Tag Archives: bodypaint

Tommy The Clown

June 20, 2017 Marsha Mellow Leave a comment

Tommy the Clown got sliced in half, to expose his charm and wit but all I could see as he came apart was maggoty chunks of shit.

***It’s just that kind of week…John’s brother’s wife died on Saturday, his other brother is coming up from Florida to stay for the funeral on Thursday. His two youngest sons graduate high school on Friday, his mother is coming in from Utah to stay for that – as well as his middle son’s birthday and his oldest son’s college graduation… AND one of his cars was in a fender-bender this morning while he was getting his youngest son back to school after a face breaking concussion and recovery. Glad I’m not him. On the bright side, all I have to do is continue working on our new book – which is nothing but hours and hours and hours of fun… -Marsha

body-oddies, Clowns, Flash Fiction, fragment

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

June 6, 2017 Marsha Mellow Leave a comment

Milton was an odd fellow. Everybody thought so. He had wild ideas about everything from politics to gardening. He thought animals would be healthier if we didn’t butcher them. He thought terrorism was a bad way to fight terrorism and had, daily, heated arguments about transference with the wooden Indian outside the smoke shop….very odd.

He painted a creepy clown face with purple polka-dots on his van (even though he can’t drive). He muttered bizarre things to ladies as he passed them in the streets, like: “Have a nice day!” and “Love your head scarf!!” – it was horrifying. Last week he predicted the world would end two years ago and hung unauthorized presidential campaign posters for ‘asparagus’ and ‘enchiladas’ (even though they were probably better candidates)…and every time he ate pickled anchovy sandwiches with mayo and peanut butter, his breath still smelled like beef jerky…..Huh!

For all this and much more, Milton was the subject of intense gossip all over town. He often made the front page of the local Gazette and people got into fist fights over the consistency of his guacamole. To some, he was a nuisance, to others a local folk hero – and to others still, a tourist attraction.

Well, that was all good and fine for most folks…but for me, seeing him stroll about with three fully grown legs – one facing front and two facing back, was truly a marvel…..and wow, what a snazzy dancer!

***This is a sketch and flash piece for my “Body-Oddies” book project, which is well underway and on schedule for publication in 2018 (that is, if John can get his lazy ass in gear and finish the illustrations). The publisher is really excited with the whole project. -Marsha Mellow

Clowns

Wazu The Clown

May 9, 2017 Marsha Mellow Leave a comment

Wazu the Clown-84

Wazu the Clown had trouble at home; His girlfriend kept getting fatter. The fact that she was due to give birth, just didn’t seem to matter. SHE wanted him to get married, but he wasn’t going along. He’d never marry a blow-up-doll, ’cause that would be “morally wrong.”

***We’re busy…really busy. Here is an image from our “Blue-ish Freaks” book, to pass the time. The poem didn’t make it into that book, nor will it be in the new one…..Oh well. -Marsha

Clowns, Sci-Fi

Hans and the Talking Bear

April 25, 2017 Marsha Mellow Leave a comment

Hans-talking-bear-82

Hans discovered that he could speak with a bear who turned up in his flat last week, as once he got past his initial dread, he understood all that he said. They hit it right off, like lickety-split, just laughing and joking and shootin’ the shit… ’till the bear got hungry and ate his head and now poor Hans is dead.

***This is another illustration/poem that didn’t make the cut for our new book, ‘Bludgeon the Clown’. It’s easy to see why the image didn’t make it (it’s not very good). It was originally commissioned for a story in Analog Magazine back in 2008…but I had hoped the publisher would find a way to keep my amazing poem in the book. Oh well, that’s out of my hands – and the whole thing is coming along splendidly. -Marsha

body-oddies, Flash Fiction, fragment

Potty Mouth

April 11, 2017 Marsha Mellow Leave a comment

Something in the smell wafting from the bathroom told me that things were going badly. The crap being shouted was definitely not appropriate for television. Negotiations had broken down and a strike was well underway. Worse…the strikers were in open revolt, flinging their sacred deposits all over the walls and ceiling. The trust between us was broken. Innocents were soiled, stained and who knew if the scars would ever heal…..but all that was secondary to the fact that…I really had to go. I REALLY had to go — BAD!

Shamefully, in typical corporate fashion, I snuck out to the back yard, found a tree and used it like a primitive monkey. Disgusting. Yes, I found a cheap scab replacement to the striking toilet — but I just couldn’t hold out any longer…ugh! I felt dirty.

I say, give the strikers whatever they demand before this gets any worse and we have a real shit storm on our hands…our shoes… our trousers…..

***Two weekends and two 3-day shows in a row, selling our beautiful clown books and hawking amazing (and tasteful) ‘Poop’ stickers…..boy oh boy, this is the life. If I knew this was going to be so good I’d have quit my old career 10 years ago. John wholeheartedly concurs. But, Now we have a clean stretch of uninterrupted time to finish “Bludgeon the Clown”, hopefully in early May so we can resume our show schedule. -Marsha

body-oddies, Flash Fiction, fragment

Sausage Fest

March 14, 2017 Marsha Mellow Leave a comment

Willy arrived at the party with his friend Willy and his other friend Willy. He was happy to be invited, he and his friends didn’t get many invites (they were kinda nerds) but it soon became apparent that this party would be another sausage fest. The prospects looked pretty gloomy when he saw that everybody there was a ‘Willy’. At least there was plenty of beer. After a while he noticed the place getting really hot and humid. There might as well have been flames licking up between the gratings in the floor…and all the Willies were getting some awkward, nasty looking tan lines – just like his – and they were drinking gallons of ice-cold beer to compensate for…

That’s when he realized…it was all a scam. This…was a…..bar-be-que!

***Today, in the midst of the ‘Blizzard of 2017’, all I can think of is bar-be-que and beer. This is a new one from our “Body-Oddies” project, a craptastic journey through the rancid mind of my artist, John Allemand. So glad that’s over. We have enough material to do the book but now I guess we’re just spewing out material as a compulsion. -Marsha

Clowns, fragment

Liam the Clown

March 7, 2017 Marsha Mellow Leave a comment

There once was a clown named Liam, so small it was hard to see ‘im ’till I stomped him flat with a colorful splatt. Now, I wouldn’t want to be ‘im.

***We posted this one ’cause it was an easy one as we prepare our new book for publication. ‘Bludgeon the Clown’ will (hopefully) be out by May 1st and we’re working around the clock to finish it. This image is from our ‘Creepy Clown Coloring Book’…but we posted another version back on Jan. 12th 2016. I’m not a big fan of John’s work but I really like this one…it makes me hungry for seven layer nacho dip. -Marsha

Clowns

Suspected Clowns

February 28, 2017 Marsha Mellow Leave a comment

Skippy the Jester came with a grunt. Leopold came with a smile. Pat came juggling big squishy balls in a highly provocative style.

Montalban came in his polka dots. Willy came wearing a dress. Mimsy came bouncing and shaking in white but left an absolute mess.

Timothy came in a Santa suit. Bob came dressed as a cop, shoving his night stick in everyone’s face and no one could make him stop.

Bill the Mime came with Sissy the Clown. Do they come any weirder?…..Please! But when the guy with the camera came, they all came in close and said: “CHEESE!!”

***This post was originally published back in June last year…but I did a reuse because John read this poem, along with two others, at the art opening on Saturday (I was too nervous to do it). The show, ‘Art & Poetry HA HA!’ at The Rectangle Gallery was fantastic and very funny. It was a poetry reading followed by a reception for the visual art show – the kind of show that could change the mind of any poetry hater. All the art was great and we got to meet a few of the other artists. We really should do more of them. There are pictures posted up at www.therectanglestudio.com. -Marsha

body-oddies, Flash Fiction, fragment

Splitting Headache

January 24, 2017 Marsha Mellow Leave a comment

Hey!… Do you remember that thing? You know…that THING?? Oh, you remember. We saw it the other day when we were doing the other thing…..what’s-is face was there. Oh, you know who I mean, the one from… oh gosh…from over yonder with the thing-ummy-thing on his who’s-is-what’s-it?…And we laughed and laughed about it the whole time? But he wasn’t so amused. He took the issue up with…oh, you know who, the one at the place…..um, the place right next door to the other MAIN place? And she went totally ballistic about everything, especially that one thing…..but not the thing I’m talking about. I meant the OTHER thing. Yeah! The thing with the thing-a-ma-jig…Yes!!! You know the thing! UGH!!! I seem to forget EVERY thing…but I definitely remember THAT!

***This conversation isn’t all that unusual. It happens more often than I’d care to admit. What amazes me is how often we completely understand each other whenever we do…..whoever it is. -Marsha

Clowns

Jiggy the Clown

January 17, 2017 Marsha Mellow 1 Comment

Jiggy the Clown was spotted one day tasting forbidden fruit, dancing around wearing nothing at all except for a business suit. They raided his place and chased him down ’till Jiggy was out of breath, then bound and twisted his guilt and shame and hanged poor Jiggy to death.

***Hooray! Its inauguration week. We’ll soon swear in the next worst president…ever. I don’t need to be cynical, its not as if this hasn’t been percolating now for decades. Anybody who takes an honest look at history will tell you (if you can stand to listen). The real question is: What are you going to do now? -Marsha