Hey there, happy readers, and Happy Tuesday! Hope your day is off to as great a start as mine!
One of the events the wifey and I get to look forward to here in Arizona each year are these incredible arts and craft shows. Now, I know what you might be thinking: "What, pray tell, do arts and crafts shows have to do with Science Fiction and Fantasy?" Well, in most cases, I'd honestly agree with you. We grew up in the midwest, and most of the art fairs we attended we very -- erm -- how does one say this respectfully? Well, let's just call them more 'home specific.' Those fairs really didn't have much merchandise -- arts or crafts -- that would appeal to the serious genre enthusiast, and a lot of the stuff featured was most kitschy fare. Nothing that really caught my eye.
But ... here in Arizona?
These are much more 'artisan' craft fairs where some of the most seriously talented folks display items -- prints, clothing, jewelry, and kitschy items -- that are quite elaborate or very, very nice. Pricing tends to be significantly more than what we grew up around in Illinois, but the quality is -- by far -- head and shoulders over the purchases from my distant memory.
Normally, we take in the Tempe Arts Fair. It's held twice annually in downtown Tempe, very near Arizona State University ... but, this year, we went all the way up to Fountain Hills (circa Scottsdale, AZ) for a Friday morning. This was a venue we hadn't seen before ... and, boy, am I glad we did.
Again, normally there isn't all that much to catch a genre fans eye ... so you can imagine how quickly I made my way to Eric Dorris Designs' booth as soon as I saw it. The wifey and I probably spent 20 minutes just marvelling at the guy's incredible, incredible work; and she insisted that I pick out a few items for my upcoming birthday. (God loves a good woman!) I did -- three, in fact -- and I just finished hanging them in alcove over our staircase this morning. As excited as a guy can be, I wanted to share them -- in this space -- so that readers could see what greets me now as I make my way up to the den for my blog work.
Seriously, this guy's stuff is good enough to make you cry!
I strongly encourage interested folks to check out the man's website, and you can find it right here. For those curious, he doesn't just do genre stuff. Of course, his Star Wars, Star Trek, and Marvel creations caught my eye first, but in clicking through his online presence there are musicians, athletes, Horror, and more. Again, I can't impress upon you just how good this stuff looks up-close-and-personal -- the best way to see any of it -- but take a gander at his corner of the Information Superhighway.
Without a doubt, I'll be checking out his booth at these art fairs in the future. If he isn't there, then I'll be checking online. I'm already planning what I want for my next birthday.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
One of the events the wifey and I get to look forward to here in Arizona each year are these incredible arts and craft shows. Now, I know what you might be thinking: "What, pray tell, do arts and crafts shows have to do with Science Fiction and Fantasy?" Well, in most cases, I'd honestly agree with you. We grew up in the midwest, and most of the art fairs we attended we very -- erm -- how does one say this respectfully? Well, let's just call them more 'home specific.' Those fairs really didn't have much merchandise -- arts or crafts -- that would appeal to the serious genre enthusiast, and a lot of the stuff featured was most kitschy fare. Nothing that really caught my eye.
But ... here in Arizona?
These are much more 'artisan' craft fairs where some of the most seriously talented folks display items -- prints, clothing, jewelry, and kitschy items -- that are quite elaborate or very, very nice. Pricing tends to be significantly more than what we grew up around in Illinois, but the quality is -- by far -- head and shoulders over the purchases from my distant memory.
Normally, we take in the Tempe Arts Fair. It's held twice annually in downtown Tempe, very near Arizona State University ... but, this year, we went all the way up to Fountain Hills (circa Scottsdale, AZ) for a Friday morning. This was a venue we hadn't seen before ... and, boy, am I glad we did.
Again, normally there isn't all that much to catch a genre fans eye ... so you can imagine how quickly I made my way to Eric Dorris Designs' booth as soon as I saw it. The wifey and I probably spent 20 minutes just marvelling at the guy's incredible, incredible work; and she insisted that I pick out a few items for my upcoming birthday. (God loves a good woman!) I did -- three, in fact -- and I just finished hanging them in alcove over our staircase this morning. As excited as a guy can be, I wanted to share them -- in this space -- so that readers could see what greets me now as I make my way up to the den for my blog work.
Seriously, this guy's stuff is good enough to make you cry!
I strongly encourage interested folks to check out the man's website, and you can find it right here. For those curious, he doesn't just do genre stuff. Of course, his Star Wars, Star Trek, and Marvel creations caught my eye first, but in clicking through his online presence there are musicians, athletes, Horror, and more. Again, I can't impress upon you just how good this stuff looks up-close-and-personal -- the best way to see any of it -- but take a gander at his corner of the Information Superhighway.
Without a doubt, I'll be checking out his booth at these art fairs in the future. If he isn't there, then I'll be checking online. I'm already planning what I want for my next birthday.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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