King Tiki Tiki's Christmas Extravaganza!

Happy Holidays from Elmwood Productions!
Hope you and all the people have an amazing holiday season!

It's Munny Madness at Paris In Plantsville!

The next show at Paris In Plantsville is called "Munny Madness!"

A Munny is a vinyl doll that can be painted on, sculpted, customized to be whatever you want it to be. Paris In Plantsville puty out a call to artists to make a Munny and be part of the show, and the response has been amazing. The show opens 12/17 at the gallery...
BUT!
If you want to get a Munny in the show there is still a little time left!
Drop off ends 12/15
And it's all for a good cause...
30% of the proceeds will be donated to The Starlight Children's Foundation

Elmwood's Jon Bristol even did a couple (for a sneak peek of one of them click here)

We hope to see you at the opening!
More info HERE

Josh & Todd... Coming Soon!

2012... Ten Years...

2012 will be the tenth year we as a group are known as Elmwood Productions...

It all began in Jon Bristol's apartment with a bunch of goons, a video camera, and some puppets.

Those goons included Russ Bird, Jim Williams and Peter Lucco...  Among others.

So here we are verging on ten years...

This past October Jon's cousin Samantha Hugh asked him if she could write a profile on him, and Elmwood Productions for a class project.  Sam Hugh is a freshman at Eastern Connecticut State University studying Psychology and Visual Arts. She is also the best cousin ever. She enjoys good music, art, and sarcasm. This profile of Jon was written for her Honors English Course, and its purpose was to show an aspect of Jon's personality, mainly that he is a hard working, unique, and inspiring person who can always find the good in life. "Jon was chosen as the topic for this profile because he has always inspired me, impressed me, and put a smile on my face!"  On a cool and sunny day, just before Halloween Sam came to Paris In Plantsville, and cornered him...

Here is that paper, Jon's warts and all, as a start to us celebrating TEN YEARS OF ELMWOOD!

I open the door to Paris in Plantsville, a small, cozy art gallery and studio, when I hear the bell ring to announce my arrival. I glance around for my elusive cousin Jonathan, who can frequently be found at the gallery, and peer my head around the corner. I see him standing in the corner with a co-worker, admiring a piece of art on display for the Halloween themed open gallery, and looking casual in a t-shirt and wearing converse, as usual. His head shining partially bald at the age of 36, a shocking sight when compared to the head of hair he had as a teen, and I see his trademark beard that wraps around his face, which I acquaint him with. He has a smile on as usual, and he looks ready to laugh at any moment. He greets me joyously and brings me to the humble back porch, decorated by the creative artists at the gallery. 

We catch up on our lives; He tells me everything’s been going great. I tell him about school and the usual, making that small talk that’s always required when you haven’t seen a family member in some time. We eventually migrate inside to escape the roaring winds, and settle down into some office chairs in the back studio. We make ourselves comfortable and he looks at me with a face that says let’s get this show on the road. His desk is to my left, with a few papers scattered across it, a pencil, and some pictures of his puppets. He looks eager to answer my questions and smiles at me. We begin to talk about puppetry: his hobby, talent, and passion in life. Jonathan is the man who started a company called Elmwood Productions, a small film production/puppet making company that he runs with his friends and family, named after Jon’s hometown of Elmwood, Connecticut. “It’s like something that was always there. I grew up obsessed playing with my toy puppets all of the time, and it just kind of stuck. I think the first time I took it seriously was in my early twenties”, he says about how he became interested in puppeteering. “My earliest memories are, like, watching the Muppet Show on Sundays, and then like after kindergarten just like, putting the records on, you remember records? And like trying to lip sing with the puppets to them and hoping people would watch me do little shows, and no one did”. His love for the Muppets is a well-known fact. In fact Jon can frequently be seen wearing a Kermit The Frog t-shirt, and if that isn’t enough for him, he’s got Kermit tattooed on his arm for his permanent viewing pleasure. "If you asked me when I was six years old what I wanted to be when I grow up, I would have said Kermit the frog", he says with a chuckle. He tells me he didn’t become interested in working with puppets until he realized that they were more then just toys; “People actually do this”, he says. The rest is Elmwood Puppets history. 

When telling me about the beginnings of his company he says it wasn’t until after he had tried some other things in life when the curiosity of what comic book art would look like in a 3D form sparked in his mind.  “That was after I had tried a couple other things in life as far as creative outlets. I did comic art for a few years, I really enjoyed that too, and then I was looking at some of my drawings, and I was curious about what they would look like in three dimensions…and it just clicked, like, the love of puppets and the Muppets, it just clicked.”, he says, as if it wasn’t a decision he had any control over. After his move back to Connecticut from Florida, where he spent most of his free time indoors working on puppets due to the extreme heat, he met up with his friend Russ Bird, who was interested in film making as well. "We started throwing ideas at each other, next thing you know we were literally writing scripts and just making our friends come over to my apartment and do puppetry. They didn't know how to do it…  and that was the start of Elmwood Productions." He gives me a brief synopsis of how the company was named. He says, “It’s catchy, you know? Elmwood Productions. It’s better than like, Dingle Berry Productions”. I laugh; his humor never fails to be ridiculous, and to put a smile on my face. I ask how he taught himself to make puppets, he replies that he read a lot of books, "I hit like every library in town…if I could check the book out then I would, and if I couldn’t, I brought my camera and took pictures of it". He was dedicated to learning this art, and had plenty of time to master this skill at that point in his life, as he spent eight hours a day "sitting in the living room, waiting for the inevitable", as he describes it, while he was caring for his mother who was extremely ill with emphysema. Making puppets was relaxing for Jonathan, "The most calm I am is when I’m building puppets", he says. He’s grateful for his love of puppets, it keeps his mind off of the stressful things in life; family, friends, work, etc. “Elmwood kept me going”., he says about his company. 

Of course it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows when starting a company up from the ground. He tells me about the struggles to make time for puppeteering while still trying to pay the bills, how hard it can be to find people as committed as he is. “When you’re doing something as odd as puppetry, its not like you have a painting and you hang it in on a wall in a gallery or you have a song and you put it on iTunes. This is just weird, it’s just hard to get the doors open, especially in the puppetry community too because they’re so tight knit and secretive, which is sad in a way because if people were more open about it, then there would be more of it out there”. Jon says about the obstacles of puppetry. There have been times where he didn’t think starting the company would be possible. I ask him if there were ever times where he felt like quitting. He responds, “Hell yeah, after I got divorced I was just like screw this, you know. I don’t want to do this anymore. I just want to be like everyone else and be the drone and have the job and pay my bills and watch movies on the weekend and this and that.” While going through his divorce, he says he felt like “hanging it up, it was a hassle”. But these types of struggles won’t hold him back, Jon is the type of guy to get back on his feet and keep moving. Having been through his fair share of hardships in life such as the deaths of his older brother, mother, and close friends, he won’t let anything stop him from doing what he loves. “Usually when something bad happens that makes me think about doing that, it just makes me decide to push even harder.” he tells me. When asked about the growth of the company he says, "We started out as a bunch of guys in my living room with a video camera…just making skits and tying them together and trying to get onto public access…we just worked our asses off”. Of course that hard work paid off, and with the help of the Internet and social networking, Elmwood Productions has grown significantly over the years. I say to Jon, “How do you judge the success of your company?”.” He simply says, “Laughter, honest to god”, and eventually recalls a time when an Elmwood Productions film truly impacted someone’s life for the better. “We made a movie that we premiered this year, and a buddy of mine brought his son who was going through a life crisis. Freshman in college and just nothing was going right for him, and that movie just kind of opened his eyes and made him realized that he needed to get out of his fucking shell.  I never thought I’d make a movie like that, that actually made a difference to somebody", he says regarding his first film, Josh & Todd: The Story of a Man and his Puppet. The film focuses on Josh, who has a puppet (Todd) move in with him in his apartment, and he must learn to accept Todd and become a more adventurous and outgoing person. Jon and his company have also made short films such as Steve The Vampire, Betty and Me, and Naked Girlfriend. Some people may be more concerned with paying the bills than being happy, but Jon isn’t one of them. "Life’s too short to not do what you care about", he says. 

Jonathan isn’t your average man, he’s had an almost countless number of jobs from working in landscaping to running a coffee shop, which prompted me to ask what his plans were when he graduated high school, if any. He says he always wanted to be an artist, he didn’t go to college, and like any other normal kid after high school, he went a little wild the summer after graduating. "I knew I wasn't taking a conventional route", he says about his life. Most young adults today are pressured to follow a certain route after graduating, and Jonathan wasn’t excluded from that crowd, even though times were a bit different eighteen years ago. He tells me about his high school guidance counselor and how she didn’t support his career plans at all; he bitterly describes her job as useless. He recalls on a time when a classmates mother questioned him for not continuing his education, she asked him what he was doing with his life. "I'm going to the school of life", he replies. Some people might not be happy working in a coffee shop, but Jonathan is a people person who makes the best out of any situation. He tells me, "If you're happy, then you're successful". What makes Jonathan so positive and full of life are the experiences he’s been through in his life and the people he’s known. He isn’t afraid to follow his dreams, which is quite an inspiration.

We eventually diverge from the topic of puppeteering and the company. I talk a little bit about my summer job because it involved some puppeteering at my summer camp, and he ends up making a joke about bowel movements, which doesn’t surprise me. He gets a lot of his sense of humor from his late brother Michael, whom he describes as having no filter. "If he wanted to say fuck you, he'd say fuck you. He didn't care", he says about Michael, who had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, (DMD), a disease caused by an absence of the protein dystrophin, which helps keep muscle cells intact. DMD will eventually weaken all voluntary muscles, including some involuntary muscles such as heart and breathing muscles, and survival is rare beyond age thirty. “I think I got a really good perspective on how short life can be…I knew from my youngest years that people were dying around us…  so I got that perspective on how short life can be and how precious it is” He shifts his position in his chair. “We were pretty tight". He says it gave him a great perspective on how short life is, he always knew people were dying, and learned that life is precious. "You never knew what was going to happen next", he says about his life with Michael. He goes on to say, "At family functions, I was like a ghost". He may have gotten less attention from the family, but he never let it be an issue because his parents raised him maturely. I ask how Michael’s disease affected Jonathan’s childhood. He says, "I didn't get to do all the normal kid stuff, that's for sure". He talks about how going to MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) events were normal weekend activities. He tells me about his memories of riding on the back of Michael’s wheelchair on his skateboard, and it’s clear they weren’t only brothers, but best friends. “There was definitely days where I would just sit down with my brother and hang and we would just draw and talk, and I think that led to a lot of my creativity because we were always drawing characters and coming up with super heroes and monsters and lots of them became puppets I’ve built” He tells me they bonded over their love of comic books, and that love made him wan to draw comic books in the first place, which of course led to puppeteering. "We would sit down and just draw and talk", he says about time spent with Michael. Jon and Michael were in high school for one year together before Michael graduated. Jon says Michael was popular and had a lot of friends; no one ever treated him differently on purpose. "I was this dork, you know. I was not cool", he says about himself. 

After his death, "It really sunk in how short life is". He says he realized at that point that you might never do something, and he heard Michael’s voice in his head telling him that if he wanted to work with puppets, to just do it. "If I don't do it now, when will I?” he asks me rhetorically. He says Michael taught him to keep going, as well as the importance of connecting with people and making them laugh. His voice sounds confident and collected, yet nostalgic and caring. After the death he says his parents projected what they wanted from Michael onto him, making him pay rent for example. Jon says he grew up quickly, but he’s grateful for that. He’s always known how to take care of himself. He speaks of his mother and how she reacted after Michael’s death, "She blamed herself. You can't blame yourself, but she did", he tells me. He later says she began to smoke herself to death after Michael passed, giving a perspective on how people deal with loss differently, and how strong of a person Jonathan really is. "There's nothing wrong with moving on, just never forgetting", he says. When asked about what advice Jonathan would give to someone with a family member who has muscular dystrophy, he says “Just be patient, and enjoy every second really. Life is too short, so just have fun. Don’t let it get under your skin while the person is around. When they’re gone then be angry about it if you want to, but don’t be angry in front of them, it’s not worth it.” that they should be patient and enjoy every moment they can. He says it’s a hard thing to have to go through, but life is too short, so you should have fun while you can. It’s not worth it to be angry. 

I ask Jon if he has any last parting words for our interview, he blatantly says, “No, I can’t think of anything”. I say to him “Sex, drugs, and rock and roll?”.” He laughs and says, "Yeah! Just sex and rock and roll, I'm too old for drugs, I’ll leave that to the young guys”. He’s never been afraid to make fun of himself; he doesn’t take life that seriously, because he knows it’s too short to not have fun.

Welcome back...

"The Muppets"

Opens tomorrow here in the U.S. and we hope to see you there!

Poetry Corner with Johnnie Sojive!

Here's a challenge to YOU, our Fans and Friends... If we can get 1000 fans on our Facebook with your help by Thanksgiving (Nov. 24) Midnight we'll give away a one of a kind Elmwood Puppet that has been featured on one of our films! All you have to do is make sure we hit 1000 fans and you are entered! We'll pick a winner from one of the 1000 fans! So start suggesting this page to every single person you have ever met!

Here's the link to the page

Elmwood On Facebook

ANOTHER WEDDING!?!?!

Rachel and Chris...

Congrats!

Hope your wedding is wonderful, and your marriage is even better!

Love ya both!!!!!

- The Elm Gang!

Gabe Gets A Girl....

Looks like Russ and Liz aren't the only Elmwooders trying the knot this year...

Our won Gabe has finally saved enough money to buy himself a mail order bride!

Wait...
Oh, sorry...
He did it the old fashioned way! He actually went on dates and stuff!!!

Congrats to Gabe and Amy on today!
Their wedding day!

Who Wants A Free Puppet?

YOU DO!!!

Here's a challenge to YOU, our Fans and Friends... If we can get 1000 fans on our Facebook with your help by Thanksgiving (Nov. 24) Midnight we'll give away a one of a kind Elmwood Puppet that has been featured on one of our films! All you have to do is make sure we hit 1000 fans and you are entered! We'll pick a winner from one of the 1000 fans! So start suggesting this page to every single person you have ever met!

Here's the link to the page

Elmwood On Facebook

King Tiki Tiki's Shack of Amazement!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE ELMWOOD GANG!

Halloween Art Show!

There's an open call to all artists for "The Halloween Extravaganza!" at Paris In Plantsville!

The theme for the work is horror, sci-fi, fantasy...  Anything that works for Halloween, and all mediums are accepted!

Let's see what you've got!

The drop off dates are 10/9 - 10/12

And the Opening Celebration is 10/15, with a screening to end the night of "Halloween" at Midnight

Paris In Plantsville will also be having a few other free film screenings for the Halloween season including a double feature of "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "The Forbidden Zone" on 10/21, and a Devil's Night screening of "The Crow" on 10/30

More info HERE

The Events are sponsored by Gallery Of A Clown

The Holidays are just around the corner!

Start your shopping now!

We've got T-Shirts, Hats, Mugs, undies, and more on Cafe Press!

Give Elmwood for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Yule, New Years, or any occasion! We'll appreciate it almost as much as the person you give the gift too!!!

Opening Saturday at Paris In Plantsville!

Harvesting The Harbinger:

The Artwork of Clinton Deckert

Paris In Plantsville is proud to host a solo show by Artist Clinton Deckert.

Opening Reception Will be Oct 1, 2011 7-10 p.m.

The show runs from Sept. 17 - Oct 8...

Use This Link For More Info!

About The Artist: Award winning artist, Clinton Deckert, is renowned for his paintings where abstract thoughts and surreal imagery collide. He has twice been awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship Grant from the Greater Hartford Arts Council and his paintings have recently been added to the internationally acclaimed Jack Warner Collection. Deckert is past president of the now defunct Artworks Gallery in Hartford Connecticut where he served on their Board of Directors for fourteen years. He painted a fourteen-foot long wall mural for the University of Connecticut Tri-Campus Psychology Department in West Hartford and exhibited at UConn Storrs, Steven's Gallery. In New York he has shown in the once famous Monique Goldstrom Gallery and exhibited in "Brave Destiny" the International Surrealist Exhibition at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center in Brooklyn. Over the years Clint’s work continues to earn awards and his paintings have been represented in nine juried shows at the New Britain Museum of American Art. He has conducted numerous lectures throughout Connecticut including Connecticut Art Education Association and The Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. He frequently serves as Judge/Juror for many regional exhibitions. Deckert’s work has been favorably reviewed numerous times in Art New England, The Hartford Courant and his work has twice appeared in The New York Times. His work has been featured on the cover of Art Calendar-Professional Artist Magazine and he has achieved inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who in American Art. Deckert‘s paintings are in numerous collections throughout the country and he continuously exhibits throughout the Northeast.

www.clintondeckert.com

WOW!!!

We at Elmwood Productions are happy, proud, and excited!

RUSS AND LIZ ARE GETTING MARRIED TODAY!!!

Poetry Corner with Johnnie Sojive!

5 Years ago today this blog opened!

For those who were there...

Thanks for sticking with us this long!

And for those who came on along the way we thank you too!

Here's to 5 more... and more... and more...

Jordan's Own Confusion

Elmwood Friend Jordan Deschene is having an Art Show!

Opening Tomorrow Nite!

More Info - HERE!

It's Labor Day!

Please join us in our annual support of the 

Muscular Dystrophy Association

Click HERE for the MDA!

Poetry Corner with Johnnie Sojive!

Come See Johnnie in Person!

Tomorrow Nite at The Hearthstone Pub in Plantsville CT on West Main Street

More info here -

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR!

Fresh Outta The Gutter

This Saturday nite head on out to see our brothers at Paris In Plantsville for something unique...

Art on Bowling Pins!

Paris provided over 40 artists with bowling pins to turn into their own creation, and on August 13 the opening party is being held to get a look at what they have all created.

Elmwood's own Jim WIlliams and Jon Bristol have both created pins for the show!

If you can't make the opening party you can still see the pins during normal gallery hours

More info HERE!

Poetry Corner with Johnnie Sojive!

Elmwood Productions will be at ConnectiCon this year again!

Two years ago Steve the Vampire was a hit...
Last year Johnnie Sojive harassed you...

This year... "Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet" will be screening!
July 9th at 8:00 PM!

To get into the screening you do have to attend the convention, registration/ticket info is here.

Members of the cast and crew will be on hand for a Q&A session following the flick!

We can see you....

...  and you should be ashamed!

Rachel and Chris on a Grand Adventure!

Jon here...

We've been doing this Elmwood Puppets thing for too many years to think of...  Hahaha...

In those years we've had people come, and go, as puppeteers, writers, directors, and so on...

Few have left the mark on us that Rachel has.

Rachel and her man, Mr. Chris Ly, are moving on to sunnier lands (California), and I really can't say how much she'll be missed by the crew.  It's rare to find someone who can walk into a situation and just hang, and deal with the madness that comes along with us.  And Rachel did it.  And so did Chris.  They both wiggled dolls, made us laugh and laughed with us, and brought a new dynamic to the fun.  Both of them have been amazing to us, and personally, I'm sad to see them leave.  But...  I'm happy for them to make the move, back closer to their home, and families...

SO THANK YOU TWO SO MUCH!  

And a couple pics, of some of the fun...

Rachel prepping puppets for "Gamrz"

Chris on the "Gamrz" set

Hard at work on an upcoming "Steve the Vampire" episode

Rachel looking hot, Jon looking crazy...

And Rachel and Chris!  We already miss you!  Good Luck!!!

And keep up with what Rachel is up to

Check out her website!

Poetry Corner!!!

I Need That Record!

Coming up this Saturday nite at Paris In Plantsville they continue their series of independent film screenings with Brendon Toller's fantastic "I Need That Record!",  a documentary feature examining why over 3000 independent record stores have closed across the U.S. in the past decade.

Greedy record labels, media consolidation, homogenized radio, big box stores, Ecommerce, shoddy "stars" pushed by big money, and the digital revolution all pose threats on the very well being of our favorite record stores and the music industry at large. Will these stores die? Will they survive?

With amazing animations by MATT NEWMAN!

The film starts right here in Connecticut with the final downfall of Record Express then soon we discover it's not just CT loosing these shops...

The film maker, Brandon Toller will be on hand for a Q&A session following the film, and he'll have copies of the DVD too!

The movie starts at 8PM. As always it's free to get in, but anyone who makes a donation of $5.00 or more will be entered into a raffle to win original art from a Paris In Plantsville Resident Artist and some music related goodies!

For more info hit up the Facebook event page here!

Happy Memorial Day!

Hope everyone out there has a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!

Summer is upon us!

Summer Puppet Making Workshop

Puppet Maker Jon Bristol of The Elmwood Puppets will be holding a three day workshop in July at Paris In Plantsville!

Learn how to make a Muppet/Henson style moving mouth puppet like Steve the Vampire!

All the materials and tools are included in the registration fee, and space is limited, so it's first come first serve.

At the end of the workshop you'll have a completed puppet, and you get to keep the pattern and tools and leftover material for future use!

The dates are July 11, 18, and 25 2011 (all Mondays) from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

The total cost is $150.00, a $50.00 deposit* holds your spot in the workshop and the rest is due the first day.

To sign up or for more information contact the instructor, Jon, at jon@elmwoodproductions.com or stop by Paris In Plantsville

* The deposit is non-refundable, but if you have to cancel we'll put it toward a future workshop if you sign up for one!

Paris In Plantsville

15 West Main Street

Plantsville CT 06479

We know what we'll be doing after Thanksgiving dinner...

Poetry Corner!

This Saturday At Paris In Plantsville...

Click The Picture For More Info

Happy Easter!

We hope the bunny filled your basket with all the good stuff!

And thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate the National Day of Puppetry and came out to see 'Josh and Todd" this weekend!

Poetry Corner!

And don't forget to come see Johnnie tonite and tomorrow nite at Paris In Plantsville for the screenings of "Josh and Todd" The Story of A Man and His Puppet"!

Josh and Todd Screening in 5 Days!

April 22 and 23 at Paris In Plantsville!
Doors open at 7 PM, the movie starts at 8 PM!
Don't miss it!

Everyone who comes and makes a five dollar donation to the gallery will be entered in a raffle to win a one of a kind Elmwood puppet made by Jon Bristol!

The shows on two nites, so there will be two puppets!

The Elmwood People - Gabe Finkenstein

Up next in the profiles of

The Elmwood People
is

Gabe Finkenstein (Gabe as Hunter in "Josh and Todd")

Gabe came to Elmwood Productions as an all around helping hand in 2006 and has since moved his way up the ranks... He designs set, puppets, puppeteers, writes, and even acts!
In "Steve the Vampire"he plays The Vampire Hunter's assistant, Raoul, and in "Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man And His Puppet" he played the rhyming Hunter.
Gabe has also puppeteered in"Animal Behavior" and a variety of other shorts.
Currently he's running the production of "Grimrod" a new web series from Elmwood. Gabe graduated in 2006 from Paer College .

Gabe also has helped to restore carousels with W.R.F designs since 2002.
Gabe has experience with sculpting, cartooning, painting, and carving, His work has been featured in the New Haven Register, Bristol Press and Hartford Courant, along with an article in Southern Living magazine and multiple articles in the Carousel News Trader magazine, Gabe recently illustrated a children's book "Gabrielle and the Extraordinary Man". He has participated in New Britain Museum of American Art's MAD Art Auctions and has taught cartooning classes/demonstrations in Plainville, Southington, Cheshire and Hamden.
His other works can be viewed on his website at Finkensteinstudios.com or you can e-mail him for commissioned work at Gabe@finkensteinstudios.com .

No Foolin'!

ATTENTION JITTERBUGS!

Happy April Fool's Day!

This is no joke!

We're showing "Josh and Todd" again at Paris In Plantsville!

As we gear up to screen the movie everywhere we can this summer, from galleries, to coffee shops, to tattoo shops, to living rooms, to the sides of moving vehicles...

We want to do one more at Paris In Plantsville as a thanks to the gallery and to the audience who made the February 19th screening so successful!

We had a packed house and everyone was laughing!

So if you missed it or just want to see it again, now is your chance!

We're having the weekend screenings on the National Day Of Puppetry too!  So what better time to see a puppet flick!

April 22, and April 23. The doors open at 7:00 PM and the film starts at 8:00PM
$5.00 donation to the gallery is requested to get in (where else can you go to see a movie for five bucks!), and Paris In Plantsville Members get in free!

Check out the Facebook Event Page for more info!

Eric Stegmaier Art!

Did you know that Eric Stegmaier of "Josh and Todd" is also an accomplished artist?

Well now you do!

Come see his work at Paris In Plantsville!

Gallery talk by the artist at 7:00 PM, discussing Archaeological Illustration and his adventures in the East.

As an archaeological illustrator for the last 9 years, Eric has completed hundreds of field illustrations that span several archaeological facets including artifact rendering, stratigraphic diagramming, vessel profiling, tomb mapping, and architectural floor plan illustration. He has worked at several sites throughout

Israel including Qumran, Bethsaida, and the Roman Fort at Yotvata, and his illustrations appear in several publications including magazines, reports, and textbooks.

Eric holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration from the Hartford Art School, and a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies with a focus in death and burial practices from Sacred Heart University. Currently employed as a conservation assistant in the Paintings Conservation department at the Yale Center for BritishArt, Eric has recently begun a working relationship with the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale and is performing freelance work for the Department of Egyptology. His other clientele includes the University of Hartford, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Florida International University.

If you can't make it to the April 2 opening, the show will be running during normal gallery hours from 4/2 to 4/14.

For more information check out the Facebook event page here!

And for fun, here's a pic of Elmwood's Creative Director Jon Bristol with Eric (in the hat).

Looking handsome guys!

Something's Cooking Over There...

Check out the blog for 

"Josh and Todd: The Story of a Man And His Puppet"

for the latest on the next screening!

Click Here!

Poetry Corner

Come see Johnnie is his feature film debut!

"Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet"

will be screening at Paris In Plantsville on April 22 and 23! More info HERE

Films Wanted At Paris In Plantsville

Films Wanted!

 

Are you a film maker?

Made a flick?

Want it screened at Paris In Plantsville?

 

You do?  

Good!  We want to show it!

 

Resident artists Jon Bristol (also Creative Director at Elmwood Productions) and Steve Rand are currently putting together a schedule of films to be screened at the gallery starting in May, and a film festival weekend is being planned for the summer of 2011.

Short films, feature films, comedy, drama, experimental, action, documentary, any kind!

 Contact Jon via email at  jon@elmwoodproductions.com with "Film Submission" in the title. Or stop by the gallery and drop off a DVD.

 

No submission guidelines!  You made a movie, we wanna see it!  

Bad Monster!

Bad Monster tells you to do bad things!

Member Appreciation Month At Paris In Plantsville

Our friends over at Paris In Plantsville are have a member appreciation month for March!

As a huge "Thank You!" for their first amazing year they want to give back to their members! Starting March 4th any member can come to the gallery and hang art free of charge!

Not a member yet and want to be in on the show? Come by and join the gallery! A membership is $35.00 and you're in!
Membership also gets you into member shows, 1/2 off the entry fee in other juried and open call shows, discounts on classes, and more. It pays for itself quickly! And if you drop off your work 3/4-3/6 the membership fee is only $25.00! Yowza!

Look for other great events for the members in March to be announced soon.

This is going to be a fun show and a great way to end this winter! Thanks again for the amazing first year!

For more info use this link

And coming in April, Temporal Artistry from Eric Stegmaier

RERUN! Reminder

In case you missed it last year...  We're like the major TV networks...  We show the same holiday specials every year...  

Wait...  What do you mean it's been three months since Christmas?

Poetry Corner

Thanks to everyone who came out Saturday nite to see the premiere screening of "Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet" at Paris In Plantsville!

It was a sold out crowd!

So we've been asked to show it again in March!

Look for the date to be announced in the next week!

ReBirthday

Tomorrow is the opening nite for our friend's at Paris In Plantsville's one year anniversary show called "ReBirthday"

Come on down to Paris In Plantsville and see some amazing art, meet the artists, and participate in a charity art auction that includes some Elmwood Puppets made by Jon Bristol!

Also on the agenda will be music by The Jason Hricko Quartet.

Hope to see you there!

And as this is being posted "Josh and Todd" is about to screen at the gallery! Get there quick!

Form more info use this link!

Movie Premiere This Saturday!

Elmwood Productions is proud to premiere our first feature film this Saturday at
Paris In Plantsville

"Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet"

What would you do if you woke up one morning to find a monster has moved in with you? Well, this is what happens to Josh. And not only does the monster Todd move in, but he also causes complete havoc on Josh's boring life. Josh's girlfriend can't take it and leaves, his friends think he's going nuts, and all Todd want's him to do is loosen up for the first time since childhood and have some fun.
The short film "With Bated Breath" by directed by Steve Rand will precede the screening.
Musician Josh A., who has a song featured in the film, will also be performing a set!

The doors open at 7:00 PM and the film starts at 8:00PM
$5.00 to get in (where else can you go to see a movie for five bucks!)

The film is not rated, be advised - this is not for kids. The film does have all sorts of things to ruin a kids mind, like coarse language, modern psychology, adult subject matter and puppet nudity. Yes, puppet nudity. The film is still in progress. This screening will also not only entertain you (we hope!) but will also help the filmmakers as they continue to edit it before entering film festivals and release the film on DVD.

Following the screening the filmmakers (Jon Bristol, Jim Williams, and Russ Bird) along with members of the cast will be doing a question and answer session on micro-budget film making, working with monsters, and other things that went along with making this film for those interested. Those not are free to hang out and enjoy the gallery also.

Paris In Plantsville
15 West Main Street
Plantsville, CT 06479
www.parisinplantsville.com
(on Rt 10, Southington)

Follow the film at Josh and Todd's blog!

One Week Away!

Come see the feature film

"Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet"

at Paris In Plantsville!

Click on the pictures below for more details!

And on 2/20...  It's a ReBirthday!

Happy Valentine's Day From Bad Monster!

Bad Monster tells you to do bad things!

Saturday 2/19/11 at 8 PM!  

See "Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet"

at Paris in Plantsville!

The Painter

Re-Birthday at Paris In Plantsville

PARIS IN PLANTSVILLE ONE YEAR CELEBRATION!

This show will be dedicated to the fight against breast cancer and in honor of Southington native: Lisa Dlugos

Lisa has been fighting breast cancer for some time now and has the fight of her life. 20% of all artwork and merchandise sold will be donated to charity for the fight against breast cancer.

Submission Drop Off Dates: 1/23/11-1/25/11

Unaccepted Work Pick Up Dates: 1/29/11-1/31/11

*Submission Forms available for download at

https://docs.google.com/vi

ewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chro

me=true&srcid=0B2geyzwObIQ

PM2U1MWVmMWMtNDRmMi00MDRiL

WI2MmQtODc0ZjY4ZjY1NjE1&hl

=en

for Open Call Submissions

Juror: CLINTON DECKERT

http://www.clintondeckert.com/

ENTRY FEES:

Non-members-10$ per entry

Members-$5

Up to 3 entries allowed and width of artwork may not exceed 44 inches.

 Come celebrate with us!