Artist Interview: Jason Fawcett

Interview by Kati Driscoll

Our third interview features the work of artist Jason Fawcett! 

Are you a Delaware native? If not, what brought you to this fine state?
I’m originally from New Orleans. I came to Delaware for family.

How long have you been making art?
I remember showing a drawing to my older sister when I was a boy. It was of the singer for the band “the Romantics” doing “talking in your sleep”. Her reaction to it made me love drawing. I never stopped after that. I was about 7 years old.

What medium and/or themes do you typically focus on with your work?
I’ve dabbled in a lot of stuff but I’d say oils and pen and ink. I really like drawing about our ability to remember the past. I think time is on my mind a lot too. memory time.

And now to delve more specifically into your Delaware Fun-A-Day feats: describe the project you submitted last year. 
I decided to think of it as journaling so i’d grab a thought I had or something that I overheard someone say, then made a small collage from it using old editions of National Geographic.

What was the greatest challenge you faced while participating in last year’s event?
UGH DO I HAVE TO MAKE ANOTHER ONE lol

What made you want to participate in Delaware Fun-A-Day again?
I was incredibly proud of the work that everyone did. This feels like a marathon. It takes a lot of time, energy and devotion if you want to create something meaningful. Everyone at that show really nailed it. I wanted to experience that community again.

What project are you working on for this year?
So far I haven’t decided on mine but one of my daughters will be doing Fairy-a-Day. My other one wants to do Doodle-a-Day. I may do the same thing I did last year. I’ve missed doing collage.

How did your daughters’ involvement come about? Have you done other projects with them before?
We do a lot of stuff together. They’re in a lot of my photography. Most of our time together is spent on making something. Kids are a wellspring of new ideas and its a lot of fun considering them to be my creative partners.

If you do work on more collages this year, do you think you’ll continue to pair that process with those fleeting thoughts or remarks that you extract from your day?
Yes most definitely. that was the most fun i’d had making art in a long time.

As someone who has been through this experience before, how has your approach changed this year and why?
I am way better prepared to do this mentally because I know how I’m going to make good of what little time there is to complete the project.

Are there any other projects or events that you are working on for 2013?
I play music with a friend. We’re recording some songs and getting a set together to start playing out. I’ve started a page on reverbnation.com but its not complete. Anyone interested in listening can go to soundcloud.com/JasonFawcett. We’re looking for a drummer!

Do you have a website or any other online outlet where the readers could check out more of your work?
JasonFawcett.com

Artist Interview: Bonaia Rosado

Interview by Kati Driscoll

Our second interview highlights Delaware illustrator/printmaker/jane-of-all-trades Bonaia Rosado!

So, Delaware things: have you always lived in Delaware? If not, what brought you here?
I grew up in Quebradilla, Puerto Rico while my dad was stationed in Japan. When he came back, I was about 10, we moved with him to California. Moved around quite a bit and we ended up in Delaware.

In addition to being an illustrator, you also sew. What attracted you to sewing and how do you incorporate it into your work?
Sewing has a character to it. My aunt made us Cabbage Patch dolls, my mom made us outfits, which, looking back at photos now were scary, my grandmother sewed the lace on her bathroom towels, etc. it was just more prevalent growing up. Hand sewn items feel more… just real, more cared for. When something’s manufactured you can tell right away and it feels cold and generic. That idea influences a lot of my work.

Do you work in other areas, aside from illustration and sewing?
Yeah, I try to. I screen print, I do a lot of sewing for my online shop, at some point I was doing a lot of freelance work for comic book companies. Digitally coloring comic book pages or children’s graphic novels. I’m working on my inking skills right now. Trying to be like the old school guys in the comic book world. Sharp lines with smooth edges only using brushes and nibs. None of the Photoshop stuff you have nowadays.

Your pieces in last year’s Fun-A-Day show featured your daughter. Has she influenced your work? Will your work this year feature family again, in some way?
Aw man, she’s been such a big impact. Having a kid gives you a whole new perspective on people. If she’s being a jerk that day it’s for a reason, if she’s being extra needy it’s for a reason, if she’s giggly that day it because she’s feeling something. I apply that same reasoning with everyone I meet. People are either scared, upset, happy or whatever in their life and because of that they can be kind or mean or flaky. Knowing that off the bat makes me take more interest in people and drawing them. Portraits are a big theme for me right now.

This year I’m actually going to make work with my daughter. She’s three years old. It’s going to be mixed media. I’m using some techniques some of my favorite children’s illustrators use. Eric Carle, Ed Emberly and Mary Blair are some of them. It’s exciting.

What did you enjoy about last year’s project? What challenged you?
It was great! There was no question as to what I had to make everyday. Working with the same idea everyday is great. I had to figure out different compositions, different ideas on the same piece of paper, same material every day. It pushed me.

I’ve noticed that you tend to work with very warm colours in your work. What draws you to this particular palate?
The palette used in children’s books and an assortment of fashion in the 40′s-80′s have influenced me greatly. I collect imagery and try to submerse myself via the internet, greatest tool for reference, with things from those times. Cartoons, sweaters, kids toys, posters or advertisements. All of that influences me.

Many of your pieces are portraits – can you tell us about some of your subjects? Are they real or invented?
A lot of my portraits are real people I know. My style is basically line work. People are made up of lines in my head. Plump, straight, round, angular all different lines. If I don’t know the person in my portrait I come up with my own background for them. Why are their frown lines so deep, why are their ear lobes so stretched out, why does this man never stop smiling, and in trying to answer those questions you come up with a whole new narrative of who they are or what they’ve done. It’s fun either knowing a persons story or writing it yourself.

I understand you have a number of projects and events in the works right now. Can you share some of those plans with us?
Right now I’m collaborating with a great friend/fellow artist Bondé Prang. She works for House Industries and she’s an amazing designer. We’re opening an online boutique later on this year called Bonde y Bonaia. I’m also working on a portrait series called “Familia” for a group Exhibit for the Chris White Gallery in August. The group is made up of some amazing local artists. Really excited for that show.

For more of Bonaia’s work, check out her blog. Original artwork, vintage finds and handmade goods are all available for sale in her etsy shop. Thank you, Bonaia!

Artist Interview: Maggie McDermott

Interview by Kati Driscoll

Today we’re pleased to launch a new feature on the blog: artist interviews. We’ll be highlighting some of our second year participants and, in the future, some of our new participants! Kicking off the series is Maggie McDermott!

First things first – the first state: have you always lived in Delaware? If not, what brought you here? 
Born & raised in Delaware. I like the small town vibe and accessibility so I haven’t moved away (yet).

You work in a variety of mediums, which one is your favorite? Can you tell us a little bit about your approach with each?
My work depends on the time I have. I love color interaction (Josef Albers) and with collage, I was inspired by Picasso’s late work with paper. With charcoal, that was always my strongsuit. My approach with that is toning and using compressed charcoal and tiny erasers to make high-contrast pieces. Photography has grown on me a lot, as well. I enjoy using filters to bring out unique color and to manipulate form of the objects I shoot. Lots of balance between negative space and detail.

What was your work for last years show and what made you select that theme?
My work for last year’s show was Triangles and the feminine form. I chose that because I was feeling particularly drawn to the color palate in large-sized underground fashion magazines and the way I could combine geometric shapes with carefully chosen colors. The aesthetic created helped to emphasize how the master painters would use a triangle to create the “perfect composition” as it doubled as a form of my own feminine power. I used to also have a habit of over-working my drawing and paintings, so collage helped me to achieve that healthy simplicity to create a stronger focal point.

What themes do you think you’ll concentrate on this year and why?
This year I’m thinking of taking a more photographic approach with six-word poems incorporated. I’ve been writing a lot so I’d like to play around with the words within artwork. That, or, finding unique bottles to make fiber sculpture arrangements all in a line on a windowsill with lights. I think that might be more of a striking collection from afar. Maybe a six word poem attached to each one. It’s still in the works.

Your work tends to incorporate the female form. What draws you to this subject matter?
My gravitation towards the female form is an outward expression of the pride I have for my gender. Kind of a feminist approach without the militant attitude. I’m very intrigued by the connotations of being a woman as well as gender roles. I feel like women carry a lot of power and that can carry through quite well in art form.

What other subjects do you tend to gravitate toward in your work?
Other subjects that I like to play around with are mundane objects that can carry a large meaning out of context. I like a lot of found object art. I might do that combined with poems as opposed to photography. I’m kind of torn.

In addition to having a distinct art style, you are also notorious for your fashions. Tell us a little bit about your personal style.
I’m flattered! My personal style I have found is my way to use the body as a walking canvas. Anything can be aesthetically pleasing if you do it right, so with my ears I see them as a blank canvas as well as my body to be dressed. I use the same process getting dressed as I would painting a picture. Colors, patterns, metal, etc. It makes life more fun. My hair I see as a sculpture that can grown back and be re-vamped. (:

What other projects are you focusing on in 2013?
I have been focusing a lot on my newfound love of poetry. It’s clever and cryptic. I’ve found it to be such a release.

More of Maggie’s work can be found on deviantART. Thank you, Maggie!

Weekend Events!

Hello Delawareans, Delaware-Enthusiasts and Enjoyers of Fun! We wanted to tip you off on a few happenings this weekend that you should check in to!

TONIGHT! A few of us (read as: Kati & Val & Sarah) of the Delaware Fun-A-Day team are going to be at 1984 this evening and we thought we’d invite you along. If you are not already familiar, 1984 is a really rad bar with awesome beer and games of the video and pinball style.

We wanted to give everyone an opportunity to get to know more about Fun-A-Day. Or, if you really want to participate in DE Fun-A-Day but you are still in need of an idea, this lovely beer-drinking, video-gaming duo will chat you up and throw some ideas your way!

So, pick your challenge: You VS Kati in X-men – behold her haphazard gaming skillz! You VS Valerie in IPA challenge – can you handle the hops? Or will it be a cat-lady cat-fight with you VS Sarah as you decide who is better – grumpy cat or lil bub.

Hope to see you at 1984 in Wilmington at 8:00 p.m.!

TOMORROW! Former Fun-A-Day participant and big-shot photographer of the month, David Norbut, is doing a photo-walk in Milford @ Bicentennial Park. The photo walks, which David and CineMavericks‘ Brad Wallace co-organize, always focus on interesting places and spaces. Come meet up with local mobile photographers and explore your community!

We  also wanted to take the time to shout out our registered participants & thank everyone who has shared the event. Between the new space for this year’s event and all the great ideas rolling in, everyone here is super excited about this year’s show!

Call for Artists – Delaware Fun-A-Day 2013

Call for Art – April/May Art Project & Show at 605 North Market Street

This April, Delaware Fun-A-Day will be organizing an art project which will culminate in an art show during the May Art on the Town series (Wilmington Art Loop). The art show will be held at 605 North Market Street (Floor 3) on Friday, May 3rd. The work can be in any medium (painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, film, music, poetry, textiles, etc.) and can be anything related to a themed project-a-day. Some of the projects from last year included: beard-a-day, triangle-a-day, frown-a-day, apple-a-day, silent-film-a-day and handmade flower-marble-a-day – among many, many others!

Submissions should be no larger than 12 x 12 each to allow enough room for anticipated projects. If you are interested in creating larger pieces, we ask that you contact us to discuss options. Should your work require audio/visual support, please let us know in advance so we can secure the appropriate equipment. Likewise for 3D or suspended materials, which we also welcome! Please have work ready to hang or display and include your name, project title, and (optionally) a short description and pricing. Because of the volume of work created for the show, we are asking that everything be dropped off or received by no later than 8PM on May 2nd. We will have drop-off times starting the evening of April 30th.

We already have number of participants signed up, with more being added every day!  To help us keep track of participants and plan for space we ask that you register by April 1st. Participants can register on the website or on our facebook page.

Thanks for your interest; we can’t wait to see what you make!

And… we’re back!

First off, I want to thank everyone for their participation last year. The first ever Fun-A-Day was a huge success and there are so many friends, family members, volunteers and participants who helped make that possible! THANK YOU!

Secondly, as this blog title says, we are back in action for 2013! Fun-A-Day Delaware will take place in April with the group show taking place in May! While we get things finalized in terms of venue, duration, meet ups, press and more, we thought it would be nice to take the time to get some feedback from the community. If you were a participant in last year’s Fun-A-Day, please fill out our super short survey and help us make this another amazing Fun-A-Day event!

Speaking of surveys – we love this survey project from artist Mia Nolting. I think a Survey-A-Day would be an AWESOME Fun-A-Day project – especially for someone who is more creative with data than they may be with fine arts (raises hand slowly)!

What a Raging Success!

This year’s Delaware Fun-A-Day show was beyond amazing. It could not have happened without the help of many generous volunteers and many talented, enthusiastic artists. It was truly astonishing to see everything come together and we threw one hell of a party. Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone. Let’s do it again.

We have a Flickr group containing photos from this year’s show, including the Photobooth photos. Check them out! And if you took any photos we would love to have them added.

Fun-A-Day will happen again next year. The making art month will most likely be January 2013 and the show will be in February. We already can’t wait.

And if you ever want to drop a line, please do so at Info@defunaday.com. We love you.

Fun-A-Day is kind of a big deal…

With less than 2 weeks until the Fun-A-Day show, we were THRILLED to discover that the show was featured in this week’s “Stuff We Like” section of Spark. Hopefully this brings in even more people for what is going to be an exceptionally fun party. Go pick one up!

You guys haven’t forgotten about the LIVE MUSIC, right?!

A live set will be performed by Blasphemous Metropolis (Erik Resto & Rich Francisco). In addition Squarewell (Kyle Tush) will be spinning tunes that make you say uh. Get there early! Stay late!

The show runs from 6 p.m. – midnight. It is FREE. There will be a bar and snacks available for purchase. Art projects will be available for visitors to dive into. Most importantly, the work of dozens of Delawareans will be displayed for you to admire.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions. Info@defunaday.com. Can’t wait to see you all!

Fun-a-Day Is Upon Us!

Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to all of the wonderful people who have helped make Fun-a-Day in the First State a reality: YOU RULE.

As of March 4th, we have 40 confirmed participants in the show. FORTY! (For those math-lovers out there, yes, that means ~1240 pieces of art.) The April 6th show will feature an array of unique projects – from drawings, music, hand-blown glass and wire sculpture to paintings, photography and more!

There is still time for additional participants to join us so keep putting the good word out. We just ask that participants email Info@deFunaDay.com to let us know they’re taking part.

I hope everyone is enjoying the project so far. If you get a chance, help your fellow Fun-a-Day-ers stay motivated by posting comments or even progress photos at the Facebook event page.

We’ll be in touch soon to check in with everyone. Have fun this month and THANK YOU!

Fun-a-Day Philadelphia 2012 – Show Pics

I had the pleasure of attending Philadelphia’s Fun-a-Day show on February 10th. As always, it was an incredible display of creativity from a diverse range of talented folks. Unfortunately, my photos are not great quality, but I hope they display the broad range of unique ideas present. Delaware Fun-A-Day is starting March 1st and we can’t wait to see what you come up with. Spread the word and recruit participants. We’ll also be announcing the details of the Fun-a-Day kickoff party soon – stay tuned! Join Fun-a-Day on Facebook.