Solstice greetings from Plastiqueville
New residents are moving in weekly. A family of elves have been stationed in Plastiqueville for the holidays, to make sure Santa's deliveries arrive at their local destinations in a timely manner, without damage. Today they took some time to explore the neighborhood, where they learned many important things (like the fact that our street numbers are not in order).
Adventures in illustration
We've been busy in Plastiqueville lately, creating illustrations for Trapped, a novel by Seneca Blue, soon to be published by Parisian Phoenix Publishing, the new publishing venture from Angel Ackerman and Gayle Hendricks. In fact, Gayle has written a blog post about the project, with more pictures, and we're pretty excited about it (and flattered, too). Over the years, first as a writer and now as a storytelling photographer, I have always enjoyed creative prompts. Give me an idea and I promise you that I will run with it. So when the folks at Parisian Phoenix provided me with a list of scenes from Trapped that required photos, I dug right in. The photo above is from a pet adoption event, held at a local mall. (The mall itself, constructed from plastic bottles and washi tape, is featured in a previous post here.) I'm trying not to think too far ahead in the list; instead, I gently take each item, one at a time, and think about the best way to portray it. Some are easier than others. Next on the list - the aftermath of an explosion at a turkey farm. And then a visiting bear wandering through a suburban neighborhood. And a grease fire in a kitchen. And sex in a barn... As you can see, we have our work cut out for us. By the way, as 2021 spins slowly to a close, we look ahead to further fun in Plastiqueville. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for the occasional lapses in activity around here - life does have a way of throwing those obstacles in one's path. In 2022, we will try harder. Which brings up a question: What would you like to see? What parts of life in Plastiqueville intrigue you the most? Inquiring minds would like to know. The Mall of Plastiqueville
I don't know what you guys did today, but I built a shopping mall. Amazing what you can do with plastic water bottles and several rolls of washi tape. This is just a preliminary image, of course; I still have to play with lighting, props and eventually, little people. I'm working my way through a long list of scenes from Trapped, a novel by Seneca Blue, to be published by Parisian Phoenix Publishing as soon as I can get more of these pictures done. At one point in the story, a pet adoption event is held at the local mall - so here's my sparkly world of shopping temptation. I sure had a good time building it. Shoppers arriving soon - check back for updates! Skunk tales
Wow! Is it December already? You will be pleased to know that some of Plastiqueville's finest citizens will be appearing in future titles to be published by Parisian Phoenix Publishing, the newest venture from my friends Angel Ackerman and Gayle Hendricks. Many projects lie ahead, including Trapped, by Seneca Blue, a light-hearted novel about the eradication of some skunks and a romance that blooms as a result. Don't you think the above image would make a lovely cover for such a tale? We sure do. Watch this blog for more details! (We promise not to be so scarce in the future.) Dahlia day
Plastiqueville's citizens often have a craving to see the world. Today we went on a photo expedition, to visit the dahlias grown on the Moser family farm in Hellertown. The stowaways soon discovered that the flower beds had been placed closely together, making exploration difficult - so most of them stayed back in the car. However, Belinda (pictured here) asked for an opportunity to climb the supportive fencing, so we made sure she didn't cause any damage in her desire to get up close and personal with the flowers. We had hoped for bees, too - and that wish came true!
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