Crafty Freak

It’s going to be Absolute Rubbish: A Trashion Show on September 19th,2023 @ Meow Wolf Denver

Trash will take center stage as 20 of the hottest designers in fashion,
show off how refuse can be remarkable. Using everyday discarded items to push the
boundaries of conventional style proves there’s transcendence in trash and fashion appeal doesn’t have to be harmful to the environment.

ABSOLUTE RUBBISH: TRASHION SHOW TICKETS HERE

WHEN:
Date: September 19th, 2023
Time: Doors: 7pm, Show 8pm

WHERE: Meow Wolf Denver – The Perplexiplex – 1338 1st St, Denver, CO 80204.

Have I ever made clothing for a fashion show? Nope!

Do I have a box full of penny tubes left over from the Penny tube hat that were calling out to be made into a spectacular spectacle of trash fashion for Meow Wolfs first Trashion show!?!? Heck yes!

On Tuesday, September 19th, Trailblazing Designers Set to Showcase Sustainable Fashion on the Runway at Absolute Rubbish: A Trashion Show which will be a spectacle that you will not want to miss. My days & hours of watching Reality TV Shows like Project Runway, RuPauls Drag Race and FaceOff, combined with my pack-rat tendencies & ambitious “anything-can-be-turned-into-something” attitude, will collide in the best way and become the best Zoolander-reality!

Here’s all the info you’ll need, like the who, what, when and where. I cant wait to see ya!

Featured Designers include:

Beauty is Pain + 719 007 + Adobe Darko + Eudicotidae + Fashion Denver + Gilly Goobers + Glitter and Litter + Hot Pink Matter + Idiot Cult + Iditadesigners + La Adorna + MadBell + MadVan Design + Marginal + MedTRASH + MENEZ + Musa + Penny & the Jets + SKYE|AIRE + The Blue Muze

Emcee & DJ

Sounds by DJ Blaque Gurl and the Emcee talents of Bender Flames

I mean…. how can you not be enticed!? So be sure to snag your tickets to the event!

Tickets for Absolute Rubbish Trashion Show

INFO ABOUT THE INFAMOUS & ICONIC MEOW WOLF
Meow Wolf is a Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment company that creates immersive, interactive experiences that have transported participants of all ages into fantastic realms of story and exploration. Recognized in Fast Company’s World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies (2022 and 2020) and USA Today’s Top 10 Best Immersive Art Experiences (2022), Meow Wolf experiences engage millions of curious seekers through discovery and play. The company’s first exhibition in Santa Fe (2016) is the THEA Award-winning, international sensation, House Of Eternal Return, which reveals a multidimensional mystery house with secret passages, portals to magical worlds, and surreal, mesmerizing art exhibits. Omega Mart, at AREA15 in Las Vegas (2021) is an eye-popping smorgasbord of art in a dreamlike grocery store where other worlds gleam just beyond the frozen aisle. Denver’s Convergence Station (2021) is a maximalist grandiosity of architecture, a quantum transit station that connects to four alien worlds forged together in a post-singularity moment of amnesia. Meow Wolf opened The Real Unreal in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in July 2023 with the next location opening in Houston in 2024. Meow Wolf is proud to be the first certified B-Corporation in the themed entertainment industry.

Inside “It Lives Again”: Casa Bonita Art Show

With the re-opening of Casa Bonita right around the corner, I thought it fitting to do a little exposé on “It Lives Again”, the Polly Pocket-esque Skull that made it’s appearance at the 2023 Casa Bonita Art Show at NEXT Gallery.

It has since been sold and found it’s new home, but I realized that many were not able to attend the art show & never got to know it’s many secrets. And thanks to technology and the fantastic world wide web, I can give ya a close up view of the fun that is inside when the skull is cracked open!

Below are a few clips of the Art Show featured on a few news channels and articles!

Art show dedicated to Casa Bonita -Next 9News

Denver7 – CASA BONITA ART SHOW – 2023

Westword Article Featuring Casa Bonita Art Show 2023

Before going to deep into the mind of the Casa Bonita resembling skull, let’s take a look on the outside!

The skull is painted using pink acrylic paint of varying tones. Recently, the restaurant got a new paint job with a slightly brighter pink. I wanted to emulate that and mixed both the old Pepto Bismol pink with the new brighter version that you may now see whilst driving down Colfax.

Of course, I topped it off with a gold top, and the Casa Bonita gold lettering. (The original Casa Bonita lettering was blue, but I only had the gold paint pen, so we went with the updated version). The teeth are supposed to emulate a Gorilla’s teeth, perhaps the famous Chiquita that was the star of many theatrical acts. And of course symbolize all the chomping you would be doing soon upon entering the restaurant.

Next. I am sure you are wondering about the eye sockets.

The left eye has the mechanisms for a clock, which I used from an old thrifted decorative clock. Casa Bonita has a clock front and center on the building, and I wanted to tie that into the piece.

In the right eye you will see a crystal ball. Nodding to the fortune teller, Madam Estrella, that is inside the restaurant and for some reason was one of my favorite parts about Casa Bonita when I was young. And yes, this crystal ball has a fortune of it’s own…

It Lives Again Secret Fortune Teller Message

Angle yourself just right and you’ll see there is a fortune that is to be told…. it spells out “It Lives Again” which tells the future of what is to come to Casa Bonita, it will live again! It also happens to be the title of the piece.

Finally, it is time to peer into the skull itself. Open the latch on the skull and we find a little miniature version of the inside of Casa Bonita. Filled with waterfalls, palm trees, puppet shows, and rock creatures. At the bottom you can see a light emitting blue much like the deep dive pool you see when you first walk in.

On the top of the skull you can see some of Black Barts cave, including the pirate guarding the treasure, some trapped monsters, stalactites and hanging bats. The mining dining room also makes an appearance complete with the sleeping minor and booth seating for 6.

And of course the bright green dragon, with white teeth and fangs inside of the cave. You must walk through it’s bright red mouth in order to escape the depths of the cave.

Inside the It Lives Again Casa Bonita Skull

So there ya have it, It Lives Again in a blog post. Thanks for reading and learning about the many wonders inside the Casa Bonita themed skull. Now go get in line for the Casa Bonita opening! It will live again any day now.

—- This piece has found its new home and it not for sale, but you are welcome to reach out to me for a quote on commissions. But keep an eye out for the Next Casa Bonita art show as I hope to participate again! There are many other artists that participated in the show as well that have their art still for sale.

The Casa Bonita Art Show – It Lives Again!

Are you an art lover and a Casa Bonita fan? Look no further than the Casa Bonita Art Show! Starting Friday, February 17th through Sunday, March 5th at NEXT Gallery at 6501 W Colfax Ave in Lakewood Colorado and will showcase the works of all the talented and innovative local artists that wanted in on the Casa Bonita fun!

I was drawn to the splendidly kitschy call for art and created the piece “It Lives Again” to commemorate Casa Bonita Restaurant rising from its almost perilous death & now expected revitalization & re-opening in May of 2023! Thanks Trey Parker and Matt Stone (Co-creators of South Park) for purchasing it to help it live again!

A fantastic show filled with so much bizarrely spectacular spectacles that you must experience yourself!

More to come about the “It lives again” soon, in the meantime, there’s a fun hidden message in the piece to keep your eye out for (wink), so you’ll absolutely want to check it out in person to see if you can spot it!

For now… come on down to the opening fiesta and snag the Artistic Appetizer of sorts to celebrate Casa Bonita!

Let your Crafty Freak fly!

NOOBA – Non-Objective Abstract Art – Pulmonochii, AXY, Behold – Lexi Richey

Leave your 🔍objective🔎 perspective at the door 🚪

These three Non-Objective Abstract Art pieces by Lexi Richey (hey, that’s me!) will be hung at 3 Square Art Gallery in Fort Collins September 16th through October 3rd, 2022

AXY, Behold & Pulmonochii Art
by Lexi Richey

Still pinching 🤏 myself knowing that the art I create gets to hang in galleries. I’m still in denial. Seeing my name amongst the other artist chosen for this exhibit makes me smile from ear to ear!

While dropping off the art pieces, I got a quick tour from Jim Benest of the space and it is so cool!! I mean, they had a T-rex They were also in the middle of some space upgrades and expansions that will really allow for so much more art to be displayed. They have some amazing studios available as well that are an artist dream! If I ever move to Fort Collins, I’m snagging one of those for sure.

– Pulmonochii – Lexi Richey-
– 3 Square Art Gallery –

If you are looking for a great date night and want to see some awesome local art by Colorado Artists, be sure to stop by 3 Square Art Gallery in Fort Collins!

– Behold – Lexi Richey-
– 3 Square Art Gallery –

These three pieces are made of wet felted wool. I created these art pieces as a way of playing with color and letting the wool speak for itself. Using some of thebleft over wool from other projects, I was able to give purpose to the wool that may have otherwise been thrown away.

– AXY – Lexi Richey-
– 3 Square Art Gallery –

I was in a bit of a rut with creating needle felted animals and small figures… I wanted to change up the pace a bit and rather then tightly knitting the wool with a needle I just let it roll between my hands. And out came AXY, Behold & Pulmonochii! I’ll be intrigued to hear what people think the art looks like or reminds them of. Especially curious to hear what Lisa Hatchadoorian, Executive Director, MOA Museum of Art Fort Collins has to say 🤔 😁

Show: NOOBA-4th Annual International Juried Art Show Gallery: 3 Square Art Gallery
Title(s): Pulmonochii, AXY, Behold
Medium: Fibre Art – Wet Felted Wool
Size: 12″ X 15″
Artist: Lexi Richey
For purchase through 3 Square Art Gallery 🖼

Thank you Kumiko S. McKee & Craig McKee to all those that have helped put this show together! So excited to see all the other artist works as well!

Octavepus’s Garden: ArtiStandza

Augustana Arts | ArtiStandza Project | Location TBD

This public art initiative is to help create awareness, appreciation and advocacy to the arts in the community! It will be one of six music stands that will be auctioned off in August, and in the meantime will be hanging out around different locations in Denver Metro Area. The location of this stand is still TBD, but be sure to check out the Artistandza website and be sure to see them all in person!

The octopus was made of music sheets, newspaper, shop towels and masking tape. The tentacles were made out of wire and tinfoil. It was paper mached then painted in the teal and gold you see now. The music stand was also paper mached with donated music sheets (thanks Karen!) The little Garden additions on the stand are craft moss and penny tubes paper mached with sheet music. I also hid little gems in some of the “coral reef”. I also used some old egg carton pods to create the little upside down barnacles and painted them orange.

On the stand face, I also used donated music sheets to create a treasure map….a map of Musical Treasure Island to be exact. The edges were burned and the sheet music was painted with brown water paint to create an worn feel. The Islands were then painted with acrylic paint & micron pen. Some of the locations include…TorTuba, Bugle Bay and String Streams. A curious little starfish made of music sheets has made it way to the map as well.

By participating in the ArtiStandz Project, I was able to explore my own creative curiosities that were both buried and in plain sight. This is what I hope to evoke in others that view this piece! While painting each winding tentacle, I remembered getting lost in the ocean of music while playing in orchestras as young girl. How music and the arts where such an impactful & important part of my life. I picked up a violin and played, unlocking a wave of creativity and memories that were laying dormant. And that’s the the funny thing about getting lost in art…whether you’re the observer or the maker…it often leads you exactly to the treasure your looking for.

Thanks for checking this little Octopus out! Be sure to check out Augustana’s ArtiStandza page to place your bid if you are interested! More information coming soon!

Time to Spring Through

Core New Art Space | 6501 West Colfax Ave, Suite C Lakewood, CO

This pendulum clock was created for CORE New Art Space for the “Spring Break” Show. This was how I interpreted Spring Break. It is a time in the year when nature and ideas seem to be busting at the seems. Time seems to be both speeding up and slowing down at the same time. And the earth starts to show paths that may have been hidden under snow. The springs were extracted from old pens rom humoring neighbors I can only imagine that I peaked their curiosity with a “I need pen springs” post on Nextdoor.

You can see this piece in person at CORE New Art Space 6851 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80214 from May 13th to May 29th. It has not found a new home yet…so if you feel that this belongs in your home, please reach out to me!

This was my second art piece that got accepted into an art gallery, and so happy to have participated in the show! Funny little backstory on this piece is that it had a near catastrophe! It was on a pedestal in front of a window and one night that window was unfortunately broken. Somehow, this little clock survived!

I am excited to build off of this idea prompted by CORE Next Art Gallery and make clocks that reflect all the other Seasons! So keep your eyes peeled for that.

Time will tell what other clocks emerge!

Ignacio’s Lick

NEXT Gallery | 6501 W Colfax Ave, Lakewood, CO 80214

This little Crafty Curiosity was created for a few purposes. It serves as a reminder to taste all that life has to offer. Stick your tongue out and try a few things! It also was created as an art project for the Mi Casa es Su Casa: Casa Bonita Art Show hosted by NEXT Gallery. On display from February 18th, 2022 to March 20th, 2022 at NEXT Gallery. This item is current for sale, go check out the gallery for more info!

This was my very first piece that was accepted in an art show. And although the piece was small…it was certainly mighty to me! It gave me a taste of having my art on display for the community to enjoy. And gave me the desire to delve into more.