Update! I finished the video of the dragon. If you want to watch it just click on the photo below of me and the cats.
Hey everyone. Look, it has taken me a long time to realize that I’m just not a great blogger. I have the best of intentions, I really do. The last year or so it seems like my time was not my own. I took on a few commissions and it felt like I was behind on those from the start. Those projects always take more time than I budget. I know all of you artists out there understand. I’ve actually shipped a couple of pieces without even taking photos. Sorry. I just needed to get them done. But I did take some video of my most recent commission, the dragon trophy that you see in the photo below. My client wanted lights behind the eyes etc, so I did that. I’m pretty happy with it. I’ll have a time-lapse video of this project finished in the next couple of days. I’ll post an update when it is finished.
Meanwhile, since I posted last, we picked up two new “helpers.” I’ll use this same photo to introduce them. The “torty” in the middle is Mazzy. The little tabby on the right is Abby. We got them on the same day from different shelters. As you all know, my beloved Max died last year after a long, baffling illness. Then, two weeks after Max died Eddy quit eating. We are convinced that Max’s death contributed to the onset of Eddie’s illness. Eddy just missed his friend and tormentor. After a lot of work, and lots of vet bills, Eddie is now relatively healthy again. Much of the reason we got the kittens was to give Eddie some company. And he has really responded well to them. And so have I.
PS. In case you were wondering, Eddie was in his box (with the heating pad) while the photo above was being taken.
Mazzy loves to be around Eddie. She sleeps close to him when she can.
But most of the time she is with Abby. It’s hard not to post a hundred photos. But I’m sure it’s like seeing a photo album of a friend’s trip…not all that exciting. So I’ll stop now. (Except for the two below)
In my office….
…and on one of the many kitty ramps in the house.
Okay, that’s really it.
PSS. I’m making a cat sculpture for a cat rescue in California. I’ll take some photos and show the making of that project for anyone interested. I haven’t done that in a while.
Take care.
Make art.
Gourmet Paper Mache Blog 
Beautiful new helpers you have!
Thanks Claire!
Dan the dragon commission looks fantastic. I’m so glad you have 2 new helpers for yourself and Eddie! Thanks for the update!
Thanks Rick! I appreciate your support. Truly.
They’re all good looking cats! You need to take more photos of them.. You need to take photos of some cats RIDING some dragons. Personally, I think we’ve been pretty patient.
Sue
Hey Sue. Of course you are all very patient. I’m the one not holding up my end of the bargain. I just have to make more time to post once in a while. Glad you like the new little girls. They are so much fun!
WOW!! as always great work on that dragon, congrats on the two new fur babies. I understand no time, it seems I can never get anything accomplished.Always enjoy your updates no matter when they arrive.
Barbara
Thank you Barbara! I appreciate the reply. Makes me feel better.
Dan, I am not a big fan of animals in general but I love reading how much love you have for cats ^_^. Btw, that dragons is uff!! AMAZING!!! I am working on a “how to train your dragon 2” costumes for Halloween (Hiccup for my 6, dragon for my 4, Astrid for my 2yold) I think I will do a background of a dragon inspired by your art. I will show it to them later… they will love it!!!
Thanks Elizabeth. Good luck with your costumes! What lucky kids! Yes, would love to see what you come up with.
Hi Dan , love all your work, sorry I’m a dog person however pretty cats.llook forward to every story and pics, this dragon is so beautiful, lucky person . Can’t wait for future details ofall your work
I do love dogs too. I have a granddog that I love dearly. Thank you for the nice note Bridget.
Good on you for taking shelter cats! I have a dog and two cats, strays and shelter animals, all different personalities, love their company. Hope Eddie perks up.
You are a nice person to take those animals. Thank you for all of them!
You look so happy with the new babies. I hope Eddie gets back on track soon. The new dragon is fantastic (as always).
Eddie really is doing better. Thank you!
Your art always leaves me enthralled! I love paper mache! You are a wonderful artist. Thank you so much for sharing your works of art with us! Your helpers look pretty satisfied, too!
Thanks Nina. I appreciate your remarks.
Thank you for the post, Dan, I woke up to wonderful news that little Eddie is better and two kitties from death row have gone to Dan’s Cat Heaven on Earth! Delighted to read this. I look forward to seeing your fantastic felines pop up in some of your future videos. Keep up the amazing work.
Thank you Cher. Of course I hated to leave that shelter. I wanted to take them all. I can hardly wait till it gets a little warmer. The kittens haven’t been out in the catio outside yet. Soon.
EXCELLENT!
Thank you CloudyK.
Te Absolvo, Don’t worry about time lapses in posting, You had a busy year plus loss of a dear pet, Good to see your work and congrats on new kitties, I’m sure Eddie is happier with them around. Love the dragon! (of course, why am I surprised? I’m not!) Look forward to seeing the videos. Your work is so very inspiring, thank you, thank you, for sharing yourself and your art on your blog. Best wishes to you in 2017.
Thanks Leslie. Eddie is much happier. He loves watching them. And they are fascinated with him. Best wishes to you too!
Sweet new kitties! I have a tortie too. The poor girl is named after the Egyptian goddess Isis, and I’m SO embarrassed every time we go to the vet and they call her name out loudly into the waiting room… everyone turns and glares! And it doesn’t help that her chart has the word WARNING written across the top in huge letters; my sweet old girl doesn’t like to be handled!
I rescued a little lost kitten a number of years ago, and after one look at her, Isis turned into the spawn of Satan, I swear, hissing and spitting and making the wee kitty tremble with fear. She didn’t want to share her home, so thankfully, I found another home for the beautiful lost kitten, where she has been residing happily for about a decade now.
Hey Phyl. So funny! It’s okay to have your cat named that. You can’t help it if that group decided to name themselves after your cat! My daughter, a vet student, when she first met Mazzy, said, “You are in for some torty-tude!” She is a little princess. Very demanding, talkative, and cute as can be. You are a saint for helping that little cat. She was a handful because she had a hard life. Good for you to give her something much better!
Handsome helpers! And I’m so glad to see each new blog entry – Best Wishes for more commishes!!
Thank you MrHomn. I’ll try to post more often. Take care
Dan, been too long and welcome back – All the best.
Thanks Dave. I’ll try to feed this blog more often.
It’s a real treat to read your posts. And I love the cats. (The dragon is not bad either.)
Thanks Diane. Yes, these two new little girls are so much fun! Hope all is well.
It is really nice to see your work. I love it. Thank you for sharing.
And I love animals so the “helper” pics are fun to see. Is Eddie an Abyssinian?
Thank you Cece. Yes, Eddy is Abby.
Dan…you just keep doing what you’re doing which is fantastic! How nice to be surrounded by your feline friends while you create your magic. You must have a wonderful life.
Thanks Wilma. Yes,it’s a pretty great life.
Hey Dan, FABulous dragon, gorgeous new kittens. If they make you and Eddie happy, and how could they not, then all your fans will be happy! The dragon’s a stunner! Look forward to the next vid. Cheers!
Thank you as always Carol! Much appreciated.
Thank you so much for taking two cats out of a shelter in your heart and home! Thank you for the willingnes of creating a piece for a cat rescue. I will be Looking forward to see your cat creation. Last year I worked as a volunteer in a cat shelter, last month I had to quitte because my very young cat has the horriblw desease FIP. I prefer cats above dragons 😉
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful sculptures with us.
I hope Mazzy and Abby Will have a long and happy life and that Eddie makes a full recovery.
Kind regards from The Netherlands,
Riane.
Thanks Riane. Sorry about your cat’s illness. I appreciate your thoughts and support. It is really fun having these two little girls around. And Eddie is recovering slowly. He loves the kittens. I think it helps him. Take care
We are all glad to hear again from you! It must’ve been a difficult year, sorry. But hey, you look really good in that picture with your new friends (and new beard :-). Take care!!
Hey Nacho. Nice to hear from you! Hope all is well. It was a bit of a tough year. Life happens. But these new pals help a lot. Thank you as always for your support!
I am so happy you have new helpers! They seem to be doing a great job and they have found wonderful parents. I am so happy for you all! Keep up the great work! Heidi
Thanks Heidi!
There are never enough pictures of family pets…. now human relatives..YES…cats and dogs..NO…lol
Too funny! Thanks Darrell
I have 5 helpers, they are mostly black, except for stripy who is grey strip in a target pattern on his sides. I also like the new kitties you have and eddie is a beautiful. The new dragon looks wonderful.
Wow, five must keep you hopping! Mazzy is just after me all day to play! She’s so cute though, I have to stop what I’m doing and play with her. Thank you for your kind words Claudia.
Heck I often wonder how a working artist manages time- you have to market as much as, if not more than, you make things, from my understanding. Maybe you need a blogger helper! I’m sure everyone will love to hear updates when you have time to get to them.
Thanks Christine. Sometimes it is hard to manage it all. But it’s okay. Life is good. Thank you for the nice comments!
Mazzy looks a lot like my Annette, a companion of 18 years. I hope your sweeties give you as much love as Annette gave me.
Posting once every few months or so is often enough. Sure, I’d like to see more of your art, but infrequent is fine.
I love this little Torty. Your Annette must have been very sweet. Thank you for the note!
Congratulations on your new furbabies, beautiful . I’m sure they will help perk everyone up. Thanks for the post on the new dragon…love it. Don’t worry if you don’t post as often as you would like, we appreciate every post you do. Love to see how those dragons are progressing. Take care.
Thanks Sandra! I really appreciate your remarks. You take care too.
Yes
Sent from my iPod
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hi sir my danmonsterman edy.s me too well likes your work beautiful and interesting can tell how you make it and the material was made of any material. I want to create a masterpiece like you I am a penggannguran and want to develop my potential in the field of crafts I want to get out of a difficult period I not only good at making but wants to give benefits to other people that give knowledge to others if the host tells me truly say thank you greetings from my edy.s of batam, Riau island Indonesia
I think I answered your question on Youtube. Good luck.
Dan, I’m so happy for the new kitties and that Eddie is feeling better! I look forward to seeing the video and photos of your latest projects, they’re always so inspiring. Take care!
Thanks Teresa. Yes, life is good. I’m happy to make some new art. Nice to see you working as well. Take care
Thanks for the update! If you’re ever in Kingston, stop by the middle school and ask to visit Ms. Stewart’s class! We’d love to hear your stories!
Sincerely,
Diane Stewart, NBCT
Kingston Middle School
Visual Arts/Ceramic/Read 180-Social Studies
https://www.facebook.com/StewartArtStudents16/
http://www.nkschools.org/Domain/783
“Painting is poetry which is seen and not heard and
poetry is a painting which is heard but not seen.”
Leonardo da Vinci
Hello Diane. Thanks for the invitation! If I am ever up that way I’ll let you know. Good luck with the rest of your year!
No need to apologize, Dan. I’m sure I speak for other fans of yours when I say any updates at all are appreciated. As an artist myself, I love seeing your creations.
Also I’ve been a fan of yours for a decade and a half. I found your Simple Screamer book and its sequel at my library when I was 12 years old and checked them out many times over the years. I attempted cloth mache projects multiple times but as an impatient teenager they usually went unfinished. However last year, at the age of 25 and after rewatching some of your dragon videos I decided enough was enough and decided to make my own full-body, large-sized completely-scaled, frilled and posed aquatic dragon. It’s taken quite a while, but it’s almost finished! My artist girlfriend is doing the paint job and I’ll email you some pictures soon.
Thank you so much for the years of creativity and inspiration!
Hey Andrew. So glad to hear about your dragon! I’d love to see it when you finish (and post it on the “Your Photos” section of my site if you are interested). And thanks for the nice comment.
PS. Remember, the couple that makes dragons together, stays together!
Congrats on the beautiful new kitties – and so glad to hear that Eddie is better! And really there can never be enough adorable pet photos. It’s not like someone else’s vacation photos AT ALL. 🙂 Good to see you posting again and love the light-up-eyes dragon! Cheers from (thawing out) Minneapolis.
Thank you Elise. I appreciate your comments. I do love these little kittens (not so little any more), and of course my Eddie. Glad you are thawing out! Seattle has also been unusually wet and cold this Winter. Spring is always welcome. Take care
What beautiful furbabies!!! I am sure they will be a help for Eddie. Is the new commission for the cat sculpture going to be your selection? If so maybe it could be a sculpture of Max. I am sure all all anxious to see your photos of the new dragon it looked wonderful.
jeanette
Wow! The work you do is awe inspiring! You also have the most beautiful helpers. Thanks for posting the progress photos. I am keen to try a project with my kids in the holidays; do you suppose i could make a weather proof project for the garden?
Kindest regards and thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the nice note Tammy. Makes me realize how long it has been since I actually posted. I have to get back to it! I have only made one project as an experiment to outdoor use. You can read about it here, https://gourmetpapermache.com/2015/01/13/outdoor-paper-mache-dragon/. I still consider it an experiment. It will disintegrate over time I have no doubt. But it has lasted much longer than I expected. Good luck with your project! I have fond memories of doing this with my girls when they were young.
Thanks very much. You are my inspiration. Good luck for your projects
Thank you. And good luck to you with your projects as well.