The Making of a Mural

I visit the Artist and Craftsman in Berkeley (on 2573 Shattuck Ave, to be specific) more than any other store in the whole world. I kid you not, I'm there running errands for my various art related jobs at least once a week. If you've never been, I implore you to hop on your moped, bike, scooter, or heck even Boeing 747 and check it out. Never have been to an art store with cooler vibes, nicer people or more expansive color selection of gouache paints. After a solid year of hard crushin' on A&C (visiting every week, sometimes twice in the same day, and lingering too long in the paint brush section, where I would philosophize on the benefits of the filbert brush) they finally popped the big Q: Would I be interested in painting their Fall window mural? "I'm so down!!" I most likely said, after mopping up the puddle of profound honor and excitement my body melted into. 

After proposing a couple sketches, we landed on the one I made of two best friends talking on the phone while making art in their rooms, which is by no coincidence how I spend the majority of my time.

After making a sketch, I scanned it onto my computer and played around with the color in Photoshop. 

The initial inspiration for the mural, titled No You Hang Up, was the playfulness and kitschy nostalgia of early 2000s TV friendships like Lindsay Mcguire, as well as my gratitude for my creative group of friends. As I finalized my sketches, I realized I also wanted the mural to be a celebration of the brilliant, loving, and inclusive Bay Area art community that I feel lucky to be apart of. For me, celebrating this community meant paying homage to the vital artists and organizers who dedicated their lives to supporting and building it. 

No You Hang Up references Ara Jo, a radiant human being who supported, welcomed and befriended countless artists in the Bay Area and beyond. The mural also makes reference to Aaron Curry, commonly known as ORFN, a prolific and raw creative who influenced generations of street artists. Both artists passed away a year ago, in December 2016. This mural is dedicated to them, as well as artist Jeffery Chung, founder of Unity Press who continues to build and grow community for queer and POC folks in the East Bay. 

Painting the mural was such a blast and tremendous privilege to paint, and I couldn't have done without the help of my friends and the awesome crew at A&C. If you're in the area, come stop by! It will be up until the end of December. And if you're an East Bay resident, stay tuned for a zine workshop I'll be teaching there on December 10th! 

THE CANVAS ISSUE is IN

Cover art by Herve Tullet, from his book Mix It Up!, published by Chronicle Books; Cover design by Elizabeth Haidle

We are so thrilled to announce that Issue 2 has arrived and is getting ready to ship to our dear readers! (Stockists: Please contact us to place your order!) The Canvas Issue is overflowing with vibrant, gorgeous art by some of our favorite artists and writers. From the awesome cover art and interview feature with Press Here author Hervé Tullet to a Q&A with Tony DiTerlizzi of The Spiderwick Chronicles and The Search for WondLa series, a biographical story on Martha Graham by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by Marlowe Dobbe, a comic on Georgia O'Keeffe by Todd Webb, a non-fiction piece, "Beyond the Canvas," by our very own Elizabeth Haidle of Docu-Comix featuring artists Lee Bontecou, Frank Stella, Diego Rivera, Louise Bourgeois, and Christo & Jeanne-Claude and so so much more.... It's an embarrassment of riches to be sure!

Here are a few pages from the packed 64-page issue.... Please enjoy! : )

Excerpt from "Beyond the Canvas: Artists Who Reinvented the Rectangle" by Elizabeth Haidle

Excerpt from "Mix, Splash, Muddle" by Julia Breckenreid

DIY twig mobile by our very own Claire Astrow!

Excerpt from our interview with Tony DiTerlizzi

Excerpt from "Georgia In the Desert" by Todd Webb, a comic that draws from O'Keeffe's own writing.

Purchase your copy here or ask for issue 2 at your fave local bookstore. xox