click to see all images at large size...
Sorry to disappear on you again ... what did I say a couple of posts ago about the invisible artist? Real Life got in the way of art. Didn't matter what I might have wanted, "stuff" kept happening, right up to and including Dave and myself buying a van which we will shortly be tricking out as a camper! Not all the events that got between me and art uploads were bad things, but they were all time guzzlers, and no mistake.
Today's images are expansions of the "gypsy wagon" theme I was on the last time I had a chance to post. I mentioned that I was going to drive the camera in closer, see how close to the wagon you can get and maintain integrity on the model -- and also get a closer look at the gypsy boy...
So here he is! Here's a bit of trivia for you. The proper name for a gypsy wagon is a vardo. And, how do I know that? Well, back in the days when my mother was a kid -- loooong before my time -- there was a show on radio (tells you how long ago this was) called Out With Romany. Follow that link -- I'm not making this up! The show was so successful, there were Out With Romany books. Mom still has one ... a lovely old hardcover printed in 1944, the year after the author passed away. Me being me, I read it. Like a window into history ... and he refers to his gypsy wagon as the vardo.
So there you are: Romany boy and his vardo, and we know from the previous image his horse is just out of the picture. (Speaking of gypsies and horses, have you see the Johnny Depp movie, The Man Who Cried ...? Does anyone know what happened to Johnny's character at the end of the film? It's very unclear what happens -- you just see a mad panic, people running in all directions, and then the central character, played by Christina Ricci, moves on, and the characters you've come to care about are abandoned, never to be revisited. That irked me at the end of the movie...)
I have to admit, I'm spending some time thinking about (ta da!) writing. In fact, yesterday I took the first major step in pursuing writing seriously.
There's a software system called Scrivener -- you might have heard of it. It's been out for years and years, but it was only ever for Mac. That was such a shame, because I never actually owned a Mac, and don't expect to. They're expensive, and they also have limited compatibility with software -- nothing I currently own would work on a Mac, and I own ... a lot. So, last year (the year before??) when the company behind Scrivener announced that they were working on a Windows version, I was interested, and I did keep an eye on their webpage for months. Then, they overran their projected date for the release of Scrivener for Windows by so far, I thought, "They must have run into insurmountable problems ad scratched it." I confess, I did actually stop watching the website. The other day, some instinct made me take a quick look, and -- aha!
Yes, the Windows version is out right now, and at the same great price. So I just paid forty bucks for it; it installed perfectly and it's so simple. The interface couldn't be any easier. I mean, seriously ... people need tutorials for this? You're kidding me, right? There's a PDF manual that ships with the program, but all you have to do is open your eyes and LOOK at the interface, and the whole thing is self-evident.
So when I get into Abraxas, and some new Very Major Projects that have been buzzing around in my brain, I have the perfect medium to work in. Also, because of the way Scrivener functions, I can grasshopper around from idea to idea, scene to scene, and work in multiple bits and pieces.
Back soon with more!
Jade, June 29
