Monday, April 12, 2010

Wizard of Oz ACEO Swap

Ahhhh…..the beauty of the beloved movie, the Wizard of Oz!

This was the first time I ever went to the movies when I was a young girl. My mom said I clenched my teeth when the Wicked Witch of the West flew her bicycle down that graveled road in Dorothy's fantasy. I viewed that huge Cinemascope screen thinking back in awe and still remember that evil witch scaring me!

This movie has special thoughts for me, due to not only it’s glowing music, but I lost a favorite Scottie stuffed animal dog when we left the theater. Talk about a memory!That is why I have chosen the subject of using "ToTo" as my main focus in representing the Wizard of Oz "And ToTo Too....." in my very first online ACEO Challenge hosted by Kris Dickinson.

I guess, the movie is pretty obvious that the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion already had what they thought they were missing. Their respective problems were in misapprehending their own nature. That is a very powerful statement when you think about it! Makes me think about my own possible imaginary hangups.

I recall feeling emotional when the Scarecrow was showing wisdom, the Tin Man feeling deeply, and poor Cowardly Lion going far beyond his comfort zone when facing the flying monkeys at the Witches Castle in the Haunted Forest. His accomplishment was truly harder in his case. What “is” true courage really?

It is very touching to watch the Wizard of Oz at my age. It was wonderful to see Dorothy step from the black and white world of Kansas to the bright colors of Munchkin Land, almost like she was taking a voyage in self-discovery. The Wizard of Oz is learning about evil, friendship, and fallibility, and how we see this identical voyage repeated in our own lifetimes.

I often wonder if the screenwriters actually were tapping into our frustrations, our excitement, our dreams and needs, and our sense of wonderment. I wonder if they knew the impact this movie would have 60 years later!

I wonder if they knew that

their heart’s desires

were not that far from our own!

The main background and wing images are from Moonlight Journey. I Googled the "Haunted Forest" sign and "ToTo" dog. Then I added silver mini glitter stars and lastly embellished with a very light touch of iridescent Dazzle glue.

7 comments:

Terri said...

Toto Too...what an adorable dog. Nicely done not using the usual characters for your ACEO.

Jingle said...

These are amazing!!!

Nancy said...

Nancy: It is so nice to see your art work again. I have missed it. My computer will not let me on my blog, so it is in the shop. Will my post my winning coffee sleeve, when the computer comes back. Thanks again for the sleeve.

Willnnabel said...

Very cute Nancy!

Her Art Nest said...

Thank you, everyone, for your sweet comments. I had so much fun creating these. Nance

snowbear said...

Very cute... I got interested in Wicked... an unexpected storyline to explain the Wizard of Oz.

paru's_circle said...

awesome! gret to see you blogging, sent a few emails..they must have gone lost ;-)