Keeping Kewanee Weird

I've written before, about my hometown, Kewanee, Illinois, and just how weird that place is. I love it, I love it there, and I love where I come from. I'm proud of our quirks and oddities and the stories I get to tell people when I'm away from there, about where I'm from.

That's why I'm really proud to announce the unveiling of a new 'weird' venture: Keep Kewanee Weird.


See other gifts available on Zazzle.


Yes, we're totally ripping off Austin and Portland, but you know what? We may be small, but we have a lot they don't have. You know, we're in the Mid-West, centrally located for your travel convenience. We have Hog Days and now we have Walldogs and our future mural based arts fest, and we have wonderful mineral springs *coughcough,* a decades long vendetta against Santa Claus and Christmas Trees, a school division and we have Deer Man. And remember, if you see him three times, you die, so be careful.

We are weird, and now we have T-shirts to proclaim it!

I've taken the liberty of setting up a Zazzle store, featuring our Keep Kewanee Weird memorabilia: T-Shirts--simple in design, yet full of Kewanee pride, hats, keyrings, and all sorts of other things. I even have the option of creating skateboards, and will do so if there's a demand.  Our designs our simple, the stories behind them complex.  Because when people ask me where I'm from, I'll happily tell them about Kewanee, Illinois; there's no other place like it.

All proceeds go to Kewanee Walldogs, for our initial offering of murals in 2013 and, in the future, to the arts and music festival that will become a July regular down the road.

Those little rubber bracelets will appear sometime in the future as well.

If you have an event and would like to raise some money for Kewanee Walldogs by selling shirts, bracelets or other memorabilia, just email me and let me know. If you're in the Kewanee area, maybe we can work with our friendly neighborhood shirt printer--shop local and all that--and I'll send over the files for the designs. I went with an online Zazzle shop because of the global reach, but if our friendly neighborhood shirt printer wants in, c'mon, let's go!

I think we can do this. I think we can celebrate Kewanee for what it is. Growing up, I was always so proud of how diverse and unknowingly tolerant we were in my town, especially for such a small city. This is a great set-up for an arts town. I've said it before: Everyone else can fight over the manufacturing and farming pies; we're going to go bake our own pie: An Arts Pie.  There's money there to be had; we just need to own it, and I'll start by proudly wearing my Keep Kewanee Weird shirt.

Spray Paint High

Oooooo!!! I'm so excited!

Photo by Liquitex

I don't often shop at Michael's arts/crafts supply stores. I'll admit, I worked at Hobby Lobby during college and loved it there (and loved the employee discount!). Where I worked, there was a Michael's RIGHT. NEXT. DOOR. So I got to do a bit of price comparison shopping.  Over the years, this has remained true: Hobby Lobby's regular prices often beat Michael's sale prices. So I usually shop at Hobby Lobby.

I do like some of the sales Michael's has, though, such as their buy-one-get-one sale on canvases (but beware! Sometimes, that $30 canvas you bought at Michael's -- and then got a free one--still will cost you more than a similar size canvas you could have bought at Hobby Lobby. So be sure to do the math!) I'll get those every now and then, and they have a nifty app for smartphones. AND I overheard a clerk telling a customer they have one of those new loyalty card things, but I was in a time-crunch and didn't have much time to inquire on it. They do carry some products that Hobby Lobby doesn't.

Which leads me to my cause for excitement: A vast array of SPRAY PAINT!

Hobby Lobby carries spray paint, usually Krylon that costs at least 50 cents more than Wal-Mart. Krylon is okay, and their colors are a bit more opaque than other kinds (although I'm really digging Rust-O-Leum's 2X line--basically it sprays enough paint for 2 coats at once--excellent opacity for lighter, tricky colors like oranges and yellows).  I really like the smell of Valspar spray paint at Lowe's and they have that neat-o turquoise blue that I love to paint with so much. Their downside is their opacity with the lighter colors, again, yellows and oranges, but that's where I'll pick up some Rust-O-Leums.

Photo by Liquitex

But now I have an entirely new color pallet to choose from! Liquitex, sold at Michael's! I walked through their arts supply section and a wonderful aerosol rainbow, locked in a cage, caught my eye and dazzled me.  I wanted one of each! Downside: These little puppies (well they're the size of a normal can of spray paint) run $11.99 each. But, you know, there's always a 40% off coupon in the circular, and there are coupons on the app! (I kind of can't wait to see what that loyalty card offers up).


I could go on and on about the colors! According to their website, they ultimately offer 100 different colors (there were maybe half that on display at Michael's) and they're tinted in line with many of their common acrylic paints. I think I just heard the swoosh of new art doors opening for me..

Photo by Liquitex

They're touted to be low odor, which doesn't really bother me either way. I've accidently sniffed enough of that stuff over the years that I actually like it (and Sharpie markers? I'm totally immune). Troy wants me to always wear a mask...and I do...when I remember... I know, I know.

I've been doing more and more aerosol/stencil art, combo-ed with acrylic painting lately. I really do like the idea of painting the bulk of the painting with my acrylics, then making a stencil for the final layer, be they black outlines or whatever. I really enjoy the fun of peeling off the stencil when I'm done to FINALLY see the finished painting. I feel like those homeowners on HGTV when they get to the reveal! And I like that they are always just slightly off. It's like a deliberate imperfection, if there is such a thing. I'm getting better and better at the acrylic+aerosol stencil style, and I'm so glad that I'm no longer bound, color-wise, to whatever color choices 'normal' people want in a can of spray paint to paint their patio furniture (or whatever it is that 'normal' people use spray paint for).

I'm Featured Artist again at the Art Bank in June, and I was already wanting to highlight my aerosol work, so rock on, expanded color choices!  *Happy Dance Happy Dance*

Bark Art! And Such Things

My first foray into being an Indianapolis Featured Artist this month is going pretty well!

Photo by Moon Stumpp

My preview show and my First Friday turned out pretty good-sized crowds, especially for March, which, I'm told, is one of the harder months to be featured.   It was a lot of hard work getting everything ready in February, especially coming right after the crush of work for the Super Bowl.  I've figured out things that I really like to do, to show, and to serve as refreshments and I've come out of it, at nearly the half way mark, with a feeling of "I got this."

Remy says, "Please come?"

This Thursday will be the last planned event for me for March, an event I'm calling Bark Art! With Rembrandt Hernandez. My dog, Remy, AKA my painting assistant, will be hosting a doggie-friendly reception at the Art Bank, Thursday, March 15th, from 6pm to 9pm. So far, we're forecasted wonderful weather and if that holds up, I'll even go for some paw print paintings in the parking lot! I have a few more preps for that to do, but ...I got this.

What I've learned:

Apple pop and salsa + cream cheese dip, served with tortilla chips and butter pretzels, are a great way to have an interesting food spread, while not breaking the bank. And I didn't have to police the beverages, as I would have had to do with wine--something I did not have time to really do. Apple pop is way more interesting than same ol' Pepsi or Seven Up.

Television has quite a reach! I've been surprised how much feedback I got on my appearance on our local 'scene' show IndyStyle.

I really like making and distributing postcards as advertisements, and, now that I have the size template finished, those will be churning out more frequently in the future.

It's fun to work in a charity to your events. I've worked with FACE Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic, for the month. Ten percent of all of my sales for the month will be donated to FACE, and we'll have a common donation jar available at the Bart Art! event.

Photo by Moon Stump

Involving your dog in what you do is a pretty fun adventure.  She did great on TV, and added another layer of interest.  She's cute, what can I say!  She also has a facebook page of her very own, and has invited several of her doggie friends! We'll see what comes of her event, but I'm hoping for great success!

It's always good to have a tight posse. My posse consists of an array of people I've befriended since moving to Indianapolis, and they are right by my side. They show up at my events, make me feel like a winner and all that, and, in the case of my art friend Moon, are instrumental in helping me pull this off. I've learned so much this month, and they just made it all easier to absorb.

"I've got this" so well, that I'm prepared to dive back in again. I'm featured again in June, this time with my aerosols, and I'm going to try to make it bigger and better than March ever knew!

Here's hoping I don't go crazy first. :)

I'm Featured Artist For March! Woo hoo!

This March is off to a great start!

I'm the Featured Artist this month at the Art Bank, and I've been working my tail off to get everything ready.  The subjects of my show are my "Mee-Ba" paintings, calling the show "Mee-ba.0" I've gotten a lot of great feedback on them over the years, so I figured I'd stick with what I know for my first Indianapolis Feature.

Last night, Thursday, was my Preview Show. We had a great crowd and I'd like to give a shout to the "Lawless Clan," and all that they encompass for being there and being great friends.  We had 60's surf/pop music provided by my friend, DJ Allan Dare (who did a great job of interpreting my musical requests: "I'd like something 60's, Beach Boys-like, and red and gold on a synesthetic level.") We were bopping around to the happy tunes and Kathleen, the Book Nook's "Book Mama," took a trip down memory lane. Awesome.

I got a chance to test out my Square card reader, that rocked. It was just so simple! And the transactions were all processed by the time I woke up this morning! It was a Christmas giftie and I'm grateful for it.

Mixed Media and Jewelry Artist Moon Stumpp was there and helped me out every step of the way. I'll admit, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with this Feature month.  I didn't know what I was in for, or wasn't really sure if I knew, and I wanted to do it right, like a good first impression, of sorts. Moon was great, with advice and PR, and gave me some great ideas to branch out with, such as my "Wee Paintings," little 5in. x 7 in. watercolor and ink paintings or 8 in. x 10 in. canvas paintings in a spinning rack.  I painted nearly 50 of those things, to fill the rack, and won't be painting more for a bit, until those sell, mostly because I've never painted 50 of ANYTHING and I desperately want to paint SOMETHING ELSE. They were fun to paint though, like a feeling of freedom with how loose I could make them. But yeah, something else for now. 

I was on IndyStyle on WISH, Thursday morning, and I brought Remy with, for mostly moral support. I'd never been in front of the camera and that had me pretty nervous. It was the kind of nervous that you file in the back of your mind because you've had so much to do earlier in the week, that you didn't really have time to dwell on how nervous you were. But, I DVR'd the episode, and watched it when I got home, and I didn't totally suck! I'm actually kind of proud of myself. I didn't freeze, talking to people on First Fridays really really helped there, and I didn't do any weird nervous tics or anything. Remy behaved herself and even spoke up once, as if on cue! I'd wanted her to paint some lil paintings of her own (she used to do it!), partly for the interest and partly to help fill that "Wee Paintings" rack, but she wouldn't (she wanted to roll over instead), so we just moved on. She's hosting her own doggie-friendly event at the Art Bank on March 15th, so she had relevance being there too.

The Art Bank: wishtv.com

I feel like I'm in a good place for First Friday, as long as the weather doesn't get too nutty (we had some nice hail earlier--to wake me up-- and they're giving tornado watches/warnings for the afternoon). But it's nicely warm out, so I'm hoping we have a good turnout. In any case, I'm prepared. I know what to do in case of a tornado, and I made some killer dip (thank you Artist Within for showing me how to make that dip last March!) to feed to the people that come out if the weather's nice! Oh yeah! AND I finished 2 new paintings that are currently on display: "Two Stickers On A Wall" and "Mee-ba 11.0."  "Two Stickers" can be seen in the background of that IndyStyle video, but I'll have an official pic of both soon.

And hey! 10% of all of my sales for the month of March will be donated to FACE Low Cost Spay & Neuter Clinic in Indianapolis, so be brave, come the Art Bank, buy some art and help a furry friend!

Remy says, "Please?"

Walldogs Comes To Kewanee!

I can’t wait for July of 2013.

And that’s still a year and a half away.

In July, 2013, the organization, Walldogs, will be coming to Kewanee!  Walldogs started up in Pontiac, Illinois, in an effort to boost tourism to Pontiac. They painted murals all over the historic downtown, sometimes repairing faded “ghost signs” (faded previously painted, old-timey advertisements), sometimes creating new murals featuring hallmarks of the town, in that old-timey style.  Now, Pontiac hosts a mural festival every year and Walldogs have taken their show on the road.

And Kewanee already has a great downtown. All it needs is a fresh coat of paint!

I see it like this: There is only so much of the manufacturing and farming pie to go around in Northwestern Illinois. Really, there’s no real artistic hub in the area, so no one’s fighting for that pie. Why can’t Kewanee take it? We’re already a pretty eclectic, eccentric place to be. Residents really don’t see it, until you move away, tell people of your hometown, they cock their heads to the side and ask, “really?” And you have no other answer but yes. Yes, our mayor punched Santa Claus (and no, I don't know how I found that article in the Orlando Sentinel of all places). Yes, Deer Man is a local legend/graffiti artist. Yes, we make boilers that are all over the world. Yes, we apparently had our very own stunt family, the Cole's (I just found that out). We’re also home to random famous folks, like realism painter RichardEstes, and we should be proud of that! So let’s paint it on a wall!

I’ve become involved in the Kewanee Walldogs movement, from afar, using my mommy as my meeting proxy (thanks Mom!).  I’m thrilled, I really am. There’s a town in Indiana, Nashville, that has made itself the regional artsy-craftsy hub and has done well with it. There’s no reason Kewanee can’t do that too. We could have a First Fridays-type event, a once-a-month get together of artists, musicians and appreciators. We have the unique advantage of being able to draw from the Peoria area, as well as the Quad Cities, so if we think outside of our normal bounds, there is money and success to be had.

This will be good for Kewanee, a new spark to the town.  Yes we have Hog Days, but we are more than that. Let’s celebrate the spirit of Kewanee, who we are and where we came from. As a displaced Kewaneean, I know how much of that weird city has shaped me (mostly for the better), so c’mon! Let’s Make/Keep Kewanee Weird!

Click here to see a video of one of the Walldogs meetings!

If you want to know more, check out this article in the Kewanee Star Courier, or this one--which is a nifty photo gallery of some of their previous work, or visit the Walldogs website, or shoot me an email and I’ll give you the deets on the committee. We need you! And, oh yeah, I'll be posting updates, so c'mon!

Super Dooper Bowl Time!

These last few weeks have been action packed.  The Super Bowl has come to our turf. And to Turf, the IDADA Pavilion, and to the Art Bank. Because, you know, we're all in Indianapolis.

We've been spiffing up the Art Bank, and extended our hours. We're part of the arts tours going through town, starting at the Turf Pavilion, working its way up Mass Ave, down to a local Winery, down to the artsy district of Fountain Square and then back to the center of town. Repeat. We're also a warming station, providing cocoa and cookies, even though we have the very un-January climate right now of 55 degrees.

And this Friday is none other than First Friday to boot!  I've been working on my display of my small stuff like a new 'cupcake' stand for my greeting cards, and I've created 'street-legal' postcards (just add stamp) and are now selling them for $1 each or 6 for $5 (basically just as much as a greeting cards, except they're not bundled).  Like the greeting cards, they're images of all of my paintings, even the ones that have sold, so feel free to sift through them until you find the right one!

I hadn't touched pen and ink in a while, so I gave it a go for the Super Dooper Bowl too. For all of the East-Coasters packing downtown, I created some "suitcase-friendly" art, starting with some watercolor but the bread and butter of each piece comes from its pen and ink detail. They're 5 in. x 7 in., matted to 8 in. x 10 in. and sealed in a nice plastic sleeve, ready to go home with whoever would like one. Collectively, I'm calling them "Wee Paintings," and they're $10 each, across the board.  I'll paint more as the initial batch find their forever homes, but I probably won't post photos of all of them, since they're small and numerous (although unique! No two are alike!).

And, one of the greatest flourishes to my display is a copy of Michael K. "The Artbook Guy" Corbin, titled Art For The People.  I've added a bookmark to my copy indicating...a write-up of my first-ever show at the Greenwood Public Library (in Greenwood, Indiana).  The book is basically about the accessibility of art and different ways people find to display and express art.  There's even a poem of pies. Color pictures, tales from New York, to Chicago, to Miami, to Indy, and a nice photo of my painting, "This End Up."  Check it out, if not to read a certain section (*wink wink*) then to read a really wonderful...Art Book.

For the people, by the people, let's bring art to everybody.  And stop by the Art Bank and see all the cool stuff we have going on!

Commissions!!!

I’ve been so crazy busy.

Not that I’m special or anything, I’m just explaining my absence. I do want to stop starting posts with that thought, though.

I had a crush of commissions (like a murder of crows) to complete for the holiday season. I’m nearly finished, but at least now I have breathing room! 

The first finished, due to its Christmas present deadline, is this little puppy. Or, little puppies. It was commissioned by a friend, as a gift for his aunt.  This is a follow-up to his commission-gift-awesomeness of this one for his wife.  This family likes yorkies. I’ve also found out that yorkies are hard to paint, due to their beige and grey coloring, but I’m no longer as intimidated by them. Well, painting them. I got bit by a yorkie once.

My second commission that I’ve completed, I no longer have the imagery to post.  They were court-style sketches, but for a court case in the early 80’s! I was contracted to draw sketches, as if I was present (I was alive then, but my crayon work has gotten better with age) for four scenes. The director/producer of the project had audio of the scenes, but no video to cover it. I’d done court sketches before, in real life, on the spot, but this one required a phone call to my mom to find out what color palette people wore then. And, yes, I made sure all the required sideburns were in place.

My third commission was a custom framing job for a customer that had recently bought a painting. He wanted me to frame in a 3-d manner (to give it depth) some sentimentally-valued papers that he had saved.  Check! Done! Completed at the Art Bank to play keep-away from dog hair. Thanks Remy.

My last official commission is so almost done, I can almost taste it. I’m just waiting on the informational particulars. This one’s looking pretty rad too, so I can’t wait to finish it.

I have one informal commission that I’ve been told to work on at my leisure, and, it sounds like I’m about to be working on yet another one. At first, all these commissions scared me quite a bit, but now I’m starting to like the work. So, anyone else?