Red Rising

My serpent painting evolves. I was so delighted and surprised by the red snake. For me, the process of creating images is very similar to dreaming. I often don't know what is going to come next and I can be totally taken aback by what arrives on the canvas. Although I have been visualizing this painting for a while and shifting color options in my mind's eye, I had never seen a bright red snake. But now, I love it. It is fueling my desire and energy to work further upon this piece to see what else is going to appear.

Serpent Dreams

Here is the beginning of the process. I sketched the initial idea for this painting while I was at a slow festival in Humboldt County. The back of my booth opened up to the banks of the Eel River. It was a beautiful sunny day and a stunning venue for a festival. In the heart of the Redwoods and the heart of a fiercely independent community of renegades who still harbor the spirit of those who lived amongst the trees centuries ago. I made a quick sketch of this idea of the primordial snake who's tongue extends through spirals of DNA strands to split into the equal sided cross at the top. Did something in the spirit of the Eel lick my consciousness there and ask to be rendered?

Taxing my mind

OK, Now it is definite. I am avoiding my taxes. I am doing everything imaginable to not be working on them. Aha! I thought as I was scanning my checkbook for deposits last March. "I haven't updated my blog in so long! I must do that right now. Here are my most very important, cannot wait a minute news items which will invigorate your life immediately.

I have a new blog/web site. Da ta da daaah. It is www.cadajohnson.com. That is where I have posted my dear to the heart art work. I have been working on wall paintings since October with a fervor. An ernest fervor, to be exact. This painting of the dancer is my first completed piece of a series of four. Today, I finished the second painting and I will be posting it soon. But.....I told myself that I had to do my taxes first.

sigh.

Back to it.

Blessings

Happy Holly Daze!

Here we go ya'll, the slithery sled ride through America's winter festival season. For me this time of year is always such an intense mix of joy and stress and glee and darkness. Take a deep breath....

Nov. 21,22; and 27-29: Eugene Holiday Market, booth# 83

Dec. 4-6; Humboldt Artisans Crafts and Music Festival, Eureka, CA, booth#73

Dec.5,6; Eugene Holiday Market, (yes we are at two locations this weekend, Eugene and Eureka) booth# 193

Dec.12,13; KPFA Crafts and Music Fair, San Francisco, CA, booth#56

Dec. 12,13; Eugene Holiday Market,(again...double boothing it, Eugene and San Fran.)booth#106

Dec.19,20; Eugene Holiday Market, booth# 106

Dec.22,23,24; Eugene Holiday Market, booth#106

Please have a blessed season

Peace,

Cada Johnson

The Spineless Flip FLop Jig

When I am faced with my own inconsistencies I tend to want to run screaming for cover. They make me quake in my boots. You could say it is akin to having multiple muses playing tug of war with one's creative integrity. It is as though the gods are kicking my sanity around for their amusement and I'm on the sidelines begging for a moment of peace. So I try to make rules for myself. As an artist who paints on clothing, I have said countless times these words. "No, I am sorry, I do not paint on clothing which is provided by my customers. You see, there is too much opportunity to destroy or maim a perfectly good piece of clothing. I paint on clothing which I purchase wholesale so that if I destroy it then there is no problem. " Perhaps you are surprised to find that the question "Will you paint on my clothing?" is that common. I'm certain that I have had to answer that query at least 200 times in the last 19 years. It is actually quite common. Many, many customers appreciate my paintings but I don't have a garment which fits them or is their style. Their face lights up as they hit on the idea. "Hey...what if I bring you a piece of clothing? Would you paint it?" And I have to shatter their hopes and explain that the odds of their clothing surviving my studio are low. Much less, it is unthinkable that I would paint on a precious piece of clothing like formal wear or a wedding dress! Horrors!

The other rule which has served me well all these years of practicing my trade has been this: I do not paint on white clothing. Well, at least, the clothing that I paint on does not remain white. In fact, the very reason that I embarked upon dyeing clothing was because of the curse of white cloth. It is a soil and spot and paint magnet. I discovered in college that I could gain years of use out of clothing which I had spilled and stained within moments of it being in my vicinity, by dyeing it. After college this habit gravitated into a craft and a source of income. But after the first year of selling t-shirts and clothing in open air venues I swore that I would not sell white clothing as a finished product.

Lo! Along came a customer who has transformed himself into a friend over these years and offered me a project which has made me question my integrity. I broke all my rules. He sent me a white tuxedo, a precious, white, garment of his own and asked me to embellish this item for Burning Man. Yikes! What was I thinking? My work table is riddled with the evidence of paint misdirected. I have spilled as much paint and as many quarts and full jars across half finished garments as I have said no to customers asking for custom work. It is trying to be a clumsy artist.

I felt so much triumph that I was able to take on this project and get away with only 2 smudges that I have recorded my efforts for you here. The owner of this tuxedo took it off to the desert of Nevada for Burning Man and promptly spilled coffee on it.

On the Road

Okeydokey! I'm packing the van, getting things organized and hitting the road. For 3 weekends in a row I'll be in my booth at festivals. Here they are:
September 19,20
North Country Fair, Arcata, California: I'll be in booth #65. It is on the North end of G street, West side of the street.
September 26,27
Corvallis Fall Festival, Corvallis, Oregon:Booth #137, the street I'm closest to is NW Madison St.
October 3,4
Issaquah Salmon Days: I haven't received my load in packet for this one yet so I'll post it when I get the booth #
And remember, I will have tall silk flags on my booth. If you're hunting for me, look up. It is a great way to find the booth. You can see them from way down a long string of booths.

The fall is upon us. Time to embrace the changing seasons, the crisp clean clear air, the morning chill, the abundant harvest.
Many blessings, have a beautiful autumn.

Etsy!

If you haven't been there yet. You should check out Etsy. It is a massive website "venue" of handcrafted functional art. I have finally gotten on board and I'm making my t-shirts available that way. There is a red button below my profile picture which will take you to Etsy's site. When you get to the Etsy home page, put Hartware into the search bar at the top and it should whisk you to my on line shop. Yeehaw! ....Wow! I just had a hummingbird fly into the middle of my yurt (where I am writing this from) hover and fly right back out the door. Nice Grand Opening moment!!! Wheeeee!
Happy Heat Wave!