5 Year Posters with The Printshop

For this year’s festival, we wanted to make a special poster to commemorate our fifth year. We worked with the folks at The Printshop, Greenville’s newest makerspace, to create silkscreened posters for our event. We spent an evening at The Printshop with Andrew (husband of our co-founder, Lib Ramos) and Jeremy to print our 2014 posters. They walked us through each step of the process — from burning a screen to registering inks and we took pictures along the way.

It was so much fun to take our design from a computer screen to a final printed product and be reminded of all the work that goes into screenprinted art. As we often tell others, learning a new skill is one of the best ways to foster appreciation for it. Here are some of our behind the scenes photos.

Mixing inks to get the perfect shade.

Jeremy shows us how to pull a print.

The first color on drying racks.

Burnt screen for color number two.

Adding the second color.

Final prints drying in a row.

Fun fact: The Printshop founders were introduced at last year's Indie Craft Parade. In less than a year's time, they ran a successfully funded Kickstarter and opened the doors to our city's first community print shop. The Printshop is offering classes along with studio space and access to equipment for all kinds of printing processes like silkscreen, etching, letterpress, lithography and more.

Be on the lookout for more partnerships between Indie Craft Parade and The Printshop down the road — for example we're hosting a modern calligraphy workshop in their space mid-January!

Indie Craft Parade Visits NYC

As many of you know from our Facebook page or Instagram feeds, the staff at Indie Craft Parade took a brief hiatus last weekend to the big city. For a long time now we've been watching the success of long standing craft shows like Renegade Craft, so we decided to attend the fair hosted in Brooklyn. We're always fans of people or organizations who contribute to the modern craft scene, and we try to attend shows whenever possible. Our treks have been fairly local, however---Atlanta, Columbia, Asheville, etc.---so the prospect of attending a huge festival was quite exciting. Showing our excitement in the Renegade Photo Booth.

So, with a date on the calendar we saved up our pennies, begged a couple days off work, kissed our husbands goodbye, and made the most of our time in New York. Although the trip centered on visiting the artists at Renegade, we did have a couple of days on either side of the festival...and did we ever fill them with the most wonderful things. Our game plan was to visit or learn about as many arts and craft locations as possible. We wanted to know how other people organize their festivals, storefronts, or studios with hopes of making our endeavors here in Greenville even better.

We'd like to share with you a little bit about our trip---highlights of who we visited, what we saw, and how we're planning on making the Indie Craft Events better than ever!

Day 1: We hit the ground running as soon as we landed. After checking into a cute apartment in Greenpoint Brooklyn, we headed to Manhattan to check out studios and supply stores. The highlight of the day, by far, was getting a tour of the Lower Eastside Printshop. This is a collaborative space where artists can either learn new mediums or rent studio equipment to further their own body of work.

One of two giant communal studios.

The printmaking equipment, particularly the screen printing setup is some of the best we've ever seen.

Day 2: Renegade Craft Fair! In the very warm summer sun we perused 300 artists along with 20,000 other people for 6 very long hours. We took our time and saw EVERYTHING. We only stopped to cool ourselves with frozen treats and make new friends from the awesome website Kollabora. If you don't know this site, then you really should. It's a community based site that's meant to find or share crafting projects. Here you can post what you're working on, learn new skills that will make your projects easier, and connect with other makers you share your passion. It's a super great resource.

Getting ready to enter the fair.

A single row of tents.

Checking out an embroidery artist.

Day 3: We headed back to Manhattan. Since most offices and studios were closed for the weekend, we spent the day wandering the coolest shops in New York. Two of our favorite stops were Best Made Company and Purl Soho.

Best Made...the home of wonderfully handcrafted or in-house designed goods for men...and where we picked up treats for the husbands.

Purl Soho...yarn, felt, and fabric heaven.

We found a Hugo lookalike project!

Day 4: After finding a pie shop for breakfast (this was an amazing food trip, by the way), we headed to the corporate office of Etsy. We got a tour of the offices and Etsy Labs and were delighted to find that the Etsy office was basically one giant DIY project--everything from vertical pocket gardens to crocheted ventilation pipes to quilted room dividers and even a tech conference room that looks like a space station.

Our last big stop before heading home was at Tattly, an innovative company that produces design-y temporary tattoos. We had a great meeting with the staff, and we've got a fun collaboration coming up...details to follow.

Well, that's a brief look at our trip. Thanks for joining us! We're back in Greenville and more excited than ever for the upcoming festival!

All the applications are in, which means this weekend our jury has the heavy task of deciding who will be in the show. Check back in next week to see the vendors. We can guarantee you're going to be excited about who'll be there.

Studio Tour: White Whale Studios and Gallery

Today we're taking you on a tour of one of Greenville's most unique artist co-op spaces, White Whale Studios and Gallery. Caroline George Lott is the owner of White Whale, a large house-turned-studios located about a mile from The Pendleton Street Art District. We asked her to share the story behind White Whale with our readers.

Indie Craft: When was White Whale founded, and was it always a dream of yours?

Caroline: Our Grand opening was October 2nd, 2009. Being an active part of the local artistic community was always a dream of mine. Owning and operating a studio was something that became a reality when we purchased a historical house in the Monaghan Mill community. We did not want to "ruin" the house by turning it into a multi-family house or just rent it out. We wanted to to have it live on as a place to serve the community.

One of the White Whale artists hard at work in his studio.

Indie Craft: We love that you turned a house into a group of artist studios. How many artists call White Whale home right now?Caroline: We currently have 7 fabulous artists. Most of the artists are full-time professional artists.

Common gallery spaces are located throughout the house.

Indie Craft: This big white house is such a beautiful and inspiring place. Do you know much of its history?Caroline: Yes, it was built circa 1890, even before the textile mill that is right down the street. It started out as a teacher's boarding house, and has been used in many different ways since. Anything from a boxing training facility to a bed and breakfast.

Indie Craft: What is the significance of the White Whale name?Caroline: The studio's name harkens back to Melville's infamous tale of a determined white whale (Moby Dick) outwitting the relentless Captain Ahab, just as the artists, within the walls of this old white house, battle the odds to pursue their work and life's calling.

You can visit White Whale Studios and Gallery during Greenville Open Studios.

The good news is that White Whale does have an available studio at the moment! If you're an artist in need of working space, you can email your portfolio to whitewhalestudios@gmail.com or visit the White Whale site to learn more about their mission in Greenville.

Available studio: 12 ft ceilings and plenty of natural light.

Also, be sure to follow White Whale on Facebook to keep up with their resident artists and find out about upcoming art shows.

Meet the Jury: Michelle Radford

Michelle somehow manages to be an art professor, a serious artist/crafter, and full-time wife and mom (soon to be of three). Through all of this she still creates fresh, new works that have a flavor uniquely hers. And her fiber goods, such as her reworked fabric jewelry and pillows, are stunning. If jurors were allowed to have booths at Indie Craft Parade in September, she'd sell out quickly.  

Indie Craft Parade: In your art as well as crafts, you have a tendency to turn trash in to treasures. What's the oddest thing you've incorporated into one of your pieces?

Michelle: I don't know if these would seem particularly odd to people who practice mixed media: a little dutch boy had to give up his head to a brooch, and a little angel had to lose her wings...all for a good cause. I've stitched bones into a piece. The finished products look must less sinister than they sound. My work is anything but Halloween-ish, however.

Indie Craft Parade: The gap between art and craft is continually growing smaller. Is this a trend that you embrace in your own work, or do you think of your fine art work as a separate endeavor from your crafts?

Michelle: My paintings tend to look very different from my "crafts". I could see them merging more eventually, though. I don't think it is very useful or interesting to try to keep the arts and crafts apart if they want to intersect or blend. The most rewarding handmade objects to me--whether "arts" or "crafts"--are thought provoking, meaningful, well-executed, and have a little bit of wow-factor.

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Indie Craft Parade: Who is an artist that you currently find inspiring?

Michelle: As far as no-longer-living artists, I always really enjoy looking at the work of Rothko and Rauschenberg. I really like the way they used paint, and how their work makes you think of space, format, and materials. As far as living artists who make objects for everyday use, I'm always really captivated by the things the artists at ShopSCAD make. It's really fresh and fun.

Meet the Jury: Teresa Roche

Teresa Roche's Art and Light gallery is often at the center of attention for Greenville's artist community events. Besides the numerous tasks that come with running a chic art boutique that boasts some of the best finds in town, Teresa manages to produce her own work. She's best known for her whimsical mixed media pieces. Next chance you get, visit her gallery in the Pendleton Arts District. You won't be disappointed.

Indie Craft Parade: You love using found objects as a basis for some of your art. What is one of your favorite finds yet?

Teresa: I love using vintage fabrics and wallpapers in my mix media pieces.  My favorite is a café curtain made from a fabulous 1950's bark cloth. The vivid chartreuse color is my all time favorite color, and it was a total fluke that I found it in a thrift store in New York.

Indie Craft Parade: Your gallery is in the heart of the Greenville art district. What kind of growth and development would you like to see in Greenville's art future?

Teresa: I would love to see the Pendleton Street Art's District grow with the addition of a great artsy café and other service businesses that would be open for daily retail hours. That way when customers come to the district they can grab lunch and run other errands within the area. The art, artists, talent and quality is already there. I think that it's so important for small business owners to come together with a concentrated marketing plan and a commitment to spend the marketing dollars and commit to the sweaty equity involved in trail blazing in order to have long term consistent growth.

Indie Craft Parade: As an artist and savvy businesswoman, do you have any suggestions for start-up artists or crafters?

Teresa: Yes, the importance of a business plan.  It doesn't matter how small or how big you start - without a business plan you can find yourself floundering.  Artists and crafters also need to be very thick skinned, willing to put the work out there and to get professional assistance in the areas they have weaknesses (i.e., marketing, accounting, merchandising, sales). It takes all of these things to run a business. And you have to remember that being a successful artist or crafter is a business.

Interview with our Jury: Barb Blair

Today's jury interview is with Barb Blair, a lady who can do marvels with cast-off furniture. She's made quite a name for herself in both the home design community and the blogisphere, with features in many publications. Her design aesthetic is fabulous, and I'd love to fill my house with all sorts of goodies from her shop. You can visit her studio in the Pendleton Arts District of Greenville or follow her blog, to keep up with all her projects and fun finds.  

Indie Craft Parade: You're contributing to a book coming out! That's super exciting. What can readers expect to see?

Barb: The book is called Design*Sponge at Home, it comes out September 13th. It is basically a large book featuring a lot of the content that makes up the website, and it shows readers how to incorporate the ideas into their homes. There will be lots of people featured in the book, and I will be in the before and after section. My projects will be featured as tutorials on how to transform furniture.

Indie Craft Parade: You exhibited at Indie Craft Parade last year and had such a cute booth. Do you have any advice for this year's vendors for setting up a creative display?

Barb: As far as a creative booth display. I think you should keep your booth consistent with your brand. Incorporate elements that tell your personal brand story without having to say a word. I think another really important thing is to have plenty of product. A full booth sells, and giving people lots of options is key to attracting a variety of buyers.

Indie Craft Parade: What is a quick summary of your creative process for restoring furniture? Do you have usually have a vision for a piece as soon as you see it?

Barb: When I pick up a piece of furniture I am always looking for interesting details that will stand out when painted. Or I look for furniture that I can add interesting detail to, such as wallpaper, stripes, and/or shiny new hardware. I check to make sure the piece is structurally sound and that all repairs (if necessary) are within my means to repair or can be repaired by a professional without taking too much off my bottom line. Once all of the repairs are made and the piece has been sanded and prepped for paint, I get to work executing my design plan. Speaking of design plans, I usually know right away what I will do to a piece when I see it, but there is the occasional piece that sits and stares at me in the studio for a few months before the plan hits me.

Indie Craft Parade: What new and exciting things can we expect to see from your studio in the near future?

Barb: One other cool thing is that I have just designed and had built my first piece of furniture! It will be the start to my new Knack couture line which will consist mainly of wallpapered and highly design intensive pieces. Other than that I am painting away in the studio, shipping pieces all over the country. And I just recently shipped my first international piece to TOKYO!

Interview with our Jury: Kevin Isgett

Indie Craft Parade has the enormous privilege of having a fabulous jury to overview the entries for this year's event. I've been to their shows, visited their studios, and let me tell you, their art has yet to disappoint. To give our readers a little better glimpse into their work, we're posting a brief interview with each of them. We're starting our interviews with Kevin Isgett, a talented artist of many mediums. I did not have the privilege of having him as an art teacher, but any of his students I've know have loved his classes.

Indie Craft Parade: Where are you currently finding some of your inspiration for your art and craft?

Kevin: I find inspiration for my work everywhere. Contemporary jewelry design is one of my major interests. Visually I'm inspired by natural forms... microscopic life, fungus, common detritus and trash. I like the juxtaposition of the castaway object with the precious. Almost anything can be beautiful if presented thoughtfully. I also collect vintage photos. Sometimes on a trip I leave the interstate to take pictures of the backsides of old billboard structures. I love their patina and structure.

Indie Craft Parade:

On the Jury page of the ICP website, you say that you like the "creative weirdness" of contemporary art. Have you worked with a material in one of your pieces that you think is particularly weird?

Kevin:

Yes, I do enjoy the creative weirdness of contemporary art and craft. The art world has become much more accepting of a huge range of working styles and subject matter over the last few decades. I love the ability it gives the artist to work in almost any style or medium. Many artists are capitalizing on the quirky unexpected qualities of found-objects and non-traditional materials creating a kind of visual poetry. Since I have a high threshold for what constitutes weirdness, I'd have to say I have not gotten there in my own work.

Indie Craft Parade:

Aside from art, what other hobbies do you have?

Kevin:

Other hobbies?... I enjoy going to junk stores and flea markets, looking for things to use in my art. I must be a one-trick-pony because most of my hobbies center around my art interests. Reading good fiction and poetry is a wonderful escape.