Kat Greene Comes Clean

Many moons ago, on a whim, I decided to take an extension course on children’s book writing headed by one Isabelle Holland (the author behind the book version of Mel Gibson’s “Man Without a Face.” She had observed that Mel had been a somewhat difficult human being and that was years before he lost it and showed his true colors to the world). These weekly classes had been a highlight of that year for me: I had been at my most creative, came up with some great ideas, realized I was a better illustrator than writer, and met one of my favorite people in the world there.

There are always people in my life that came and went, some quietly, some not so much. I am grateful that Melissa remained constant in my life no matter where I am. It may have to do with a special bond we have because she named her daughter after a character in a story I wrote for class!

The point I want to make here is very important. There are about a dozen of us enrolled in that writing course that semester, and out of the dozen or so that I am aware of, Melissa was most likely the only one who persisted in her craft long after the class ended and never gave up because…she is now a published author! I was so immensely happy for her and was honored to be let in on what went on behind the scenes and boy, the road to success is not easy at all. It goes to show that if you want something badly enough and work hard at it, you WILL get what you want! Melissa worked hard, and the fruits of her labors are now prominently displayed in bookstores everywhere (including the library right here in Oz!!).

I cannot stress how proud I am of my friend, how impressed I am of her talent, how grateful I am of her friendship, how she always manages to buoy my spirits with her sense of humor, and last but not least, how thankful I am of her support in every aspect of my life. She’s the one who kept in constant touch with me, the wandering gypsy both spiritually and physically, and I love her all the more for that.

I am now in danger of being a blubbery mess, so here’s to you, fabulous Ms. M!

Melissa’s book “Kat Greene Comes Clean” deals with a subject matter near and dear to my heart. Kat had several problems to face, one of which was her mother’s OCD and after it had gotten out of control, she learned that it was okay to ask for help. My own mother had a mild case of it and even though it hadn’t impacted my life too severely growing up, it did make me hyper aware of germs and contamination and it was not a good trait to have when I lived in the Big Apple and worked in a building filled with children who were constantly ill. I was pleased to see someone had addressed this issue in a book because I thought I had been the only person growing up who had to cope with something I hadn’t realized then was a form of clinical disorder. My best friend from way back had only recently admitted to me that my house always smelled like Lysol and bleach, which just goes to show how out of control a problem can get when someone remembers it years and years after.

“Kat Greene Comes Clean” is filled with heart and humor and it absolutely showcases Melissa’s sharp wit and unapologetic observation of life through a child’s eyes. I absolutely recommend this book!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580897762/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

 

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The Office

Oh my goodness. This one was a long time coming. I’ve painted over a thousand sets of these dolls in the last decade and I simply cannot stop, not when there are so many people throwing so many ideas out at me. I have a little notebook absolutely filled with the sets I’ve yet to paint and there are only so many hours in a day in which I can physically make things happen. I am so glad that The Office has finally happened. I adored the British version and liked the US version just as much. This is only a small portion of the cast and it still took two sets to fit them all in.

There are actually two different versions of Michael Scott, which means I’ll have no choice but to crank out a third set!

Reno 911!

This was, and always will be, my favorite show in the world. It also made me realize I would never A. Be an actor and B. Be an improv comic…not that I ever have aspirations to do either since I’m more of a “behind the scenes” kind of person. I’ve painted Reno 911! a long time ago and was happy I had some time now to revisit it. Painting this set brought up some really happy memories, such as while waiting for an ex-boyfriend to get ready for a night out on the town, I watched half an episode for the first time and knew right then and there I would be a lifelong fan; hosting a girl’s night in with my bestie and the two of us laughing so hard that mops and cleaning products had to be brought out halfway through the viewing.

The Music Department

This set features some of the music teachers at a girls school in Sydney. Judging from the photos I received for references, they looked like an energetic and dynamic lot who not only get things done in the classroom and on stage but make sure the kids have fun in the process.

Cheers

Here’s another blast from the past. I used to watch a lot of Cheers re-runs back in college. Let’s face it, I’ve spent a lot of my time in college watching TV. It the first time in my life that I had a TV set all to myself…didn’t have to share it with anyone except when my two-nights-a-week roommate who didn’t like TV was over. I was so possessive of my TV that I’d been known to throw a boyfriend or two out of my place because they insisted on changing the channel/turning it off. I’m grateful that my husband is more of a TV fanatic than I am. Now I find myself telling him to turn the TV off!

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

It seemed kind of serendipitous that when I was working on a set of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that I had the third US presidential debate on in the background and Trump went after the supreme court justice.

“Ooooh,” I stopped painting momentarily and stared at the overly coiffed nominee in dismay. “You’re in deep doo doo now!” Not that he has kept his shoes free of scat since he dove into politics, but rather, this statement would no doubt anger the legions of RBG fans. The fact that Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a supreme court justice, has fans, says a lot about this woman, and that she’s so awesome that I was asked to paint her likeness in doll form.

Since I like to add a little surprises into sets that doesn’t include the littlest doll, this one will feature two gavel charms for the recipient to fashion into earrings.

Availability

Just letting everyone know that I’m still currently sourcing materials for a very very limited edition of Pink Flamingos. As for the other sets, there will also be a limited number scheduled to be painted in August. Check back for more deets then! Thank you so much for your interest and inquiries! All my work are hand made in my little sweatshop, so it’s not humanly possible for me to make more than a few of these dolls at a time.

In the meanwhile, here’s a little video made by the outrageous Emi of The Pygmy Hippo Shoppe (sadly, she’s also sold out but check out her other fabulous wares!):

30 Rock

Moving to a new country at any age is not easy. I was fortunate enough to have landed in an English-speaking realm. Other than that, there are still a host of things to get used to such as Kookaburra attacks, calling appetizers “entrees,” converting currencies and measurements in my head and thus blowing a few fuses (as I mentioned before, math and I are not on first name basis), having to wear sunglasses just to hang up laundry…the fact that I have to hang up laundry instead of tossing the whole lot into the dryer, and sighing over the same but slightly different version of food and daily products that I was accustomed to. It can really do one’s head in. But the one constant is of course my first love—television. It has never disappointed me before and it still didn’t. I got through the first few tumultuous years in Australia by being able to tune into American television, and the one that helped tremendously is “30 Rock.” Not only is it well-written and quirky like the way I love my television, but it’s also shot in my old home NYC. Every week was like a brief visit back there and that had more than made up for trying to figure out why there seems to be a new prime minister every other year since I’ve been here.

Here’s some of the cast of “30 Rock” with (large to small) Jack Donaghy, Liz Lemon, Tracy Jordan,  Frank Rossitano, Jenna Maroney, and of course, the NBC page: Kenneth Parcell.

Here are some closeup shots of (left to right) Liz Lemon’s Mexican cheese puffs “Sabor de Soledad,” Tracy Jordan’s “EGOT” necklace, and Jack Donaghy’s drink.

It wasn’t easy trying to pick out a hat for Frank but I do enjoy pairing the words “karate” and “sluts” together. Here’s Jenna Maroney looking calm and collected, and there’s Kenneth in his full page regalia.

Coming to America

The best part of my childhood was finally being allowed to trek all the way to the Fresh Meadows Cinema by myself (or with friends) to catch an afternoon matinee. “Coming to America” was one of the best cinematic experiences I’ve ever had ’cause let’s face it, it’s a great movie and what girl didn’t want their Prince to turn up, put on a dorky uniform, and proceed to woo you with lines like, “When you think of garbage, think of Akeem?”

Here’s the cast featuring (largest to smallest) Akeem, Semmi, Lisa, Cleo McDowell, King Joffery Joffer, and Queen Aoleon.

There was a slight incident with the crown as I got a bit too carried away with my Dremel and ended up taking an extra spike off. Oops. Luckily it was easily repaired but man alive, I just can’t be trusted with power tools.

Some deets:

Supreme Court Justice Matryoshka

My BFF from way back when is one of those people who can be counted on to answer questions concerning the events of the human race, be it past or present. I mean, there’s nothing that girl doesn’t know. She was like this when we were eleven, and even more so at the ripe old age of (not applicable). So when I posted this “teaser” photo of my current project on facebook, I said to myself, “that girl is going to know exactly who this guy is.”

I was right. Despite wrangling three small boys from six months old to four, she still manages to know every single one of the nine supreme court judges of good ol’ USA.

When the idea to paint the nine supreme court judges was proposed to me, it was suggested that Judge Roberts’ ears ought to be prominent, as they are quite large. I eagerly looked for photos of Judge Roberts, hoping it’d jut out like Ross Perot’s except comically bigger. To my disappointed, Hon. John G. Roberts turned out to be a rather handsome man and his ears, although large, didn’t resemble Alfred E. Neuman‘s.

I initially thought I’d have to painstakingly sculpt a few ears, cast them, and then spend a few days sanding them down to identical sizes. Since I now often have to choke down meals at my work table and resent the easy lifestyle the ginger cat down the street was living, I was not looking forward to this extra work. Then I remembered that I had eaten straight up Ramen for many many months just so I could invest in a 3D printer and everything started to come together after that.

From biggest to smallest: John G. Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen G. Breyer, Elena Kagen, Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

This was a set of 10, which means I had to leave out the last doll and put something else in its place…as a surprise for the buyer. So I looked around and found the best accessory for these judges:

This fabulous miniature gavel!

Also, here’s the 3D printer, which the Hubs has modified somewhat. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this thing. One one hand, it has the ability to print me a pair of ears. On the other, the sound it makes whilst printing is driving me insane.