Next Show: Mayday Underground April 27

It's time for Mayday again!  I am so proud to be selected again to be one of 60 artists in this coming Saturday's Mayday Underground Art+Craft Show at the Village Gate in Rochester, NY from 10 am - 4 pm.

I was honored to be at the very first Mayday show on May 1, 2010 on St. Paul St.  We were all in this dusty basement of an empty warehouse on St. Paul Street.  We were literally "underground!"  The lighting was bad, the floors were dirty, and I LOVED IT!  It had such character!  The artists were from all over the spectrum of work.  And man did people come out! I remember being amazed at how many showed up when the doors opened to get the free swag bags (a tradition that has continued).

The organizers, Amanda and Casey, moved up to more habitable surroundings at the Village Gate on Goodman St., but the variety of indie artisans has not changed.  Each vendor is hand picked and consideration is made to not have too many jewelers, or paper crafts, or clothing, etc.  They strike the perfect balance of what the shopper will see.  This is no mistake because Amanda and Casey started this show because they had set up at way too many craft shows that didn't take any of this into consideration.  This entrepreneurial spirit has allowed them to create a show that has "edge."  This isn't the same stuff you will see at Corn Hill, or the Lilac Fest, or Clothesline.

One reason is the look.  This is not "your grandma's craft show."  Sticking google eyes on a rock is probably not going to get into this show (unless is was really rad).  Second is the vendors themselves.  Most of the indie artists at this show do not have the inventory or financial resources to justify the entrance fees into the larger art shows over the summer in Rochester.  I know that I can't anyway.  This means that all of what you see is handmade in small batches.  If Mayday Underground was a restaurant, you could expect to walk in and order a plate of food that was local, fresh, and cooked with soul.

If you haven't been to Mayday before, I think you will be surprised, it is one of the best unknown art shows that this city has to offer.  And I have heard on good authority that the next show will be a two-day bender on November 2 and 3, 2013.  I better get back to the carving board to work on more inventory!

Mega and Mini Monograms

Recently I completed a fun new challenge.  A customer sent me a beautiful monogram image.  My first impression was, "Wow, look at all that detail!"  It was scary, and that excited me.

She said she wanted it in two sizes, one that was large (6 inches tall by 5 inches wide) and one that was small (2 inches tall by 1.7 inches wide).

Normally, a large stamp means that I can put in a lot of detail based on the size of my carving tools. A small stamp means less detail, or I have to really squint and use a fine and light touch with the tools.

Let me tell you, even this big stamp was a healthy challenge to pack so much detail in.  I decided to time myself carving the big one, since I hadn't done that in while.  This was probably the largest stamp I have carved with this amount of detail in it, so I was curious how long it would take.  It took be about 6 hours of carving time, broken up into about four nights.  It really was a joy to work on, and I really did have fun doing it.  Those hours flew by, and I love the way it came out.

The little stamp I think took around 2 hours of carving time.  I couldn't get all the same lines that exist in the larger one, so that cut back on the total time.

This year I have more and more requests for large stamps.  It seems odd to me, but maybe my name is getting out as a guy who can carve BIG stamps.  I don't mind, I think they are fun.

For the record, I have not carved a stamp that is 12 inches x 12 inches yet (well I had one requested but we changed things around so it didn't come to that).  This is the largest slab of carving medium I can buy.  So, if you have a design, cash, and a way to impress a stamp that large, let me know, I'm your guy.

Holiday Shopping

The Holiday shopping season is in full gear now. We are past Black Friday. Cyber Monday is passed. Still need some gifts? I know I still have some to buy. I have been trying hard this year to find some handmade items for the gifts I am giving. It has been harder for the little ones, but so far have been doing OK for the adults. Definitely a work in progress.

If you are like me, and live in Rochester, there is still hope! Jackbear Stamps will be selling at two shows this coming weekend. I'm excited for these shows because I get to do them with other members from our RNEST team.

The first is a Holiday Shopping Fair at the University of Rochester, from 10 am - 4 pm in the Hirst Lounge of Wilson Commons. This is a perfect one for the students, staff, and faculty of the UR to get a few items over lunch or on a break. Parking is pretty goofy during the day, so if you aren't already on campus that day, skip to the next paragraph. This show will have, "jewelry, holiday cards and stationary, posters, hand blown glass, ornaments, buttons, magnets, mirrors, purses, totes, scarves, hats, gloves, soap, tea and herbal blends, chocolates and more."

On Saturday, I will be at the East Rochester High School at the Advent Craft Show. This one runs from 9 am - 3 pm. This one is advertised as, "jewelry, original art, home decor, children's items, bath and body products, fiber art, hand carved rubber stamps, stained glass, pet items, handbags, accessories, and SO MUCH MORE!" This sale benefits the East Rochester Community Resource Center. The community Resource Center provides a food pantry, used clothing center, furniture and household items, crisis funding and transportation to those in need in the East Rochester community.

If you can't make it to a show locally, you can always shop on my etsy shop!
Happy Holidays!

Mayday Mayday Mayday, caught in a Frankenstorm!

Sorry for such a stupid title to this post, but it kind of sums up this week for me.

First off, I have been getting ready for my next show on Saturday, November 3, 2012, the Mayday Underground Art + Craft Show. This show is a truly awesome collection of indie artists from the Rochester area and beyond! This is the 6th show, and I'm very honored to say I have been accepted into 5 of those 6 shows (actually, I had a time conflict with the other one or I would have done that one too!). Can't say enough about how great this show is, and that is because the organizers, Casey and Amanda go the extra mile to get wonderful artists, and cool customers. So if you are in the Rochester area, swing by the Main Street Armory at 900 E Main St from 10am-5pm.

Next, I have been having a bit of fun with the "Frankenstorm." I created an artist card called "Frankenstorm Survivor" and have 20 for sale in my Etsy shop.

First, let me say that I have the utmost respect for weather and nature. I am truly grieved by the agony and loss Hurricane Sandy has brought upon our feeble human experience. My thoughts to out to those who have lost loved ones, have lost homes, have had property destroyed, and who's lives have changed because of this meteorological event. I mean no disrespect.

That said, I do believe there is room in our grieving process to smile. How often are we cheered in a dark hour by an off-color crack? I originally made these cards to mock the absurdity of the word "Frankenstorm". I mean how do we take this perfect storm seriously with a name like that! However, after going through the wind and rain of the storm (and by no means was it the worst the storm would dish out here in Rochester) I think these cards also have a deeper meaning now. I think they can be sent to a loved one to say, "Hey, I know times were tough, but you have a friend thinking about you." I think part of the healing process is the acknowledgement that you are still alive, and that its OK to smile again.

They have caught some attention on Etsy. My card has been in three Treasuries:

1. Frankenstorm

2. Waiting for Sandy

3. Batten Down the Hatches!

Then to my surprise, this morning I got contacted by writer Veronica Wong of Bloomberg Businessweek and she was putting together a short article about Hurricane Sandy memorabilia. So I got a little mention here (that's me at the end of the article). Awesome!

So I'll have these cards at Mayday Underground show (I assume I still have some of the 20 made left). Or grab one of them on the etsy shop, this is a first, and last, edition.

June Lay-Over

This June is kind of a lay-over on the this amazing metaphorical art trip I'm on.  I had a VERY busy May, with lots of custom orders.  I was very pleased, and I got a ton of stamps done for happy customers.  However, I need a little break in June because I have some other events going on.

First, let me start with the stamp pictured.  This is a custom logo stamp I made for Jessica Cole in New Hampshire.  She owns Sumner Brook Herbals and they live on Sumner Brook Fish Farm (a trout farm) in Ossipee, New Hampshire.  Her shop there is called Sumner Brook Landing, so that is what is on the stamp.  When she was describing the design she wanted she said:

I am also an herbalist, so the theme of our shop is a mix between trout and herbal medicine! I would love it if I could somehow incorporate both things into the image, and also have our shop name, and perhaps address if it all fits. I always thought it would look neat if I had a trout jumping out of the water and blowing a dandelion, with the little seeds blowing away. It'd be nice if a dandelion leaf was noticeable too, as they are very medicinal!

I thought this was a great vision, and based on where she was, I thought an Arts & Crafts style frame would suit this vision well.  The mountain was an afterthought that Jessica had, and it fits GREAT in the image.  This is not a small stamp either!  It measures around 5 inches high by 4 inches wide.  This is probably the second or third largest stamp I have done for a custom order.  Sadly, this design fell to the bottom of pile of orders I was doing, and so I had to apologize to Jessica for not getting to it for over a month!  I'm hope she likes it, I think it turned out really nice, and I think she intends to stamp it on some of her shopping bags.

As for the rest of June, I'm finishing up a few stamps for friends, and some stamps for a letterboxing gathering I am hosting at the end of June.  This event has over a hundred letterboxers coming from all over the area to seek out hand carved rubber stamps hidden all over the woods, so I need some time to finish carving, planting boxes, and getting clue books written up.  I'll be back at the carving table in July to work on more custom orders.  
Thanks for all your love an support this past spring!