teef & dust: january 13th
We’re beginning the new year with some of our favorite local artists, Tanner Frady and Dusty Gilpin. We showed some of Tanner’s work back in 2008 when we first opened the shop and have enjoyed watching his style grow. Dusty, of course, is a good friend and co-owner of Tree and Leaf clothing , our screen printers. Both have this kind of fun cartoony street character vibe complimentary to one another that people of all ages enjoy.
Over the next couple months, we will be redoing the store to create an actual gallery type space in back that will hopefully improve the flow of traffic during openings and give our artists a space they can feel free to fully customize. One day we hope to have a real gallery, but we are really excited to take that small step towards manifesting our dream. With the new gallery space we also hope to put together more group shows that welcome artists from all disciplines and styles. We’ve attatched a call for entries for our custom toy show this March, be sure to email us if you would like to participate for all the info. This month we are also clearancing out a lot of winter stuff like knit hats, hoodies, gloves etc…
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kalee jones w: december 9th
It’s Christmas at DNA! Starting this weekend we will be open 7 days a week (Sunday 1-5) and offer a special weekend discount on a featured item from now until Xmas. Kalee Jones is our next 2nd Friady artist. Her lastest body created especially for the show entitled,”The Gentle Hunt”, is a series of colorful ethereal animals and a glass ornament installation. You can Learn more about Kalee’s work in her interview below.
This month’s featured vendor is Laurie Ingalls, creator of Lumpy Bits! You may have come in the store and done a double take upon seeing her creepy cute creations scowling, smiling crookedly or spitting their toungue out at you. We are totally in love with her work and she’s making us a bunch for 2nd Friday!
How would you describe your work?
Colorful. Spontaneous. Energetic. Busy.
This current series is more narrative than any other body of work I’ve done.
The characters are suspended in a continuum of primordial color that has been stirred up by some sort of “happening.” They look onward to an inevitable yet uncertain future. A strange sense of sadness and uncomfortable wonder is present as these beings muster up the necessary strength of will to move forward.
What inspires you?
Being alive. To be human on earth in this body and mind is a decadent experience. I know that what comes out during my creative process is somehow a distillation of everything perceptual I have collected in this lifetime and possibly beyond. The sky. I have an endless reservoir of awe for the sky. It is my visual playground. It is the magnificent container that holds us all.
How did you get started?
Early on. My mother was an artist who excelled in stained glass. I believe this is where my extreme love of color was first fostered. She allowed me to continually express myself through the arts. It became the number one part of my identity I held tight to; Artist. It was in my last year of college (2007) that I began painting in a serious way.
What are your goals for the future?
Future goals as an artist include but are not limited to a proliferation of paintings (as the only way to evolve is practice,) sharing these paintings with the world, expanding my repertoire to include installation and movement art, and possibly grad school to equip myself with deeper knowledge and leadership skills to emerge as a teacher or pioneer. Both “teacher” and “pioneer” are undefined in nature at this point.
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april & johnny delucia: november 11th
This Friday we are showing a new body of collaborative and complementary works by local artists Johnny and April Delucia. These two are gifted in expressing themselves with words and visual art while working together and individually on their passions. We asked them a few questions to get to know more about their process and what inspires these two to make creation a part of their lives and relationship:
How would you describe your work?
Johnny- “Heavy on the abstraction, less on the expression. I use music & poetry for expressing and confessing, while painting is my release from the deep stuff. Purely aesthetic …art for art’s sake. If the paintings were to say something, they would talk about asymmetry, balance, value, weight…you know, the elements.”
April- “Playful, Strange, Bright, Brooding, Heavy, Lazy, Loud… Eclectic! A mismatched mess of much.”
What/Who inspires you?
April- “Johnny inspires a great deal out of me, often.
I additionally seem to get rather motivated to create when I’m watching my Buster Keaton. Sometimes, listening to new wave. Other times, watching old cartoons does it…but I can not say for sure why.”
Johnny- “The two things that inspire me to paint are the same two things that inspire me to suck air every day:
The Original Source/Jehovah/God, & my wife April. In them, I have found every good thing. Everything I need.”
How did you get started?
April- “I got into things as a kid, did things I wasn’t supposed to. Overall, I wasn’t very good for awhile there… As opposed to punishment, my rents bought me some crafts & a journal. I went from breaking things to making things. I fashioned little knick-knacks & trinkets, then went on to writing poetry & short stories…& finally did my 1st painting at 15, with discarded house paint & old box lids.”
Johnny- “I’ve always painted but didn’t really know how or why until college, so I’ll say it started there.”
What are your goals for the future?
April- “Primarily, to be happy & healthy, rich in love & warmth, surrounded by family & friends…& our collected accomplishments in art & poetics, with as much drive as we have at this very moment..& more so.”
Johnny- “To reach people…a lot of them. Particularly those who are desperate or hungry. I’ve been there. More importantly, I’m no longer there. I’m on the other side of living, with a map & a megaphone. I have a moral obligation to tell others…and I hope they benefit from my story.
Fine, I’ll just say it… My goal is to change the world. Yours should be too.”
You can see Johnny and April’s work through the end of the month.
We will also have a special sale in store on select shirts and accessories to make room for holiday stuff. Knit hats, scarves and gloves are all out and we are ready for Fall!
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Hello friends, we would like to extend an invitation for our 3 year anniversary celebration and group art show. Click here for our Facebook event to RSVP.
This year we are focussing on our city by giving artists prints of several downtown buildings to customize. So much of our downtown landscape is changing and with it the desire for more public art. Some of the places we have chosen for the show are up for sale or have been sold and will no longer exist as we have know and loved them for years and we would love to capture some of our favorite places for posterity.
We will also have lots of new stuff in store including a redesigned limited edition “Support Local Art” shirt in different colors, 10 goodie bags with lots of free stuff from us, Blue 7, and other local businesses for the first people through the door. (One of these bags will have 2 free tickets to the Girlie Show!) Music by the Friskee Dj’s Live art performance and catering by Pachinko and Sara Sara Cupcakes.
We would also like this to also be a kick off for more group art shows that dont fall on second Friday that will happen every few months starting in 2012 and include artists of all styles. Keep an eye out for more group shows in the future.
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josh heilaman: october 14th
We are ecstatic to show one of our favorite artists and good friends! Josh Heilaman is known for his fantastical asian inspired characters and colorful furry creatures. His newest series includes some mixed media 3 dimensional reconstructions modeled from his paintings. We will also have handmade costumes from 3 of our local designers Shift 7, Borderline Designs, and Lumpy Bits. Stay tuned for our next post about our 3 year anniversary group show!
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(works from DNA’s private collection)
buying art, supporting artists
In celebration of our 3 year anniversary this month, we thought it was important to make a case for purchasing local art. You all know we are huge fans of local art but we are also collectors of sorts and have been for years. When we were first married and both gainfully employed we put together a budget for art. $50 a month. It was actually very easy to find work for that much and if we didnt purchase that month we rolled it into the next month. Every weekend we went to art shows all over and that was our exclusive source of entertainment for years. We got to meet artists and network and put together group shows, it was so energizing to be immersed in the local culture. One of the reasons we felt so passionately about buying things regularly was that we are artists as well and the feeling of validation and support you feel when you sell is unmatched. For us it was important not just to talk about supporting them but to give them our support. I never understood how people would say “that’s expensive” or “I dont have the money” then turn around and drop $50-$100 at the bar, or on a piece of clothing that would be out of style the next season. At least with art, you can almost guarantee that the value will increase over time. It doesnt go out of style, it doesn’t just flush through your system the next day, it’s with you for as long as you like. There’s a greater reason as well. If artists can’t make a living they will leave, simple as that, they will go to a state where the culture is thriving and they hopefully get to be appreciated and validated and make a living if they are lucky enough to get noticed. No one has been able to convince us yet that the same culture that exists in New York, Los angeles, Portland, Seattle does not exist here because we have absolutley have seen it! The point of this rant is not to guilt or shame anyone into buying art but rather think hard about where you put your money because you really do vote with your dollar. Are you putting it towards things you feel passionately about? Dont be afraid!
Here’s some ideas for places where art can be bought affordably:
- Salons, Coffee shops, Restaurants- Usually when we see art in these places it is emerging artists that are basically giving away their work
- Retail stores- Certain retail stores around town show artist monthly or carry art on a regular basis
- And yes galleries! I know of one place here in town that does payment plans for purchases and it’s 100% up to you when you pay it off
There are also a few ways to support artists using little to no money:
- Show up to the opening- most of the time you will get free refreshments and get to meet the artist personally
- Tell your friends!- Be a promoter of the local culture and share your favorite artists with friends and family
- Ask about and buy prints, they can range from $5-$200 but usually they will be of good to great quality so you can enjoy the art on a budget
- Many artists these days are merchandising their works so in addition to prints you can also buy tshirts, stickers, buttons, accessories and more.
So that’s it. We are blessed beyond measure to be able to serve our community and bring artists together and are looking forward to more collaborations, group shows and events in the future that bring us all together to support local art.
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mizzo: september 9th
We are so excited for the opportunity to host works by Switwerland based artist and designer Mizzo (real name Myriam Gamperli). Mizzo is an urban artist who has worked in fine art and also as an independent designer for Volcom, Carhartt, Gravis, Diesel and many others. Her works is an animated mixture of art and design. You can see more at mizzo.ch. This is one show we have been looking forward to all year!
Dylan is also having show across the street at gallery 1614 at the same time during the Plaza walk. They will all be brand new works on paper!
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tiffany edwards: august 12th
Tiffany Edwards is a local artist inspired by mythology, nature and the universe. Her paintings are vibrantly colorful and portray surrealist portraits and landscapes that communicate the energy she sees in the world around her. We are lucky to have snatched her away from her busy school schedule for this month’s art walk.
We asked Tiff to answer a few questions about her work, click the more link below to read the full Q&A.
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moses white: july 8th
This month begins our kickoff of a monthly featured maker. We usually re-merchandise our front area for new stuff, but everyone in our store is an artist and we want to give everyone a chance for exposure and an opportunity to make our front area an Installation of sorts.
“Altar L” is an Okie/TX jewelry collaboration of natural rocks and minerals, with pendant symbols. You can wear them for their healing properties or just pure aesthetics.
Our visual artist this month is local artist Moses White. Moses describes his work as “Energetic, Visceral, Introspective. Comic book art makes love to contemporary art.” He is inpired by works that give off energy where you can see the passion of the artist in the piece. You can tell by looking at his work, these ideas are below the surface. Personally, we’ve enjoyed the portraits he’s done of random people around town that have popped up on social media sites in the past. Like all of us, Moses just wants to make a living doing what he loves. His group “Noise of the Nameless” will also be playing out front Friday night during the opening.
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fannys back 2 – return of the fanny pack fashion show: june 10th
It’s back! Fanny pack fashion show pt. 2 and this year we have invited local artists to participate in making or reconstructing their own. We have about 15 artists plus a variety of ridiculous hand picked pieces to choose from in addition. Balthazaar will be emceeing the runway show which will start at 8pm. Don’t be late we will be making history and setting the bar for original fanny adornment in the midwest.
In store, we have 2 new handmade designers Borderline Designs and Shift 7 Collective so we have brought most of our handmade clothing from the back to pay tribute to all the original incredible designers we have in store who sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Dylan Bradway and myself (Amanda Bradway) are working on some simple sketches that we hope to have framed and ready on friday see you then!
