Imagekind Gallery ArtfulPosters

The Planet Earth Songbook

This poster is the cover art for THE PLANET EARTH SONGBOOK, a three disc set for celebrating the oneness of life and for healing our relationship with Mother Earth through performance. The two audio CD song collections are for children to learn and perform. Volume 1 is 37 songs. Volume 2 is 30 songs. The third disc, originally a CD-ROM, is now a DVD-ROM for use at the computer and to accompany Volume 1 & 2 as a resource for teachers, parents, adults and older students who work with children. Teachers, Parents, After-School Programmers, Camp Counselors, Librarians, Music & Theater Directors, welcome to THE PLANET EARTH SONGBOOK DVD-ROM: A new repertoire of 67 songs & skits for children, K-5, to play, sing & act-out from the perspective of all forms of life… not just human… animals, insects, flowers, trees, birds… even a rock! MOTHER EARTH spins into center stage as a singing, dancing character…a ‘POLLUTION-PERSON’ becomes a ‘SOLUTION-PERSON’… human beings choose to be ‘HUMAN-BEANS’ & regrow their EARTHLY ROOTS… an unlikely troupe of DOLPHINS & DAFFODILS & HUMAN-BEANS finds the spotlight to say, in a playful way, “We are all connected.” Within the DVD-ROM you will find printed lyrics, notated music & line drawings to color that suggest costumes & props. For each song there are comments & ideas for performance. All songs are available here as MP3 audio for listening, learning & copying. Keep THE PLANET EARTH SONGBOOK DVD-ROM close-at-hand as a resource for supplementary environmental, music & art enrichment material. You can print out what you want, when you want it. FUN is the operative word... CDs and DVDs available at Amazon.com and as downloads at audible.com and Overdrive.com (libraries). For further information visit Hedgerow Studios web site at reostudios.com/hedgerow.

Mermaid on Octopus (B&W)

Madame Recamier never reclined on such a chaise! Winnie’s whimsical mermaid reclining on an octopus even has an antimacasser. In 2008, nationally-known woodcarver, Paul White, and Winnie Fitch collaborated on a 4’ x 4’ carved, painted wood bas-relief of Winnie’s ‘Mermaid on Octopus.’ See it and all of Paul’s beautiful work at www.paulwhitewoodcarving.com .

Allagash!

This poster is the cover art for Allagash, the second in a trilogy of environmental musicals for children and families. The 'real' Allagash is a necklace of connecting streams, lakes, rivers and falls in northern Maine that flows to the St. John River, bordering Maine and Canada… truly a wilderness gem. There have been many proposals to dam the Allagash and St. John for hydro-electric power. The first sites would have completely destroyed the Allagash but the people of Maine voted to protect this 92 mile long corridor by designating it as a Wilderness Waterway. Hurray for them! Then in the seventies, when another site was proposed, a tiny flower, thought to be extinct, was found growing on the banks where the St. John and Allagash rivers meet. The flower was the Furbish Lousewort. Since its discovery, all dam proposals in the area have been shelved. Hopping rides in a hot air balloon, a canoe and atop a moose named Taloose, Rufus and Nellie Rabbit travel to Maine to help save a wilderness waterway from being flooded by a giant dam. From critters and people to the Mayor of Iffick to the Governor to the President, a petition goes to 'Save The Allagash!' And who is the heroine? Why, a tiny flower... the Furbish Lousewort. (Based on real happenings in Northern Maine.) Written and performed by John Houston and Winnie Fitch… CDs available at Amazon.com and as downloads at audible.com and overdrive.com (libraries). For further information visit Hedgerow Studios web site at reostudios.com/hedgerow.

Horn Player (B&W)

John Houston was a jazz saxophone player when Winnie met him. He was the model for this poster. John wrote in a lyric, “Music is the food that feeds my spirit… without music, dreariness would abound.”

The Briar Patch Fable

This poster is the cover art for the Briar Patch Fable, the first in a trilogy of environmental musicals for children and families. "Through musical fantasy we express the reality of life’s ‘oneness’… revealing that the basic needs of both humans and other creatures on this planet are the same… air, water, food, shelter, privacy and the ritual of song and dance. Our inter-dependency is clear. As one species is threatened, so are we all." The hometown of rabbits, frogs, woodchucks, skunks and Wiley Fox is threatened by 'bullydozers.' Two children, with Rufus and Nellie Rabbit, rally the animals to stage a startling demonstration, declaring their rights to the human citizens. A suspenseful town meeting decides the fate of the Briar Patch. (Based on real happenings in Sandwich, Massachusetts.) "The Briar Patch Fable was first produced as a musical play in 1974 to celebrate the purchase by the Town of Sandwich, Massachusetts of 52 acres of catbriars for conservation… The REAL BRIAR PATCH. The story is even more relevant today." .) Written and performed by John Houston and Winnie Fitch… CDs available at Amazon.com and as downloads at audible.com and overdrive.com (libraries). For further information visit Hedgerow Studios web site at reostudios.com/hedgerow.

Slower is Better (B&W)

After being diagnosed with MS, ‘Slower is Better’ became Winnie’s mantra. She and John made Gertle the turtle a character in the Briar Patch Fable CD. Gertle sings, “For me, slower is better and I don’t get worn to a frazzle. Way down inside, I’m a real go-getter… without all the razzle and dazzle… I know that slower is better for me.”

Cape Cod Merkids

Wherever there are mermaids and mermen, you know you’ll find merkids. These two frolic in the shallows off Cape Cod but they have also been spotted around Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

Chickensoup (B&W)

What is the magical ingredient in a steamy bowl of Chickensoup delivered with TLC? It works!

My Friend Nessie

From Scotland to Canada to Siberia to Sweden to the South Pacific… from Lake Champlain to the Chesapeake Bay… wherever an unexplained water-monster has been sighted, the whimsical word is Nessie. Is she our longing for wonder and surprise... the enigma we crave? This musical is dedicated to the Loch Ness Monster who started it all, so long ago. In MY FRIEND NESSIE, Wilver, a seven year old boy, is living with his eccentric grandmother near the sea. He hasn’t spoken for two years… since the trauma of his parents’ death. Wilver’s first words are to Nessie. She comes to him simply because his need is so great. Wilver’s childhood adventure with his great green friend influences his adult life. As a young man planting persimmon trees he sings, “first, here’s one for Nessie… now, here’s one for me.” This story, throughout, embraces the beautiful meaning of ubuntu, “I am because you are.” First performed on stage in 1978 by the Sandwich Young Peoples’ Theatre as a benefit for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Massachusetts Chapter. Written and performed by John Houston and Winnie Fitch… CDs available at Amazon.com and as downloads at audible.com and overdrive.com (libraries). For further information visit Hedgerow Studios web site at reostudios.com/hedgerow.

Spouting Mermaid (B&W)

This stylish Mermaid spouts a welcome to Cape Cod.

One World

When we set aside our religious, ethnic and idiological differences, we discover that we are all one... Eureka! We are One World.

Cape Cod Massachusetts (B&W)

This narrow land is a tiny, finite, fragile space surrounded by beautiful waters that define it's limits. Cape Cod is an international treasure.

The Pumpkin Tree

This poster is the cover art for THE PUMPKIN TREE, the third in a trilogy of environmental musicals for children and families. THE PUMPKIN TREE is a story about journeys, the gaining of perspective and the discovery of a truly magical place... Planet Earth. We humans are dangerously close to making our Earth-home the ultimate throwaway. We've abused it, squandered it and claimed ownership of it. If there is any ownership, it's that we belong to Planet Earth. Rufus and Nellie Rabbit and other critters stowaway with their human friend, Meridith, on a space-chariot made of things from the dump. (Zeezabyth, the inventor-explorer, is seeking his special Place-In-Space.) After frightening encounters with planets Clang, Tinkle-Clink and Gummy-Goo, Zeezabyth finds the friendly Place-In-Space-For-Pumpkin-Trees, but it's not quite 'real.' The Pumpkin Queen sends him home with a pumpkin seed. Planet Earth chooses Meredith and Zeezabyth to clean up the dump (and inspire other 'human beans' to clean up their act!) Strong stuff... but all with song and dance, humor and surprise. (The ‘discovering’ of Planet Earth.) Let’s rally 'round... not a flag... not a race... not a continent, but the planet... our special Place-In-Space... our tree of life… our magical PUMPKIN TREE. Written and performed by John Houston and Winnie Fitch… CDs available at Amazon.com and as downloads at audible.com and overdrive.com (libraries). For further information visit Hedgerow Studios web site at reostudios.com/hedgerow.

Diving Mermaid (B&W)

Come dive into Winnie's whimsical water world of Mermaids.

Hedgerow

That's John tooting his soprano saxophone on the barn roof (in lieu of a fiddler.) Winnie is the ladybug in the foreground... a barn full of their musical characters... you're invited to visit www.reostudios.com/hedgerow

JAZZ

Only in America could jazz music have happened, but it belongs to the world for all its worldly components. This poster first advertized a wonderful jazz club in Hyannis, Cape Cod.

Cape Cod Summer

Madame Recamier never reclined on such a chaise! Winnie’s whimsical mermaid reclining on an octopus even has an antimacasser. She’s been spotted, in the summertime, in Cape Cod waters. In 2008, nationally-known woodcarver, Paul White, and Winnie Fitch collaborated on a 4’ x 4’ carved, painted wood bas-relief of Winnie’s ‘Mermaid on Octopus.’ See it and all of Paul’s beautiful work at www.paulwhitewoodcarving.com .

Sandwich, Cape Cod Dolphin (B&W)

Sandwich was settled in 1637 and incorporated in 1639. The dolphin was a favorite subject of the Italian glassblowing artisans at the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company (1825 - 1888.) You can see them at the Sandwich Glass Museum.

Merkids

Wherever there are mermaids and mermen, you know you’ll find merkids.

Weathervane Mermaid (B&W)

North, South, East or West... wherever there's an ocean, there's a mermaid. This one's about to catch a bird in her net.

Slower is Better

Boy and Young Mermaid (B&W)

Surprise, surprise! A little boy finds a young mermaid while playing in the Cape Cod sand. Will anyone believe him?

Chickensoup

What is the magical ingredient in a steamy bowl of Chickensoup delivered with TLC? It works!