art by mags! - urban folk art featuring recycled materials + diy design = t-shirts, mixed media, art prints, and more! New Orleans, Louisiana

blogbymags! portrait of the artist as a craftivist...

It's Spring In New Orleans!

With Carnival now over, I can get back to work finally. It's hard to explain to folks who aren't from here how hard it is to accomplish anything during Carnival season, if you're the type to partake in the revelry. And with it being Fae's first Mardi Gras, and me having missed Mardi Gras last year, there was a certain investment in seeing lots of parades and doing it up on Fat Tuesday. The pic to the right is my favorite from our festivities on Mardi Gras day, all of us in our "everyday superhero" costumes (I was "The Aerosol Avenger" - that spray paint can hat looked great, but damn did it hurt my head!) It was a gorgeous day, weather-wise, and much silly fun was had by all.

But now it's back to business. I've just signed up, albeit late (so hopefully I'll still get in), for the Freret Market on Saturday, March 7th, from noon til 5pm Uptown near the corner of Freret and Napoleon. I haven't done an outdoor market since before Christmas, so I hope the weather will be nice and lots of folks will be out and about. I'm thinking of having a HUGE t-shirt sale, to clear out old stock - like, all t's $10 and all tanks $5. I've got to get rid of all the old stuff before I can afford to buy some new blank stock to print new stuff on, so I think that's what I'll do. (This excludes the NOLA Rising t's, since those are a fundraiser.)

Also, I've got the Alternative Media Expo coming up on the 21st of March, which I'm very excited about. I've missed this event for the past several years while I was living in Kentucky, so I'm happy to be here to help the New Orleans Craft Mafia with our co-sponsorship duties and to vend at and just be at the event. This year the AME will be back at the Warehouse at the Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp St. in the Warehouse District) from noon til 6pm and costs $5 to get in. The first 150 paying customers through the door will also get a free swag bag from the New Orleans Craft Mafia, so come early!

What else is going on? Hmm... I've just finished up a batch of my new dog stencil clocks, which will be for sale online exclusively at Happy Dogs Play, a new dog-themed website by my friend Kath Quinn that goes live in mid-March. You can sign up now for their newsletter, though, which will let you know when it goes live. I can't wait to see what it will look like when it's done. Kath gave me a sneak peak and there were all kinds of cool dog accessories, toys, and dog-themed original artwork. You dog lovers out there should definitely check it out once it's live.

And I recently added a few new signs to the Etsy shop, a new twist on my popular "Abundance" sign that I've been making for awhile. I found a pile of short 2"x4" boards in the trash a while back, so I'll be making a bunch of these and using up my stockpile of bottle caps that I've been saving for years. In these hard economic times, who doesn't need a little abundance right now, right?

That's about it for now, but stay tuned as I get back to work... who knows what I might come up with next!

permalink posted Friday, February 27, 2009 0 comments |

How Did It Get To Be February Already?

Wow, I sure meant to update sooner than this! But right after I got back from Washington D.C. and my inauguration celebration, I got really, really sick with a severe case of bronchitis (or some nasty virus that simulated its worst symptoms), and was totally laid out for like two weeks. I'm still recuperating, though feeling generally better and well enough to function now. But it was really bad there for a little while.

Meantime, I've uploaded all my pics and a few videos from my D.C. trip to my Flickr site, and the Manifest Hope folks have uploaded a ton of photos and updated their website, post-show. (Also, you can google Manifest Hope:DC and find a plethora of blog, radio, tv and print publication coverage from the event.)

My big update is that my blue "Believe" canvas sold in the show, which is very exciting! The red one did not, as it was not in the main show but instead over at the pop-up SEIU gallery in Dupont Circle that I don't think anyone really knew anything about. I never made my way over there to look for it myself, due to my busy schedule. As soon as it arrives back home to me here in New Orleans, I'll be putting it up for sale via my Etsy shop, so stay tuned. It will likely be the last version of this painting that I have up for sale, as I've now sold both small test canvases and a test print on posterboard, as well as the original blue canvas. I'm open to specific commissions, but won't likely be creating any on my own any longer.

(The Obama tshirts are still up for sale via the Etsy shop, too - there's about a dozen of them left in a variety of sizes. But once they are gone, they are gone! That's it!)

Right now, I'm trying to get my strength back and get back into the groove making new stuff. I've been working on a dog stencil design for a clock, at the urging of some friends. More on this soon when I get it perfected. And this week I have to stock up on stuff for Valentine's, as the New Orleans Craft Mafia is hosting a St. Valentine's Day Massacre (indie craft market) at the Bridge Lounge this Friday (the 13th) evening, for all you last-minute shoppers who need unique goodies for your sweeties, or for lonely hearts who just want to indulge themselves. See the flyer to the right for all the details. It promises to be a good time, and a great stop-off before and/or after catching the night's Carnival parades on the uptown route.

Speaking of which, Carnival season is in full swing here, so I might not be too great at updating this month, what with all the parade-going and costume-making on my agenda. But I'll try. Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!

permalink posted Sunday, February 08, 2009 0 comments |

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