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Five.

Mt. Rainier and Apple Orchard letterpress illustration by Chandler O'Leary

I moved to Washington five years ago today. In that time, I’ve enjoyed a whole lot of apples,

Mt. Rainier and Tacoma Balcony letterpress illustration by Chandler O'Leary

beheld countless spectacular views,

Mt. Rainier and Gig Harbor letterpress illustration by Chandler O'Leary

stared out to sea a zillion times,

Mt. Rainier and Pt. Robinson Lighthouse letterpress illustration by Chandler O'Leary

stood beside many lit (and unlit) beacons,

Mt. Rainier and Nisqually River letterpress illustration by Chandler O'Leary

memorized every crag of my favorite mountain,

Mt. Rainier and Space Needle letterpress illustration by Chandler O'Leary

lost count of all the city sunsets (even in the rainy Northwest!),

Mt. Rainier and Ruston Way Waterfront letterpress illustration by Chandler O'Leary

and numbered my lucky stars over and over again that I get to call this place home.

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Fresh for summer

Dandelion Wishes handmade shop decorations illustrated by Chandler O'Leary

Dandelion Wishes handmade shop decorations illustrated by Chandler O'LearyDandelion Wishes handmade shop decorations illustrated by Chandler O'LearyDandelion Wishes handmade shop decorations illustrated by Chandler O'Leary

I just finished decking out Dandelion Wishes with new handmade shop decorations for summer! I took down the robin’s eggs, daffodils and rain clouds of the spring window dressing, and traded them for ice cream cones, sea stars, sunglasses and a whole flock of wheeling seagulls. So if you’re local, swoop on down and check them out!

Dandelion Wishes handmade shop decorations illustrated by Chandler O'Leary

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Reading rotunda

Northwest Room illustration (for the Tacoma Playing Cards) by Chandler O'Leary

More than a thousand towns and cities in the U.S. are lucky enough to have had a Carnegie Library under their belt, and Tacoma is no exception. Today, our Carnegie Library is a wing of the expanded main campus of the Tacoma Public Library—and the rotunda now houses the fabulous Northwest Room, the ultimate resource for Tacoma and Northwest history. It’s a gorgeous space, and beloved in these here parts. So I figured it would be a perfect addition to the Red Deck of the Tacoma Playing Cards.

Northwest Room illustration (for the Tacoma Playing Cards) by Chandler O'Leary

I didn’t think they’d take kindly to me breaking out the watercolors in a room full of rare books, but I was at least able to do the line drawing on-site. (‘Scuse the wobbly iPhone photo.) And that’s always a tricky prospect for me—I always do as much drawing from life possible, but I’d much rather disappear into the woodwork while doing so. My drawings are always better when I can concentrate uninterrupted. The trouble is, the only place I can consistently sketch in public without anyone noticing me is New York. Here in Tacoma—where I run into someone I know at least once a day—it’s a different story.

In the Northwest Room there was a table right in front of me, which would have made me far less conspicuous while sketching. But in order to get the point of view I wanted, I had to stand dead-center in an aisle, right in the middle of the room. Yet not once in the hour-plus I stood there, sticking out like a sore thumb and obviously not doing what people normally do in there, did anyone bother me—or ask me what the heck I was doing, or make eye contact, or even register my existence.

I think I just found my new favorite sketching spot.

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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

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(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

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Look closer

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

Public art is a funny thing. If I learned anything from my last public art project, it was that time moves differently in the public art realm. It takes so long for a project to go from blueprint to grand opening that the artwork can’t be considered “done” until months or sometimes years after the artist finishes the design. In this case, I’ve been sitting on this one for quite some time—so I’m pleased as punch that I can finally reveal a glimpse or two!

This is just one part of my new piece, Droplets, which is now a permanent part of the newly-restored Old Town Dock in Tacoma. Originally built in 1873, Old Town Dock is one of the city’s oldest properties, and was an important part of Tacoma’s shipping history. It served as a public walkway until 2008, just before I moved to town, when it was closed to the public due to structural concerns.

Old Town Dock photo by Chandler O'Leary

This is how the Dock looked two years ago, when I first toured the site as a finalist for the public art commission. The place was a mess, with rotting planks, makeshift barriers and caution tape roping off unstable (or even missing!) sections of the pier, and about forty frillion dead crabs, seashell fragments, and other seafood snacks the gulls would drop on the wood. You couldn’t walk a single step without hearing/feeling a disconcerting crunch underfoot.

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

And here she is today, all shiny and new again. The City and Metro Parks Tacoma split the job of refurbishing the pier on its original footprint, adding benches and lampposts, and turning the place into a city park. And thanks to the One Percent for Art program, the project included funds for a public art commission.

"Droplets" public artwork by Chandler O'Leary

The artwork comes with a hitch, though: you have to find it first.

I’ll be sharing more about the project in the coming days, but I want to wait until after the public unveiling to do so. In the meantime, if you’re in the area, the Dock is actually open to the public already (we had a “soft opening” and ribbon-cutting a couple of weeks ago). But I’d recommend the main event, which is a week from Sunday (bring your dad!). Here’s the skinny:

Dad’s Day at Old Town Dock
Grand Reopening & Dedication of Public Artwork
Featuring music by Pearl Django
Sunday, June 16, 2013
11 am to 1 pm, free!

Ruston Way at McCarver Street, Tacoma, WA

Be there or be … er … round?

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Upping the ante

Tacoma Playing Cards "red deck" card back design by Chandler O'Leary

I had no idea we’d get here so quickly, but here we are. It’s been just under a year since we first launched the Tacoma Playing Cards project, and I’m happy to report that we’ve nearly sold out our initial print run of 5,000 decks! And we’ve had so many requests from Bridge players (and other folks who love multi-deck games) that we’re now working on a second deck—this time in red. (No worries if you haven’t snagged your Blue Deck yet; we’re printing a second run of those, as well.)

Tacoma Playing Cards "red deck" box design by Chandler O'Leary

The overall design will be largely the same, with a few little exceptions (can you spot the difference in the box above?), and I’ll be contributing illustrations for another suite of face cards. But other than that, we’re reshuffling the deck completely—we’ve got 13 new artists on board, and a whole new batch of Tacoma icons to highlight.

Sales from the Blue Deck are funding the new Red Deck, so we won’t be doing a Kickstarter project this time. Instead, we’re taking pre-orders (at a discount!), and the Red Deck will be available in mid-October of this year. And you can already snag archival giclée prints of the Blue Deck artwork—as well as the one-of-a-kind originals.

Look for more sneak peeks later, as I finish my illustrations for the decks. In the meantime…go fish!

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Postcard-perfect

Tacoma and Mt. Rainier photo by Chandler O'Leary

We’ve had just about the most perfect spring here this year—with weather so unseasonably sunny, for weeks on end, that it simply would be criminal not to get outside for every second one can. On days like this, work can wait awhile—and the camera moves to the front burner. When the sun is shining here, a perfect moment is never hard to find.

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Chicken scratches

Tacoma Food Coop chicken illustration by Chandler O'Leary

If you’ve read about the squash in our attic, our crazy food-shopping habits, and my illustrated political rants—you probably already know that the Tailor and I are freakishly into sustainability. So you can imagine how happy I was when our lovely new local food co-op asked me to design a reusable water bottle for them. I’m honored to be the first Tacoma artist in what we hope will become a series of limited-edition artist-designed bottles.

Tacoma Food Coop water bottle illustrated by Chandler O'Leary

What I love most about this is that the bottles are manufactured by the kind folks at Liberty Bottle Works—right across the mountains in Yakima, WA. Thus far, at least, Liberty is the only U.S. manufacturer of metal water bottles. So being able to support an industry right in my own state was a big deal for me.

Tacoma Food Coop water bottle illustrated by Chandler O'Leary

The hitch is that there are only 200 of these—once they’re gone, that’s it. So visit the Tacoma Food Coop, grab your bottle and fill ‘er up.