I've always enjoyed puppets - watching them, making them, using them. Lately I've let myself really lean into them - and they seem to be leaning back.
Possibly some of it is the Baaer-Meinhoff phenomena (frequency illusion). It's when you focus on something, and suddenly you see it everywhere. Some of it is actual coincidence.
Like the tabletop puppet workshop I took a couple of weeks ago. The instructor offers a workshop about once every two years - and it just popped up recently.
Another professional puppeteer who offers online classes also, just this week, gave a free hour-plus masterclass overview, which included showing the inner workings of some of his puppets, and puppeting techniques. A good puppeteer doesn't need an elaborate puppet - they can convey a personality with a scarf, or a water bottle. It's all about the body language.
At the baby shower a couple of weeks ago, I saw a guy I hadn't seen for a couple of years. He's an artist, so we were talking our art and I showed him my puppet pictures. He mentioned another mutual friend that I haven't seen in about four years, and mentioned that she was also making puppets. I sent her a text - and she invited me to a group that was making puppets this past weekend.
So yeah - a lot of puppets coming at me.
I did go to the group thing. Jennifer had mentioned that the host had been making puppets for 15 years. I was looking forward to learning something - maybe how to do blinking eye mechs or flapping wings or other mechanics. Or maybe learn some of those puppeting techniques.
Alas, no. He makes puppets for things like rallies and protests. Last year for No Kings they made large figures representing migrant children.
Which are cool, and remind me of the big street puppets I've seen in parades in Mexico, but there are no sophisticated mechanics.
This year they are making big eyeballs for No Kings (either representing "keeping an eye on you" or "I (eye) voted."
I even kept my mouth shut about these, because I had just met our hosts and didn't want to be one of *those* people. But these are big - about 18" across, and made of paper mache, which is relatively heavy. There is a hole in the bottom that will be lined with foam rubber, and they will be worn like big hats. There is a sort of rule in theater that actors should never support the weight of a costume on their heads. I fear that their actors are going to have some very sore necks, but it's not my circus.
I helped to paint a couple of eyes, but even there I was frustrated. Jennifer made her living "by the brush" - painting scenic backgrounds for stage and screen. I was struggling with the paints. We were using paper plates for palettes, which made it tricky to thin the paints. I was having trouble getting the right texture, and shading the colors. My painting was coming out muddy - either too thick, or too watery and transparent. (This is not impostor syndrome - I am very capable of being pleased when I do good work; this was not good). I asked Jennifer for advice, but she just assured me that I didn't have to do what she did, and I was doing fine. Well, I didn't want reassurance; I wanted assistance. She wanted to focus on her own work, which I understand.
Fortunately the weather stepped in. About the time I was feeling a bit frustrated, and also when a lot more people were supposed to show up (the area was a bit crowded with only the four of us) - it started to rain. Thunderstorms were predicted, coming from the west. I explained that I lived about 20 miles west, and needed to get home before the storms.
So - it was, well, nice. I did not come home all excited and inspired, but I also didn't return with "there's four hours of my life that I'll never get back again." I was, of course, invited to come be an eyeball at the rally, but I declined. All in all, I'd rather be in my cottage.
Speaking of which - the Leszy now has legs and a torso. Tomorrow I figure out arms (making them shouldn't be too complicated, but I have to figure out how to attach them to move freely).
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