Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Wacky Wednesday #47—Dr. Seuss

 
 
This is a poem I created in the style of Dr. Seuss, in honor of his birthday today…
 
 
Did you know, did you hear
What is special today?
Let’s shout it out loud:
It’s Dr. Seuss’ birthday!

 
Today he would be
One hundred and twelve.
I’ll go get the candles
Off of the shelf.
 
Dr. Seuss lived
To be eighty-seven.
I think he’s now drawing
And painting in Heaven.
 
Oh, such joy
Oh, what fun
All his books
bring to everyone.
 
Did you know that he wrote
More than sixty books--
In twenty languages?
The whole world is hooked.
 
How we love
All his rhymes
As we read
At bed time.
 
Funny words
And colors bright.
I read them all day.
I read them all night.
 
Dr. Seuss,
Your books bring such joy
To women and men,
And girls and boys.
To cats and bats
And rats and gnats
And rats in hats
And bats on mats.
 
You made us laugh
So many times.
Such delightful words.
Such fun-filled rhymes.
 
What can we offer
To thank you so much
For sharing your humor
with all of us?
A sculpture?
A song?
A note
That is five miles long?
 
Thanks for
Making the ham green--
As well as the eggs--
They’re the greenest I’ve seen.
 
From all of us readers
From near and from far
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss,
You raised the bar.
__________________________________
 
 
I was going to post only the poem and not do a big back story about this costume.
But that just isn’t me. For me, the back story is part of the fun. So:
 
This costume idea came to me months ago when I discovered that Dr. Seuss’ birthday was going to fall on a Wednesday this year. Dr. Seuss is delightful, no matter where you live. But I live in San Diego, where Dr. Seuss spent the second half of his life, so we have a lot of enthusiasm for him here.
 
A few weeks ago my adorable neighbor gave me yards of lime green polyester pant suit material. She once sewed her own clothes and has given me fabric and patterns she’s had since the 60s and 70s because she isn’t likely to use these things anymore. I’d just realized that I didn’t have a lime green polyester pant suit, so her timing was perfect. Just kidding. I prefer dresses. So what should I do with this material? Soon I realized that the Kermit the Frog color of this fabric was the exact shade I needed for my green eggs and ham piece of today’s costume. Solution found. Here is a 24-second video of me. I’m putting the pieces of my hat together: 
 

 
 
 
 
 

This is a photo of a tree a few miles from here in La Jolla. Years ago, before I knew that Dr. Seuss once lived in San Diego, I saw these cartoon-like trees:

photo credit: Jason Zite

At some point I realized that these very trees were ones that Dr. Seuss (who lived in that neighborhood) probably used as inspiration for truffula trees he drew in books like The Lorax:



This is the fabric I used to make my skirt. Happy clothes make happy people!







Dr. Seuss’ drawing style and color choices are bright and full of life—and not limited to the colors you usually see in nature. I love that he made up words and names and embraced silliness. That appealed to me as a child and it appeals to me as an adult. As I often say, adults need laughs, too.

As an artist I’m in awe of Dr. Seuss’ imagination. The ideas kept flowing and he wrote book after book, full of strange creatures and made-up places and a few life lessons, too. Could he have guessed how much his characters would mean to kids and grownups alike?

 

Dr. Seuss, happy birthday

From all of us fans.

Thanks a lot for the books.

You make our hearts dance!

 




www.instagram.com/sarahconleyartist

24 comments:

  1. I bet you made a lot of people smile today!

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    1. HI Madeline, thanks! Some people had no idea, but others did love it...

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  2. Everyone loves Suess! So fun :)

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    1. Christie, thanks! He does have universal appeal, I think...

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  3. WOW, you continue to enthrall us all with your wild wacky creations!
    Amy

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    1. Thanks, Amy, but most of the credit today goes to Dr. Seuss!

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  4. Wesley HAD to read Green Eggs and Ham tonight before bed. He would have thought this was the coolest!

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    1. Thanks, Adri. The kids told me yesterday how much he loves that book...

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  5. I do remember my mother, your grandmother, reading the Seuss books to me, when I was little. I loved the rhyming, melodic sound, and the silly characters, and the colors, and the joy. I looked forward to mom reading me these wonderful books. These books will keep going on forever- they are timeless. Also, I LOVE your outfit, Sarah. You look as if you could step RIGHT into the pages of one of the Seuss books, and would fit right in! Bravo, to you, and Happy Birthday to Dr.Seuss! Love, Aunt Eileen

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    1. Thanks, Aunt Eileen! These books are such magic, aren't they?

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  6. Very cute, cute you are, making us laugh, our shining star

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    1. Thank you, sir, I appreciate that. You make me smile, like the Cat in the Hat...

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  7. Of course I particularly love this one, since I share a birthday with Dr. S :-)

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  8. You were brilliant to choose March 2nd as your birthday!!!

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  9. What a fantastic tribute to Dr. Seuss! Thanks for sharing your creativity! This gave me a big smile today. :)

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  10. Oh, good! So glad you liked it Ashley. Dr. Seuss really knew the value of a laugh, I think...

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  11. I'm so late responding. But this by far is my favorite you know how much of a fan I am of good ol DR.SEUSS ♡

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  12. I'm so late responding. But this by far is my favorite you know how much of a fan I am of good ol DR.SEUSS ♡

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  13. Glad my daughter Spring told me about you. I'm really enjoying your mix of creative mediums. Very talented!

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  14. Glad my daughter Spring told me about you. I'm really enjoying your mix of creative mediums. Very talented!

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    1. Hi Mark! How nice of you. So glad you liked it. Keep checking in!

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  15. LOVE dr. Seuss! Your green eggs and ham, with pipe-cleaner fork, are awesome! And I love that cute dr. Seuss print material... Yes so fun, brings so much whimsy to everyday life 💗

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  16. Thanks, L! His illustrations had such a cheery vibe...

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