Pay Attention to Me, Internet!

Super last minute banner, but gold forever.

I want to quickly say a big THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by my booth last weekend, said sweet things to me and purchased some of my weird, terrible art. It really meant so much to me. I'm truly lucky to have people care about me and to have sold so much stuff to so many nice human beings. I wanted to post a little something to show everyone who could not make it what it was all about. I plan to post my extras online to purchase. No future shows have been planned... yet.

This unflattering photo of myself looking super grumpy and chubby was posted on the internet. This is my ~true~ self. 

Got some spiral notebooks made if you're a nerd and like paper. 

At one point, a woman walked by my booth was was like "whoa, someone likes cacti..." and I was like, yeah I'm trying to appeal to a desert-based dynamic... and she laughed. I just feel like I need to clarify that I do like other things other than cacti... I am painting a lot of prickly things because one, you see cacti products EVERY WHERE and no one accurately represents them like I attempt to and two, right now if it has a cactus on it, people will buy it. It's like Portlandia's "Put a Bird on It" mentality. Put a cacti on it... and sold! 

I love cacti though, so the woman was not wrong.

This is Emily and Spencer's cat, Opie. He seems to be a fan of my work, and heck, I'm a big fan of his.

After working at a stationery company for a year and a half and printing and assembling thousands and thousands of notepads, I of course had to sell my own.

I made my first run of "Crap to Buy," "Shit to Do," and "Bitches to Call" notepads back in college. They were all letterpressed and super time consuming. I wanted to make more for this show, so I found a pad vendor and ordered them... This is the only pad style they would print for me because my other designs were "too vulgar." Like, the company's CEO refused to. LOL. Okay!

I made this pattern so long ago but never had it printed and it is so pink and happy and thats so different from how I feel, but I really love it. Peonies, by the way.

Can I plug Ikea bags for a second? I use them for everything. Everything. I think I have like, 4 in my car right now. They are huge and durable and look, they hold a ton of pillows.

I made little dish towels with my patterns on them and they sold out the first day so I had to go home and sew up a bunch more! Who knew you guys like washing your dishes so much? 

I also got to meet and hang out with a bunch of really cool vendors and they were all so nice to me and I want to hug them forever? Regina Lord was one of those talented vendors and I bought her cute little Frida mirror and this too true pin that I immediately put on my knapsack. Her illustrations are so beautiful and I can't wait to buy more. 

So cool/so weird to see people like my stuff in real life. I'm very surprised to see my "art" making people happy, it's very surreal and wow. Crying. 

Last thing: Emily Orzel, my dear friend, brought me these beautiful prints and I'm so in love. She is selling her work at Tucson's MOCA and that's a VERY big deal and I am so happy. Nothing better than seeing people you love doing amazing things. 

Thanks again, everyone! ♥  ♥  ♥ 

Okay! Enough about me, let's focus on Childish Gambino and collectively count down to his new album drop in 21 days!!!!!!!! Lemme just play this over and over until I go deaf. 

!!!

I always feel super uncomfy asking people to come to my art shows because I'm essentially selling myself to a bunch of strangers and that's a pretty weird thing to come watch. I mean I'm fully clothed, but still. Anyways! I'm officially inviting you (the Internet) to my art show this weekend so you can like, uh, come buy my art. 

Give me your money and I'll give you stickers, pillows, tea towels, notepads, notebooks, postcards, art prints, and other stuff too. 

Harlow Gardens Holiday Marketplace. Saturday 9-5pm, Sunday 9-3pm. 5620 E. Pima.

(At least I'm honest, right?) 

Recap!

Hey cuties! A quick post with too many photos so skip this if you don't want to see my face and/or my art. (Side note, I did lose like 5 followers because I posted a photo of my face on my Instagram... Never again.)

 

Here is me, looking surly as ever at my art show this weekend. (My job requires I wake up at 4 am, so don't judge how gross I am.) I won the "honorable mention" award, which felt like salt in the wound. I'm not a sore loser by any means, it just reminded me of 1st grade Track and Field where I got a TON of purple "Participation awards" that still haunt me from my childhood closet stored snuggly in a box of bad memories.

Note: double chin. I AM HUMAN.

Look at that green and gold... Damn! 

Anyways, I was incredibly honored and happy to be part of this art show! And to get recognized in any way, shape or (ribbon) form. It was a very cool group of young adults making a really vast array of art. Everyone was SUPER talented and represented the desert landscape we live in in such cool, beautiful ways! There were only 11 of us, but this was the SNP's first ever art show so that was a decent group. Above you can see my set up for the show. I was selling all the pieces, but unfortunately there were no sales... Yet! (Postcards have just been posted on etsy and pillows will be listed soon!)

Made some postcards and bought a nice display for them!

If you know me or my art, I am very much about repetition and functionality. I like the idea of spending time and love creating an image and then shrinking it down to be a small part of a larger pattern. The idea of the power of repetitious imagery is something I am continually exploring. I am also super into making art that can be used and loved. As someone who studied fine art and as someone who has so many prints and beautiful pieces surrounding me in my daily life, I like the idea of taking things off the wall and putting them into the hands of the buyer. Art is always seen on a pedestal or behind a protective layer of glass, which is great! But as someone who has worked in the art world and who is a consumer of all things artsy, I know that if a piece has dual functionality, the most likely it will be purchased. What I mean by this is, I'm more likely to buy a tote bag with a beautiful design on it, then buy the same design as an expensive piece of framed art (although I am guilty of that as well.) I like being able to use the art I buy and show off my taste and show off the artist as well! So creating postcards and pillows etc is my way of getting my art into the world and having people utilize it on a daily basis. Form and functionality, I guess if I had to sum it all up. (RAMBLING! Sorry.)

The BEAUTIFUL sunset at the Saguaro National Park last night! The art show was kind of in the middle of nowhere, SO far from the city (50 minutes to be exact) but the views and the vegetation was really breathtaking. Never gets old. Go visit it.

More postcard pictures, oh my gosh.

More photos of the art show and Laura's beautiful prints when they are posted online for me to steal... I wasn't too good at documenting anyone else's work but mine... Selfish. 

A 13x13 square pillow.

Here is one of the pillows I made for the show. So super cute, (if you don't mind me saying.) Mint canvas with embroidered printed front and a cotton flour sack printed back. 

The back of the mint pillow.

A 13x16 rectangular pillow (the front.)

Purple cotton front and cotton flour sack printed back. So sweet and beautiful. 

The backside of the purple pillow.

Anyways, I'm slowly getting back into making products and selling my art. Hope that makes you guys at least half as stoked as I am!

Weekend Plans

Dumb, quick flyer I made because I didn't super love the "official" flyers that were made.
Oops. No offense.

Got weekend plans yet? Now you do. Come to the SNP's first Youth Art show. (Youths are apparently anyone from 17-25, which explains why I'm so youthful... Sike, I'm old.) I have a piece being shown and I'm selling some home goods and stationery as well. PLUS! Laura Perry will be showing off and selling her printmaking pieces, which are certifiably rad! It's the first time me and my best friend will be showing work at the same show (since like, elementary school when it doesn't even count...) AND it's my first art show since 2014. Groundbreaking.

June 3rd and 4th, 6-8. See ya there.

Psst. Does the flyer look sort of familiar? Totally used the reference photo I took at the SNP a couple posts down and photoshopped it! I obviously took a bunch of photos when I visited, but I just liked how stoic that guy looked, thus the reuse! Unoriginal, I know.