Blog

Share it!

The door’s open

Studio Tour photo and New York state illustration by Chandler O'Leary

It’s hard to believe this much time has gone by already, but Tacoma Arts Month is here again, and that means that Studio Tour is this weekend! I’m all settled into my new space (don’t go to the old house by mistake!)—won’t you help me christen it? I’m planning on doing a big blog reveal of the new studio soon, but I thought I’d let local folks be the first to see it (and the first to meet my ORANGE CHAIR, about which I am ridiculously excited).

As usual, I’ll be open both days. You’ll be able to make your own die-cut greeting card, stamp your Studio Tour Passport (that’s a new feature this year, with prize drawings for folks who visit at least 8 studios!), and of course shop for original artwork and stationery. Our street is under construction at the moment, but don’t let that stop you—there’s plenty of parking just up the hill, and the sidewalk is wide open and pedestrian-friendly. Here’s the info:

14th Annual Tacoma Studio Tours
Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, 2015
11 am to 5 pm, free!
(My studio is #12 on the tour)
More info, locations and maps available here

See you this weekend!

Share it!

Goose step

Tacoma Wayzgoose photo by Chandler O'Leary

I only have a few photos of Wayzgoose to show you this year, because just manning my table had me so busy that I barely made it outside all weekend. I think making it a two-day event gave us a record-breaking attendance, and the weather came through to allow the steamroller artists to shine.

Tacoma Wayzgoose photo by Chandler O'Leary

So I’ll just leave you with a few snippets of the weekend’s highlights,

Tacoma Wayzgoose photo by Chandler O'Leary

and hopefully tempt you to come and see us next year!

Tacoma Wayzgoose photo by Chandler O'Leary

Many thanks to the fabulous artists and printers who make Wayzgoose the best arts event in Tacoma (not that I’m biased or anything…); to King’s Books and the Tacoma Arts Commission for making it possible; and to our founder Jessica Spring and her crew of volunteers for running a tight ship.

Tacoma Wayzgoose photos by Chandler O'Leary

Most of all, thank you to the many hundreds of lovely Tacomans (and Seattleites! And Portlanders, too!) who come to show their support for what we do. My favorite part of Wayzgoose is how every year it reminds me just how much I love my city, and the people in it.

See you next year!

Share it!

Goose-ified

Tacoma Wayzgoose photos by Chandler O'Leary

We’re ready for the Wayzgoose tomorrow—are you?

Anagram Press products by Chandler O'Leary

I’ve got a whole host of new paper goods ready to show you (look for some of them online next week), and you’ll find them at my Wayzgoose table this weekend. So if you’re local, strap on your printing apron and come on by for the biggest print event of the year.

See you there!

Share it!

Get ready to rumble

Tacoma Wayzgoose photos by Chandler O'Leary

It’s that time of year again—the annual Tacoma Wayzgoose (our local letterpress and book arts extravaganza) is just around the corner! This will be the eleventh year of the event, and we’re expecting a record crowd. Because attendance has grown so much over the years, we’re expanding to meet the demand. For the first time ever, Wayzgoose will now be a two-day event, with artist vendors and steamroller printing on both days:

11th Annual Tacoma Wayzgoose
Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26, 2015
11 am to 4 pm, Free!
King’s Books
218 St. Helens Avenue, Tacoma, WA

Jessica and I are sitting out the steamroller printing this year, to give more newbies a chance to play, but we will both have tables inside. So make sure to stop by and say howdy, and see all the new goodies we’ll have there!

As always, I like to give a run-down Wayzgeese Past—and the list is getting mighty long! So if you’re new here and don’t know what a Wayzgoose is, or you just want to relive the glory days, here are my posts from previous years:

2009 (Tacoma)
2010 (Tacoma)
2011 (Tacoma)
2011 (San Francisco)
2012 (Tacoma)
2013 (Tacoma)
2014 (Tacoma)

All fired up? Good. See you this weekend!

The Tacoma Wayzgoose is a collaboration between King’s Books and Springtide Press with support from the Tacoma Arts Commission. Steamroller Printing is possible through a partnership with neighboring businesses Doyle’s Public House, the Harmon Tap Room, and The Hub. Many thanks to legions of volunteers who make this event possible, especially from our local institutions including Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, Charles Wright Academy, Stadium High School and Tacoma Community College.

Share it!

All the news fit to print

50 States illustration by Chandler O'Leary on Shoppe by Scoutmob

Already 2015 is shaping up to be a year of new projects and lots of changes—I have a barrage of new things to share with you, but rather than bombard you with everything all at once, I’ll stick to just a couple for now. For one thing, I’m excited to announce that a selection of my prints and stationery is part of the Shoppe collection at Scoutmob! So these days my normal stack of packages leaving the studio each week has gotten considerably taller.

Chandler O'Leary's shoppe on ScoutmobArtwork by Chandler O'Leary on Shoppe by Scoutmob

Scoutmob is a curated online marketplace of goods by independent makers all over the country. Everything on Scoutmob is made by artist-entrepreneurs—small businesses run by makers like me. So when they invited me to be a part of the collection, I felt like I was in good company. I’m inspired by the diversity of goods being made by independent artists—Scoutmob has everything from cards to art to jewelry to housewares to food and drink—and the collection is constantly changing and being updated. So whether you’re new to Scoutmob, or you’re a seasoned shopper looking for new favorites, stop by my Shoppe!

Collage of farm illustrations by Chandler O'Leary

In other news, I’ve been selected for a Tacoma Artist Initiative Program (TAIP) funding award from the Tacoma Arts Commission! This is the second time I’ve been funded by the Arts Commission (the first time was for my Local Conditions artist book)—and this time I’ll be creating a new body of work called Farm to Table.

As you can see above, I’ve been interested in agricultural imagery for some time, and the subject has been creeping into my work for years. This time, though, I’ll be focusing an entire series of illustrations on local, sustainable farming. I’ll be developing a collection of prints and cards in the next two years, and the project will culminate in a solo exhibition in October 2016. Look for more info and new images soon!

Share it!

Full house

Tacoma Studio Tour 2014 photo by Chandler O'Leary

This weekend was the biggest and best Studio Tour yet—and I even remembered to take pictures!

Tacoma Studio Tour 2014 photo by Chandler O'Leary

Well, sort of, anyway. I managed to document my space for the last time,

Tacoma Studio Tour 2014 photo by Chandler O'Leary

but then chaos took over. It’s a good thing I bought just about every last organic jellybean in the city of Tacoma, because we needed them!

Tacoma Studio Tour 2014 photo by Chandler O'Leary

This was the only “action shot” I managed to grab all day—most of the time it was so packed there wasn’t room to stand on anything to snap a quick photo. We blew last year’s record out of the water, with well over 200 visitors this year!

Tacoma Studio Tour 2014 photo by Chandler O'Leary

And then afterward the only photo I managed was the view from the floor, where I lay in a heap.

To everyone who came to bid the old house farewell, as well as the many new folks who stopped by for the first time, thank you so much for making the weekend an enormous success. It feels so good to be a part of such a supportive and enthusiastic community—I would not be able to do what I do without you.

And I’m already thinking up ideas for 2015. See you next year, at the new studio!

Share it!

Art is in the air

Tacoma Old Post Office building photo by Chandler O'Leary

Tonight was the kick-off party for the annual Tacoma Arts Month (formerly known as Art at Work Month). Everything is a little different this year. For one thing, Arts Month is now a month earlier. (The folks in charge figured that October would be better than November, since there aren’t any major travel holidays, and since National Arts Month is the same month.) For another, this year’s party was held at the newly revamped historic Old Post Office Building downtown. The huge turn-of-the-century space was transformed by contemporary pop-up gallery shows, performances, installations, and this fabulous light display. It was the perfect illustration of the mix of old and new that’s everywhere in this city—which makes Tacoma such a great place to live and work as an artist.

If you’re local, I hope you’ll join us for the many arts events coming up this month—starting with Studio Tour, coming up on October 11 and 12. See you soon!

Share it!

Droplets

"Droplets" illustrations (for public art piece) by Chandler O'Leary

Okay. Now that Old Town Dock is officially open, I feel like I can finally give away some juicy details. Here are all 24 medallions (portholes?) in my new public art piece, Droplets. Since not everyone reading this post is local to Tacoma, I won’t go into great detail over every image. But to give you some context, Old Town Dock boasts one of the best vantage points in the South Sound, with beautiful views of land, city and sea in every direction. That’s what first drew me to the site: I wanted the chance to encourage people to look all around them, because there was something to see everywhere you look.

But when I started researching the history of the place, I was even more struck by how much had happened in Old Town over the years—and how much was still going on, every day. Because of its prominence in so many lives and livelihoods, Old Town Dock has stood witness to a staggering number of true stories since it was built in 1873. Family histories, booming industries, important events, Native traditions, beginnings, endings, drastic changes, slow growth, celebrations, tragedies, and a thousand everyday narratives—the stories we tell are as commonplace as raindrops, yet as precious as the water that defines and sustains Tacoma as a city.

Droplets references just a handful of these stories, yet hopefully hints at the diversity and richness inherent in our public spaces.

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

Going from a painted picture to a tangible, finished object was nearly a two-year process, and I was only one small piece of the puzzle.

Concept sketch for "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

And the 24 medallions barely hint at the number of drawings I did along the way. Back when I was a finalist for the commission, I needed to demonstrate my understanding of the space, and convey how I wanted the artwork to function to the selection committee. In this area, pictures really were worth a thousand words apiece; time after time, sketching out what I meant was infinitely more effective than trying to explain it in words.

As I was working on my presentation, all this drawing and imagining every angle gave me a little epiphany. I realized that while the view from the site was spectacular, the Dock itself was part of the view, too, depending on where you stood. Since Old Town Dock is a gateway between land and sea, I wanted to engage the folks who’d be arriving from the water, as well. So I presented this drawing—and while some other things have changed along the way, the reality of this particular piece is almost exactly as it appears in this sketch.

Detail of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

Anyway, back to the nuts and bolts. As you’re well aware, I’m an illustrator—I work in paint and pixels, not industrial components. I didn’t have the skills or tools to make outdoor pieces out of durable materials (in public art, durable materials include metal, glass, tile, stone, brick, and other permanent industrial media; a mural, for instance, is not considered “durable”). So I turned my designs over to the good folks at Winsor Fireform, a fabricator just down the road in Olympia, and they reproduced each Droplet as a small porcelain enamel disc.

Porcelain enamel is the most durable sign medium available. Each piece is made by reproducing the image in pigmented powdered glass onto a steel base. Then the piece is fired at kiln temperatures to fuse the glass to the steel, creating a permanent, totally nonreactive surface.

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

Porcelain enamel won’t fade in UV light, won’t react to water or salt, and is resistant to dirt and graffiti. That makes it ideal for public art, and the perfect medium for the harsh marine conditions at Old Town Dock.

Site placement sketch for "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

Now all that was left was to install the rounds. I came armed with my scale drawing—and lots and lots of warm clothing for a long shift in the early morning rain.

Installation of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

Basically, I stood and pointed, and Pat routered out 24 perfectly positioned circles.

Installation of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

Then he inlaid each disc, affixing them to the wood with some seriously heavy-duty marine sealant, and Bob’s your uncle. Actually, it wasn’t always that easy; some of the rounds required some acrobatic feats to install. Just passing him tape measures and things gave me vertigo sometimes—but at least he didn’t have to drill while standing in a choppy rowboat (which was plan B, if hanging off the edge didn’t work).

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

Twenty-four hours later, the adhesive was fully cured, and I could call it done.

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

The day we installed, nothing on the Dock was completely finished—benches and planters were still piled up at random, and I wasn’t entirely certain that the final placement would match my scale drawing.

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

But now it sort of feels like the artwork has always been there—

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

and maybe you just never noticed it before.

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

I love being there to witness whenever a Droplet catches someone’s eye, and they stop whatever they’re doing to look more closely.

And just maybe that moment of noticing will lead to the words, “Let me tell you a story…”

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

Share it!

(New) Old Town Dock

Dedication of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

It’s a little hard to believe that Old Town Dock is finally open, and up-and-running for good.

Dedication of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

Photo by Naomi Strom-Avila

Technically, we had a little ribbon-cutting and “soft opening” (in which Deputy Mayor Campbell hilariously appeared to be attacking me with the giant ceremonial scissors—oh, heck yes, we used giant ceremonial scissors!)—

Dedication of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

—but Sunday was the big party for everybody.

Dedication of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

The Dock is still technically a work in progress, as Phase II of the project (including a restroom and permanent wayfinding signage) won’t be completed until late fall. So for the next few months we’ve got snazzy banners up instead—big thanks to the City and Metro Parks for letting me be a total control freak and design the banners and signage.

Letterpress promos for "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

And even more big thanks to Jessica, who whipped up these fabulous fluorescent letterpress coasters to give out at the event. It was fun to see a hundred people walking around carrying neon octopi with them.

Dedication of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

Photos by Walter Smith

And even though I had to speak right after our lovely Mayor (left), having the audience packed with hollering friends made me forget how nervous I was. Thanks, guys.

Dedication of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

The best part, though, was the people-watching. I can’t tell you how good it feels to see people responding to and interacting with your own artwork—

Dedication of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

—and looking excited to do so.

Installation of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

In the two months since we installed the work, I’ve already lost count of the number of people (including the construction guys!) who have told me their own memories about Old Town Dock. Knowing that my little illustrations are triggering these stories is an incredible feeling.

Dedication of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA

I especially love catching folks in quiet moments, just exploring the Dock and discovering each Droplet for themselves.

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

Photo by Sheree Trefry

It’s all I can do not to run up to total strangers and say, “I made that!”

Thank you to everyone to came to the dedication on Sunday; to everyone who’s spent a lunch hour or coffee break counting medallions (Ric, I’m looking at you; a bucket of gold stars for finding all 24 first!); to everyone who’s got a story to share about Old Town Dock. I’m still listening.

Dedication of "Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary at Old Town Dock, Tacoma, WA