Tuesday, September 18, 2012

***COMPLETED!*** Fenwick P. Mossbottom, guardian of the Pumpkin Patch

Meet Mr. Fenwick P. (for Pewham) Mossbottom!
Your faithful servant, at the ready.

Every sincere pumpkin patch needs a guardian to ensure the young developing gourds are well watered, stay free from pests (and naughty neighborhood lads looking to cause mischief), receive plenty of careful pruning, and of course, be showered with oodles of love. Loyal to the end Mr. Mossbottom is, and thus remains on-hand at the start of the Halloween growing season to tend to his plump round charges.  

Fenwick knows foremost the delight that all gourds and pumpkins truly are - come autumn, his beloved Mum would cook savory pumpkin stews, laden rich with curry and heavy with sausages, onions, and carrots, served in a hollowed-out shell. And, for the much-anticipated dessert, what else, but a freshly-baked, crumbly-crusted pumpkin pie with home made whipped cream slathered atop each steaming slice. The scrumptious aroma of the sundry pumpkin meats mixed with brown sugar and cinnamon would fill the air and nostrils, bringing instantaneous and uncontrolled salivation upon those who breathed deeply the headiness. Quite simply, a thing of magic, indeed.
Guardian of the Gourds

"Aye, the pumpkins, they be a gift that keeps giving," sayeth Mrs. Mossbottom in all her motherly wisdom, and anyone who has ever been enamored with these magnificent vegetables will agree: you can get so many wondrous things from the many diverse species the garden can produce. Why, you can even roast the seeds for a crunchy delicacy beyond words!
A smiling pumpkin rests on a bed of genuine moss behind Fenwick.
Also shows details of bottle of pumpkin ale!

This has been imbued upon Mr. Mossbottom to no end. Just donning his swanky stovepipe tophat and traipsing through the patch to become entangled and entwirled within the vines brings a sense of giddiness to him. It is a season he dearly loves... almost as much as the special high-octane pumpkin brew he creates and enjoys on the sly. Of course, time marches diligently onward, and with it, dragged along kindly old Mr. M in his continuous pickled state. Having enjoyed many a bottle of this secret sauce he stashed carefully away amid the bushes and prickle thorns, the likes of which have rather torn away at his once dashing suit, which is now threadbare and tattered, and becoming as mossy as the floor of the pumpkin patch he tends to pass out, face-first, in. 

However, that's all perfectly fine and okay, Fenwick reasons, he's doing his job, and will staunchly do so till the very end of time. 

                                           *   *   *   *   *   *   * 

Fenwick P. Mossbottom is a one of a kind sculpture, hand made from polymer clay, painted with high resolution acrylic paints and sealed with a matte sealer.  His sparse tufts of hair is comprised of synthetic wig strands. His suit is black cotton jersey; his stovepipe tophat is black felt. 

His pumpkin is also a creation of polymer clay and acrylic paint, and sits upon a patch of genuine Tennessee forest moss.  

Approximately 6" in height and 6" in width/depth. Mounted on a plank of wood that is hand-painted to reflect the joyous Halloween season.