WHERE ARE THE WOMEN?
I wasn't aware of it at the time, but the men in Magic Town outnumber the women something like twenty to one. What I did so naturally with my male characters actually turned out to be incredibly difficult to capture with women. My experiences in the wino districts were, of course, male experiences. As a result, that's what comes out in my work. I suppose I could fake it easy enough, put boobs on a sculpture, whittle the waist and call it good. But there is so much more to a woman - the way she stands, the shape of her hands, the way her jaw tilts, the curve of her neck.
Creating a woman is an art in and of itself. And I'm simply not as good at it as I would like to be.
Also women aren't as much macho fun to make. My little men, they go all the way back to the pipe-cleaner men I made as a kid in Texas. They come with guns and hats and tough-guy stories about hunting buffalo, picking a fight in the midst of the wino serenade. When I create a character, I get fully wrapped up in the story. I'm like a method actor preparing a part.
Up there in my studio, I'll be talking to myself, making up voices, chirping like a bird, babbling in baby talk, telling this lump of clay who I think he should be and listening while he tells me who he really is. It's silly, really, and such a fun ride to make a character. A delight!
I've been able to find that in a few of my women - characters like Sandy and Babe, and the woman in the red dress - but their stories aren't the same, and I'm not quite as skillful in translating them.
I know I've told the story right when a guest goes into Magic Town and says, "Hey, I know that guy." Or, "Dad, come look at this! That's Uncle Hank. Right there. It's Uncle Hank to a tee, isn't it?" And it happens like that every day. I don't know your Uncle Hank, but it tickles me to death when you discover him. These are the people I've loved my whole life, and if you find just one character that reminds you of someone you've loved - well, that's the best I could ask for.
Learn how Michael Garman creates the MAGIC in Magic Town in the September issue of Adventures of a Vagabond Sculptor.
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