I remember when I was very young, my grandparents took my family to see the Pittsburg Ballet perform the Nutcracker. I loved it. I didn't really understand it at the time, but I remember the Mouse King and the giant lady who, when she lifted her dress, dozens of children ran out from under her. Before the ballet began, we went to a museum that was close by. The exhibit was different Santa Clauses from around the world. Mannequins were carefully dressed and placed in vignettes inside the gallery space. I remember La Befana, the Italian witch-like character who does the job of Santa, Belsnickel, Santa's companion, and of course the Krampus. The idea that a demon would whip naughty children, chain them, and stuff them in a sack on Christmas Eve, only to drag them back to it's cave high in the mountains and boil them for his Christmas dinner was both horrifying and fantastic to my 5-year-old mind. From then on I was hooked. The Krampus is gaining in popularity in the United States for the past few years. A movie just came out and though it was funny and silly, it didn't really explain why the Krampus was to be feared. I'm cooking a drawing in my mind and though I will be working on it over the winter holidays, I'm not in a rush to complete it any time soon. A figure that has captured my imagination for most of my life deserves to be drawn carefully and with respect. Fear the Krampus!
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Runs with scissors but doesn't eat pasteI'm creating this blog to show works in progress, stages of development, and oddball stuff normally unseen in the portfolio. Archives
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