Blog

Share it!

Car: 1 Pedestrian: 0

Well, Happy New Year indeed. This is how I’m kicking off 2012 (not actually kicking anything for some time, methinks); nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, I guess.

I was out walking Jessica’s dog Brown in my neighborhood yesterday, when I got hit by a car. It happened at one of those double-T intersections where the cross street ends, then picks back up again further down the block. I was on the main road, approaching the near T-junction, when I saw a the car stop at the far T ahead. He had his blinker on to turn right onto the main street, and I made Brown stop and wait until I was sure of what he was going to do. He turned, and then it appeared he was going to continue straight, right on past me, so I started crossing the street at my T-junction. At the last second, without using his turn signal, he veered to the left, right into my intersection. I yelled for him to stop, but he never saw or heard me. I tried to run out of the way, but he was accelerating, so he hit my left leg before I could clear his car. I went flying forward, crashed on the pavement (with my glasses landing a few feet away) and dropped the leash, Brown spooked and kept running, and the driver screeched to a halt and jumped out of the car. He was just a kid—sixteen, according to the police report—and even more shaken up than I was. I told him to call 9-1-1, and while he did that, several witnesses ran up to help me out of the street and bring Brown back. The emergency crew was there within minutes, and I had to laugh when the EMT checked me in at the ER and gave the official accident code to the techs: Car vs. Pedestrian. Maybe if the car had been a Smart Car and the pedestrian a Sumo wrestler, the score would be tallied differently.

I keep thinking of all the ways this could have been worse. If he’d been driving an SUV instead of a compact car. If I’d been one second late in crossing. If I’d been two seconds late in crossing. If he hadn’t stopped. If it had been raining, or dark outside. If there hadn’t been anyone nearby to help. All things considered, I’m mostly okay, and very lucky to be so—but it’s bad enough. I’ve got some sort of knee injury that x-rays couldn’t determine, and I can’t call to make an MRI appointment until tomorrow (happy New Year). I’ve got an impressive collection of scrapes and bruises, and while there’s no walking or driving (stick shift) in my foreseeable future, there are a lot of phone calls to make.

Cross stitch photo by Chandler O'Leary. Design by Alicia Paulson.

So all of a sudden, all I have in the world is time. I’m trying to fill it with joyful, quietly productive things, because it makes the waiting easier. And I’ve never been more glad that we traditionally don’t take the Christmas tree down until Twelfth Night.

Holiday photo by Chandler O'Leary

As I sit, and sip, and stitch, and sit, I wish more and more for some way to thank the unknown Tacomans for their kindness yesterday. The man who helped assess my injuries, lent me a phone to call home, and retrieved Brown. The woman who kept me talking in case of a concussion. The fireman who was so kindly and apologetic about the logistical questions he had to ask. The EMTs who assured me I wasn’t silly, and insisted I accept the “fuss” of an ambulance ride. The police officer who came to see me in the emergency room. Even the shaken teenager who knew enough to do the right thing.

And I wish for everyone else behind the wheel out there to stay present in the moment. Because sometimes looking both ways isn’t enough.

Share it!

In person

Detail of "Signed, Sealed, Soapbox" process illustration by Chandler O'Leary

Who is this, I wonder?

You should see the piles of things, er, occupying (hint!) my drafting table this month. You see, Art at Work month is almost here, and I’m scrambling to get ready for all the events coming down the pike.

First up is Studio Tour, that crazy-amazing weekend where it seems like half of Tacoma (the entirely wonderful half, as it turns out) stops by for a visit. This is my third time on the circuit, but our fair city is celebrating its tenth fabulous year of shop crawls and arts extravaganzas. So stop on by next weekend—you can print your own letterpress keepsake (trust me, they’re über cool this year!), pick up free Tacoma swag (better get here early, because it’ll disappear fast), shop for a whole bunch of brand new art and handmade items, and be the first to catch our brand new Dead Feminist, a mystery maiden indeed.

10th Annual Tacoma Studio Tour
Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6
10 am to 4 pm, Free!
For more info, full artist list, maps and directions, see here

Italy postcards illustrated by Chandler O'Leary

Look! New stuff!

If you can’t make it to Studio Tour, you can catch a whole bunch of Tacoma artists at the annual Tacoma is for Lovers Craft Fair, put together by the lovely folks at Indie Tacoma and Tacoma is for Lovers. Jessica and I will be sharing a table both days, and it’ll stuffed to the brim with bunly goodness illustrated and letterpress goodies.

Tacoma is for Lovers Craft Fair
Saturday and Sunday, November 19 and 20
11 am to 4 pm, Free!
King’s Books
218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma

Last but not least, a gigantic virtual heart-shaped thank you to everyone who made a pledge to fund the Apocalypse Calendar! The project is officially a “go,” and we’ll be on press in November. We’re expecting to ship calendars and Kickstarter rewards in early December, and you’ll find calendars in various retail shops this holiday season. If you missed the Kickstarter project, you’ll be able to place online orders here, starting later this week.

Happy Halloween, and see you in November!

Share it!

Golden days

Autumn photo by Chandler O'Leary

Commencement Bay from the North End, Tacoma, WA

Vancouver Island photo by Chandler O'Leary

Pumpkin patches, Vancouver Island, BC

Squash photo by Chandler O'Leary

First squash haul of the year from Zestful Gardens, Puyallup, WA

Cranberry harvest photo by Chandler O'Leary

Cranberry harvest, Long Beach, WA

Butchart Gardens photo by Chandler O'Leary

Japanese maple, Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay, BC

Autumn photo by Chandler O'Leary

Proctor District in the rain, Tacoma, WA

St. Johns Bridge photo by Chandler O'Leary

St. Johns Bridge, Portland, OR

Have I mentioned that I love autumn in the Northwest?

Share it!

Remnants

Process photo of "Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary

Just wanted to give you a peek at what the studio looks like these days. I try not to think about it too hard, because I officially unveiled the thing almost a year ago, but I’m still working on my book.

Process photo of "Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary

Big dang pile of box parts; coffee cup for scale.

You see, it’s one thing to get the prototype done for the exhibition, but when you’re making an edition of books, that means you have to finish all the rest of the copies, too.

Process photo of "Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary

Obviously, I have my work cut out for me.

Process photo of "Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary

Share it!

Hoist the Jolly Roger

Tacoma sailing photo by Chandler O'Leary

We had some guests visiting from Kansas last week, and when our friend Jeff heard about it, he invited us all onto his boat to give our visitors a taste of the ocean before they headed home.

Tacoma sailing photo by Chandler O'Leary

As a landlubber myself, I think it might have been an even bigger treat for me.

Tacoma photo by Chandler O'Leary

The best part, though, was seeing my town from a whole new perspective.

Tacoma sailing photo by Chandler O'Leary

If that’s not the perfect way to spend a summer day, I don’t know what is.

Share it!

Goosed!

Tacoma Wayzgoose 2011 photo by Chandler O'Leary

Holy flying gaggles, but we upped the ante this year!

Tacoma Wayzgoose 2011 photo by Chandler O'Leary

I don’t know if it was the gorgeous sunshine that graced us after literally months of dreary rain—

Tacoma Wayzgoose 2011 photo by Chandler O'Leary

—or Sweet Pea’s extra-awesome 2011 poncho—

Tacoma Wayzgoose 2011 photo by Chandler O'Leary

but this year’s Wayzgoose was larger than life.

(In case you’re curious, that little Sigwalt press is inked up to print “I got goosed in Tacoma!” in an eye-frying safety orange that would make any Ducks Geese Unlimited hunter proud. I mean, come on—we have standards. This is some high-brow entertainment here.)

Anyway, speaking of geese…

"Lucy Goosey" steamroller print by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

Ta-daaaa!

As you can see, we took our little Dead Feminists theme somewhat loosely this time. And in fact, we’ve dubbed our print Lucy Goosey, so there! There is a bit of a story behind this one, though. We’ve been equal parts amused and annoyed by the recent crafty and pop-cultural trends involving moustaches and putting birds on things—and for months I’ve been threatening to put a moustache on a bird on something, just to prove a point. I don’t know what that point is, exactly, but I figured it was time to put my moustache where my mouth is.

Which reminds me:

Jessica Spring and Chandler O'Leary at Tacoma Wayzgoose 2011

we weren’t kidding about the ‘stache wax. Hey, if you’re going to go, go all out.

Tacoma Wayzgoose 2011 photo by Chandler O'Leary

Jessica seemed perfectly at home while operating heavy machinery and sporting a full-on Wilford Brimley look—

Chandler O'Leary at Tacoma Wayzgoose 2011

I mostly just looked like Ned Flanders. Good God, but that mustache looks real on me. Sheesh!

Jessica Spring and Chandler O'Leary at Tacoma Wayzgoose 2011

That’s okay, though—synchronized inking is serious business, and we don’t mess around.

Tacoma Wayzgoose 2011 photo by Chandler O'Leary

Many, many thanks to all the supporters, enthusiasts and volunteers who turned out in droves;

Process photo of "Lucy Goosey" steamroller print by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

to Katy Meegan and Mary Holste for snapping ‘stache shots for us;

"Lucy Goosey" steamroller print by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

to King’s for being the host with the most;

Process photo of "Lucy Goosey" steamroller print by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

and to the Tacoma Arts Commission for sponsoring our steamroller shenanigans.

So … tell me.

Is it too soon to start cookin’ up next year’s ‘goose?

Share it!

Gearin’ up the ‘Goose

Process photo of "Lucy Goosey" steamroller print by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

Jessica and I have locked ourselves in her studio with an armful of Talking Heads records (go, portable turntable!) and some very sharp knives. Don’t worry about us, though—it’s just an annual tradition here in T-town.

That’s because this Sunday is the seventh annual Wayzgoose, that crazy letterpress block party that draws hordes, flocks, gaggles of people to King’s Books for some seriously huge fun. And we’ll be polishing up our street cred with the main event—steamroller printing. We’ll be pounding that pavement come rain or shine (please, pray for shine), so stop by and check it out!

7th Annual Wayzgoose
Sunday, April 17, 2011
11 am to 4 pm, Free!
King’s Books
218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, WA

Near the top of a very long list of things I love about Tacoma is the sheer number of people here who know what the heck a Wayzgoose is. If you haven’t experienced ours yet for yourself, you’re in for a treat. Meet a whole host of local and regional artists; shop a huge array of letterpress art and gifts; make your own books and posters; and don’t forget to bring a t-shirt! The D.I.Y. screen printing booth will back by popular demand, and this year, some of the street-printing artists (including yours truly) are going to have bite-sized versions of their steamroller designs ready to be made into t-shirts. I know what I’ll be wearing this weekend.

Speaking of which … Jessica and I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so we’re keeping our design under wraps for now. But let’s just say that this year we’ll be getting our feathers ruffled—

Process photo of "Lucy Goosey" steamroller print by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

—and breaking out the ‘stache wax.

See you Sunday!

Share it!

Living history

Composite scene from the "Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary

A composite of two image flats from the book.

Anyway, after a good, long run, my Local Conditions exhibit is closing tomorrow afternoon, and this week I’ve been revisiting some of my favorite images from the book. This one always gets me thinking about how much a city can change over the course of a century, and how for a newcomer like me, that change isn’t always apparent. There aren’t always little plaques or signposts to tell you what used to exist where you’re standing now—or even any evidence at all of how things used to be.

This scene depicts the Drumheller Fountain (also known as Frosh Pond), located on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. Incidentally, on my first trip to the Northwest almost exactly four years ago, I was standing on this very spot when I saw Mt. Rainier for the first time. This is where the idea for the book first struck me—although at the time it was a very different, and much simpler concept. And at that moment, I had no idea that the view itself had a history all its own.

Arctic Circle at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Image courtesy of University of Washington.

AYP and Camp Harmony images courtesy of the University of Washington Library

This is Frosh Pond in 1909, when it was called Geyser Basin (part of the so-called “Arctic Circle”), and when it was not a part of campus, but the centerpiece of the University’s predecessor, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition.

An event similar to a World’s Fair, the A-Y-P showcased the natural and economic resources of the Pacific Northwest with pomp and splendor. To mirror the purpose of the exposition, the fairgrounds (designed by the famous Olmsted Brothers) brought the region’s greatest symbol into stunning focus. This so-called “Rainier Vista,” culminating in the Arctic Circle, helped draw in 3.7 million visitors over the fair’s four-month duration.

Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Image courtesy of University of Washington.

Very little evidence remains of the A-Y-P fairgrounds today (much to my chagrin); the vast majority of the fair’s buildings were temporary, and even the landscape design of the modern University has all but obscured the original layout of the A-Y-P grounds. But the Arctic Circle is still there, and when you step out from behind a row of blooming cherry trees in the spring, the Rainier Vista still hits you with full force.

Speaking of fairgrounds, closer to T-Town is another historical remnant—this time, however, instead of a long-past event with only a marker left behind to hint at what was, these fairgrounds still hold to their original purpose today.

Camp Harmony internment camp. Image courtesy of University of Washington.

Illustration by Eddie Sato, Camp Harmony inmate and “staff” artist.

I’m talking about the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup, which are still in operation (though the event is now called the Puyallup Fair—that’s pronounced “Pew-AL-up”). In 1942, the U.S. government evicted, rounded up and imprisoned over 100,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast; the internment began with the forced migration of families living on Bainbridge Island, across the Sound from Seattle.

Camp Harmony internment camp. Images courtesy of University of Washington.

While they awaited the construction of permanent internment camps further inland, many Japanese Americans were sent to temporary “assembly centers” to coexist in cramped barracks with other families, often in substandard living conditions. Thousands of Washington’s interred residents were sent to the assembly center nicknamed “Camp Harmony,” hastily constructed on the fairgrounds in Puyallup, right alongside the fair’s permanent buildings and rides.

Composite scene from the "Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary

Three image flats; the mountain is almost completely hidden here.

Camp Harmony was torn down after just seven months, but the Fair continues to this day. (To my everlasting horror, the Fair’s website mentions Camp Harmony only obliquely on its “History” page—it states only that “the fairgrounds were used as a temporary shelter“—emphasis mine—during World War II. Right. A shelter where the “refugees” were imprisoned under armed guard.) And the wooden roller coaster that overshadowed Eddie Sato’s scene of the camp still stands. Now that I’ve learned the history of the place, I’ve lost my appetite for rollercoasters, funnel cakes and blue-ribbon vegetables. But the fairgrounds made for an image that dovetails eerily well with the homage to Japanese art upon which Local Conditions is founded.

1890s photo of the Luzon Building, Tacoma, WA. Image courtesy of Jessica Spring.

Photo courtesy of Jessica Spring

And then there’s the kind of history that unfolds right before your very eyes. Remember the Luzon building?

Composite scene from the "Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary

Two image flats; recognize the sky in the background?

Well, it was slated to be a part of the book from the very beginning—just by virtue of being a structure that caught my eye and that came with a good view of the mountain.

Luzon Building demolition photo by Chandler O'Leary

But then they knocked it down in September 2009, and suddenly I became an eye-witness, with an opportunity to document history as it happened.

Composite scene from the "Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary

Three image flats; same mountain, drastically different view.

I wish this were an imaginary scene, but it’s moments like this that the book is all about. Now you see it, now you don’t.

Vintage Tacoma postcards. Images courtesy of the Tacoma Public Library.

Postcards circa 1910. Courtesy of the Tacoma Public Library

And to top it all off, it’s looking like Tacoma’s history is in danger of repeating itself. This is a postcard dated 1905, depicting what was an iconic view even then—the “Gateway to the City of Destiny.” The building on the left is the former Northern Pacific Railroad Office; on the right is Old City Hall.

Tacoma built a new city hall a few blocks away in the 1930s, but both the Northern Pacific building and Old City Hall still stand—the addition of a freeway the only major change to the site pictured. But on November 24, 2010, after an unusual cold snap, a pipe burst in Old City Hall—soaking the walls, ceilings and floors with 30,000 gallons of water. With extensive flood damage and the building owner entering foreclosure, the building faces an uncertain future. I only hope it doesn’t go the way of the Luzon.

Composite scene from the "Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary

Three image flats; there’s an individual print version in the shop.

When I started this project, I had no idea of what I was getting into. I knew that I would stumble upon some pretty fascinating history, but I never would have guessed that a fountain, some fairgrounds and a pile of bricks would draw me in so completely. But now I’m hooked—and the best part is that after all this work, I no longer feel like an outsider looking in.

This is my history now, too. For better or worse, I want to see how it all plays out.

Share it!

Merry and bright

Letterpress holiday card by Chandler O'Leary

I was afraid I wasn’t going to have any holiday photos to show you—when I was in Portland the other week, my camera took a nosedive after being bumped off my shoulder in a crowded room.

Daily Sketchbook drawings by Chandler O'Leary

Snippets from my daily journal

So I shipped the lens off to the good folks at Canon for repair, and switched to paper for awhile.

Seattle and Stowell-Sendak Nutcracker Ballet sketch by Chandler O'Leary

One of Maurice Sendak’s eye-candy stage sets for the Pacific NW Ballet’s Nutcracker

My favorite thing about sketchbooks is that I can take them anywhere—including places where cameras, functioning or not, are strictly verboten.

Seattle and Stowell-Sendak Nutcracker Ballet sketch by Chandler O'Leary

More Nutcracker scenery, plus Christmas on Pine Street in Seattle

The downside, though, is that it takes me a lot longer to draw a picture than to shoot one—so my output is always smaller than I’d like.

Christmas 2010 photo by Chandler O'Leary

But then the Fedex guy showed up with my lens, good as new and just in time for Christmas.

Christmas 2010 photo by Chandler O'Leary

I managed to refrain from hugging him, and then hopped around the house in manic glee, documenting the holiday the Tailor and I have spent all week creating.

Process photo of letterpress holiday card by Chandler O'Leary

(We finally broke down and bought twinkle lights for the tree; which provided the perfect inspiration for this year’s card!)

Christmas 2010 photo by Chandler O'LearyChristmas 2010 photo by Chandler O'LearyChristmas 2010 photo by Chandler O'LearyChristmas 2010 photo by Chandler O'LearyProcess photo of letterpress holiday cards by Chandler O'LearyChristmas 2010 photo by Chandler O'LearyChristmas 2010 photo by Chandler O'Leary

Wherever today finds you, have a warm, cozy, abundant, and very merry Christmas.

Christmas 2010 photo by Chandler O'Leary

Share it!

Snow day

Snow day photo by Chandler O'Leary

Three inches of snow fell today while I had my morning cuppa. Since the region has possibly the world’s tiniest fleet of snow plows (Seattle has a grand total of twenty-seven; you can imagine what the handful Tacoma’s got), and none of them are out thus far—’round here, three inches is enough to cancel an entire city, let alone school.

Snow day photo by Chandler O'Leary

Despite the lure of white beaches and urban ski runs, I’m not crazy enough to try descending the hills today. Instead I’m spending my snow day close to home, so I can marvel at how strange the rhodies look under a sugar dusting.

Snow day photo by Chandler O'Leary

On our rare doses of “real” winter, it always looks like Nature made some sort of clerical error—like the mailman dropping someone else’s holiday cards into our mailbox.

Snow day photo by Chandler O'Leary

Instead of a blanket of white over a soft grey world, everything glows in blues, greens, yellows … and reds?

Snow day photo by Chandler O'Leary

Yes, that is an apple, still on the tree—nicely chilled and ready to serve for Thanksgiving.

Let it snow!