Never let anyone tell you that your art will get you nowhere, because getting amazing seats and going backstage at a Howie Mandel show is a pretty epic place to be! 🤩✨️
This weekend was filled with so much joy and perspective. At one point during the evening I was looking up at the beautiful ceiling of the Genesee Theatre and it hit me that this unforgettable evening I was having with my husband all stemmed from a piece of art that I envisioned and created.
There I was, 45 years old, standing next to Howie Mandel, all because I had picked up my drawing pencils to engage with my 8-year-old inner child. The little girl who fell in love with a movie that made life less scary, because there was always the possibility that a high-energy, baseball-card-collecting, Dorito-munching, home-goods-smashing, bully-revenging, apple-juice-pissing, homework-eating monster of a friend was just a bedtime away.
That’s when I got this overwhelming sense that my younger self would be so proud of where her art has taken her. That she would be so glad she never listened to those who told her that art would get her nowhere. Because although it has not made me rich financially, it has blessed me with so many amazing life experiences that my younger self could have ever imagined. And to me that is somewhere.
5 years in the making, and I truly can not thank Howie’s Manager Rich enough. Not just for an unforgettable evening but for also pushing me to take a risk and ship an original piece of artwork to him because “Howie saw it and loved it so much”. The heart of this “little monster” is now fuller than “an elm tree”😆💗🌳 and you made that happen.
This time they featured the photos from mine and my husband’s recent day date adventure where we got to see a nostalgic masterpiece in person… the one and only Studebaker featured in The Muppets Movie!
So honored once again to be featured. Shout out to Craig Shemin, his writing talents, and the work of the Studebaker National Museum for keeping Jim’s legacy alive for all us lovers and dreamers! 🌈✨️
February is a very special time of the year for my husband Frank and I. For those who are not aware, we were born 6 days apart in the same hospital, so these past 2 weeks we found fun and unique ways to celebrate 45 trips around the sun for the both of us.
With me still being out of work I didn’t want to do anything too costly or too far away and I had heard about a new exhibit at the Studebaker Museum that was a little under 2 hours from us. Since my birthday falls two days before Valentine’s Day, we doubled down and made it a little day date adventure for that as well.
Now most of you may be saying “But Nicole, why the Studebaker Museum?” Well because a VERY special vehicle just happens to be on display there right now. A vehicle that an artsy Jim Henson obsessed geek like myself couldn’t help but feel all the feels from being in the same room with it…. aka the one and only original Studebaker from They Muppets Movie! The same car that Fozzie and Kermit take on their memorable road trip to Hollywood together. A vehicle filled with magic, art, hopes, and dreams! And maybe a few rubber chickens as well.
Not only is Fozzie’s car a very fun and nostalgic part of cinema history, it also plays a very fascinating part in both the world of engineering and puppetry arts. The car was actually outfitted to create the illusion that Fozzie was driving. They used a monitor hidden in the car’s bullet nose and the real driver in the trunk. With my husband being into cars and a tech in engineering he too was fascinated by seeing the mechanics of this in person. Seeing the car also takes you back to a very significant moment in Muppet history. The moment that Kermit and Fozzie meet Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem Band for the very first time. With the help of Scooter on bubble duty, the band busts out the paints and brushes and while they jam out to “Can You Picture That?” completely transform Fozzie’s car into a far out escape from Don Hopper. An epic masterpiece and a colorful new beginning to a very groovy friendship.
Now to switch gears.. So right after the holidays were over, I knew I wouldn’t have the money to buy my husband something off his wishlist so I started brainstorming what I could make him instead. I had less then 2 months and knew I had to get started on whatever I planned on doing. Then it hit me out of nowhere.. could I pull off making him a They Live Alien? It’s one of his favorite movies and he loves props that are life like in size. And like me and my Muppets, he also has quite the collection of memorabilia and tattoos to prove his dedication. Making him anything in the past has always been hard because when we are not at work we are always together. So being laid off I knew this was the perfect time to pull off something that required this much work. So the first thing I did was check the supplies I already had and made a list of what I needed to budget the rest.
I used the same life size, heavy weight, anatomical skulls I use for my zombie heads as the base and got to work. I had never made one of these so each part of the process was either going to go really well or I was going to be really tested. I kept thinking of David Bowie’s words “Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”
It was thrilling to see how giddy I would get with coming up with how to accomplish the next step in the process and seeing it all start to come to fruition. However nothing beat the feeling when I saw the look on his face when he opened it. 2 months of trying to hide this thing while still working on my other art projects paid off and he is now the proud owner of a They Live collectible that no one in the world will ever have. The beauty of aliens, love and handmade art!
You can see this They Live piece of art featured with more of my Misc Sculpture and Latex art on the Remains page of my portfolio website.
Attention fellow 80’s babies who are living their best kidulting lives because you know the true magic that comes from sticker collecting! You will be happy to know that I am currently putting the clear labels (that I designed) onto 10 Limited Edition Sticker Packs!
Each pack is pre-packaged by my printer and contains 5 stickers I selected from various art pieces I have hand drawn or hand painted over the years that were all inspired by 80’s pop culture icons and nostalgia.
Although very limited at this time, these sticker packs are my way of offering something new to my art collectors while I continue to weather the storm. Since I am still unemployed and have to budget a lot more, I am testing the waters to see how well these do before offering additional sets. These first packs will be available to purchase in person at a discounted rate* at Closet Collectibles in Crete, IL. (when I do my next art drop/restock) with limited stock also available in my Etsy and Latchet shops while supplies last.
I know I say it all the time, but thank you again for your continued support. Every order and purchase means the world to me, especially now while I’m unemployed and navigating this chaotic job market. The last six months have been a roller coaster of emotions with job rejections, opportunity scams, and moments where my self-worth has really been tested. But through it all, sparks of art wins from all of you have come in like small miracles, lifting my spirits just when I need it most. Your support is what keeps me moving forward, and I’m so incredibly grateful for those of you that continue to believe in me and my talents.
Stay Strange & Magical ✨️, LDG Nicole
*Price is discounted from online store prices. Etsy listings reflect the unfortunate amount of shop and transaction fees they charge us artists to sell online. If you are local or traveling to Illinois, I encourage my clients to save money and see my work on full display by shopping my artwork in person with my consignment partner, Closet Collectibles where they truly support my creative endeavors to the fullest as their resident local artist.
