Let's Share: The Berkley Blog

Holiday Shows! Come stare at us!

We're going to be out and about in the Pacific Northwest over the next couple weeks selling our wares live and in person. If you stop by, I won't even be mad if you squint at my stomach looking for the baby bump. (It tends to fluctuate a bit at this point depending on how much burrito I have for dinner.)

First up, we'll be at the Portland West Elm + Etsy Handmade Holiday Workshop from 6-9pm in the Pearl (1201 NW Couch to be exact). Oh yeah -- that's TONIGHT!

We're selling alongside some other excellent local makers and you can make an ornament with Etsy. The Portland Rescue Mission also benefits from donations at the sale. Seeing as how it's First Thursday here in Portland, it's a perfect night to check out some galleries and see us along the way.

This weekend we'll be back in Seattle for the always excellent Urban Craft Uprising at the Seattle Center. You can find us near the front next to our pals Schmancy and Mucho Designs. 

And the following weekend we're back home in Portland for our grand finale of winter shows, Crafty Wonderland. 

(Featuring the poster art of one Ryan Berkley.)

We hope to see your smiling faces if you're around Portland or Seattle in the next couple weeks! 

Holiday release bonanza excitement times!

Hello old blog friends! 

Lookit! Words! New ones! Well, new to this page anyway. We're here! I'd like to promise to keep a little more active in our blog corner, even if it's not mega-life updates or hilarious epic rhyming poems. Wait. I'm not sure that we ever did that. Maybe if I just start with some exciting artsy updates this whole things will type itself more frequently. 

First of all, how was your summer and Halloween? Did you have a birthday in the last five months? We hope it was great! We were totally thinking of you. We were traveling almost all summer for adventure and craft shows and had so much fun, it's hard to think we've now been back in Portland for an entire month solid.

With the pleasantries out of the way, let's move on to new business. We've been rolling out a whole bunch of new designs to our Etsy site over the last month and we're going to keep them coming for the next few weeks. Here's the comprehensive list of what we've released so far:

 

"Top Three" Limited Edition print, 11x14". 

New banner packs!

Our first tote bag - "Wild"! (Hopefully first in a series.) 

[Hot insider tip: For more frequent updates, we're actually pretty current on our Facebook and Twitter pages. I should probably figure out how to put one of those linky thingies on the side of this blog but if I go figure it out now, this post will probably never get done. So, for now, please accept these old fashioned links: www.facebook.com/berkleyillustration and @berkleys on Twitter.] 

 Moose portrait

Cornelius the Moose never goes anywhere without his trusted avian confidant and life coach, Barry. When not helping Cornelius make important decisions, Barry makes himself comfortable reading Victorian literature and modern psychology journals. Cornelius and Barry also host a book group every Tuesday (but Barry always does most of the talking).

Red-Winged Blackbird portrait

While he may look quite serious, and even act a bit defensive while you approach him, this Red-Winged Blackbird is a family man at heart. If you peeked in the window of his marsh home, I wouldn't be surprised if you caught him using a cattail as a microphone to sing his kids to sleep.

Gentleman Beaver portrait

A true visionary in the architectural world of dam-building and beyond, this beaver made a name for himself with his post-post-modern wood dwellings and designs. A retrospective of his work will be shown at the Smithsonian this Spring, which will include a scale model of his famous "Creek Creature Backwards Dam".

Lady Beaver portrait

While you can't see it in this portrait, this lady has the most attractive smile you've ever seen on a beaver, or any large rodent for that matter. If you see her in person, make sure to tell a hilarious joke so she can impress you with her pearly oranges. It's quite breathtaking.

There it is, ladies and gents: the latest line-up. We'll have more coming and Ryan has been working behind the scenes on some other exciting projects for 2012 as well.

Oh...and speaking of behind the scenes and 2012, check out this newer drawing of Ryan's:

Whoops! I guess we have a mega-life update after all. A Baby Berkley is coming to a world near you this February! 

Eastward Renegade, ho!

We're about to jet off to New York City for a some urban hi-jinks and for the big Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn. The above is Ryan's approximation of our travel route.

Psych! It's actually one of the new prints we're bringing along with us and we're releasing it into the Etsy shop today as well. Ryan has been threatening for years to do a companion piece to the old-timey bike jump (below) and I'm so happy that it's finally here.

Together they make a nice little diptych. So what if it seems like they're about to crash into each other? I bet they'll swerve at the last second for maximum dramatic flare.

In addition to the new bikers, Renegade-goers can expect to find a new much-requested animal print, a new style of animal pennants, a special Sublime Stitching print pack, and a few new pillow designs. We previewed a couple of those at Renegade Austin but this time around we're adding the Black Bear to the line-up.

We'll be hanging out with the tandem bikers in booth number 200 on Bayard Street, rain or shine!

In additional to Renegade fun, we're going to go to a Yankees/Red Sox game (but we'll be rooting for the Red Sox. Shhhh...don't tell the Bronx!), visiting the new High Line park, dining at NYC's first vegan pop-up restaurant, taking in the McQueen exhibit at the Met, and hopefully biking around Brooklyn ourselves. I can't wait! I don't have to. Our plane leaves soon!

Our World of Geekcraft

Ryan and I really make no secret that we enjoy many of the geekier things in life. So, of course, when our friend Susan Beal asked us to contribute to her new book of geeky crafts, we were most happy to jump on [mother] board. Now the book is living in a bookstore near you, like magic [the gathering]!   [I'm sorry.]

World of Geekcraft is a pretty fantastic journey through crafty projects relating to some of your favorite convention-worthy subjects. As with most crafty books, I like a ton of the projects themselves but I also really love the inspiration they give me to branch off and try new ideas and techniques. It also serves as a helpful reminder that I need to rewatch Battlestar Galactica...maybe I can watch it while working on the Handmade Tribbles, Solar System Decorative Plates, and the Oregon Trail cross-stitch. 

Our contribution was based on our old friend and TV's favorite puzzling island castaway adventure, Lost. 

Once we had decided on a Lost based project, I became predictably obsessed with the concept. I wanted the project to be something a reader could do but it was also ridiculously important to me that it to be something that could have actually been crafted by the castaways using only island supplies and, even better, they would have found useful. Does that qualify me for a geek merit badge? We settled on tin cans "using supplies" from the Swan Station hatch. As we mentioned in the book's explanation, after making these I starting wondering why the castaways never did make them for themselves. I think they really would have come in handy for some serious "Others" spy work.

Ryan did craft his own spin on the Swan Station logo but other than that, we tried to be as true as possible to a real product from the island. To compliment the cans, and to prove that we're definitely geeks for details, we made a little paper journal covered with a "hot chocolate box" and filled with pages from the nerd-specific Swan Station system failure log printouts (a tedious detail that I probably made way too hard on myself to translate.)

I would be a total geek if I didn't mention the beautiful design, photography, and illustration throughout the book courtesy of the creative crew at Public School in Austin. We actually stopped by their studio in Austin last year when they were still working on the book and we were really excited to see how they'd staged our project to perfection. I would also hereby recommend that you check out their website/blog because they definitely find some of the most inspiring corners of the internet.

Susan is going to be at Powells in Portland this Sunday at 4pm in the Pearl Room doing some reading and a little take-home geeky craft project. If you are in town, please stop by! We'll be there too along with other geeky contributors. 

*EXTRA GEEKINESS SECTION* 

This blog post would be remiss if I didn't share a few choice moments from Ryan and I's geeky history: 

TOP: Ryan's alien costume Spiderman and my "Lady" Punisher, ca. 1999. Apparently back then I was two feet taller than Ryan.

MIDDLE: The Simpsons go to the Blazers home openers, Halloween, ca. 2001 [not pictured is our basketball date, Dr. Doom, who was taking the photo.]

BOTTOM: The second of our two trips to the Star Wars Celebrations in Indianapolis. Yeah, that's right. We've twice traveled halfway across the country for the priviledge of seeing Warwick Davis and Anthony Daniels live onstage. This particular photo is from Celebration Three and features us and our friends Ken and Mike in our vintage Chewbacca masks along with four young lads dressed as George Lucas-es (Lucai?), plus one bonus X-Wing pilot, ca. 2005.

 Thank you. Or I'm sorry again. 

Best Moms

Breaking news: We love moms! 

As a salute to maternal champions everywhere, we're going to give away a "Best Mom" magnet with any and every Etsy order from now through Tuesday, May 3rd (provided that, you know, you want one.)

Just enter I LOVE MOMS in the "notes to seller" field in your Etsy checkout and this mama kangaroo will be yours. It works as a great little gift for your mom, your friend who's a mom, your grandma (also known by some as a multi-generational double mom), or you on those days you need a friendly self-affirmation on the fridge. 

Hi Mom! 

Work and life and Work/Life

Hi friends!
So much has been happening around these parts that the blog "to-write" list keeps getting longer but the time to do it gets shorter. We'll hit a couple bullet points now and hope to expand on things a little bit later in the week.

Our biggest news is that Ryan quit his full-time job in order to concentrate on art full time! He'd been employed at the same place for the last ten years so he's still adjusting to the reality that he doesn't have to schedule his drawing time in between dinner and sleeping. More on that, I'm sure, to come. On the afternoon he came home for good, Walker and his cousins each wrote him a note and gave him a dogpile of love.

And then, as if planned for optimal celebratory timing, the next day we flew to Hawaii. We will definitely have more on that later. It was our first visit there, let alone to any tropical climate, and I'm already watching flight prices for a return visit. We loved seeing the world at sea level and at 10,000 feet, all from the comfort of one small island.

When we brought our cconspicuously suntanned bodies back to the mainland, the good times kept rolling because our copy of Work/Life  was waiting for us.. 

Work/Life is a new directory of international illustrators published by the lovely folks of Uppercase and we're so grateful that Ryan was included among such incredible company. It's a great book for inspiration and odds are you'll find at least a few 'new favorite' artists. Each of the 100 illustrators included created a new piece specifically for the book and have a bio spread of their own inspirations and lives. Like this:

In conjunction with the book's release, we're going also going to release Ryan's new piece as a limited edition in our shop!

"After The Game" is availalble now as an 8x10" edition of 50, printed on the beautiful Hahnemuhle Bamboo warm-tone paper. You can find them right here. Mmmm grass hats....

The Whole Show

The Spectacularcade show opening last night was a grand old time and for once I remembered to actually take some photos documenting the event! I think you'll agree that Ryan's Kenny balloons added just the right burst of pizazz. (And I don't bust out the "p" word unless I think a situation is highly deserving.)

 And here are the rest of the pieces from the show (click on the image for a larger view):

Kill Screen

Slothzar

Frorg Invasion  (That's right, Frorg.)

 

Feats of Strength I

Feats of Strength II: Lunch Break

Photobooth

Impossible

You Can Do It

(Those are sold separately but I think they'd be perfect to hang next to each other - that way you'd always have the proper mantra ready to affirm your daily optimism level.)

 Rolling Thunder - A painted skee-ball in a mirrored trophy case, complete with "Kennywood" skee-ball tickets! 

The whole show is available at the Grass Hut website right over here.

Thanks to Bwana Spoons and the Grass Hut and everyone who came out and enjoyed a complimentary Chinese finger trap! We hope you all successfully unlocked your index fingers before the end of the night. 

Redemption

Hello! Just stopping to give you another sneak peek from "Spectacularcade" (opening tomorrow at the Grass Hut in case you missed the post below).

This one is called "Redemption":

I must say, I'm quite partial to this piece. I love the dual purpose of the name and I happen to love drawings that let me look around inside the scene for a while. (A holdover from the early influence of Richard Scarry, I'm sure.) Ryan is really knocking these out of the theme park and I'm so proud of him! 

Okay, we're off to hang the show and possibily stop at the party supply store to get some goodies for the opening. 

Spectacularcade opens on Thursday night!

We're busy behind the scenes this week putting together the final pieces for Ryan's solo show opening Thursday at the Grass Hut in Portland. The show will feature an assortment of carnival arcade characters including Kenny, Slothzar, and, of course, a quick cameo from Willie Nelson. If you are in town, come on down Thursday night to say hi. If you're not in town, the show will be be available soon on an internet near you.

Geographical tip: The Grass Hut is located at 20 NW 5th Ave inside Floating World Comics. 

Boomshakalaka

In case you've been waiting anxiously to hear, we had an excellent little retreat in the aforementioned cabin. That is, if you consider walking on deserted country roads, finding the world's cutest tiny pine cones, and dueling with forest bubbles the ingredients for excellence - and it just so happens that I do.

It was rainy most of the weekend which actually worked out quite well considering we had lots of work to do inside.  We were happy to spend our retreat time working on our pieces for the Boomshakalaka group show which opened at Land in Portland last week. The show, curated by one of Portland's nicest bearded fellows, Clifton Burt, revolved around 30 artists and designers interpreting the Portland Trail Blazers in whatever fashion they desired. (Ryan also participated in another Blazers themed show last month at the Compound Gallery. Who says artists and sports don't get along?) 

Ryan's cabin drawing station above, my embroidery spot below (not too shabby!).

We decided our contributions to the show would revolve around the theme of "Hypothetical Origins" or, a fake history of the Trail Blazers during pioneer times. 

We came up with:

A 19th century shadow puppet diagram:

A portrait of  an imagined Bill Walton ancestor:

A heated coin-toss for Portland's naming rights:

That one was actually based on the true story of the Portland Penny. From www.pdxhistory.com: "Portland got its name when Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove flipped a coin in 1845. Lovejoy was from Massachusetts and he wanted to name the new settlement Boston. Pettygrove was from Maine and wanted to name the new town Portland. Pettygrove won the coin toss two out of three times and the rest as they say is history."

Ryan drew all the above and I like how he stuck to such a limited color palette. It was somewhat unusual for him considering he generally enjoys experimenting with colors. (You should be able to click on all those to see larger sizes, by the way.)

As for me, I did an embroidered piece based also based on the Blazer's logo. 

I've been a Blazers fan since I was born (Maybe technically even before. My mom was pregnant with me for most of the 1977 championship season) and I have always imagined the logo as some kind of path.  I actually did a bit of web research to make sure this wasn't actually the case and as far as I can tell, the design was conceived as a graphic depicting five vs. five players. I was glad to finally get this image out of my brain and fingers.

As usual, I did a terrible job of documenting the opening but luckily Pat Castaldo is really good at such things. You can see some of his opening night shots here.

Now Ryan is hard at work putting together his solo show opening next week (!) at the Grass Hut in Portland. It's called "Spectacularcade" and revolves around the goings-on of a fictitious carnival arcade.

We'll have some sneak previews from that real soon!