NEON IS BACK!

NEON IS BACK!
And That's a Good Sign
by Joan Bramsch
(c) copyright: 1996

Everywhere you look these days, there's Neon. Seems like everyone is finally "seeing the light" of razzle-dazzle Neon in all its raucous, sinuous beauty. Television programs reflect the public's renewed interest in the bright illumination. On a recent NBC Homicide program entitled "Murder In Neon,"the opening scene featured The New Moon Motel sign in electric blue neon. It set the mood for the story -- exciting and mysterious.

Alex's Show and Sisters television series both open with neon signs. But my favorite is the John Larroquette Show opening, when he strolls alongside the big red and green neon sign and gives it a thump to stop the blinking message. Great stuff! Whimsy and fun, along with bright colors bordering on gaudy are important elements in fulfilling Neon's main job as a powerful visual medium. To understand how the color gets inside the glass tubes however, calls for some background information.
Jacob Fishman, one of America's great neon artists, created an excellent video production - "Introduction To Neon" - that tells about neon's roots, as well as, provides a real-time demonstration of how neon is made. (For information call 1-800-747-9115, or visit his web site for neon supplies at http://www.lightwriters.com/nw)

The History of Neon
The word Neon comes from the Greek "neos," meaning "The New Gas." Old Neon signs are most often neon or argon gas in a vacuum tube; the smaller the diameter of the tube, the more intense the light produced and the higher the voltage required to illuminate it. A word of caution here: Old neon sign transformers can be very dangerous. DO NOT plug in an old neon sign if you are unsure of its operating condition. Better safe, than sorry!
The neon sign is attributed to Georges Claude who popularized it in Paris in 19l0. The Lights Fantastic was brought to America in 1923. Earle C. Anthony purchased two signs for $24,000, money enough to purchase a small bungalow or two automobiles, and installed them in his Los Angeles Packard dealership. It is said, one sign still glows in the night!

Although there are now more than 150 neon colors possible by combining different gases like Krypton, xenon and helium, two favorites remain -- a fiery orange-red neon gas called Ruby Red and a soft lavender argon gas that turns a brilliant blue when enhanced with a drop or two of mercury. Another blue - Bromo Blue - named from the popular deep blue Bromo-Seltzer bottle, is a glass color made from Cobalt.

In the early years neon signs stopped traffic as people stared in fascination. The so-called "Liquid Fire" captivated the public and it wasn't long before neon was everywhere. Theater marquee, night club and restaurant signs became an integral part of the streamlined American landscape.

Neon became the light of the American Dream. Technology created even more colors and by the 50's pink and turquoise started to cover the new drive-ins and diners, matching girl's felt poodle skirts and boy's ruffled tuxedo shirts for Prom night.

By the 60's bright plastic signs began to appear and neon's blazing lights, suddenly considered tacky, faded across the nation. During the next ten years neon sign making almost became a lost art, but in the early 70's a new breed of neon craftspeople emerged; these artisans expanded the realm of neon from advertising signs into the world of art. Artists like Fishman learned to use neon tubing to express his visions. The results are nothing less than breath-taking!

The Art of Neon
American-made hollow glass rods used to make neon art come in 4-ft lengths. To shape the rods, the glass is held in a cross-fire, two small groups of pipes arranged in a fan shape, each facing the other, and from which gas and forced air flow. The temperature of that blended flame measures approximately 800 degrees F. Without the forced air the flame would never get hot enough to melt the glass rods.
The rod is scored at the needed length with a sharpened file and pulled apart inside the flame. Then the artisan creates right-angles, double-backs and combination bends upon a reversed-pattern paper to form her/his design. All work on a neon lamp/sign must be in reverse because all the plugs and electrical connections are in the back. When the design is completed, gas is pumped into the tubing, then electrified and viola! an illuminated work of art.

One of the biggest differences between old and new neon is the manner in which each is illuminated. Old neons use heavy transformers made from wrapped copper wire coiled around an iron core, all of which weighs several pounds. The good part about the weight is that the signs or designs stay right where you put them, on table or shelf. The new neon signs, however, use lightweight transistorized transformers that weigh mere ounces in comparison. Therefore, the new signs have to be weighted down somehow or bracketed against the wall so they won't fall over and break. And yet, many collectors prefer them.

According to LaDean Harlow, owner of The Neon Lady in St. Louis, MO ...the "Red Dog" beer sign is the most popular these days. "Baby Boomers, the 90's collectors, are choosing new signs," she says. "They like the Budweiser Frog, their Palm Tree and red Guitar, too."

A good marketing ploy by the beer companies combines their neon ad with a favorite sports team logo. These signs are particularly popular with rabid hockey and basketball fans. Sometimes a beer company pays up to half the price of the signs and charges it to their advertising division; thus, these beer signs costs much less to the consumer than other competitive brand beer signs.

Further evidence of neon's renewed popularity is the growing list of neon specialty shops in the Yellow Pages. Many of the business names are quite colorful: Neon City, Neon Works, Signs of Distinction to name but a few.

The neon manufacturing companies are found in all parts of a city too, rehab areas, as well as, avant-garde and affluent sections. Best of all, neon sites can now be found on the Internet World Wide Web. Jacob Fishman and other artists sell competitively on the Web. "We can compete," says Fishman. "My work, for example, runs from $150 to the moon!" (Writer's note: Actually, Jacob's artistic Moon sells for quite a bit less than the real thing.) The Albuquerque, NM web site at http://www.wingspread.com/ab/abfa03.html sponsored by Wingspread publications features some outstanding photographs of large historic signs, as well as, new Neon commercial signs along old Highway 66.

New Marketing Technologies (NMT) at http://www.neonsign.com offers both new neon signs for sale and a search service for old neon signs, especially beer signs. Some of the old rare signs sell for several hundred US dollars, even if they don't work!

William Cherry, President of NMT, says that many of his search requests or special new orders come from Europe. "Although Neon was invented in France, virtually no one in Europe makes neon now," he says. "Just last week we shipped a new sign crafted like a leading German beer logo. The person who ordered the gift for the beer baron had to put the call out to America."

NMT is always on the lookout for "Spotters" -- people who seek particular old signs to fill NMT orders. If you have access to an e-mail address and want to treasure hunt on commission, contact NMT at nmt@neonsign.com for instructions.

If you are looking for a favorite old sign for your collection or want to sell one that's been gathering dust in your basement or attic, e-mail want to treasure hunt on commission, contact NMT at nmt@neonsign.com or write: New Marketing Technologies, Inc., 15505 Bull Run Road, Suite 294, Miami Lakes, FL 33014 or call (305-822-8842). They'll put out the word to the world.

It would seem that a collector's preference for old or new neon is strictly personal. The prices in either group are similar; the colors used and variety of designs are also comparable unless s/he leans more toward one-of-a-kind, price-is-no-object creations, rather than advertising signs. The photographs accompanying this article are of old and new neon signs. Here, one may feast upon the contrasting, though necessary physical characteristics of neon, it's rigidity and fragility of materials that assure a most unique artful drawing in light. Bon Appetite!

JOAN BRAMSCH is a family person, educator, writer and E-publisher. Her articles appear internationally in print and online. Six of her best-selling adult novels - near one million copies - have worldwide distribution. Her
Empowered Parenting Ezine serves 1000 parents around the globe.
http://www.JoanBramsch.com mailto:hijoan@joanbramsch.com

RUSSIAN MATRYUSHKA NESTING DOLLSJoan Bramsch

RUSSIAN MATRYUSHKA NESTING DOLLS
A Puzzle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma!

by Joan Bramsch

Photographs by Lynne Payne,
showing some of her 60-set nesting doll collection

Matryushkas Dolls have been created by Russian craftspersons for hundreds of years, at least back to the mid 1700s. And yet, it is said a man named S. V. Malyvtin borrowed the idea of the "take apart" dolls from a Japanese toy maker, although the Japanese claim the first doll was created by a Russian monk on the island of Honoshu, Japan. So even its inception is a mystery! The bright toy's introduction to the world followed when a medal was awarded during the Paris World Exhibition in 1900.

There is some controversy about the name "Matryushka." Some linguists say the origin of the word goes back to an old-fashion name Matriona, common among peasantry. The first four letters of matryushka - "Matr" - has Latin roots, but also comes from the Russian word for Mother - a whole different meaning. So the nesting dolls represent both the national motherland and actual motherhood and fertility; that's why they are traditionally painted like women, round figured females with babies inside. On the other hand, the idea of nesting dolls may have come from the legendary idol called Jumala from the Ural Mountains. It was made of gold, and was hollowed out to hold three smaller idol figures.

The present day nesting doll concept continues to be popular in Russia after years of being the national toy and a favorite tourist souvenir. Designs constantly change and evolve to relfect the times. For example, during the Victorian era, to overcome the Modernism art form present at the turn of the Century, the crafts people painted the dolls in pastel peasant colors and added country designs like a rooster or a loaf of bread in artful illustrations over the costume.

The first fine-art Russian matryushkas were made in the prestigious art center within the walls of the Sergei-Posan monastery, famous since the 14th Century for its art, in Zagorsk, 50 miles north of Moscow. These nesting dolls are highly professional and original, created in good taste and a variety of themes. The techniques used are also diverse - from dab painting to other artistic devices like icon painting. The gilded domed monastery complex is still a feast for the visitor's eyes. Within these grand buildings there exists a toy museum, opened in 1918 and filled with evolutionary examples of the nesting doll, from peasant women to noble ladies and hussars. Nearby, vendors in an open market sell a wide variety of matryushkas to tourists and natives alike. Merchants offer the traditional dolls, as well as, ones with exquisite icon paintings on the sides. They even sell Disney and O.J. Simpson designs!

Today the designs continue to be individualistic with each artist's imagination, adding historical, ethnic, fairy tale or animal patterns to the dolls' decoration. Some American shops offer upward of 4000 different styles. Most of the traditional designs come from villages in the European part of Russia, around Moscow. Each style inherits its name from the area it which it originated. Polkhovsky Maiden and Krutets in the Nizhni Novgorod region doll designs are more massive and less graceful with larger patterns than other models. They use many contrasting colors - blue, green, yellow, crimson, even purple. The typical detail in the pattern is sweetbrier, the so-called northern rose, painted both as an open flower and a bud. The northern most village making matryushkas is Vjatka. They've only been producing the dolls since the 1930s. Their dolls are typically northern characterized - large blue-eyes and decidedly shy. Its most distinctive feature is rye straw inlay stuck on wet lacquer.

The Semjonov village art school characterizes their matryushka dolls, which are taller and slimmer than the short Sergiev Posad doll, by fine and specific graphic techniques which turn bright floral designs into elegant ones. This technique produces an embroidery lace effect around the apron and shawl.

Many art centers disbanded after the fall of communism and only individual artists or small groups work in other locations. Matryushkas are made from aged linden, birch or lime wood - depending on the technique the artist has in mind, poker work (using a hot metal rod to burn patterns into the wood. Nowadays they also use lasers), watercolors, or clear lacquer - each doll piece is hand-turned in as many as fifteen separate steps, the smallest doll first. The logs are dried in the open air for several years until they are ready to use. Only an expert can tell when the logs are not too wet, not too dry. When prime, the logs are cut into workpieces for the dolls. The whole set has to be made out of the same chunk of wood to insure that every piece of the set will react in the same way to changing temperature and climate conditions.

This condition imposes severe restrictions on the artist because that individual person assumes complete responsibility over every piece and every part of the process. If s/he makes one mistake, a set can be ruined, even if it's almost finished, which could have taken months of work. And, indeed, some of the more complex dolls are very collectible because the artist can only make a few in a year's time! Generally speaking, matryushkas can contain from three to thirty pieces in a set that may take from five days to 18 months of work to complete. Prices range from $10US to more than $1200US.

To create matryushkas the artisan requires only a small set of tools; this remains unchanged today. No measurements are taken, other than the intuitive calculations of the artist's well-trained eyes, and yet, they all fit perfectly inside the other. Next an artist begins the long process of painting and lacquering the seemingly endless doll parts. The inside surfaces remain natural wood, and the mating edges of each doll are treated with heat to harden the surface and make assembly easier. When completed the nesting doll is signed by the artist.

Religious themes were considered very desirable for the matryushkas until the Romanov royal court was overthrown and the country fell to communism. After that, in addition to the peasant mother dolls, and to replace the 'missing' religious icon dolls, political leaders, literary giants and sylvan scenes were usually incorporated into the designs. Of course, today golden haloed religious icons are again created upon nesting dolls. Matryushkas range in size from 3/16 inch miniatures up to giants of four-feet or more. Most have three to ten pieces, but some unique examples have as many as forty nesting dolls, one within the other. Modern day nesting dolls come in a great variety. Art dolls are the typical, traditional floral matryushkas, each a work of an individual artist. They seem to boast an endless variety of colors and patterns, some more complicated than others. They are created with a main color theme - red, green or blue - and the face painting uses the light color of the natural wood along with delicate paint and lacquer for a realistic look.

The floral patterns and colors are consistent between each doll in a set; even the smallest doll has a face (though you may have to use a strong magnifying glass to see it!). Caricature dolls make light of an often dark world and include communist leaders, KGB agents, sports figures, even US presidents. Fairy Tale & Scenic dolls are special art dolls. Each nesting doll illustrates a different scene, telling the whole story of a single Russian fairy tale. Today they even create dolls about Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland or Mary Poppins. The scenic dolls carry beautiful landscapes of Russian parks or landmarks like palaces, official buildings, historic sites and museums. Religious Icon dolls' most popular themes seem to be the orthodox icons - the Trinity, and Our Lady with the Infant Jesus. Many artists develop themes celebrating orthodox holidays too, such as the Annunciation, Ascension and Christmas. Art Masterpiece dolls celebrate the world's art treasures by depicting a different masterpiece by a certain master on each doll.

Russian Writers dolls show the fine-art likeness of the authors of great Russian literature. On the back of each doll is a landscape described in that particular Russian novel. Studying matryushkas is always interesting and instructive. Gathering a collection and learning the backgrounds of the art work provides information about the history of Russian national costume, and Russian political history, art, literature, architecture and music. The complexity of matryushka design, from long before the Victorian age to present day, lends itself to more dedicated collectors and connoisseurs of definite styles. These collectibles will continue to grow and become more desirable now that the Iron Curtain has fallen and different examples of this type Russian art has become more readily available. With reasonable care the matryushka can be handed down through family generations, an heirloom art piece. That is, unless you're more interested in Russian Papier-Mache lacquer boxes costing between $150 to $20,000. But that's another story. Happy Collecting!