Tea & Automatons

Yesterday I had the honor of being the surprise guest speaker at the banquet at the Pacific Northwest Ball Jointed Doll Expo.  The reason Marie Adair, the Expo Coordinator asked me to speak was that next year’s theme is STEAMPUNK!!!!  This year’s theme was Fairytales and the creativity was simply amazing.
They have contests for the best dressed dolls, best scenes and so on.  There is also a contest for the best photo backdrops and my husband is trying hard not to give in to all the wonderful ideas he has.  I do not currently own one of the dolls, but I have to admit, it is tempting.  They are beautiful and they have such nice clothes and wonderful accessories!  Needless to say, neither of us need any new hobbies, but we are both quite excited for next year’s show.  It will be May 10^th 2014 at the Kitsap Conference Center in Bremerton.  I’ll be sure to post when they have the website updated so you can all join us.

I took a few pictures of some of the fantastic dolls.  You can view the gallery here.   Enjoy!

And while they are not ball jointed dolls, I have been collecting images of steampunk dolls that catch my eye over on my Pinterest page.  You can see them here.

 

 

 

Yesterday I gathered a group of friends at the Woodland Park Zoo to take some photos to promote Steamcon V.  Amber Clark of Stopped Motion Photography graciously offered to donate her time and energy to the project.  I am eagerly awaiting the results.  I’ll make sure to post some when we get them done.

It was a very fun adventure and I think we will have some fabulous photos.  We really have to do that more often.  It got me thinking about photography these days.  Digital photography has made things so much more fluid.  It’s so nice not to feel that you have to control every aspect of what gets into the shot.  PhotoShop is my best friend for so many reasons.

I showed my book, Steampunk Archetypes to a young woman the other day and she politely said it was “nice but too over processed” in her opinion.

A little history about the book; I wanted to create a book that addressed some of the main archetypes of steampunk as a way to think about dressing for the genre.  It is to encourage people to think beyond the standard uniform looks that we had begun to see.  It is not very big or detailed, but it’s kind of a starting point.  I’d love to have the chance to write a larger tome some day.

All the photos in the book are of me, for a few different reasons.  The first is because I have lots of pictures of myself in various costumes so that was handy.  The second is because I really can’t afford to hire models, rent or buy clothes, pay photographers and all the other myriad costs associated with doing a more professional operation.  The third is that I am quite frankly proud of my efforts to step beyond the ubiquitous and create new and different looks.  These are looks that I engineered and I am proud of them.

As for “over processed”, yes I concede that my photos are reworked in Photoshop to a large degree, but it is entirely intentional.  I thought about her comment for a while, but I keep coming to the same conclusion which is that I make up for what I lack by using my artistic skills.  The woman in question is a young model and still enjoying notoriety and attention.  I am no longer young and thin.  I freely admit that I “shop” out blemishes, unflattering bits or double chins once in awhile.  I also do not have a makeup artist, stylist or lighting assistant to help make the photos better from the start.  I do not even have a professional photographer usually.  It’s just my husband shooting quick shots during this or that event that half the time, we are also running.  So I make do with whatever photos we happen to get.  Often I have to compensate for poor light levels or bad backgrounds.

I did a little modeling when I was younger, but the difference is that now I am creating the entire image.  I am choosing the clothes, props, and accessories.  I pick out the wigs.  I do the makeup.  Then I take the photograph and Photoshop out or in a background.  I decide on what effects to add.  This is my artwork.  I am working toward showcasing the look, not the photo itself.

It’s pride perhaps but not vanity. I am not dressed up because I think I am “all that.”  I dress up because I created this look to express myself.  I am proud of my costuming, and my makeup work.   I found a way to express myself and it makes me feel good.  I want to encourage others to do so as well.  Five years old or fifty or seventy five, I want people to feel free to express themselves.    So what if we are not supermodels?  Dress up!  Have fun.

For the past year or so, I’ve heard people say that Art Nouveau is dieselpunk.  Not being an art history major, I wasn’t going to argue the point without knowing the facts.  That did not sound right, but maybe I was confused.  Then in the last week, while having four different discussions about the difference between steampunk and dieselpunk, people have said something to the effect of “I am not really a dieselpunk fan but I do love Art Nouveau…”  Hmmm.  Time to hit the books or rather the internet.

Almost every source I found says that the Art Nouveau movement is from 1894 – 1914.  I generally feel that steampunk gives way to dieselpunk at about the start of World War I which is 1914, so that would make Art Nouveau entirely acceptable in the steampunk era.  Not that I am saying that the artwork from that period is steampunk.  It would obviously need to be tweaked, given a degree of anachronism, science fiction or technology, but my favorite art movement is most definitely in the appropriate era to be steampunk.

Okay, so perhaps the problem is that these people are mixing up Art Nouveau with Art Deco, which is rooted quite squarely in the dieselpunk era, beginning in the 1920′s and going all the way to the 1940′s.  After a little digging, I am pretty sure this must be the case.  I know that some of the works are a little hard to differentiate, but they are definitely separate things.  In a way it’s a lot like the difficulty people have distinguishing steampunk and dieselpunk.

Steampunk came first chronologically and though they are both types of retrofuturism, they are most certainly distinctive genres.  Steampunk is based in an earlier age when steam power was more prevalent, with to my mind a bit more optimism.  Dieselpunk arose at the beginning of World War I, with the use of diesel power, when the world changed and became a war hardened place.  While I like to say that steampunk doesn’t NEED historical accuracy, understanding how the world is changed by certain events does help you to understand how people of the time might have imagined their future, which leads to how dieselpunk and steampunk differ.  Just like in art, an understanding of the underlying basics is key to being able to change history believably.

 

I hope that you have been enjoying this crazy season.  I feel like I have either been prepping for events or attending them non-stop for a while.  Still a few more to go too.

First there was the Steampunk Exhibition Ball run by the Center for Sex Positive Culture.  It was held in the new location for the Museum of History and Industry. People were so very well dressed.  It was quite a treat.  I do miss the old location for it’s multiple spaces.  The new space is nice and very open.   The prohibition on flash photography was also a bit annoying but we found light where we could.

 

We went to a dress up event at the Raygun Lounge called Shindig.  I am not really a game person so it won’t be a standard haunt for me, but several of my friends were moving away soon, so it was a great excuse to hang out with them.  They had tasty food and beverages for sale as well, so it was a nice night.

Lastly, there was Steampunk University last Saturday.  We had classes and a store full of great merchants.  Attendance was decent, despite the many scattered showers.  I got a lot of good feedback from people who came to find out what this steampunk thing was really all about. They seemed very enthused.  We sold a lot of memberships to the convention!

Although I am steadfastly saving every penny for my birthday trip to Paris, I did buy a gorgeous mini pith helmet from my friend Amanda Forbes.  It was too cute to resist and it will go well with Steamcon V’s “Around the World” theme.

Next weekend, the Abney Park and Steam Powered Giraffe show!

Once again at Norwescon on Easter weekend, Steamcon will be running a promo table and Eggstravaganza.  We will be selling golden eggs filled with candy and a prize code.  The prizes include Steamcon V memberships, Steamcon IV pins, Steamcon stickers, Steamcon magnets, and lots more fun things.  You will also get a ribbon.  We’ve made four new ones just for Norwescon, but the supply is limited so get them while they last.

If you have not gotten your Steamcon V membership yet we will have them for sale at a discounted rate and for an even better discount if you pay by cash or check.  You will receive a ribbon for purchasing memberships as well.

So drop by in your steampunk finery and chat with us about this year’s Steamcon.  It’s going to be the best yet!

Only eight more days to order my fund raising t-shirt to help with my dream steampunk trip!  This is an extremely limited edition shirt.  Don’t miss your opportunity to own one and help a good cause!

BUY NOW!

 

Thank you!!!!!

So ECCC was good.  I am so tired today.  Bone weary.  Dry air, hard chairs and concrete floors for three days are hard on the old bones.  My ankle hurts where a moron ran into me with a cart when we got to the car after packing up the table.  Luckily I managed to not fall on my face into the glass display case I was carrying, but my ankle is still complaining.

We made many children and adults happy with the bin o’ cheap toys and the bin o’ stuffies.  Met a lot of pin and action figure collectors.  Overall we did pretty good.

My art got some notice, but not as much as I would have hoped.  It can be so disheartening to watch thousands of fans pass you by for all the big name artists, but every now and then someone would stop and look appreciatively.  I did get to meet a few of my very enthusiastic fans.  I even signed a Magic card, which I don’t think I have done in years.  I only painted three ever and one was cut from the deck.  One person had an odd moment when he realized that I was also the person responsible for Steamcon.  We did manage to promote Steamcon a bit and it’s amazing and worrisome how many folks still have just not heard of it.  Short of wandering the streets in costume, handing out flyers, I am just not sure how else to reach them.

I wore three different purple steampunk ensembles and they were well received, but as usual we only managed to get pictures of Saturday’s outfit.    I know that my picture was taken on other days, but I doubt I’ll ever find the photos.  Overall I think there was less costuming this year, but it could just be that they never got back to our table.  The show floor doubled this year and it was very difficult to get through the bottleneck on the Skybridge.  There were lots of attendees but there was even more stuff to buy so it’s hard to say if that works in our favor.

I bought a few cool things, like Brian Kesinger’s Tea Girl Calender, a pair of gorgeous goggles from Blonde Swan, and a couple steampunk appropriate necklaces.  I managed to resist the urge to shop like mad, which at ECCC is a superhuman feat.

I reserved my table for next year, so I need to make notes about what works and what doesn’t.  I am glad that I don’t do this too often, like many others do. It is fun, sometimes rewarding, but so much work.

The rest of my photos are here.

What dream you ask.  My Steampunk Dream Trip to Paris.

What better place for a steampunk enthusiast to go than France!  Birthplace of Jules Verne, home of the Eiffel Tower, Museums, Art and Industry!  Disneyland Paris with the Nautilus!  Mechanical elephants!

So for my fiftieth birthday we are making a journey to Paris.  Thanks to my husband’s work, he had a bunch of airline miles and hotel points, so we got the basics taken care of.  It won’t be a luxury trip, but if nothing else we are going to kick around the city of lights for a week.

I love traveling and what little of it that I’ve done in Europe was amazing.  I was there briefly when I was about six, of which I remember almost nothing.  Then back in 1993, I went on a trip to Angouleme France for a bande desinee (comic book) convention.  That is a long and bizarre tale for another time.  It turned out to be one of the coldest winters in recorded history and I don’t deal with cold well so I was pretty miserable.  I got to spend a very surreal week in Paris afterward but I had a terrible head cold by that point and my host was overly fond of Chinese food so I had a lot of hot and sour soup.   I have always wanted to go back and see Paris properly.

Why am I telling you all this?  Because I’d like to ask you for a little help.  For the past six years, I have been working on Steamcon pretty much full time.  I do enjoy it, but it takes up a lot of my time and creativity, leaving me with little to spare for myself.  If you appreciate all that hard work and you can spare it, I’d love it if you would contribute to my trip fund.  I will completely understand if you don’t want to.  I really don’t even like to ask, but if I don’t, I’ll never know.

The way I see it, I have some very basic goals that I will meet and if I get funded I’ll keep adding slightly bigger goals.  I’ll take lots and lots of pictures and I promise to blog about the entire trip when I return so you can live vicariously through me.

The biggest expense is a trip to Nantes to visit the Jules Verne Museum and the Machines de L’ile.  It requires a train trip and an extra hotel night, but the museum is a must and seeing the mechanical animals up close and personal would be a dream come true.

Then, if we raise enough extra I would truly love to dine at the Jules Verne Restaurant inside the Eiffel Tower.    It is an expensive meal even at lunch, but it seems so appropriate.

So here are my thoughts on the trip and how things can expand if folks are willing to help us out.

• Basic trip – do walking tours around the city.  Eiffel Tower etc.  Munch croissants.  Sit in sidewalk cafes.
• Visit the Musee des Arts et Metiers  and the steampunk Metro station.
• Possibly visit the Musee des Arts Forain (Carnival Arts)
• A day at Paris Disneyland and especially the Jules Verne portion.
• A train trip to Nantes to visit the Jules Verne Museum and visit Machines de L’ile.  Ride the Mechanical Elephant!
• Lunch at the Jules Verne Restaurant in the Eiffel Tower on my birthday or if expenses allow dinner instead.
• Or Dinner at Le Train Bleu, a breathtakingly beautiful restaurant.

I am sure I will come up with a few other fun ideas.  If you can help out, I’d be ever so grateful. If you have ever wanted to go to Paris or you are curious about the steampunk aspects, this is a great chance to assist with a dream.   While I really can’t offer incentives for donating, I do pledge that the person that donates the most will earn a special keepsake from my Paris trip!

I have three easy ways you can help out, if you are willing.

1.  The first is simply find me at an event and contribute directly to my donation box.  It has a copper colored Eiffel tower on it.  You can’t miss it.

2.  The second is to go to the GoFundMe site I just set up.  They do take a cut, so in person is better but if you won’t see me before May, it’s an option.

3.  The third is to buy my spiffy new t-shirt design on TeeSpring.  It will be up for just 21 days and they will print them only if we sell 30 or more.  You will have a very limited edition t-shirt by me and funds will be added to my trip fund.  Win/win.

I suppose there are other ways to help out, but those are the three I have come up with.  Feel free to contact me if you think of something else.  I do appreciate any help that you can spare.  I am very much looking forward to this trip.

 

There are a lot of fun steampunk events coming up.  Here is a list of the ones I know that I am going to do so far.  More may be added to this list in time.  I hope to see you at some of these events.  Feel free to drop by and say hello!

Emerald City Comic Con – WA State Convention Center – March 1-3

While this isn’t technically a steampunk event, there will definitely be steampunk art, merchandise and costuming.  I will be at table L- 20 in the Artists Alley with my Steamporium merchandise as well as my other art.

Steampunk Exhibition Ball – MOHAI – March 9th

A good excuse for steampunks to dress to the nines.

Norwescon – Seatac Doubletree – March 29 – 31

This is a general science fiction convention, but there will be some steampunk content.  Steamcon will have a promotional table in the main hallway and we will be doing raffles and selling Steamcon memberships.

Steampunk University and Store – All Pilgrims’ Church – April 6th

This is an excellent opportunity for anyone curious about steampunk to find out what it’s all about.  Even if you don’t want to attend classes, the store is a wonderful shopping opportunity.  Admission is Free.

Abney Park/Steam Powered Giraffe Show – Historic Everett Theater – April 13th

This should be a fabulous concert.

Brass Screw Confederacy – Port Townsend – June 7-9

The second annual steampunk festival held in picturesque Port Townsend.

Time Travelers’ Rummage Sale – All Pilgrims’ Church – June 15th

A wondrous market filled with art and wares from many of the merchants that will be at Steamcon.  It is a great opportunity to get your ensembles and props for the next steampunk events.

G.E.A.R.con – Portland Doubletree – August 5-7

Portland’s annual steampunk convention.

Time Travelers’ Rummage Sale – All Pilgrims’ Church – August 17th

One more shot at the great shopping opportunities before Steamcon.

Steamcon V – Bellevue Hyatt Regency – October 25th – 27th

Once again we present the Northwest’s premiere steampunk convention.  This year’s theme is Around the World and we plan on bringing you steampunk from many lands, exploration of the Victorian world as it never was and much more.  Professor Elemental has kindly offered to drop by and join in the fun as well as artist Brian Kesinger and author S.M. Stirling.  It will be a grand show!

Head on over to the Steamed Blog and check out the interview we did. Steamcon, pins and art are discussed.