Sun Day

We had originally been planning on going bowling - but the river seemed more inviting. Warm day, great friends, Spokane - near nature (they say)...made for a lovely sunny Sunday. ♥

Sea of Love

It's here!

DOMA asked me to illustrate their 2012 limited addition letterpress Valentines Bag this year. They are a local coffee roaster located in Post Falls, Idaho, and their bags are deliciously letterpressed by my buddy Chris Dreyer over at at Dreyer Press.

(You may also this post from my first trip Chris's studio.)

I snuck over while Mr. Dreyer was setting up the press and printing the first color...a rare treat not many get to experience. Chris works out of an old warehouse next to the train tracks. His studio is way down in the basement in what used to be a walk in cooler. A word of warning - Do not let this chaos fool you. Chris Dreyer is a magical creator. Seeing the madness behind this lovely bag might just make you appreciate it a teensy bit more.

The coffee comes in a recycled paper craft bag printed with soy based ink. For the coffee this year they chose an Organic Colombian with strong notes of cherry, sweet tarts and fleur de sel caramel. Smooth body with a long, clean honeyed finish.

You can pick it up online from DOMA or locally:

Spokane, WA:

Rocket Market

Main Market

The Kitchen Engine

Madeleine's

Sandpoint, ID:

Winter Ridge Natural Foods Market

Super 1 foods

Coeur d' Alene, ID:

Pilgrims Natural Foods Market

♥

Coffee and...

Some of you may be familiar with the poem 'For Connor' by my friend Mark Anderson...(as I have posted about it and him on several occasions). This time the post comes in the form of a film collaboration I got to participate in.

A video of Mark's poem 'For Connor' was selected to be part of an exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture titled Need|Want...(a collaborative show with Terrain - that I also have a painting in). I got to work with, the most talented - Chris Dreyer and Amy Hunter. We put together this little short film of him for the show. It will be playing through the end of the year at the MAC - (how exciting!).

We shot (starting at 5am) in Mark's favorite Coffee Shop - Atticus, and were lucky enough to find a song by the The Horse Thieves that fit absolutely perfect. Aren't they fantastic?

Let me know what you think!
Also...Here is my piece for the exhibit. It's about my obsession of cheese:

P.S. I started a second mural collaboration with Darcy Drury (painting live) during the opening of this exhibit last Friday. I will have to post photos when it is finished! ♥

And on the fifth day...

Tonight was Conrad Bagley at the Kolva Sullivan Gallery. We were treated to a dinner party with homemade East Indian food. My particular favorite was the Lamb Curry. I brought Conrad a coconut which Killer Jillian Foster (of Black Rabbit Magic) took care of. A chop stick, wine opener and then later the cement floor proved handy.I snuck out early but not before seeing the start of Conrad's tapestry. There was wonderful food and company! This show is reminding me how great it is to live in this lovely city. The Habein family tomorrow (not said how you would think) with their daughter Grace...a budding young artist. This followed by a good friend and creator of the very popular Spovangelist blog, Mariah McKay. We've been promised worm bins!

Stay tuned! xoxo

Month...day one.

Imagine a space, a gallery with white walls and big windows. There is a bed in the middle with a brightly colored afghan and a handful of pillows. Now add the image of an artist let loose and free to do as they please for 24 hours. Take that image and times it by 24. That is 'Month'. Except some days there are 3 artists, and some days there are dance parties, and this Tuesday a dinner party. Month is a community instillation happening right now as you read this.

The rules are simple....no art leaves the gallery until after the closing party (when we all get to take something home). Everyone must respect the space, and all other artists work.

These photos are what I am calling the 'calm before the storm' (at the end of day one). Those of you that read my blog will recognize Chris Dreyer of Dreyer Press...I can't even wait till the 18th. I will be setting up my camera and making a little stop motion film of my stay! Here are a list of artist featured this month at the Kolva Sullivan Gallery...(5pm to 5pm the following day)

The Line-up:

March 5-6: Chris Dreyer
March 6-7: BrightSpirit
March 7-8: Thuy Nguyen
March 8-9: Bruce Hormann
March 9-10: Conrad Bagley
March 10-11: The Habein Family
March 11-12: Mariah McKay
March 12-13: LadyFest w/ Carolynn Connelly, Candice Walberg & Stephanie Sellers
March 13-14: Megan Martens
March 14-15: Matthew Waite
March 15-16: Dara Harvey
March 16-17: Shane
March 17-18: Marcia Dukes
March 18-19: Tiffany Patterson
March 19-20: Taylor Weech
March 20-21: Jillian Foster
March 21-22: Jamie Nadherny
March 22-23: Lisa Whiteman
March 23-24: Gina Rawls & Arelya Hader
March 24-25: Boys Who Like Butterflies
March 25-26: Angela Mageras & Hilary
March 26-27: The Koalas

I will be popping in randomly through the month and sharing photos of our progression here on my blog. Hope you check back!

♥

Dreyer Press

After the RiverSpeak meeting Tuesday Brooke and I had an adventure.
Stalling the impromptu tour Chris Dreyer stopped to brew a pot of coffee. Chris likes coffee. It is a good thing then that he works as an artist for Doma Coffee...and they give him lots of it.

Chris strides around a Superhero, confident in his disguise of ink stained clothing and a messy workspace. He has a new studio downtown (over on Pacific just off Brown). It is nuzzled up against the train tracks in an old brick warehouse. There are a handful of creatives that rent the converted building. In Spokane when one drops the name Dryer Press, it comes with a certain reverence that is hard to explain. I had first heard about him a couple years ago at the Terrain Show. I was told he had printed the Zine pamphlet; and the way everyone kept saying "Dreyer Press" I knew he was special. Maybe it was something about Chris himself...his humor and casualness, or the fact that here was a local guy printing out of his garage with a hundred year old press he taught himself to use, or maybe even the shear talent of the man...whatever it is Chris = amazing!

Standing around you notice a sort of underlying romance with antiquated technology. The largest thing in the room is the letterpress, followed closely by the paper cutter (both of which I am eternally jealous of). He told me he cuts designs/shapes out with an exact-o knife before scanning them into the computer, instead of a light table he has a vintage window with a desk lamp, and ink mixing happens on top of the garbage can. Happy! Don't you just want to hug him? I wonder if the press has a name?