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Princeton Art Bazaar 2023 Recap

Hello, world. This is Ella (Genevieve’s cat). Genevieve was so busy preparing for and tidying up after the art fair that I thought I’d help by writing about it for her.

It was more than a year since her last fair, so she decided to test everything again. One day all the furniture began to move, and my whole upstairs changed.

Where are my chairs? What’s this net for? Yummy fishies?

Since my chairs are gone, I’ll lie on this. (Art portfolio.)

Oh, she hangs pictures on the fishnet. She was very happy to discover she can fold up the tent and store it in its bag with the net still attached. She can save set-up time in the future!

Yay, I found some of my chairs. One side is just as good as the other.

Is this table sturdy enough? I’ll test it.

Seems okay. I’ll check the other side.

It’s good! I apply the stretchy seal of approval.

Genevieve kept putting all this stuff on the floor & moving it around. I guess to figure out how it should look.

After coming up with the setup, she put the tables away, but she still wasn’t done. She had to figure out spring cleaning clearance pricing and groupings. We looked at lots of pictures together.

The beach? I think you’ll sell that one. (She did.)

The shoe? Maybe you shouldn’t bring that. (She didn’t.)

An open bin! Is it big enough? Did you pack everything? Can I fit?

She did not let me go outside while she packed the car, so she’ll take over writing the post now.

Thank you, Ella. As you can see, art fairs always take a lot of time to prepare, but gratefully everything carried off without a hitch. What’s more, I have settled on a booth layout that I like and will keep, so I don’t have to repeat the furniture and tent escapades.

The bazaar went very well. The weather was beautiful (especially after a week of rain), there was a good turn-out, and I am satisfied on the sales front. I’m pleased to have sold 3 somewhat larger paintings and several smaller items (and to have a little bit more storage space). More important than the sales, though, are the good conversations I had with people who perused my booth, even if they didn’t buy anything. It is interesting and fulfilling to hear what people find meaningful and special about the artwork.

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Princeton Art Bazaar 2023

I am pleased to announce I will have a booth at Princeton Art Bazaar the first weekend in May. The community event is Saturday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Paul Robeson Place, by the Arts Council of Princeton’s building and the back of the public library. The rain date is Sunday, May 7 (same hours). Entry is free.

About 80 artists, craftsmen, and vendors from the area will have work and goods on display. A humble selection of my artwork and cards, including Pandagrams, will be available. The Arts Council does not allow books at the bazaar, so Racing Pajamas and Cartage will not be offered at this sale, but you can always contact me separately about them any time.

If you are in town, please stop by, say hi, and have a look.

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Marching Along

Hmm. Judging by the title, the Art Walks may be done, but wordplay and references to foot travel persist. So be it. I have updates on three projects this month: a long-term one, a medium-term one, and short-term one.

Long-term: Recently I finished illustrations for a Biblical children’s book. It is a retelling of an Old Testament story. After the author and I wrap things up, I will share more.

Medium-term: A few months ago, an illustration project I completed for a client a few years ago fell through. In short, after long absences, the client completely rewrote the story, so the illustrations no longer fit. I have been thinking about how to use them for a book of my own. More on that, too, when things are further along.

I have posted some of the art before, so if you would like to see any, either visit the Illustration gallery (after the Racing Pajamas illustrations) or, for some different images, including in-process work, search for “goats” in the site search bar.

Short-term: A special lady who has has served the organization where I work is retiring from the board. She has served with overflowing love and joy in many capacities over multiple decades. This drawing was part of her send-off and thank-you gifts.

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Merry Christmas 2022

Glad tidings to all! In the spirit of the season and of the now-concluded Art Walks, here are photographs of wreath-inspired floral arrangements I created in a Christmastide past (December 2018).

Have a happy, blessed Christmas, and may much good blossom in the new year.

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Art Walk 6: Cool & Unusual Pun is Meant

Once again, Ohno (L), Tackey, & Tsubasa. Why this drawing of Ohno? So you’d get the point.

Given my penchant for puns, it should come as no surprise that today’s theme has been in mind from the beginning of the series. I hope you will find it enjoyable and that you will neither shoo nor shoe me for my insole-lence. This is also the last Art Walk. Perhaps years from now, there will be another run.

Seemingly perpetual note: You will need to click images to enlarge to view a lot of the art properly.

Doggone it!

You might think this blog has gone to the dogs after reading some of these puns, but as promised last time, here are the doggies!

Cavalier (2018): A dashing King Charles spaniel. I think the ears of the tricolors and black-and-tans make them look like members of the French court, appropriate for a mutt-keteer.

Rescue Dog (2017)

Undercover Pup (2015): Not a skillful painting (just a “use up extra paint before it dries” venture), but given today’s theme, I’m not un-comforter-ble sharing it.

From under a downy cover to down under, here’s Digeridog (c. 2015).

Pirates

I’m sure I could transition with a joke about salty dogs or sea dogs, but since this post already carries a boatload of wordplay, I will spar(e) the effort.

Wok the plank: I never finished this cartoon because I didn’t come up with a satisfying set-up and punchline. “See the / cedar plank? Wok it!” may have been the closest, but I wanted the parrot to squawk (sq-wok?): “Rrraaaaah! Wok the plank!”

R: I think U get the I-D-ea.

Two Pair

Apparently paired pears pear-iodically appeared: Apparantly (2009) and panels from the cabinet project (2018).

What’s in a name?

Converse-ation Piece (2006): Tongue-tied? Comment on somebody’s shoes.

Bubblegum Pop (2017): A style of music and a sugary snack.

Ja-puns

Japanese pop culture returns to the Art Walks in full force.

Machu Pichu (2010). To readers not versed in Pokémon, think of Pichu as a baby Pikachu.

Yamapeace (2008): The back of the Yamapi birthday card I drew for a friend. The front is in Art Walk 2. (⼭ is yama.)

To come full circle, this Art Walk ends how the series began, with Arashi art.

The Big O (2008): Oh, no, another Ohno Satoshi joke? Oh, yes. They never get Ohld. The kanji for the “Oh” (大) in “Ohno” (大野) means “big.” The Big O is an anime from the late ‘90s and early 2000s. So there you gO.

We will also travel from the past back to the future present. This next bit, a gift for a friend, is quite involved, so allow me to elaborate (without, I hope, ruinous over-explanation).

Arasheep (2022): Count them for dream!

The chorus of Arashi’s debut song, A · RA · SHI, ends in “for dream” (and sometimes scrumptious five-part harmony). Here are clear scans of the originals. The laminated ones in the photos were resized to fit the sheep better.

  • Ohno (blue): 大 (Oh) yeah!
  • Sho (red) has a clock pin on his vest because it’s show time!
  • Aiba (green): The sound ai can be written with the kanji character for “love,” so there’s a heart (plus the katakana ba, バ.
  • Nino (yellow): The kanji  ⼆ (ni, 2) repeats (sleeves, lapel, shoes). “We are the Knights Who Say Ni[no]!”
  • Jun (purple): “Diva.” ‘Nuff said. In this case, “no pun intended” means “intentionally no pun.”
  • Glass container: The Japanese word for “pun” or “bad joke” is dajare (sounds like “the jar A”). It was filled with more jokes.

Thus we come full circle. 楽しかったです。(Tanoshikatta desu. “It’s been fun.”) Thanks for walking with me. All’s well that ends well.

My most recent drawing =)

Well, then. Bye-bicycle!