Melancholy Circus

Alpha Stamps has started carrying great little masonite ATC sized hutches. With one of those and lots of other Alpha Stamps supplies and collage sheets, I created a Melancholy Circus. I was inspired by the thought of kids running away to join the circus, and then discovering that circus life is really not all it's cracked up to be. Turns out it's a Melancholy Circus: even the trick dogs are sad. Sorry, kids!

The clown on the top was formerly a brightly colored cupcake pick. I painted it with gesso and then aged it with acrylic paints and ink. Here's a list of what I used, with the supplies from Alpha Stamps linked.

SUPPLIES USED

Clown Cupcake Pick

ATC Hutch Shrine Kit
Valance Curtain Die-Cut Chipboard

Patterned Paper from Graphic 45
Circus Arabian Collage Sheet
Little Imps Collage Sheet
Little Darlings Collage Sheet
Circus Horse Stickers

Red Rhinestones
3D Metal Stars

Star Ribbon

1/8" Red Ribbon
Thin Border Stickers (Black)

All the kids have been given a red clown nose and a circus hat, plus a stripey pennant and a clown horn. Even one of the dogs has been decked out in a party hat. They're still not happy.

 

Is it wrong that I love how morose all those kids look, now that they've been properly dressed and forced to perform? Even the depressed looking dogs delight me, poor things.

If you're following along at home, you may have noticed that lately I've done several circus pieces with not-so-enthusiastic kids attending. I'm working on a series. I have more sad circuses in the mix.