Yucandu Studio Just West of St. Louis, Mo.: Turning Junk into Works of Art

Maybe it’s just another roadside attraction, folk art, or maybe some folks that have too much time on their hands. Just motor west on Route 66 and check out the art that imitates life. There’s the guy who twists tree limbs into various shapes and animal forms, a welder whose land is littered with rusty iron beasts of every description and form. 

The Cadillac ranch down in Texas with the cars buried halfway into the ground, tailfins pointing up to the sky, the giant ketchup bottle, and of course, tributes to Elvis everywhere. Check out the world’s largest ball of string, rubber bands, videotape, and aluminum foil. This predilection for collecting a large number of everyday items and piecing them together has even invaded the church. At the Shrine of the Black Madonna near Eureka, Missouri, a dedicated Father spent some forty years collecting small rocks, pieces of broken glass and seashell to build the shrine.

For those of us who feel a little arts and craftsy but don’t want to spend an entire lifetime at it, there is a neat little “hands on” art gallery in Old Webster just west of St. Louis where you can satisfy your craving to piece together and help out the environment all at the same time: the Yucandu Art Studio takes ordinary things that others throw away and turns them into creative works of art and interesting displays. 

Some of the materials include cardboard, old windows and doors, and the mandatory bits of broken glass and china. Instead of calling a supplier for their art materials, dumpster diving is the stock up of choice. This summer Yucandu is planning several “rescue” art projects for their summer art camps. Old trophies that they have been collecting for a couple of years will become armatures for “Family Tree” sculptures.

Yucandu specializes in bringing art into your life by providing all of the materials and the teaching so Yucandu it. For the summer they have special classes on how to make mosaics for your garden. By using bits and pieces of all kinds of materials like tiles, china, glass, pottery pieces, and stones you can make many different and unique decorations that will last for years to come. Yucandu has projects that include mosaics, decoupage, glitter, and paint. Prices range from $5 to $150. By paying an hourly studio fee you can be assisted by staff, borrow tools, store unfinished projects, and best of all, leave all of the mess behind.

Thinking about making one of those clay ashtrays to get started? Here’s an interesting recipe for making the clay: Take 2 cups of dryer lint, firmly packed, and mix with 1/3 cup warm water, 6 tablespoons white glue, and one tablespoon of clear dish liquid. Measure all of the ingredients into an airtight plastic bag and knead thoroughly.

Yucandu Art Studio is at 20 Allen Avenue in Webster Groves, Missouri. For more information you can call them at (314) 963-4400.

Creative Garden Art: From Trinkets to Treasures

Did you know that you can give new life to nearly any old object? Not only can these ‘recycled items’ add unique charm to your home, but they also be incorporated into the garden. With just a little bit of imagination and a lot of creativity, an ordinary garden can be given the ultimate makeover—one full of character and history. Objects for this task can be found just about anywhere. You can even make use of your own personal possessions that you may have found difficult to part with in the past.
In the garden there is a place for everything, especially containers. Some of the most commonly reused objects that can easily be transformed into interesting containers include plastic jugs, old pots and pans, baskets, and tires. You can also use an old wash tub, sink, or wheelbarrow. For a more personal touch, consider recycling a pair of outgrown boots that were once yours or perhaps belonged to your children. As long as your object allows for drainage, nearly anything goes. For items without drainage holes, simply poke a few in the side or bottom with a drill or other suitable instrument. Don’t get rid of those aged flowerpots; give them a face lift instead by adding some paint or mosaic tiles. 

Plastic soda bottles can turn into unique ‘piggy’ planters. Simply cut a section out of the side to hold a small pot. On the other side, add some feet; this will also give the planter support. Typically, I use an egg carton for this; you may use whatever is on hand. Choose your favorite color and paint the bottle. Add some eyes and ears; the nose comes from the bottle’s lid. Now place a flowerpot into your ‘piggy’ planter and set it in a location of your choosing.

What is a garden without interesting focal points? Large objects make great eyepieces. Wheelbarrows, tubs, old mowers, and statues are some good choices. Fountains and other water features can easily be made from old objects that have just been lying around. Use pieces of pipe, old sinks and tubs, or different sized pots and pans. Welcome birds into the garden with creative sanctuaries. Turn an old mailbox into a festive bird retreat or feeder. Transform dishes into splashing bird baths. Worn-out tools and other similar items can quickly become treasured garden pets. For instance, post-hole diggers can be changed into magnificent alligators. Flowerpots can magically be transformed into cute puppy dogs. Turn saw blades into artificial flowers with some paint; attach to stems made from pipes or broken tool handles. Maybe you would prefer to create sundials from the blades. It’s totally up to you.

Everyone enjoys the whimsical sounds of wind chimes, and these can easily be made from various scrap metal parts. Wind sounders can also be created from strips of metal and twisted into shape. If you have an excessive supply of glass canning jars, drop some tea light candles into them and line walkways or even a deck to add subtle light for get-togethers. Old coffee, soup, or paint cans may be used as well. Simply punch decorative designs into them, add some paint, place a candle inside, and enjoy. Stones and weathered stumps or logs even have potential in the garden. When uniquely placed, these objects can provide additional interest throughout the garden area. Do you like collecting things? Integrate them into the garden. For instance, a collection of bottles or sea shells can be utilized as edging for beds. Ladders, gates, or bed frames can make an attractive trellis for your plants. Dishes can be used in place of mosaic tiles for decorating a variety of objects.

No matter your level of artistic ability or skill, art is art. With any type of art, there is no right or wrong. Objects of all sorts can hold hidden potential. Whatever you see in an object, you can do. All you need is some creativity; as imaginations are never-ending, so are the possibilities.

Mirrormask: The Illustrated Film Script - Review

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Mirrormask: The Illustrated Film Script of the Motion Picture from The Jim Henson Company By Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean William Morrow The Jim Henson Company approached Messrs. Gaiman and McKean, inquiring whether they would be interested in making a fantasy film. They have collaborated on a number of projects over the course of almost twenty years, their most noteworthy achievement being the award-winning Sandman series. Even though The Jim Henson Company only had a $4 million budget, Gaiman and McKean were intrigued by the offer and agreed. In the book’s introduction Gaiman details how he and McKean worked together to create the film’s story and screenplay, which was a tad difficult because of their different approaches to writing. McKean outlines an entire project on cards, aware of every aspect and idea, before writing a screenplay while Gaiman talks until he’s ready to write and then allows a screenplay to flow out of him as he works. Mirrormask is about a young girl named Helena, whose parents run a traveling circus. She is tired of her life and wants to get out of it. Her mother falls very ill and is hospitalized, so Helena stays with her aunt. Helena loves drawing and covers the walls of small bedroom she is staying in with her pictures. One night, she has an odd dream and then unknowingly walks into a city on the other side of reality. It’s a magical world that is divided into the White City and the Dark Forest. Helena is mistaken for the Princess, who stole a charm that caused the White Queen to fall into a sleep she can’t be awoken from. Her slumber has broken this world’s balance and shadowy tendrils seep out of the Dark Forest, destroying everything in the White City they touch. Helena volunteers to find the charm because she has seen herself sleeping back in her aunt’s flat and assumes she is dreaming. As the adventure progresses, Helena learns that she may not be in a dream after all. She becomes aware that she has switched places with the Princess, who ran away from her mother, the Dark Queen. Helena discovers even graver news when she realizes that this strange, new world she is trapped in are her drawings pasted on her aunt’s bedroom walls. When the Princess sees Helena in the drawings, she begins tearing them down, destroying the world she ran away from. Gaiman and McKean have created a fabulous fairy tale that playfully deals with familiar archetypes, such as Sphinxes, while creating brand new ones like the Monkeybirds. Mirrormask should satisfy both children and adults because there is plenty of action and some mild frights. Gaiman wrote the screenplay from their story with plenty of input from McKean along the way. McKean directed the film, which is coming out this fall from Sony Pictures, but has no release date. The Illustrated Film Script contains the screenplay matched with McKean’s storyboards, including the deleted scenes that are sure to appear on the DVD. There are also stills from the sets and behind the scenes that show the final realizations of McKean’s vision. They look marvelous and should be a wonder to behold on the big screen. I was worried about the effect reading the script would have on me in regards to seeing the film, but Mirrormask is so imaginative and its story and visuals are so compelling that the book increased my interest in seeing the film. I highly recommend the book for fans of film and fantasy and certainly understand if you choose to see the film first before reading it. The screenplay format might be tough to read for young children who like the film Appendices in the back show the transformations the Mirrormask story made as Gaiman and McKean emailed back and forth with ideas and alterations and what-ifs. They write mutual-admiration letters and the book closes with the lyrics to the song over the end credits, which were written by Gaiman.

Namibia Welcomes the Baby Girl of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

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This weekend, publicist to "Brangelina" (the media term for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt together) released the news that a baby girl was born during their stay in Namibia Africa. The couple went to Africa recently to have the baby in private.

Currently, journalists are being restricted access to Namibia except in cases where the couple has given permission in writing. News reports show excited Namibians who are thrilled that the couple chose to honor their country in this way. One woman interviewed on ABC said that she hopes that Angelina Jolie's daughter will return again to her birth country when she grows up.

This is the first child of Pitt and Jolie's third child. She adopted two children previously, Zahara and Maddox. Though the couple has not yet married, the children's last names have been legally altered to reflect the new family (Jolie-Pitt).

Controversy about the famous couple began when they co-starred in the film Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Shortly after the film's release, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston publicly divorced.

Both Jolie and Pitt are reportedly in talks to star in Atlas Shrugged, a film which is based on the 1957 novel by Ayn Rand.