Read Her Palm

 

Isn't this gorgeous?! It the finished palm tree that one of Halfland's Angel Army made during the last few months of her Friday visits. It's just exactly right for Halfland, hand-made, almost real looking, made from humble, simple materials through artistry. It'll look amazing next to the Serpent Sage Musician's desert tent in the film's last scene.

Sherie from the Sea, a very special regular Halfland Helper, started making the desert palm with me last summer. We cut leaf shapes out of ordinary brown grocery bags and layered them over iron wire and painted them rich greens. Many lent a hand cutting each leaf into fine angled fringes.

We covered a series of cardboard tubes with rustic brown papyrus paper, found at Pearl Paint, to simulate loose striated bark. She took her time add carefully added tiny strands of coconut fiber in between each fold of the bark. She collected fallen bamboo husks to use as the bottoms of fronds at the top of the tree. She finished the look perfectly by adding dyed corn husks over the palm date clusters. Speaking of them...

Dates happen around here. In the middle of all this creativity, my friend, (the talented photographer who shot the image used in the new banner) David stopped by to shoot the goings on and promptly got his heart completely stolen by Miss Sherie. (Who could blame him?! She's divine.) All everyone here knew was that David sure enough hung around that night after the shoot "helping" Sherie by painting the dates purple for her tree! (that's him auditioning them for her, bottom right) They closed down the place, talking, laughing, and giggling for hours, and then grabbed a coffee together after I threw them out--I mean asked them to leave! I got a one-word email the next day from David, "Wow."

Halfland dating indeed! l'Sigh. l'Amore. Muse R Us©.

So now with the tree all done and marvelous, I've assigned Sherie to start construction on the Musician's tent next. I've already dyed the old clothes that will be its fabrics in deep yellows and pale saffrons. One of the first tasks Sherie ever did here was to overpaint a collection of brocades several shades of bright orange for this same character's costume. The desert scene (Film 3 in the story outline) seems to be a perfect-fit niche for Sherie.