off to the ooak show

i am off to the one of a kind show today and tomorrow to see beautiful things from talented exhibitors, including jewelry by holly rittenhouse, pottery by joe christensen and flashdance mittens by moira and obbie (all pictured above).

i’ll be bringing you a summary of what i saw over the next day or two, and i will go out on a limb and warn you ahead of time that you may overdose on eye candy after you see it all.

share this story

ravenswood art walk, part 2

More highlights of the Ravenswood Art Walk this past weekend:

great porcelain wall art and tabletop accessories from soda by amy

photography from phil marty

mixed media works from caroline anderson

jewelry from aphonia studios

postcard prints from bricolagelife

encaustic paintings from april nomellini

abstract paintings from armando pedroso

share this story

ravenswood art walk, part one

The conditions at the Ravenswood Art Walk were much better than the last show I covered, because this show was indoors. The only challenge was trying to take photographs; too many long dark corridors and oddly placed skylights and windows prohibited me from practicing my photojournalistic skills. Some of these images are from the artist websites instead of from yours truly, but despite this I think you’ll get the point.

wood-fired pottery from Ben Richey

colorful works in oil from Juliann (Yuxiao) Wang

 mixed media pieces from Frances Temchin

intriguing deconstructed food photography from michelle simon

share this story

artwalk ravenswood

I am off to the ArtWalk Ravenswood this weekend. Ravenswood is a street here in the city of Chicago that is a manufacturing corridor. It is studded with buildings that many artists have studios in, and this weekend 150 of them are opening their spaces to the public.

I’ll report back to you on the wonderful things I find tomorrow and Monday. Until then I wish you a good weekend - yay!

share this story

renegade craft fair 2008: highlights, pt. 4

okay, here is the last (but definitely not the least) of the vast array of handmade art seen this past weekend at the renegade craft fair in chicago…

cool sculptural jewelry by the nervous system

intriguing anatomical tableware from the folded pigs

sweet and subversive accessories by skirt (love those quilts!)

 gorgeous ceramics and papier mache sculpture from up in the air somewhere

groovy moustache racks and other assorted fun by suddenly it’s real

original art and hand embellished jewelry and bags from recycled rings

fun silkscreened goodies from blue thimble

fun postmarked stamp jewelry by foxglove

share this story

renegade craft fair 2008: highlights, pt. 3

there will be one more post after this one to wrap up the fabulous handmade home and personal adornments i saw at the renegade craft fair this past weekend. you couldn’t possibly be tired of these highlights yet, could you?

awesome repurposed wood sculpture and accessories from kindling

cool coasters, art and screenprinted dartboards from artrecodesign

fun stuffy birds from coo koo ri koo

one of a kind papier mache from girl-hen

handmade felted necklaces from biggie

 embroidered canvases and pillows from k studio

jewelry and handpainted accessories from cursive design

fun stuffies and paintings from the squirrely girl

share this story

renegade craft fair 2008: highlights, pt. 2

more wonderful things from the talented and clever artists at the renegade craft fair in chicago this weekend, which is open today, september 14th, 2008 from noon-10 pm:

vibrant tableware from circa ceramics

pretty jewelry made of vintage ephemera from the foundling

politically aware accessories and toys from rebexa and abbeychristine

colorful screenprints from the little friends of printmaking

letterpress cards and stationery from luckybeepress

photographic jewelry from le photique

beguiling prints from catia chien

 recycled sweater toys from caitlin wicker

share this story

renegade craft fair chicago 2008: highlights

conditions were pretty intense at the renegade craft fair in chicago earlier today. the rain started in the morning and continued for hours and hours today. and it wasn’t a drizzle either; i am talking torrential downpours that left me soaked to the bone. i am happy to report that the shopping was absolutely terrific though, with plenty to see from vendors old and new. my camera survived thanks to the macgyver-styled ziplock bag cover i fashioned, and i came home with a big messenger bag filled with crafty goodness. i’ll be showing you the highlights in a few posts, starting with this one…

charming prints and sweet stuffies from denise simon

pretty porcelain jewelry from sofia masri

handmade boh bon soaps

berkley illustration wallets and prints

whimsical plush from kinderfluff

vintage typewriter key jewelry from the weekend store

elegant textile designs from maramiki

prints from the talented artists at charmingwall

the fair is on from noon-10 pm tomorrow (sunday), so if you’re local come on down and get inspired by some fabulous artists! if not, stay tuned for more highlights and links to the artists.

share this story