Jess Hirsch works at Pinball Publishing where I got my business cards printed.  Its a really cool little publishing company that really reminds me of my own company in terms of scale and vibe.  They specialize in artists and designer work and do a lot of fun community building projects on the side as well as own a stationary company and record label.  Totally hip.  I recommend them highly simply because they are good people who do good work. Lets support small local businesses!

Jess is a versatile painter/sculptor who also curates a really cool affordable art series called homeschool.  They are having an event saturday dec 20.  I like what these guys are doing- come check it out!

When I saw Jesss’sss watercolors on her website I knew her work would be perfect for Project Chaboo.  She did another similar one of cars that i really liked as well.

Snake!  The level of detail is incredible.  She transitions from color to color with subtle gradients.  I really like how the lines of the snake follow the lines of the Cocabolo insert.  She did a great job of infusing her signature style into my chaboo design with sensitivity.

detail photo by Anna Campbell

Im upset at her though because she wouldn’t tell me what she was drawing until the bitter end.  Cars? Animals?   I wondered and wondered…  She was killing me with the suspense.  Okapis next Jess?

The shoot was so much fun.  Thank you photographers Jamen, Anna, and Joe for your positive energy, teamwork, and creative brilliance.  You guys are amazing!

photos by Joe Mansfield

My friend Joe Mansfield runs a laser engraving company across the street from my shop.  Besides his mad skills with the laser he also has a great eye for photography.  He does the still photography for the Penny Jam project, a sweet video project featuring music videos of local bands in locales throughout portland.

Joe will be doing the portrait photography for us this weekend.  We will have portraits of the artists and their chaboos on the website and have them up at the show as well.  One of the Chaboo artists, Alisha Wessler came by the shop today to drop her chaboo off early.  We had a lot of fun taking pictures of her with her chaboo(s) outside the shop.  The chaboos she did were gorgeous and really interacted well with the original design.  Im very happy with the integration of my design and her style.  A great example of how succesful Project Chaboo can be!

Here are some pics of my shop mate, George Ramos who specializes in craftsman style cabinetry with his chaboo.  He is a bike fanatic and insisted that his bike be in the shot in the background.  Half joking I suggested he ride with it… and then we actually did it.  The setup was complicated: George rode at a slow speed and Alisha handed off the chaboo to him (like a baton relay) while he was in motion.  Then, he rode with the chaboo as Joe strafed taking pictures and i ran backwards with the mobile flash.  With four people’s coordinated movements we got some sweet action shots and managed to not get hit by any cars.  This is a great example how his style (craftsman) and person (bike freak) shine for Project Chaboo.

These portraits will feature the people behind the art.  I want this project to transcend the standard art show where we stand around and look at physical objects we have manipulated to create art.  Art to me is about the process, the journey, the people, just as much as the final result.  How each artist interacts with their chaboos and how they feel about the project will show in these portraits.  Not only will there be range in the artists styles of customizing the chaboo but there will be range in how they want to be portrayed with their creations.

The deeper i get into Project Chaboo I realize its all about the people.  The project involves collaboration, community, and collective energy but at the core its the participating artists.

There is a possibility that we will have Anna Campbell and Jamen Lee also photographing on Sunday.  Anna is doing the product shots for the project and Jamen likes to do experimental photographs with the many cameras he has in his vintage camera collection.  This weekend will be a lot of fun!