well... here I am again.

I'm hopping around  my old blogs, twitter and Tumblr and noted that it has been years since I kept up with these.   I think maybe it's time to get back at it.
I've got some interesting projects working.  Drawing  m ore all the time, and actually researching for a book project.   It's the book I have wanted to write for decades.

so now it's time.

And then comes Halloween in Athens...

The Wild Rumpus Halloween Spectacle -

October is probably my favorite month. The air is cooler and crisp, and somehow even smells a little fresher. The sky takes on the particularly vibrant shade of cyan, and the sun shines golden. October brings the Harvest Moon, probably the prettiest full moon of the year.

Then comes Halloween in Athens.

Athens is a writhing hotbed of creative energy, chock full of musicians, writers, artists and 30,000+ University of Georgia students who are drooling eager to taste all the frivolity and carnality that life can offer. Their seething spirits cannot help but erupt from the simmering cauldron of creativity every Halloween, transforming Athens from small southern college town to a raucous run through the street spook-tacular. Artists, musicians, townies and thousands of University of Georgia students take to the streets, in their sexiest, most outlandish and creative attire. The throngs take over the town, meeting, greeting, drinking and dancing long into the blackest night, until the first pink rays of dawn touch the sky and beckon all the monsters to seek shelter from the coming day.

 Local favorite musician Timi Conley has again  brought us the Third Annual Wild Rumpus Halloween Parade. Envisioned as a wild-in-the-street spectacle parading through the wicked streets of Athens, organizers are inviting those with a creative spirit and daring sense of fun to come and join the party.

The parade will consist of groups of people organized as Brigades - groups of paraders with a common theme. At intervals the parade will stop and the various Brigades will perform their music, dance or whatever craziness they have conjured up. The Brigades already committed are listed on the Wild Rumpus website. People are invited to join an existing Brigade, or gather their friends and form their own.

If you are in the Athens area on Sat. October 29th, join the freaks and geeks on the west side (40watt area) around 8pm for the beginning of the festivities.  We'll march around town, acting fools, then end up at the Georgia Theatre for the AfterParty to end all.  

The only thing that even remotely sucks about this whole deal...we have to catch an 8.15am flight out of Atlanta the next morning.  Guess I won't be running the streets all night after all. 

Wild Rumpus Halloween Parade and Spectacle.

http://www.wildrumpus.org

Posted via email from The Art of Cynthia Pendley

RXRAD - Railroad Arts District Holiday Market

Last friday I got to spend a little time with some crafty friends at the Second Annual Railroad Arts District Holiday Market. It was a little breezy and cool outside (who am I kidding, it was COLD), but a roaring fire and plenty of warm drinks from Hendershots Coffee made the cold quite bearable.


The RXRAD (as the area is known) Holiday Market, now in its second year, has filled the void left by Big City Bread's now defunct market quite nicely. The ambiance is the same - night time, holiday lights and warm fires - and lots of talented local artists offering up fresh holiday crafts.


The Red Oak Southern String Band made an appearance and entertained the guests with their own brand of bluegrass and old timey. While this is my first time seeing these guys play, I sure hope it is not the last.

Lots of Holiday Lights makes for a festive display

The Farm Cart was on hand, serving up hot fresh food. I heard their soup was yummy!

Dena Maxwell talks to a customer about her art.

Lovely lamps.

Hope this market sticks around for years to come.

Tis the Season... for Holiday Markets.

Athens supports many holiday artist markets this time of year, and all seem to get a good turnout - both with quality artisans and guests looking to buy handmade for their holiday giving.


Leading off the 2010 season was the Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa, held earlier this year than usual to avoid conflicts with other markets. This show has grown in just three years to a regionally known show, attracting artists from as far away as Chicago, TN and SC. The earlier date also offered much nicer weather, it was sunny and warm rather than cold, windy and wet as the previous December shows have invariably been. Both guests and vendors seemed to like the schedule change, so we think Serra plans to try to work it into November every year. 

This year's Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa featured a fantastic food area. We had covered seating, with fresh hot food. The Caledonia was open to serve drinks and cocktails as well. 

The New Farmington Depot Gallery held their first annual Holiday Market this past Dec. 4th and 5th. This space is fairly new to the area, but I think it is one to watch.  The restoration of the old Depot and grounds are progressing very nicely.  Chris Hubbard gave me a tour of the grounds and showed me how much progress  has been made.  This property is historically significant, and not just for the depot. I'm keeping my eyes on these artists. 


The OCAF Market in Oconee covered two days  and offered work from the 'Artland of Georgia'. This event covers three days and fills two good sized buildings. 


The 283 Holiday Market was back this year but i didn't get to go to this one.  The show was scheduled for a Thursday, from 11am till 5pm.  Seems to me like that would cut working people out of attending. It did  me, anyway. 

New this year, the Clay Gardens Holiday Market, also known as Craftapalooza ran concurrently with the grand opening of the Clay Gardens Gallery. Music, fresh toasted pecans (straight out of the yard) and lots of wonderful people made this event a wonderful way to spend a sunday afternoon. They are renting studio space, with bathrooms, kitchen and access to kilns included.  If you are interested, check their facebook page.  The website is not up yet, but they are working on it.  

Also new this year was the Oh Boy! Artist Market and right across the street, the Treehouse Kids and Craft Markets just this weekend. 




The Flicker Bar Market is coming up, next Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010. I think I'll be sharing a space with a good friend, drop in and say hello if you are in the area. 

Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa CALL FOR ARTISTS!

Athens Indie Craftstravagazaa is now accepting applications for our Holiday 2010 Craftstravaganzaa.

We are looking for artists and makers of all persuasions, from fine arts to handcrafts. Quirky, raw, & innovative arts especially favored.

Visit our website http://www.athensindiecraftstravaganzaa.com for show information, photo galleries of past markets, vendor photos and profiles and Craftstravaganzaa applications.


We've also got a new blog that I hope you find very helpful and interesting. With it I hope to share some of my online  marketing experience, tips and hints about social media marketing and more.

http://athenscraft.blogspot.com/

Other art

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via web from The Art of Cynthia Pendley

Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa

We had a great day today at Craftstravaganzaa.   We were  worried about the weather, as a lot of rain and storms had been predicted.  Saturday dawned grey and overcast, but by 10 am the sun was shining and the sky was the prettiest shade of strong cyan.  It was a little cool and somewhat breezy, but we were all very relieved that it did not rain.

We had quite a turnout today, a lot of visitors and a lot of people buying.   The interest in buying  handmade and buying local is strong in Athens and that makes me happy.  Athens is a very creative community, and it makes me proud to see so many beautiful artistic things being offered.  Craftstravanganzaa is Athens' largest handmade market and I think the best.

I took over 300 photos today at the show and will work on getting them cropped, corrected, and published on the website as quickly as I can.  It will surely be several days, as that is  lot of work to do all those gallery pages.   I'll also post them on Flicker, and some on our Facebook fan page, so check them out.

Day two of Craftstravaganzaa is tomorrow, from noon until 5-ish.

The Wild Rumpus Halloween Spectacle -

October is probably my favorite month. The air is cooler and crisp, and somehow even smells a little fresher. The sky takes on the particularly vibrant shade of cyan, and the sun shines golden. October brings the Harvest Moon, probably the prettiest full moon of the year.

Then comes Halloween in Athens.

Athens is a writhing hotbed of creative energy, chock full of musicians, writers, artists and 30,000+ University of Georgia students who are drooling eager to taste all the frivolity and carnality that life can offer. Their seething spirits cannot help but erupt from the simmering cauldron of creativity every Halloween, transforming Athens from small southern college town to a raucous run through the street spook-tacular. Artists, musicians, townies and thousands of University of Georgia students take to the streets, in their sexiest, most outlandish and creative attire. The throngs take over the town, meeting, greeting, drinking and dancing long into the blackest night, until the first pink rays of dawn touch the sky and beckon all the monsters to seek shelter from the coming day.

This year we have a new event to look forward to. Local favorite musician Timi Conley has brought us the first ever Wild Rumpus Halloween Parade. Envisioned as a wild-in-the-street spectacle parading through the wicked streets of Athens, organizers are inviting those with a creative spirit and wicked sense of fun to come and join the party.

The parade will consist of groups of people organized as Brigades - groups of paraders with a common theme. At intervals the parade will stop and the various Brigades will perform their music, dance or whatever craziness they have conjured up. The Brigades already committed are listed on the Wild Rumpus website. People are invited to join an existing Brigade, or gather their friends and form their own.

If you are in the Athens area on All Hallows Eve, join the freaks and geeks on the west side (40watt area) around 10pm for the beginning of the first, but surely not the last, Wild Rumpus Halloween Parade and Spectacle.

http://www.wildrumpus.org