Fabulous plates by “Bubbles the Artist”.
The atomic coffee table makes me crazy as well. On top are some african chalk (I think) statues, serving dishes by “bubbles”, a set of coasters, an 8 track player with an Earth, Wind & Fire cassette in it, which when purchased was already in the player, and a book made by Prudence Fenton and Allee Willis featuring the exploits of our Pigmy Will.
Stunning array of ceramics.
The fireplace. This another favorite chair here, the purple one is sooooooo comfy!
This almost knocked me out. Kitsch in it’s highest form.
Chalk lamps, acrylic grapes, watermelon slice! I had lamps similar to these but they succumbed to the Northridge Earthquake.
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Allee Willis
Bubbles did a great job on the plates and I’m glad I hung them on that round wall. We make an excellent team! The plates are part of an 8 piece dinner set called ‚ÄúDinner For Eight”. Each place setting includes a dinner plate, soup bowl and glass with seven different black men depicted in popular Afro hairstyles of the 1970’s. The 8th in the set was me, the only female in attendance. This was so often the case in my music career.
You can see all of Bubbles’/my ceramics at http://www.bubblestheartist.com/ceramics/thumbs-ceramics.html
A couple notes about the second photo: The round white ball radio/8 track player matches four ball TV sets I have around the house. When I found it at a thrift shop for $22 in the early 1990’s the eight track tape that was in it, which remains in it to this day, was Earth, Wind & Fire’s “I Am” album. Not only did I co-write every song except for two on that album and it’s what sent my songwriting career into orbit, I never knew it had been released on eight track. The acquisition of this radio/8 track player which I had been looking for for years and finding a tape in it whose contents literally changed my life and continues to do so was a kitsch loving songwriter’s DREAM.
Also in photo number two, the 23 inch ceramic bowl is a companion piece to the “Dinner for Eight” dinner set. There was one girlfriend painted for each of the guys. The matching male bowl is Mr. Wah Wah in ceramic.
There were three or four times as many vases and sculptures on those shelves in photo three but they all broke in the 1994 LA earthquake. I handled it mentally by looking at all the broken pieces as found objects I could now use in my art. I also realized almost immediately as soon as I put the ones that remained back up that with this few I could appreciate them as design whereas before all I was doing was putting every possession I had up on the shelves and it looked like a thrift shop. This was an important step in my very conscious mental evolution to live with a lot of empty space around me and in my head. This is also what shot me into high gear about decorating the outside of my house as if it was the inside. Anything that’s chipped or cracked and is ceramic gets a second life outside.
I can’t tell you how many people are stunned that I have an actual Picasso hanging on the wall. It is, in fact, so NOT a Picasso. It’s an original Bubbles/I did in 1992 called ‚ÄúGirl with Blue Period by Paula Picasso”.
I have two of the magazine rack poodles in photo five.
The lamps in the last photo are the single best chalkware lamps I’ve ever seen.
denny
Bubbles has a knack for the afro and being up close to this rounded wall makes the plates just go BANG! Seeing them in the pics here is fab but, well, you know my reaction. Don’t you have my hair standing on end captured on video? That should tell you exactly how I feel about being given clearance to photograph “Willis Wonderland”.
The story about the bubble tv (and it’s details) was amazing. That I do remember on my tour. I would have done the same thing and NEVER taken out that 8 track. There it sits and there it shall stay.
You and I were BOTH dodging ceramics as that is where I lost my first (almost entire) collection of kitsch in the 94 earthquake. I put off collecting again for such a long time afterwards. I lost chalkware “Genie” wall hangings, lamps, fabulous glassware. I suppose kitsch can be found all the time, we live in it. I was so plucked that I lost it all.
Lisa Rios
There’s a Pigmy Will book?
denny
Yes Lisa, it’s a limited edition pressing and I think only 2 of them were made. I’d kill for this book! Are you all caught up in viewing Pigmy’s videos? “Golf Cart Pie” just kills me and “The Dive” is just too much! I am digressing again here………..
Lisa Rios
Yes! I love those little cartoons. The recent Carmel Apple one killed me and Golf Cart Pie is great. All the “pie” ones are a crack up. I also love the picture blog. Funny stuff.
The “2 copies” would explain why I’ve never seen a Pigmy Will book.