s studio update is another look into the past. As usual, I have several new pieces in various stages of completion but still not ready to be called “done”.

So today upon the recent discovery that I have some of the artwork that was lost in the 2018's flood but still exists on film, today’s offering combines a story of music AND visual art.

Many of you may or may not know that I was in a band. Full of animators. The band’s name was Sweet Jelly. In the 10 years we were together we recorded an album, played a stage at Summerfest and wrote over 70 songs together. The scratch track for “Wanda The Great” was recorded October 6, 2000 which is what we consider the beginning of Sweet Jelly's songwriting process and start of the band and this is what Aaron Johnson and I captured that night. The name for the band came later and is another story all together.

I've included the original scratch track version and the final album version here of “Wanda The Great” to experience the journey of where it came from and where it went.

When I wrote the lyrics for this tune, I definitely was inspired by Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner” and the story she weaves. And I’ve always loved the circus. I remember realizing at the time of writing this tune we had just moved right into the circus capital of the world while reading the plaque in downtown Mazomanie, WI:

“The Ringling brothers — Alf, Al, Charles, John and Otto — performed their first vaudeville- style show in Mazomanie in 1882 and two years later had a traveling circus with a wagon and a rented horse.

By 1900, the brothers had one of the largest traveling shows in the country and began buying other circuses, including, in, 1907, the Barnum and Bailey Circus. The Ringlings moved the winter quarters from Baraboo to Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1918 and then in 1924 to Sarasota, Florida. Irvin Feld, a music and entertainment promoter, purchased the circus in 1967.”

(Article source)

Had no idea about ANY of this before moving here. But I did always have a thing for the circus! At the beginning of the final album version of Wanda The Great, there’s a circus record playing. That is my circus record as a kid recorded for the song and yes I still have it. I’ve been told many times it came from a circus train toy that my uncle gave me when I was a toddler. The train itself made noise too that apparently drove my parents nuts as that’s the only toy I played with for quite a while. And I’ve always woken up super early or never slept at all so I’m sure that was super fun for them.

Back to Wanda. Besides having every animal imaginable under one tent and tons of color, circuses are also kinda creepy which is another reason why I like them. Enter Wanda. What if a crazy old bird from the old time circus days came up and talked to me while I’m somewhere in public having a snack? (pre-COVID-19) Twenty eight year old Carol says, yeah, let’s write about this. And “Wanda The Great” was born.

Today’s post is of the diptych I painted in tandem with writing the lyrics to this song. It’s cool to see the piece again even though it brings up a lot of feelings I’d rather not deal with, but I realize that’s been a lifelong issue with me so here I am sharing.

Please enjoy this bittersweet look into the past. And keep well everyone.

"Wanda The Great" original scratch track 10-6-2000

Art for the song "Wanda The Great" 2001

Today's song pick is Bonnie Raitt's, "Guilty". The lyrics really hit home with me, I sadly have to admit. I'll leave it there with a reminder for everyone to vote tomorrow if you haven't already. I will be attending in person in a full hazmat suit. Because of all the shenanigans going on right now, I need to do it in person so I know there isn't going to be any fuckery with my vote. My trust does not come easy.

Please enjoy my scratch track version of Bonnie Raitt's, "Guilty" and thank you for stopping by.

Today's closeup is another one from the archive. It still exists in its physical state and did not perish in the flood. This triptych is all about that magnificent and mysterious toy: The Magic Eight Ball. According to the info I have, this little project was done back in 1999.

I remember that this was one of the first experiments I did with doing a painting and trying to write a song in tandem. I recently uncovered an attempt at the music and lyrics for the song I had planned but apparently I erased everything. I wish I hadn't! But that's the kind of crap I pull. I remember I wanted it to also sound creepy and I think those notations at the top were my keyboard sound button settings.

I think.

You might be able to make out what nonsense I had planned within the photo I included. Maybe this is a concept I will revisit again regarding paintings in tandem with music and lyrics. I'm certainly not "there" yet, but I am at least considering the possibility again. In the meantime, the Carolaoke Collection and Museum Series is where I feel comfortable being right now.

Title: Magic 8 Ball - Triptych
Year: 1999
Media: Acrylic Paint, Paper Collage & Canvas Board
Total Dimension: (3) 4"x6" Canvas Boards