The Mighty Boosh

Come with us now on a journey through time and space…to the world of the mighty boosh…

Oh, you knew this was coming!

Someone inquired as to why I haven’t painted the Mighty Boosh yet, which had me asking, “Yes, Irene, why?” I had a grand time going over the entire Boosh video collection with a friend. We laughed, we crimped, and I peed a little when Tony Harrison graced the screen. What a weird and brilliant show!

It was suggested that I create the Boosh set in the same manner as the Flight of the Conchords—a double trio. Except this time I got my hands on some semi-delux sets of fives that are neither too big nor too small. It’s as though these sets were designed for exactly what I had in mind! The head dolls are Vince Noir and Howard Moon in their season 1 Zooniverse costumes.

Season 1 isn’t my favorite, but I had such a hard time trying to work out which crazy jump suit of Vince’s to paint that I spent three days ruminating about it. Bo was no help, of course, what with him being color blind. And a dog.

Set 1:

(Right to left:) Howard Moon, Naboo the Enigma, Rudi van DiSarzio, The Hitcher, and The Moon.

Howard Moon, an aspiring musician, actor, poet, novelist, and photographer who spends part of each day in a jazz trance.

“I do many things. I span the genres—they call me the genre spanner. “

Naboo the Enigma, a freelance shaman and recreational drug user.

“I might transform myself into a mighty hawk. Either that or work in Dixons—I haven’t decided.”

(I love it whenever there’s a mystic or guru of some sort on a TV show. Remember Jambi? From Pee Wee’s Playhouse? And that floating head Andy Dick portrayed in the long-forgotten Ben Stiller Show?) Mekka Lekka Hi Mekka Hiney Ho to you!

…but I digress. Back to Boosh! Here’s…

Rudi van DiSarzio, a High Priest of the Order of the Psychedelic Monks and plays a mean guitar.

“Feel the power of my fusion lick!”

Baboo Yagu, or, The Hitcher, an old, evil polo mint-wearing hitchhiker.

“Do I look like a reasonable man to you, or a peppermint nightmare?”

 

The Moon, a simple-minded, semi-coherent entity.

“When you are the moon, the best form you can be is a full moon. And then the half moon… he’s all right. But the full moon is the famous moon. And then three-quarters, eh, no one gives a **** about him. When does he come, two days in, to the calendar month? He’s useless. Full moon. The moon. The main moon.”

The Moon has his own website: http://www.imthemoon.tv/index.html

Set 2:

(Left to right:) Vince Noir, Bollo, Old Gregg, The Spirit of Jazz, Tony Harrison.

Vince Noir, laid back and fun and often the voice of reason with an affinity for his hair.

“Goth Juice… The most powerful hairspray known to man. Made from the tears of Robert Smith.”

 

Bollo, the anthropomorphic ape that DJs at a London nightclub on Tuesdays.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”

Old Gregg, a hermaphroditic merman who loves Bailey’s Irish Cream and water color paintings.

“Ever drink baileys from a shoe? Wanna go to a club where people wee on each other? I’m gonna hurt you. I like you. What do ya think of me?”

The Spirit of Jazz, who possessed Howard at one point to make him do “strange things,” such as playing the trumpet so vigorously that his clothes tore off.

“I’m going to crawl inside you like a warm kitten!”

Tony Harrison, a member of the Board of Shaman. He loves Fleetwood Mac and has a Large Goods Vehicle license.

“This is an outrage!”

You might notice that the little ones on both sets are not the traditional matryoshka dolls. I had to nix them altogether and make both the Moon and Tony Harrison out of polymer clay. The goop on the Moon’s face is this marvelous substance called mousse clay. That’s a must for any crafter who makes mini foods.

If you haven’t checked out “The Mighty Boosh” yet, do it now!

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The Studio Mascot

The best thing about painting in my NY abode is that I have a semi-permanent studio mascot. Bo makes the trek up to the second floor each day and sits patiently with me as I paint. He takes loud, odorous naps at my feet, examines the dolls with a critical eye, investigates my art supplies, mistakes my bag of sheep hair fiber as an actual sheep and more often than not, demands a full-body massage. Of course I can’t say no to him, especially when he looks at me with those big Precious Moments eyes.

Bo, hard at work mascoting and watching over my paints.

Don’t think I just make him sit with me all day. We play dress up too. Here he is, as Tallulah BeBelle, the snotty girl from Atlanta who attends an exclusive New England private school where she vies to be the queen bee but to no avail. There’s a string of pearls somewhere to complete this ensemble, but round objects tend to transform Bo into a bulldog shaped cyclone so you’ll just have to imagine it.

The Muppets

I’ve been obsessed with the idea of making a Muppets set for a while now. Been down at Spotlight countless times looking for fibers that’ll pass for Muppet fur. At one point I decided to dye my own and ended up with blue hands…mere days before the wedding. Since this was the kind of thing I was prone to do before big, important events, Anthony could only shake his head and wordlessly hand me his industrial strength solvent. In the end I found an array of faux fur that was pre-dyed for my convenience. I have to say I’m pretty pleased with the results, although the Muppets didn’t look like the ones I have intended (therefore I’m not going to list their names). Still, it’s the thought that counts…and I had loads of fun making them!

The Three Fridas Deluxe!

Boy, I tell ya, it’s getting harder and harder to get over these jet lags. I don’t know how people who travel for a living do it. Got some tricks? Care to share it?

Still, it did not prevent yours truly from unfurling her bamboo paintbrush holder (I used to use my mother’s one for making sushi until she discovered it and confiscated it. It’s all for the best, however, since she wasn’t able to make me any of her delicious sushi while I was in possession of her bamboo mat). I did a bigger version of the Frida Kahlo dolls and totally went to town on her headdresses. Cotton balls are a wonderful thing, don’t you think?

 Now that I’m back in New York, I have access to a whole range of supplies and materials, namely, something that I’ve been dying to work with for a while now. Let’s just say the little blurb I wrote in my Facebook post triggered a host of nostaglic musings from friends…ones who have sat diligently through episodes of “The Muppet Show” before discovering MTV. My workspace is absolutely covered with furry pelts. Rest assured, though, all of it is faux!

The Little Mermaid Sewing Jar

Here’s another themed sewing jar to add to my growing collection:

I recently found this fabulous orange octopus fabric and “The Little Mermaid” popped into mind. What’s even better was that I unearthed a forgotten bag of shells and corals from a past kayaking trip that is absolutely perfect for this project!

This set comes with two underwater sea critter charms and a bottled up glitter that I like to think symbolizes the voice the little mermaid had to give up in exchange for a pair of legs.

Pin toppers: Oyster with a pearl in it; a purple octopus; silver fish. These weren’t the easiest to make, but there they are.

…and the Little Mermaid herself, holding onto what I like to think is an albino baby octopus. She was fun to make because I got to sculpt a little tail on her!