Quick address. Ok, not so quick.

This month I'm donating 10% of sales of Shamrock and Alien mask Poppets to support Norml, one of the organizations I donate to regularly, which also includes the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, National Coalition Against Censorship and Desert Aids Project.

I've received only one complaint so far, and that one was polite and honest and I appreciate it. It also tells me it might not be a terrible idea to address it here. After all, I generally write pretty frankly about things on this blog, and I invite you to do the same.
I can and do donate privately to a number of organizations, but I chose these particular ones for the auctions because they represent issues that are cloudy to most people and by supporting them here, I invite people to do what Poppets do, which is to 'take a closer look.'

I don't read a lot of comics. It's not that I don't appreciate them, but you can't do everything, and I never got into comics. I did other things. Still, I support the rights of comic creators to have freedom to create. I don't like everything I see in the media, but I think the responsibility for content is on the creators and viewing the responsibility of adult viewers. I'm not gay but I believe people should be free to chose partners as they wish. I don't advocate drug use (including alcohol) but believe that adults should have the power to make their choices. (If you think marijuana prohibition is about marijuana, please do some research.)

This is an ongoing quandry for me, whether to separate my art from the source of my art (my beliefs). It's one of the issues that keeps me up at night. It begs me to define who I am, what my goals are, what my art is, and what my audience wants. These are not easy questions.

As with other 'either/or' issues, I'm thinking the right answer lives somewhere in the middle. It's a matter of balance. Until I find it, Poppets will keep being both adorable and creepy, funny and sad. My demons will play with paddle balls and dead things will talk. And Poppets will keep looking at the world around them and asking questions, questions, questions.

Because that's what I do. I ask questions, questions and more questions. And I encourage others to ask too. Because understanding begins there.

"Stumbling toward the light" still fits me, after all these years. And light is complex, made of many colors, and is perfect. I may never find it fully, but the journey, for me is noble and exciting and gives my life meaning. Therefore, protecting my right (and yours) to explore is a responsibility I take very seriously.

Those are my thoughts. Please tell me yours. I truly want to know.


Now, the Poppet Planet crew (and Orion) are headed out for Chinese food. When we return, fun with bees. Neil's bees. I'm going to make a little weird thing for him (yes, I'll show you) and something for, you guessed it, CBLDF.

have a great Monday.

Poppets at Play

On Dreary Days, We Play.

Yes, indeed. Weeks of dreary days that seemed to go on and on, even into our sleeping hours, into our dreams.

So, what to do but to play?

Ravyn, Bent and Robert are all working on brilliant new pieces for next time.

For now, I'll open the gallery with the Poppets that came from, well, dreary days of play. I considered what Poppets might do on any particularly dreary day, and discovered that they like putting on costumes and masks and creating their own elsewheres.

Some of them explored the world Lewis Carroll created for Alice. I enjoyed a renewed appreciation of that world while I researched for the sculptures. And, of course, found many side roads I'd like to visit with Poppets, like famous 'fools' and Punch and Judy.

At any rate, play was what was called for, play we did, and all was for good.

Some of our Rat friends joined us. It's been quite a long time since I made rats. I realized too, painting these, how much I've missed them. Poppets and Rats seem to get along splendidly.

The auctions are HERE.

10% of Wonderland-inspired Poppet sales is for NORML

10% of other Poppet sales is for NCAC

10% of Little Red Poppets is for CBLDF

10% of Rats is for CBLDF

A number of people are asking me about the Neil Gaiman Rat. I plan to have at least one on each upcoming auction of the limited edition one. I'll also have one each of the other author rats; Edgar Allen Poe, H. P. Lovecraft and Harlan Ellison.
The new Neil Rat will be an open edition and will be out later this year. If you want to be on the mailing list for that, please email to

ravyn@poppetplanet.com

If you have any questions, ask me. I really like hearing from you. I hope you enjoy seeing the new work.

Already, I'm back in the studio.