Fairyland Event Night
I had a blast last night with John Casey and other fellow artists at the Drawn Together event to benefit Children’s Fairyland storybook park in Oakland.
We got set up before the crowds gathered and had about two hours to draw, paint or otherwise make art to be sold at the night’s auction. Not a typical auction where bids keep rising, the works were set at a fixed price of $50 each, and competition for any individual piece was settled by drawing from a giant deck of playing cards. There were a few high-demand items that gathered more aspiring buyers than available cards, but the fans were mostly well-behaved in the scrum. A feeling of wise-cracking good humor ruled the night, thanks to our stellar host, Shannon Taylor, Director of Art and Restoration at Fairyland.
It’s always tough to document the drawings when they’re finished after dark. We all had our own lightning, but the best I could do was photograph my pieces on the wall before the auction began. These images have shadows and glare, especially on the rabbit, but at least it’s something.
This was my first time participating in a nighttime live-art event, and my first at Children’s Fairyland. I’d attended as a guest in the past, but not as one of the attractions. I hope to be invited again next year, and have already begun plotting pieces for 2023!
Fairyland Photos
Drawn Together 9/30
As a kid-lit and fairytale fan, I am delighted to participate in this year’s Drawn Together live-drawing event to benefit Children’s Fairyland storybook park in Oakland.
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 30, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Adult art lovers (21+) are invited to enjoy a magical evening at the park as 50 local artists create Fairyland-inspired artwork. At the end of the evening, guests will have a chance to buy the artwork for $50 at a live art sale in Aesop’s Theater. It’s a raucous and competitive good time.
Fairyland opened in 1950, five years before Disneyland, and it’s been a regional favorite ever since. Walt Disney himself visited the park and found inspiration there for his own famed family attraction. Children’s Fairyland has been non-profit since 1994. Proceeds from Drawn Together will support the people, programs, and spaces that make Children’s Fairyland magic possible all year long. For more on its history check out the Fairyland website.
Tickets: General Admission tickets are $30.
Buy tickets online here.
Buying tickets in advance is recommended; same day tickets may not be available if the event sells out.
Pigeon, Pigeon
My gouache piece “Martha” is on display at the Bench Gallery “Pigeon Show” at Fayes in San Francisco through September 10th.
I was excited to participate in this group exhibition because I’ve been a long time birdwatcher (waterfowl, mostly) but had never worked on any bird-related artworks. This gave me the opportunity to focus on something new in terms of painting subjects, but also something I am personally interested and invested in.
This work was inspired by the extinction of the passenger pigeon species. Martha was the last known passenger pigeon, who died in 1914 at the Cincinnati Zoo. Her remains were preserved and are on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. For more information and a 3D visualization, see:
Game of Shrooms 2022
Today’s international Game of Shrooms event was really fun. I left the two mushrooms above in the Jack London areas of Oakland, and both were found within 15 minutes each. I didn’t have time to go foraging myself, but it was fun to watch a whole crew of East Bay artists posting to the IG event, and all of the scavengers around Oakland, Berkeley, and the surrounding areas follow the clues to mushroom art.
Anyone can particiapte in this event as an artist, anywhere in the world. If it’s something that sounds interesting and fun, bookmark you calendar for next year and what will, I believe, be the 5th anniversary of Game of Shrooms. If you’d like to go hunting for mushroom art, check out the worldwide map to see if people are leaving mushrooms in your area. For more information and the interactive, see GoS founder Attaboy’s website.
Shroom Drop
I’m looking forward to another Game of Shrooms art scavenger hunt on Saturday, June 11th. Founded by Attaboy of Hi-Fructose magazine, this global event has exploded into an international interactive sensation. Every June, artists across the world create mushroom-themed art, leave it in public places, and post clues on online as to where the work can be found. It’s fun, pretty competitive, and FREE!
Last year, for Game of Shrooms 2021, I created the two tiny Alices shown above, both gouache on paper and 7″ x 5″. This year, I’ve got two lace-mushrooms in the works. They’re still under wraps, but I’ll be showing previews on Instagram before the event and posting clues on June 11th, along with all participating artists. Follow me for hints about where to find my work, and you can watch the whole game unfold at #gameofshrooms2022 to see what people are posting globally.
Don’t live in the Bay Area? There are ‘shroom artists everywhere. You can find out more about the event, and see a map of participating artists at Game of Shrooms 2022. Don’t forget to check the IG feeds on June 11, and happy hunting!
Live Drawing Results
Last week’s Monster Drawing Rally was really fun and a great benefit event for Southern Exposure. John Casey and I managed two pieces each; some pre-drawing was necessary to pull that off because of the time limit.
One of the great things about prepping for this live-drawing stint was adapting my practice to a new medium. I typically use acrylic on panel or gouache on paper, but I didn’t want to use any wet media during a live outdoor event. So I spent a month experimenting with colored pencils and really enjoyed that experience. I think I found a good middle ground between my expectations and the medium’s characteristics. At first it felt a little like the pencils were dictating too many rules. I respect their strengths and limitations, but I hung in there repeating tests and failures until I figured out how to get the results I wanted. I think we found a happy middle ground.
We finished up as the sun fell west, so these photos were shot under varying light. But at least I remembered to get pictures before handing both over for sale.
