Tonight my toy theatre underwent a change of appearance. Out came a box of Skelt scenery for The Wood Daemon, and in no time the stage was transformed from a representation of the garden here at Ty Isaf, into a bosky dell with woodcutter’s cottage and a distant vista of castle and lake. There is nothing quite like Christmas/New Year to send me catapulting back into the pantomimes of my childhood, and so here to entrance you is a world in miniature contained within the magic aperture of my Pollock’s toy-stage proscenium. Happy New Year to all the Artloggers. Long may you frolic here.
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Clive Hicks-Jenkins' Artlog: 
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May I live in this time – stopped magical place…please? I’ll behave fairly well and even do a little light dusting.
In truth my heart went out to it and I could oh so joyfully, be hanging around, stage right, ‘waiting in the wings.’
Yours as ever and always
B xxx
My dear Bern, what is is about toy theatres and their scenery conjured from scraps of shaped and painted cardboard that make us so nostalgic? I too could live in that woodcutter’s cottage, with the trees and the lake and castle beyond. Sigh!
Dear Clive, Do you have any experience of the construction of shadow theatres. Maybe a book you know of. I fancy making one for my 3 year old grandson. I would like to say how much I like your work, particularly the Mari Lloyd series. I have not come across the subject before save for a vague memory of a Welsh Dance. Was it a seasonal thing, and was there a story or narrative connected to it
At its simplest it can be this:
There are lots of ideas here, and plenty of videos too for inspiration:
http://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/education/puppets-in-education/shadow-puppetry-tips-from-a-puppeteer
A more robust shadow-puppet screen can be made by stapling a sheet of translucent paper over an old picture-frame or canvas stretcher. Heavy duty tracing-paper is good for this. But then you’ll have to figure out how best to support frame and screen securely in a vertical position. For a three year old the cardboard-box technique shown in the video would probably be a pretty good option for a starter-project, with something more ambitious later if your grandson takes to the idea.
Good luck with this. Sounds as though your grandson is in for a treat!
Dear Clive, Thank you for the reply to my inquiry about shadow puppet theatres. Of course I should have looked on you tube, stupid of me.
I have only just found your reply on wordpress, I am still finding my way around. Forgive me for not thanking you earlier.
Bernard
Makes me want to add a dancing figure of you on that stage! A very happy New Year , Clive, and may you dance every day of it, pencil, brush and scissors in hand (now there’s a maquette to make!)
Thank you, Natalie. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the little Pollock’s theatre. Well, not so little, really. It’s quite large. And a Happy 2015 to you too. Lots of love from Ty Isaf.
Magic! You have transported me back to my childhood Christmasses. It also makes me want to paint it in real scale, just like I used to! Happy New Year, ClivexxxL
I always loved that stage-cloth you painted for me for Robin Hood. Soooo beautiful!
Just doing what my designer asked of me, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!xxL
I think you made excellent silk purses from quite a few sow’s ears I sent your way! (-;