That's Gneiss! #170 ~ So close, yet disturbingly far...

Plus: How David Lynch is spending his quarantine time

Jan 31, 2021

Let’s start today’s newsletter with a quiz. Can you identify the following people?

A few days ago I came across this Twitter post that has haunted me all week. I wouldn’t normally spend time thinking about was figures and wax museums, but now I’m intrigued.

So many of the wax figures are identifiable, yet highly disturbing renditions of the celebrity they depict. They rarely seem to get it quite right, with some features distorted enough to leave you feeling slightly queasy and questioning your memory.

And perhaps your sanity.

In May of 2009, the Hollywood Wax Museum auctioned off over 150 wax figures. The listing is still visible and you can peruse through it to see with your own eyes the glory and horror of the collection. Some are pretty good replicas of their intended celebrity, others not so much.

The proportions! How is it they mess up the proportions so often? We all know who this is, but yikes.

Looks like they’ve captured Willie’s sinister side.

Can they not get pants that are the right length?

One more to test your identification skills…

Wax museums can be found everywhere. We’ve all heard of the world-famous Madame Tussauds, which now has locations all over the world. Places like these and the Hollywood Wax Museum are major entertainment attractions, designed to give you the opportunity to “hang out” with the stars. Many small museums exist to share local history and other niche topics.

I had planned to cover all of these things today, but frankly I had to get that horrific auction lot out of my system before taking a deep dive into wax figures and museums. That’s a topic that deserves its own newsletter (or maybe two), so come back next week for the next round when we take a look at the history of wax figures. From there I’ll take you on a tour of some of the weirdest wax museums I can find.

Now - the moment you’ve been waiting for! The identification of the celebrities who will be haunting YOUR dreams for the next few days…

Answers: 1) Jane Fonda in On Golden Pond (NOT Linda Blair, haha nice try), 2) Elton John, 3) James Garner in Maverick (psych! you thought it was John Cleese, didn’t you?) 4) Patrick Swayze in Road House, 5) Tom Cruise, 6) Tiger Woods, 7) Evil Willie Nelson, 8) Bruce Springsteen 9) Julia Roberts (hey, just reporting what the auction said)

Tidbits

Why your Instagram Engagement Kinda Sucks Right Now (hint: you have a life, and it isn’t devoted to spending every waking moment creating IG reels and stories)
Do your neighbors want to get vaccinated? - a county-level map of the likelihood folks around you will get vaccinated when they can.
5 Lost Yorkshire Stately Homes - some interesting history around these magnificent buildings that no longer exist.
Making: I’ve enjoyed making these little pieces from the latest slow drawing session with Amy Maricle. They’re great for getting to know my watercolors a bit better - lots of pushing paint around and blending of colors for different effects.

librarianguish

A post shared by Anne Murphy (@librarianguish)

Reading: I’ve got a bunch of stuff checked out, but haven’t made much progress the last few days because I’ve been arting!

Art Zone

Instead of featuring one or two artists today, let’s take a look at what folks are doing for the 8th annual the100DayProject, in which one tries to do something creative for 100 days in a row. People choose to do all sorts of things - painting, fiber arts, poetry, photography, hand lettering - the possibilities are endless! I’ve never done this myself, but am feeling up to it this year. The official start is today, January 31st, and if you’re wondering 100 days from now is in May! It might seem daunting, but the great thing about this challenge (and most challenges) is that you’re encouraged to make it work for YOU. It’s supposed to be FUN, and in the process you may learn something about yourself and improve your skills. And you can decide to start any time you want - not just today! Check out #the100dayproject or #the100dayproject2021 on Instagram to see more than the few I’m posting here.

You might choose to draw or paint the same object for 100 days.

chezgiselestudio

A post shared by Gisele (@chezgiselestudio)

Day 1/100 #chezg100trees 🌲 I imagine that weekend days, like today, will afford more time for full scenes during this project. Also, my 5 year old was concerned that my drawing was too sad, so I added a moon and stars per his request. I did, however, decline his suggestion to use bright red. 😝

Some people like to spend a bit of time every day on one large project.

tikiwren

A post shared by Jenn | she/her (@tikiwren)

Day 1 of #the100dayproject ! I’ve started working on a pattern from @sublimestitching and hope to finish a little bit each day. #embroidery

Here’s somebody taking an interactive approach to create 10-day art pieces.

detailsandscribbles

A post shared by Jess (@detailsandscribbles)

This year I am doing something different for my 100 day project.

I will add a new element to one piece everyday for 10 days then I will start a new piece.

Everyday I will ask for you help choosing what I add the next day. Make sure you check out my stories to vote!

This last one caught me eye, just because it’s such a beautiful painting of Electric Peak in Montana. She’s taking an interesting approach to their project too.

wildartness

A post shared by Rachel Cudmore (@wildartness)

I’ll be sketching and painting the same ten mountains for the next 100 days in hope to hone my skills. As a bonus, I will be creating a body of ten encaustic paintings based off these sketches and smaller paintings that will be exhibited for the #artofquarantine program in the month of April in Gardiner Montana!

I haven’t done my first piece yet, but have spent time prepping lots of watercolor pods to get ready…