Introduction

The continuing art adventures of Doofus and the Duck and their Company of players, as created by my wonderful wife Emma during the never-ending time of COVID-19 pandemic continuing now for a third year into 2022. This is the twenty-second installment of works, the Company remaining at the height of their creative endeavors.

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

September 2022

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of solo works and commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death Diana, Princess of Wales in a car accident in Paris, their tableau of a late masterpiece by the Spanish 20th century genius Pablo Ruiz Picasso, done in the Cubist style, entitled “The Woman with the Fish-Hat (1942),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the Tragic and Much-Loved Fabled Princess Flora du Chapeau-Poisson

Once again the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot has the shown its versatility and commitment giving us this stupendous portrait. A phenomenon!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of solo works and in commemoration of the 2053rd anniversary of the Battle of Actium where the forces of Octavian, the future Emperor Augustus, defeated those of Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra thus paving the way for the Roman Empire, their tableau of a sacred scene from the Roman Mithraic Mysteries, carved by an unknown master in marble, entitled “Tauroctony (c.100-200 CE),” with special guest star Koo the Viet Water Buffalo as The Bull; and introducing Mergatroid the Tiny Chinese Dragon as The Scorpion Biting the Genitals of the Bull

Lovely work from all involved that has managed the capture both the dignity and the pathos of this sacred relic. Inspired!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of Classic Images from the Silver Screen and in commemoration of the 112th anniversary of Sonora Smart Dodd’s idea of celebrating Father on their own special day (non-Catholic, Australian edition), their tableau of the iconic scene from the second of George Lucas’s Original Star Wars trilogy, “The Empire Strikes Back,” entitled “I Am Your Father! (1980),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the One True and Brave Jedi Knight, Luke Skywalker; and Shaun the Sheep as the Evil Sith Lord and Loving Father, Darth Vader

What outstanding work from the Set and Costuming Departments! Epic!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the Life and Recent Death of Her Royal Highness, Elizabeth by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Queen, Defender of the Faith, the Second of Her Name, and as part of their on-going series of solo works, their tableau of a woodcut by the English late-19th century aesthetic movement master Aubrey Vincent Beardsley as the cover illustration to Thomas Mallory’s “Le Morte D’Arthur,” entitled “How Sir Bedivere Cast The Sword Excalibur Into The Water (1894),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the Bold, Noble, and True Knight of the Round Table, Sir Bedivere

A life of selfless service is a life well lived. Vale.

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of a new series celebrating the longest recorded reign by any female head of state, simply called Great Monarchs of History, their tableau of an illustration by an unknown master, taken from The Old French Prose “Alexander Romance” manuscript (known as the “Talbot Shrewsbury Book”) created in Rouen and presented by John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury to the French princess, Margaret of Anjou in honour of her betrothal to King Henry VI, entitled “Alexander Being Lowered From A Ship In A Glass Barrel To View The Wonders Of The Sea (c.1445),” starring the Purple Hippo as The Mighty King of All the World, Alexander the Great; and featuring the Little Sheep and the Little Penguin as Faithful Servants; and introducing the Little Sea Creatures of The Company as Themselves

A stunning realisation by the Company of this magnificent manuscript painting. Bravo!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of a new series celebrating the longest recorded reign by any female head of state, Great Monarchs of History, their tableau of a painting by 19th century French Academian Alexandre Cabanel, as depicted in Mark Antony’s “Plutarch’s Lives,” entitled “Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners (1887),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Cleopatra VII Philopator, Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt; and featuring the Purple Hippo and The Little Penguin as Two Unlucky Fellows; the Tasmanian Devil as The Administrator; and China Baby as The Imperial Fan Holder

A delightful scene, with the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot performing the function of Cleo’s Nose to perfection, but one wonders if such trite works of French academic art aren’t now somewhat lesser works for the Company to pursue? Still, it remains a masterful set-piece.

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of Kings and Things and in recognition of Music Appreciation Month, their tableau of a work by prominent 19th century German Realist painter Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel, a history painting depicting a scene at the court of Frederick II of Prussia, entitled “Frederick the Great Playing the Flute at Sanssouci (1852),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as the Talented, Powerful, and Last King of Prussia, Frederick the Great; and featuring the Purple Hippo as The Legendary Musician C.P.E. Bach; and Shaun the Sheep as the Master Flutist J.J. Quantz; with China Baby as the Bohemian music master Franz Benda

What stands out most from this scene is the amazing set and its dressing. Never before have we seen such an elaborate and effective set, essentially bringing us into Frederick’s private salon at the Sanssouci Palace. Epic!

Doofus and the Duck present, as the last in their series of Kings and Things and as part of their on-going series of iconic movie posters, their tableau of a theatrical release poster for the last in Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh’s “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, entitled “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, King of Gondor, Lord of the Dúnedain, Wielder of Andúril, Elessar, Leader of the Armies of the West in the Final Battle against Sauron; and introducing the Colorful Pottery Horse as The Faithful Warhorse, Roheryn; and featuring the Purple Hippo, the Little Sheep, the Little Cheetah, and the Little Penguin as The Army of the West; and the Little Blue Men as Nazgul

Well that is something! Bravo!

Doofus and the Duck present, in commemoration of the recent death of the most excellent British Author Dame Hilary Mantel and as part of their on-going series of Great Book Illustrations, the tableau of a work by the Great French illustrator of the mid-19th through 20th century Maurice Leloir, taken from the Preface Page of the illustrated version of Alexandre Dumas’s classic novel of adventure, entitled “The Three Musketeers (1894),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as That Lovable Young Roust-about and Expert Swordsman, Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Artagnan; and Shaun the Sheep as That Jolly Musketeer, Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds

A joyful delight in every sense! Marvelous!

Doofus and the Duck present, in commemoration of the 1602 anniversary of the death of the Saint (Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican) and Doctor of the Church (of Rome), and in honor of the Feast Day of the same, Jerome of Stridon, their tableau of a work by the Early Renaissance Neapolitan artist Niccolò Antonio Colantonio, part of an altar piece from the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore (also in Naples), entitled “Saint Jerome in His Study (c.1445-1446),” introducing the Possum Hand Puppet as The Mighty, Yet Humble, Lion

A beautiful, sweet, and touching rendition of an early masterpiece from Colantino that clear shows the influence of the Northern Art in Naples. Delightful!

October 2022

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their occasional on-going series of Iconic Images from Motion Pictures and in commemoration of the celebration of the International Day of Non-Violence, their tableau, taken from the RKO Radio Pictures musical comedy “Top Hat,” starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, entitled “Cheek to Cheek (1935),” starring the Duck as Fred Astaire and Doofus as Ginger “Backwards in Heels” Rogers

Poetic in its balance and design. A beautiful masterpiece showing, once more, just how talented the Principals are. Exquisite!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of the 440th anniversary of the death of Spanish mystic and Carmelite nun, Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, known as Saint Teresa of Jesus, their tableau of a work by the 20th century British-born Mexican surrealist artist Mary Leonora Carrington, entitled “The Artist Traveling Incognito (1949),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Incognito Artist and featuring the Little Giraffe as The One-Eyed Cat and the Tiny Polar Bear as the White Cat

Another beautiful interpretation by the Company of a work by the much under-rated Mexican artist, Leonora Carrington. Superb!

Doofus and the Duck present, in commemoration of the upcoming Feast-time of Diwali, the Festival of Lights celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs, and in honour of the birthday of one of their earliest supporters, their tableau of a work of gouache with gold on paper by Mughal artist Mir Kalan Khan, who established a distinctive Awadhi style, entitled “Ladies Playing with Diwali Fireworks, Lucknow (circa 1780),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as a Beautiful Indian Maiden

Quite stunning and a beautiful example of how foreign influence, particularly the European and Southern Indian (Deccani), came to change the representational art of Northern India in the 18th century. Divine!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of famous book cover art and in honour of the return the luggage after its extended sojourn in foreign climes, their tableau of a work by 20th century British commercial artist Ronald William “Josh” Kirby for the first volume of author Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” series, entitled “The Colour of Magic (1985),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Mighty Wizard Rincewind; and featuring the Purple Hippo as The Discworld’s First Tourist, Twoflower; and introducing the Little Blue Men as The Luggage

Excellent work by everyone involved with the Company managing the colourful chaos of Josh Kirby’s exquisite fantasy. Wonderful!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of Iconic Movie Posters and in celebration of an upcoming oceanic vacation by the Company’s production crew, their tableau of a promotional poster from the Pixar Studio’s Andrew Stanton computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film, entitled “Finding Nemo (2003),” starring Shaun the Sheep as Dory, a regal blue tang with short-term memory disability; and featuring the Little Sheep as Nemo, the cute and adventurous anemonefish.

A delightful and colourful rendition of the Pixar original. A delight!

November 2022

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of solo works and in honour of International Writers’ Month, their tableau of a work by Dutch Golden Age genre painter Johannes Vermeer, entitled “Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (1657–59),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as Catharina Bolerts, an attractive young Dutch girl in love; and featuring the Purple Hippo as The Vanishing Cupid

Another beautiful recreation of a Baroque Dutch masterpiece. The Company really are in the sweet spot when depicting these kinds of genre paintings, showing a great depth of both nuance and subtlety in their work. Fantastic!

Doofus and the Duck present, as part of their on-going series of Iconic Images from the Silver Screen and in commemoration of World Kindness Day, their tableau of a scene taken from the Peter Jackson/Fran Walsh film of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic epic fantasy novel, ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ depicting a pivotal fight at the exit of the Mines of Moria, entitled “You Shall Not Pass! (2001),” starring Shaun the Sheep as the demonic balrog known as Durin’s Bane; and featuring the Little Penguin as the Mighty and Valiant Wizard, Gandalf the Grey

It appears Mr the Sheep is rather good at playing ‘movie monsters.’ One hopes that this very fine actor is not becoming type-cast, however a superb performance well worth the price of admittance. Super!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of both the International Day of the Imprisoned Writer and the International Day for Tolerance their tableau of a work by French post-impressionist painter Henri Julien Félix Rousseau, entitled “The Flamingoes (1907),” featuring and introducing the Four Little Dancing Flamingoes as Themselves

It is always refreshing to see the Company’s take on a challenging artist such as Rousseau and, as usual, they have succeeded in creating a wonderful version of the original. Exquisite!

Doofus and the Duck present, in honour of both the 117th anniversary of German theoretical physicist Albert Einstein’s publication of the paper that leads to the mass–energy equivalence formula, E = mc², and International Chess Appreciation Day, their tableau of the most famous work by German 19th century painter Friedrich August Moritz Retzsch, entitled “Die Schachspieler (The Chess Players) (1830),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Metaphor of Man known as Dr Faustus, and Shaun the Sheep as The Devil Himself; and featuring Trevor the Trilobite as The Apotheosis of Mortality

A fascinating and brilliant interpretation of Retzsch’s Faustian metaphor superbly recreated. Fantastic!

Doofus and the Duck present, in celebration of the 22nd FIFA World Cup of Football being held in Qatar (though The Company supports neither the corruption involved in the selection process nor the human rights violation associated with the current host nation) and in honour of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, their tableau of a photograph taken by Mexican photographer Alejandro Ojeda Carbajal during the Quarter Final of the 13th FIFA World Cup at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, between Argentina and England, entitled “La mano de Dios (The Hand of God) (1986),” starring the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot as The Unfortunate and Patriotic English Goalkeeper, Peter Shilton, and Shaun the Sheep as the Argentinian Legend and G.O.A.T Diego Armando Maradona

Quite an outstanding production with especially fine work from both Shaun the Sheep and the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot, and wonderful work from the Production Department. Fantastico!