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Fresh Test Prints!

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Test Print 17

Test Print 17

Well, after an extended season of printmaking and cleaning out screens, the new Test Print Crop is in. Yes, that’s right, after careful tending, printing, layering and ink mixing we have some rare results.

So rare, we also call ’em one-of-a-kinds, or monprints in the art & printers lingo.

I’ve got a few new test prints listed on my website, and even a few more over in my Etsy shop where I have a little more breathing room. (For now, although I am working on a new website re-design, yay!)

In screenprinting, there is always room for mistakes. Yeah, it’s totally awesome. One of the ways to combat a clogged screen or to test hand mixed colors is to use scrap sheets for “test prints”. What starts as a throwaway can sometimes magically transform into something really special looking, if the stars align just right. Due to their random nature, no 2 are exactly alike. 

My test prints travel with me to and from the studio, some just a few times, others take a bit more coaxing to reveal their singular charms. Picking out which test prints have elements of which prints and posters is like a wicked final round  of Family Feud. “Survery Says…Jucifer…”…DING! But soft! I’ve done the hard work for you and list many of the discernible titles for you, should you be so trivia-minded. 

I’ve been been printing over & over on many of these prints for while now, and though I have just 6 listed on my website, and just 12 currently listed in my Etsy shop, there are more to come soon. Got a big ol’ fresh stack here, so keep a sharp eye out if you’re into monoprints & test prints like I am.

Test Print 12

Test Print 12

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New Bluebottle interview

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Quickie post here to share a new interview with me by Amy  from Bluebottle  Art Gallery + Store. I don’t know that I could love the people at the Bluebottle any more. This month marks my first solo gallery show at Bluebottle, after a successful part in a holiday show in December of last year.

And now adding to their awesomeness, Amy, who is also a writer, asked the best questions I’ve ever been asked for this interview for the Bluebottle blog. Have a peek the Bluebottle blog called Art, Craft, & Design and also Amy’s website called Fairy Tale Factory, specializing in fairy tales and writing workshops and spread the magic. If you like process talk about design geekery, be sure to read interview is here.

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Miss Blossom Dearie

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Ms. Dearie rocks a Verve record cover like no other.

Ms. Dearie rocks a Verve record cover like no other.

One of my long-standing favorite sounds, let alone singers, Blossom Dearie passed away at her home in New York City on February 7, 2009, at the age of 82. She defined artistry and singular vision with her voice that sounds like no other. Described as distinctive, unique, child-like, innocent (though lyrics like “I’m an evil, evil woman, but I want to do a man some good” prove that adjective false), and heart-felt, it is impossible to describe her sound or her appeal across generations or genres. She played out regularly until 2006, with critics and reviews saying that her voice and performances were undiminished by her age.

Anyone who grew up watching Saturday morning television in the 1970s through the mid 1980s in the US will instantly know her by the song titles: “Unpack Your Adjectives”, “Mother Necessity” and the hauntingly beautiful: “Figure Eight” from the kickass Schoolhouse Rock series of animated educational films. Most of the original music for the Schoolhouse Rock shorts were composed & also performed by Dearie’s friend Bob Dorough, whose voice is as familiar & recognizable as the perfect male reflection of Blossom Dearie’s own style and phrasing.

Sweet without ever being sacharine, everyone could use a little Blossom Dearie in their lives. A very nice and descriptive discography is here. 

Even though you were born in New York, Rhode Island Is Famous For You, and we will miss you. A few of my favorites are listed below:

I Won’t Dance

It Might As Well Be Spring (en français)

Rhode Island Is Famous For You

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Doodles

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Definitely received a great gift around Hanukkah-Christmas here, (we celebrate it all baby!) in the form of a magical little graphics tablet. The Wacom Bamboo to be more precise. It’s a lower-end piece of awesome that I’ve really been enjoying getting to play with around here this winter. 

My George Washington All The Presidents Men Show print was the first thing that I worked on with it, and since they I’ve been having the itch to draw and sketch things nearly every day, though not every day has ended with me actually getting time to draw with it. Most unfortunately.

So, for no good reason at all, I’ve been thinking about posting up unfinished work, mocks, comps, sketches and the like here on my blog rather than my website where I feel like things ought to be slightly more pro and complete. This is the first installment of Unfinished Work, today I present: Doodles. 2 of ’em!

Sometimes I just like parts of things, and this is part of a suit that’s part of  a man, completely unfinished. I did surprise myself with the late 70s /early 80s dry cleaner poster sort of vibe with this one. Unexpected, but that’s sort of the fun of doodling, ain’t it?

Coming from the past to a dry cleaner near you.

WE DO SUITS. Coming from the past to a dry cleaner near you.

This one below is an unused sketch from an illustration for a book cover design. I like things that are tumbled on top of each other, transparency, patterns, and layers. I wanted nature, here represented as a forest, to be as tall and thick as city overloaded with skyscrapers and buildings, each being imposing in their own way.

Forest, City nary between.

Forest, City, naught in between.

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The Police Cloud, super little book

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When I first came across this great little book The Police Cloud by illustrator Christoph Niemann, I was cracking up at my computer. Yes, really. I know, that’s a tad embarrassing.

And yet since then I’ve been a little bit obsessed with this book’s title, story and overall look. The story is adorable, sweet and funny, the illustrations are top notch and a really interesting mix of simple and expressive.  I mean come on, look at him! Fwuffy lil copper cloud who just wants to help people and do right for a living. So awesome. 

The Police Cloud website is also worth checking out too, with a nice little set of animations and sample pages from the book, which is available at Amazon.com.

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So, like…

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The Pittsburgh Steelers Win Sixth Record Breaking Superbowl

The Pittsburgh Steelers Win Sixth Record Breaking Superbowl

YAY!!!!!!!

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Superbowl 43! Err, XLIII

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Yup. Chicks dig the Superbowl too.

Especially when you’re a chick in Pittsburgh. It’s the water here. No offense, Cardinals, but we really want this one. We need to bring home the Six Pack. Blitz for the Six. Win one for the Other Thumb. We win & we  set the standing NFL record for the winningest team in history.

For a town that was on the brink of collapse just a few decades ago, The Pittsburgh Steelers are a symbol of endurance and perseverance. Triumph over  adversity and plain all around awesome to have in the city. In this city there is no room for pretense or high-falutin’ anything. Even without the steel mills that built not only this city, but much of the country, this town is nothing but honest and practical. There is something super cool about Pittsburgh that way and it’s a part of the Steelers as a team too. Owned by the Rooney family since 1933, there is no need for showboating or cheerleaders for the team. Just straight, old-fashioned, tough and technically thrilling football. 

Whether or not that is a chunk of what draws people from every possible demographic and cross-demographic to be crazy insane hardcore Steeler fans? I dunno. All I do know is that from the oldest Grandmas to the tiniest little emo-boys, there’s gonna be a lot of screaming at TVs tonight and a lot of hoarse, blown out voices tomorrow. Chicks & dudes all.

GO STEELERS!

The Pittsburgh Polka

Polamalu song

The Pop Rocks rockin’ it

And, because he is my favorite player to watch, ever Hines Ward two way. Hightlights and the famous one shoe touchdown catch.  Ninja!

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Snow Day!

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Jett running in the snow.

Jett running in the snow.

Well, ok. Just about every day this week has been a snow, ice, slush, sleet day, in all truth. But today was that perfect and beautiful light & fluffy-wuffy lofting snow day. And, although I shoveled snow for at least the 9th time this week at the time of writing this, (including helping out some neighbors dig out), it was a lovely & welcome snow day today.

Our dog Jett, who usually hates all things cold weather related, was uncharacteristically enthusiastic and puppy-like in the snow. He pranced and pounced while I shoveled and took photographs of the neighborhood in the snow. Until he got too cold and hid under a giant juniper bush.

Pitbulls, are they really so tough? 

Jettsons icy whiskers, cold & hiding.

Jett's icy whiskers, cold & hiding.

Beautiful snow day, 2009.

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New art print released: “Night Birds

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Tweet!

Night Birds, 4 color hand screenprinted art print

Night Birds, 4 color hand screenprinted art print

Little bright birds coming home to roost for the night. 

I’ve always loved the chatter of birds at twilight. As a kid walking past the Free Library of Philadelphia, which was home to a hefty flock of pigeons, it always sounded as if everyone had an awful lot to talk about from their day at that lovely pink hour. I’m still an avid little bird feeder. I just love to hear the din of song birds at my feeders.

This print is my all hand screenprinted 4-color print with Dark Chocolate Brown, Bright Canary Yellow, Leafy Green, and Orange water-based and non-toxic inks. Edition of 100, Size: 16w x 22h inches. Perfect for framing. Paper: acid-free & archival Cougar 100 lb White, cover weight. Fresh off the presses this weekend and now available at my website.

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Short & Sweet. My first solo art show!

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In the words of Roger Daltrey: “YYYEAAAAAHHHH!”

Bluebottle Art Gallery + Store info

I’m so excited about this, I just can’t help but invoke the CSI opening exclamation. The good folks at Bluebottle Art Gallery + Store in my favorite home away from home city, Seattle, WA will forever be special to me now. Well, even more special. They are showing my very first solo gallery show this February.

Perhaps you recall that I was a part of their fantastic holiday art print show “Jolly Good”  in December, (blog post here). Well we’re back baby! Teaming up once more for my solo show in the adorable little month of February, hence the name “Short & Sweet”. It is obvious, right? Do I really have to lead you along with explanations of the shortest month of the year and the second most candy-fantastic holiday of the year? (Flag Day being the first, naturally.) No? Excellent!

Wanna now what’s in store for “Short & Sweet?”, well Bluebottle Art Gallery + Store is here to help your nebby way. They have a preview link here with just some of the screenprinted art prints that I will be showing. All prints are available for sale at Bluebottle from February 1st – 28th. 

And, there will be a brand new print debuting for this show, called “Night Birds”, so fresh on the presses it’s not even OFF yet. Yup yup! So if you are in the Seattle area, please do stop by and see the show. Bluebottle Art Gallery + Store is located at 415 East Pine Street in Seattle, WA with gallery and store hours of Tues – Sun 12 -7.  Bluebottle Art Gallery & Store also runs an email preview list that you can sign up for here, which allows you to get sneak previews of art work before the general public.

 

Short & Sweet show preview page

Short & Sweet show preview page

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Over & Over, Mike Perry strikes again

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Mike Perrys book, Over & Over

Mike Perry's book, Over & Over

As if there was any doubt he would, though. Right? 

You may recall that I blogged about the fantastically fun and rad illustrator and hand-drawn-type champion Mike Perry previously last October here when I’d finally started reading his first book Hand Job. Which, I immediately fell in love with. I’m talking within the first paragraph of the introduction. And now I’m encouraging you to check out his most recent book, Over  & Over: A Catalog of Hand-Drawn Patterns. 

Both books embrace the comparative unevenness, fallibility, and beautiful imperfections of drawing things like type and patterns by hand that we all too often just turn over to digital generation-mediums. For me, being a straight-up design nerd, textile design geek and general adorer of pattern and repetition as well as lovely awkwardness, this book is the jimmy AND the jam.

Bree Harrisons work in Over & Over

Bree Harrison's work in Over & Over

Featuring his own work, as well as that of over 50 illustrators and designers, it’s chock fulla awesome. You can buy Over & Over directly from Perry’s website as well as find Hand Job and a million other cool projects, shirts, prints, and radness. Or you can find them both at Amazon (of course) right here and here.

Yoko Shimizu's work in Over & Over

Yoko Shimizu's work in Over & Over

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Happy Inauguration Day

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Out with the old, in with the new.

Out with the old, in with the new.

 

This afternoon the US will proudly welcome in our new President, Barack Obama. Rather than detailed the already well known unprecedented layers and aspects of this incredible day and moment, I will just say one word that sums up my chills, tears, hopes and desires for our next President and a new era:

YAY!!!!!

Absolutely in keeping with this administration’s love of democratic forms of communication, if you are not near a television today, you can watch the entire proceedings live via the web at hulu.com. 

I’m looking forward to a fresh and inclusive government and participatory time in our country. Best to us all, everywhere and everyone. Peace.

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Neko Case – People Got A Lotta Nerve

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Neko Case & fuzzy friend

Neko Case & fuzzy friend

This is just so super cool and fuzzy & warm and awesome. Neko Case, as if she wasn’t already rad enough, is doing a animal-rescue friendly promotion that will run from January 13 to February 3, 2009.With a new album. Middle Cyclone, coming out on March 3, 2009 she is pre-releasing a downloadable single called “People Gotta Lot Of Nerve” but with an added bonus.

 Neko Case and ANTI– will make a cash donation to the amazing Best Friends Animal Society,  possibly best known for being the shelter facilty that runs Dogtown and has taken in 22 of the abused former fighting dogs from the Michael Vick dogfighting ring case. For every blog that posts reposts the single Five dollars  ($5!) will be donated to the Best Friends Animal Society and or every user of iLike that adds the song to his/her profile. one dollar ($1!) will be donated to Best Friends Animal Society. The Vick dogs, and literally hundreds of other abused animals are cared for every day, rehabilitated and when possible, adopted into loving home because of the fantastic & dedicated work of the people at Best Friends Animal Society.

SO! Download the song and enjoy, because like Ms. Case, it’s an ass kicker. If you have a blog? Please post about this limited time donation and add this download to your blogs.

Download “People Got A Lotta Nerve” here: http://www.anti.com/media/download/708

And for instructions on how you and your blog can help, go here. It’s SUPER easy!

Neko Case, Middle Cyclone

Neko Case, Middle Cyclone

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Poolga = NOT boring iPhone & Touch wallpapers

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Technology is not boring. Or cold. Or impersonal.

iPhone & iPod Touch wallpaper

Rose Red, iPhone & iPod Touch wallpaper by strawberryluna

In fact, as the digital becomes more personal, things are getting pretty interesting. There was a time when technology automatically meant cold, distant, impersonal and excruciatingly under-designed in a human sense. You had to learn to adapt to technology, no matter how awkward, never the other way around. Think early cars without windshields or even a roof, hand cranking telephones to call the operator who then placed your call for you, and the giant, room filling computers of yore.

Yeah well, much of that has changed as people have adopted technology, brought it in from the beeping binary cold and made it fit their lives, no longer just the other way ’round. The iPhone and the iPod Touch are excellent examples of this change. So it makes great sense that these small and highly personal, functional machines become more personalized.

The savvy and design-loving folks at Poolga.com are here to help. Poolga has been putting out amazing images for your iPhone & iPod Touch from an international selection of illustrators and designers, for free. That’s right folks….awesomeness…for free. And moreover, these fine Poolga people have just added 2 of my designs to their incredible collection. I know right? It’s crazy. So did you open a new window or a new tab yet? WHY? GO! 

I love love love their collection. I’ve been rocking this image by UK illustrator and designer Thereza Rowe, Black Unicorns on my phone for a couple of months now, and I still just adore it. Her work is really fantastic and entrancing.

Black Unicorns, by Thereza Rowe

Black Unicorns, iPhone & iPod touch wallpaper by Thereza Rowe

And below is my other current wallpaper up at Poolga. Go check them out OK? SO much awesomeness over there. Go yonder and wander, it’s a fun way to fine new illustrators, designers, and freshen up that bit of pocket magic that you carry around all day, everyday. And cripes, it’s free! You so deserve it. Go on, git. Thanks rad Poolga folks!

Peacock Feathereyes, iPhone & iPod Touch wallpaper

Peacock Feathereyes, iPhone & iPod Touch wallpaper by strawberryluna

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Handmade Nation movie screenings & release

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DIY art and culture lives, thrives and has been gaining a massive resurgence in the past decade. The growth of hand crafted work, arts and crafts that could easily have been made by machines and digital media, but wasn’t, by choice of the artists, is astonishing and rad.

One artist, director, craft show creator (Art vs. Craft), retail craft store co-owner (Paper Boat) and all around superwoman of DIY, Faythe Levine also undertook the writing of a book and making an extraordinary documentary film about this movement beginning in 2006. The film is called Handmade Nation and is just beginning to screen all around the country, and the newly released book is called Handmade Nation The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design. Both authors Faythe Levine and Cortney Heimerl are touring the US and abroad with their film screenings and talking to folks about the passions and work of folks who make art and crafts with their hands. Both the film & the book have been highly anticpated for 2 years and counting. I can’t wait to see the film and have the book in my wishlist, ready to come home any minute now.

For screenings, or to book a screening (they welcome the inquiries) check out the Handmade Nation website and/or the Handmade Nation blog. The Handmade Nation book is available here, and for more photos, visit the Handmade Nation flickr page. 

Awesome Blossom!
picture-31

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