You are a very talented builder and have a very creative style.

It's difficult to explain my reaction.  I looked at the pictures before reading your narrative and found them disturbing.  After reading narrative my responce was altered.  I still find the puppets disturbing but not for the way they look.  I'm am disturbed by the reality they represent.  It's very easy to shield ourselves from the harsher elements of our world and pretend that they don't exist.  But the truth is they do exist and until we open our eyes to their reality we will never be able to befriend and/or help those that call these places home.

Thank you for sharing.

Jon's comment about first looking at the pictures and then reading the narrative, and the difference in his reaction to them, leads me to suggest that perhaps you might want to go back to the Gallery images and add to the description of each image some of what you have in the post here. I actually had thought of suggesting this when I first looked at the images and read your post. By having more information with the images it allows folks to understand the back story of each if they happen to only view the images and not read this post.

Interesting puppets. This really kills the popular idea that puppets are merely a children's entertainment. Not really my taste, but not offensive either. Will check out your video and maybe I'll understand it better-Steve

You have given a new dimension to the whole art of puppet making & application. This is an innovative
way of sensitizing people towards their appalling environment. Wonderful concept & very
challenging creation. This is possible only if you have lot of inner motivation....yes, the creation
may not be like a conventional one ..that of `cute', 'lovable' etc. Yet, you have given the reality.
I am sure your show will bring out the concept more convincingly.

Good luck!

i think there great welldone with the hole thing, so funny i would live to see it as a show. keep up the good work 

  ; 

Thank so much for the great feedback. I've learned a TONNE since I first started working on Crups and I continue to learn more with each puppet I work on.

I understand the dichotomy that exists between seeing the images without preamble and seeing them with the information I gave in the post. I completely agree that more information with the photos leads to a more immediately complete understanding of the concept as a whole, as I created it, and of the show that was created around these characters.

Another part of me feels that 'less is more' and I believe that the images, and thus the individual puppets, serve a purpose on their own as images reflecting the world we live in and as pieces of visual art. If one's immediate reaction to these images is that of revulsion, disturbance, confusion, humour or intrigue as the creator I am most interested in WHY. why is one's reaction what it is? what does this say about you and about the art? why does one think something is pretty while another only sees mold or dust or a pile of leaves? these are the things that interest me, and the things that lead me to create these puppets.

what do you think about this?

thanks again for the encouraging comments. while making Crups, Mattrik, and Sharp Face the pigeon I didn't know anyone else who made puppets, and often wanted the opportunity for discourse with others who know what it is to create a puppet. i really appreciate the support offered in this forum and am still daily thrilled to find so many others who engage in the act of creating PUPPETS. i'm sure we all enjoy it for our own particular reasons.  

and the show IS funny! the songs are especially funny; there is one called 'Box Wine' that Li'l Scurvy sings in the style of a cute 50s ditty, and Sharp Face sings a wild heavy-metal number complete with a shrieking gaggle of backup pigeons. sometimes using humour is the best way to get people to think about a difficult subject matter.  

These puppets are amazing.  Quality, disturbing work- which always makes for an artist that should be admired, in my book.  I really like the fact that you are approaching such difficult issues with your art, as well.  Keep up the good work!!   

Perhaps I missed it in the above posts, but is there video of your performances? 

Juliann,

These puppets are truly amazing, it's hard to believe these are the first you've even made!
It will be a while befor I get to this kind of quality in details.

I hope you will open many eyes in Canada and all over the world!!! (And not just with the puppets themselves, but the stories they tell)