Introduction

The continuing art adventures of Doofus and the Duck and their Company of players, as created by my wonderful wife Emma during the time of quarantine: the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing through 2021. This is the sixteenth installment of works, the Company remaining at the height of their creative endeavors.

Without further ado, back to the Doofus and the Duck…

October 2021 (cont.)

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of all those who have walked the O Camiño de Santiago (The Way of St James) to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia and in presage of Australia’s contribution to the upcoming COP-26 Talks on Climate Action, their tableau of a work by living Canadian watercolor artist Catherine McCoy (completed as part of her pilgrimage), entitled “Botafumeiro of Santiago (2015),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Sant Iago (St James the Great) in the Guise of a Pilgrim; and featuring the Purple Hippo, the Little Sheep, China Baby, and Fluffy the Three-Headed Dogs as The Tiraboleiros; and introducing the Thurible of St Francis of Assisi Church (Paddington) as the Mighty Botafumeiro de Compostela

A superb production of an alla prima work by an excellent watercolour artist. It is the set design, and the presence of our special guest, and special effects that take center stage here. Very well done, indeed!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of International Wombat Day, their tableau of a watercolor by German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer, based on a fable, the nineteenth idyll, told by the Greek poet Theocritus, entitled “Cupid the Honey Thief (1512),” starring the Purple Hippo as Eros, the Dangerous God of Love

Excellent work from the Purple Hippo here, showing a range we had hitherto not seen from the actor. Doofus is elegant (naturally) as Aphrodite, and the compositional whole is well attuned to Dürer’s illustration. Another fine effort!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of famous movie posters and in commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, their interpretation of a theatrical release poster for the award-winning film adaption of English author J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterwork, “The Lord of the Rings,” created by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, entitled “The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings (The Argonath) (2001),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Commemorative Statue of Isildor, the first High King of Men in the Realms in Exile, and featuring The Little Blue Men as The Gallant Fellowship of the Ring.

A fine use of perspective has created an excellent interpretation of one of the many famous images from the Jackson/Walsh film. Monumental!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of International Animation Day and in commemoration of the 555th anniversary of the birth of the great Dutch scholar and humanist Erasmus, their tableau of a work by Spanish Surrealist painter Remedios Varo, entitled Simpatía (La Rabia del Gato) (1955)," starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Human, and featuring The Little Sheep as The Gato

Bizarrely wonderful!

Doofus and the Duck present, in celebration of the Eve of the Christian Feast of All Hallows’ Day, their tableau of a work by Spanish Romantic painter Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, entitled “Vuelo de Brujas (Witches in the Air) (1797-98),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as A Very Scary Witch, with Shaun the Sheep and China Baby as Other Very Scary Witches; and featuring the Purple Hippo as A Frightened Fellow, and the Little Sheep as The Donkey

A wonderful re-envisioning of this magnificent Goya work. The Company has managed to capture the eldritch essence of the original whilst in no way subtracting from Goya’s overall concern of satirizing superstition. Marvelous!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the Christian observance of All Souls’ Day, particularly in celebration of the Mexican festival, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), their tableau of a lithograph by Mexican artist and engraver José Guadalupe Posada Aguilar, entitled “El Jarabe en Ultratumba (Folk Dance Beyond the Grave) (1910),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as La Calavera Catrina and Shaun the Sheep as Calavera Maderista, featuring the Purple Hippo as A Skelington Saxophonist

Quite spookily wonderful! A delight!

November 2021

Doofus and the Duck present, in commemoration of both the reopening of the local Sydney Theater Scene and the recent birthday of Company fangirl, their tableau of a work by a “forgotten” French 19th Century painter and satirist Honoré-Victorin Daumier, entitled “The Theater (1860),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the Famed Actor, Alphonse de Saville-Row, in his role as The Evil Monarchist, Charivari

Like much of Daumier’s work, it is hard to know quite what to make of this effort by the Company. The production is excellent, the acting fine (we shall refrain from using the term “ham” when referring to the antagonist), and the feel very much in keeping with the original. A definite success!

Doofus and the Duck present, in commemoration at the recent attempt to reign in the impacts of Global Warming by holding the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, conference in Glasgow, Scotland, their tableau of a work by Scottish (British) Art Nouveau artist Frances Macdonald MacNair, entitled “Spring (c.1900-1905),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as A Mysterious Sister and Shaun the Sheep as An Identical Mysterious Sister

Elegance personified! Outstanding!

Doofus and the Duck present, in commemoration of the 293rd anniversary of the birth of the extraordinary English seaman and explorer Captain James Cook and as part of their series of ancient artworks, their tableau of a frieze taken from an Ancient Greek jar done by an unknown artist (“Siren Painter”), entitled “Odysseus, Bound Unto the Mast of His Ship, Passes the Sirens (c.475-470 BCE),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Wiley and Mighty Hero Odysseus; and featuring the Purple Hippo as the siren Parthenope, China Baby as the siren Ligeia, and the Little Sheep as the siren Leucosia

Another wonderful work of Greek pottery rendered as the action scene the artist must have always imagined (even if the sirens are not quite as beauteous to our modern eye as they must have been to the ancients). A fantastic set design and wonderful acting, especially by our bound hero, all add to the verisimilitude of the work. Exquisite!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of International Monster Movie Appreciation Day and as part of their on-going series of classic movie posters, their tableau of an original theatrical release poster featuring the first, and greatest, of the Japanese kaiju creatures, from the film directed by Ishirō Honda (special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya), entitled “ゴジラ (Gojira) (1954),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, Burninating Shinagawa!; and featuring The Little People as Hopeless Yet Heroic Victims

Words fail! Colossal!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of International Monster Movie Appreciation Day, their tableau of classic Japanese movie monsters simply called “Kaiju (2021),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Gojira, King of the Monsters!; Shaun the Sheep as the Mighty Ape King Kong; and featuring the Little Sheep as Mothra, the Giant Flying Bug-thing; and the Purple Hippo as the Giant Space Monster Dogora (or the Kraken)

Here we have to agree with the Purple Hippo: it is all very confusing! However: Epic!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of Australian Colourful Flowering Tree Appreciation Month, their tableau of a work by-turn-of-the-20th-Century English-Australian painter R. Godfrey Rivers, described as being “quintessentially Brisbane,” entitled “Under the jacaranda (1903),” featuring the Little Big Stone Head as The Artist Himself

A wonderful interpretation of River’s most iconic work (though we do note that whilst undoubtedly authentic, the jacaranda flowers are not quite to scale). It is excellent to see Mr LBS Head do so well in such a central role, holding its own with both of the Company’s Principals. Well done!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the 152nd anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s epic tome “On the Origin of Species” and as part of their on-going series of solo works, their tableau of the most famous painting by late 19th Century English artist Francis James Barraud, entitled “His Master’s Voice (1898),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Nipper the Inquisitive Terrier Dog

Once again, it is hard to know where to begin! This is an iconic work from an artist now long forgotten as the painting has actually become an icon. The ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot does a fine effort but it hasn’t quite managed to capture the nuance of Nipper’s doggy thoughtfulness. Still, a sterling effort by all concerned!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the Commencement of the Christian Season of Advent (the beginning of the new liturgical year) and in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope first discovering a planetary atmosphere outside our solar system, their tableau of a work by the 15th Century Sienese Master Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia, entitled “The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from the Paradise (c.1438-1444),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Eve the First Woman, and Shaun the Sheep as Adam, First Man

An outstanding work in every respect! Bravo!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of both their on-going series of iconic movie posters and solo works, their tableau of a home-release poster created for the Pixar Company’s (Brad Bird written and directed) Academy Award-winning, and much loved, animation entitled “Ratatouille (2007),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Remy the Amazing Rat Chef

A beautiful bitter-sweet rendition of a delightful promotional scene. Lovely work by the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot!