Diary of a Mad Ballerina (in a coffee filter tutu!)

This is my entry in the "Repurposed" art show and is definitely a bit wacky. The title is a take-off of the great "Diary of a Mad Housewife" book (subsequently made into a movie) by Sue Kaufman. It was created after several delicious morning cups of coffee, and well, I guess I just had a wee bit too much caffeine in me... resulting in this; an angry, frustrated ballerina in a coffee filter tutu! Here she is pictured in her dance studio, and you can see the gold ballet bar behind her that she uses to excercise and stretch on.

You see, she used to be a ballet dance instructor to little girls, but was asked to quit teaching ballet, after getting multiple complaints from upset moms that their little girls always ended up in tears after her relentlessly cruel and tough "drill-sargent-like" dance sessions.

Yes, this lady definitely has some anger management "issues"; she's got quite a stern expression on her face, and she has her hands placed on her hips in an "Oh, no you didn't!" pose, like she's REALLY mad at you! (Yet, oddly enough, she's still doing her ballet poses with her legs. Old habits die hard, I guess!)

Perhaps she's so angry, bitter and frustrated because she can't afford to buy fancy new expensive clothes, and must go around town sporting used coffee filters as skirts(!) Perhaps her hair bun is wrapped too tight. Maybe she's just "misunderstood". Who knows? In any event, she's "gone off the deep end", as they say, and finally snapped! ;)

I took the following line from the Repurposed prospectus to heart: "It can be anything from a coffee filter to a broken chair." Hmm...coffee filters as art, what a concept!

This piece was created immediately after I finished several morning cups of coffee, and just as I was about to throw away the *USED* #2 coffee filter (cone), I thought to myself, "Gee, this looks just like a skirt", and then I found a piece of wood in the trash compactor room, and that started the ball rolling.

I first coated the wood with sandy gesso (for an extra grainy look & feel), and the ballerina was created with quality Sennelier Oil Pastels; then I glued the used coffee filter onto the wood for her tutu skirt, which I embellished with the oil pastels, as well.

The sides are painted black, and I also put a hanger on the back, so it's ready to hang right alongside your extensive collection of other coffee filter or angry ballerina art pieces!