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Indoor desert

Wright Park Conservatory photo by Chandler O'Leary

Whenever I’m looking for a change of pace, my default is to head for a coffee shop and work there. This time, though, I wanted something a little different—and besides, I needed some reference material for some additions to my Succulent! series I’m working on. So I strapped on my walking shoes and headed to another Tacoma favorite: the glass conservatory at Wright Park. The cacti are right as you walk in the door, and there’s a convenient bench nearby. So I just plopped myself down and set to work, happier than a hothouse flower.

Conservatory cacti sketch by Chandler O'Leary

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Weekend work

Sketchbook and "Droplets" public art piece by Chandler O'Leary

On Saturday morning the weather was so perfect that I headed down to the waterfront for a little sketching—not to mention a little quality time with one of my Droplets!

I guess you could count this as working over a holiday, but it sure doesn’t feel like that. To me, it feels like the best way to enjoy a summer day.

Sketchbook drawing by Chandler O'Leary

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Sweet surprise

Ice cream photo by Chandler O'Leary; "Just Desserts" postcard by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

At long last, Tacoma has a real ice cream parlor—I can’t tell you how many years we’ve waited for this. Today I stood in line for the best coffee ice cream I’ve had in years, and while I waited my turn to pay, I noticed something familiar behind the counter!

Detail of "Just Desserts" letterpress broadside by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

It was our Just Desserts postcard! Jessica and I couldn’t be more proud. So to the new shop, Ice Cream Social: welcome to Tacoma, and thank you for making us a part of the decor!

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Ink This!

"Ink This" exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum

One exhibit might be ending this week, but another is just getting started. On Tuesday night I went to the opening for Ink This!, a new exhibit of contemporary Northwest print arts at the Tacoma Art Museum.

"Ink This" exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum

The place was completely packed—both in the lecture space and in the common areas.

"Ink This" exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum

I spent so much time catching up with friends and colleagues from all over the region (which is the best part about this show!) that I barely made it upstairs to see the artwork itself.

"Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary at the Tacoma Art Museum

And then when I got there, I had a pleasant surprise: my piece in the show is prominently displayed, right by the entrance.

"Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary at the Tacoma Art Museum

It’s such an honor to have my book in a room with so many incredible prints, sculptures, artist books and other work by the people I admire the most.

"Local Conditions" artist book by Chandler O'Leary at the Tacoma Art Museum

Most of all, I can’t tell you how gratifying it was to see so many people come up and spend time with my book. That’s the highest compliment anyone could ever pay me.

Many, many thanks to the Tacoma Art Museum for putting this show together; to Margaret Bullock for her amazing work curating the exhibit; to Ann and Peter Darling who lent the book from their private collection for the exhibit; to everyone who has seen the show so far; to the artists themselves; and to the lovely man monitoring the gallery that night, who so kindly gave me permission to take some hip shots with my phone camera. (I couldn’t hide how excited I was to have my work in a museum for the first time—thanks for not laughing at my dorkiness!)

Ink This! will be on display through November 9 October 19 (update: show is closing early to accommodate the opening of a new museum wing), at the Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma.

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Nearsighted Narwhal

The Nearsighted Narwhal shop, Tacoma, WA

This week I added a new stockist to my list when I dropped off a pile of cards at Tacoma’s newest shop, The Nearsighted Narwhal.

The shop fills a specific niche that book artists will love: the art of self-publishing. The store is chock-a-block with zines, comics, self-published and small-press publications, and artwork by a whole array of independent artists.

The Nearsighted Narwhal shop, Tacoma, WA

It’s the sort of place you might normally have to travel to Portland, or San Francisco, or Brooklyn to find. But I can tell you that from the perspective of someone who’s been self-publishing for over a decade, the Nearsighted Narwhal going to be a very welcome resource. I can’t wait to dive in and start reading!

The Nearsighted Narwhal shop photo by Chandler O'Leary

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Centennial

Point Defiance Pagoda photo by Chandler O'Leary

We celebrated the 100th anniversary of the restored Point Defiance Pagoda yesterday, marked by its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places this week.

Point Defiance Pagoda photo by Chandler O'Leary

I spent a day sketching at the Pagoda this month, raising a silent toast to the next hundred years. You can see my sketches over at the Drawn the Road Again blog.

Point Defiance Pagoda sketch by Chandler O'Leary

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Making the cut

"Local Conditions" artist book pieces illustrated, letterpress printed and hand-cut by Chandler O'Leary

Much as I’d love them to be done by now, there’s still about a zillion flats to be cut for my Local Conditions book. I can’t do them all in one go—all that hand-Xacto-knifing is really hard on your hands. So I fit the cutting in wherever I can, whenever I need a break from some other project or process. Still, even though the progress is slow, it feels good to see a whole stack of finished pieces, ready to contribute to the edition.

"Local Conditions" artist book pieces illustrated, letterpress printed and hand-cut by Chandler O'Leary

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Mommy deerest

Deer photo by Chandler O'Leary

I was out running errands the other day, and had just gotten out of my car when she appeared—out of nowhere, not ten feet from where I stood.

Deer photo by Chandler O'Leary

I froze, not wanting to spook her. But she was utterly unconcerned about me. She stopped and turned, apparently waiting for something.

Deer photo by Chandler O'Leary

Or someone.

Deer photo by Chandler O'Leary

Then, without once looking back, she led her fawn right past me—I could have reached out and touched them—and on down the street, on some errands of her own.

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Water off a goose’s back

Tacoma Wayzgoose photo by Chandler O'Leary

Don’t be distracted by Ric’s smile—see the puddles everywhere? See the winter gear people are wearing? Sunday was the craziest Wayzgoose yet, hands down. That’s because we had both the biggest crowd ever and the worst weather imaginable. So that smile is one of triumph: getting a decent steamroller print that day required beating some serious odds.

Tacoma Wayzgoose photo by Chandler O'Leary

It rained sideways while Jessica inked.

Linoleum block for "Park Place" steamroller print by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

It hailed while we lined up our block.

Tacoma Wayzgoose

Photo by Dr. Jamie Brooks

It froze while we peeled our prints up.

Detail of "Park Place" steamroller print by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

Photo by Dr. Jamie Brooks

It blew a gale while I painted.

"Park Place" steamroller print by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring

Still, despite the mishaps, I think it turned out alright. Jessica and I are calling our print “Park Place”—created in gratitude over the passage of a bond that would fund our city park system. The map in the center shows most of Tacoma’s parks, with twelve of our favorites called out like properties on a Monopoly board.

Tacoma Wayzgoose photo by Chandler O'Leary

We even took a snippet of the illustration and sent it over to the talented screenprinting booth folks, who turned it into a t-shirt design during the event (you can just see a peek of it in the upper left corner).

Steamroller prints from the Tacoma Wayzgoose in the Woolworth Windows

Since the rain and wind prevented us from hanging the finished prints outside during Wayzgoose, most of the people who came that day didn’t get to see anybody’s finished print. So today Ric, Jessica and I remedied that.

Steamroller prints from the Tacoma Wayzgoose in the Woolworth Windows

Thanks to Spaceworks Tacoma, all of this year’s steamroller prints are on exhibit in the Woolworth Windows downtown…

Steamroller prints from the Tacoma Wayzgoose in the Woolworth Windows

…where you can see them—in fair weather or foul—now through August 21.

Thanks to everyone who visited or volunteered at Wayzgoose this year, and to King’s Books and the Tacoma Arts Commission for making it all happen!