Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about personal projects. A personal project defined as a creative project you have started on your own. Not a project for a client or a gift for a friend. Some projects you make for yourself and even if you eventually give it away or show it to the public—it is these projects that give us identity as artists. Personal work is where we develop as individuals. Mostly, I’ve been thinking about the personal projects we aren’t even close to completing. We all have them: the kiln in the corner of the basement, sketchbooks full of artistic plans and goals, barely started novels, abandoned paintings or comics, container full of beads or soldering supplies untouched for years, the half-knitted sweater in the basket by the sofa. You’ve probably heard of the Art of Tidying Up movement, where you go through the items in your house, hold them in your hand, decide if they give you joy and then let them go. While that is more of a minimalist movement, I believe it is time for a decluttering movement for artists. I don’t mean to just pick up old, unfinished projects or half used tubes of paint and throw them out (although that can always be useful too). What I mean: What are the personal projects we are clinging to? What are the projects that we think are the core of our artistic identity but instead are weighing us down in the clutter of self-doubt because we are afraid to let go? Projects we think we should be doing to show how great we are versus projects we actually want to do. I see many artists, including myself, clinging to old projects or stereotypes, formed in childhood or college or early in one’s career, that are holding us back from new work and new choices. It’s time to no longer be typecast as a stunted version of the artist you want to be. Every year I look forward to the fall as a time to get back in the studio and start new, big projects. I am going to use this time to go through the clutter of my old assumptions and throw out that which no longer gives me joy. I recommend you do the same.

The CLAW Artists Guild presents THE MONTH OF AUGUST with all your favorite August News updates!  Starting with our new creation “CLAW FEST” a mini comic book convention craft festival with booths and artist alley tables and local artists selling their cool merchandise or “Merch.” Check this site and our facebook page for a slow trickle of news and updates about this free and fun event in Tacoma at the Feast Art Center (1402 South 11th St.)!

Monster Painting Thrift Shop Art show update!

All your old favorites and some select new thrift shop paintings with monsters skillfully inserted into the landscape are up and hanging right now in the Red Elm Cafe in Tacoma’s Chilltop/Hilltop neighborhood. You should go, grab a waffle dog and enjoy the show all August!

August Open Swim

August CLAW art game happening at Kings Books on the 4th Wednesday of every month and open to the public! What will we be doing for August? Good Question! Let me see if I have anything written in my notes… Fabric Painting maybe?  Let’s find out for sure together! 

NEW Member Colin Andersen!

Local Tacoma cartoonist/illustrator/writer Colin Andersen has joined the CLAW Artist Guild! Best known for Zines about TEA and his writing work on the Adventure Time graphic novels! Truly an amazing talent! http//thecolinandersen.com/  | Center for The Lost And Found

A Cartoonists Response to Tacoma’s Nazi Problem…

You might have read in the Tacoma News Tribune about Tacoma’s nazi tattoo shop and patriot front neo-nazi poster attack on Downtown businesses including the Rainbow Oasis Center, Well underground political cartoonist, RR Anderson, author of The Tacomic has crafted a campaign style button out of his sold-out “Punch-a-Nazi” block carving print. On Sale soon at Tinkertopia!

ART news around the sound..

City Arts Magazine did a pretty deep dive into the Tacoma art scene and worth a read. The Spirit and Substance of a changing Tacoma.

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***UPDATE:*** CLAW SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS UNDER REVIEW NOW, WINNER will be announced in JULY! Thank You everyone for your submissions!

UP NEXT PUBLIC ART SHOW: Traveling CLAW Monsters in Thrift Shop Art Show will be landing at RED ELM CAFE in JULY. Idle reader, you can expect new paintings by new CLAW Art Guild members, you don’t want to miss!

NEXT PUBLIC CLAW ART EVENT: theme is ‘Alien Paper Dolls.’ The aliens and their clothes will all be designed by BEAN TOWN cartoonist L.S. Erhardt Join us at Kings Books, 218 St Helens Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402 at 7:30 pm on JUNE 27th.

MEMBER SHOW AND TELL: CLAW Artist Guild President Jennevieve Schlemmer has been working on this incredible one page dungeon crawling map spotted on her Facebook wall…
MEANWHILE, Four-eye Council-member Anique Zimmer did an amazing job on the fabric stamp print for the CLAW Artist Guild’s booth at WAYZGOOSE letter press festival…

Anique also reminds people to check out this interesting creative opportunity offering from Almamater arts incubator. Sorta like Spaceworks? Too cool!

ALSO ALSO, did anyone have a chance to attend this 4 hour long class to help reveal the secrets of comics and visual storytelling techniques that are used not only in comic but animation, film and graphic design class at FEAST ART CENTER with Adventure Time cartoonist Colin Andersen? Looked Brilliant!

IN OTHER NEWS: the online newspaper local underground political cartoonist RR Anderson worked for briefly disappeared and after some complaints by tens of readers, the publisher decided to renew the domain name.. thus and so, THE TACOMIC LIVES! ON FEED TACOMA DOT COM! (link)

ADDENDUM: Talons Mark Monlux and Russ Richards tabled at Lilac City Comicon. Mark reports that this was the best year ever for him at Lilac. It was Russ’s first trip to Spokane and he was stunned by the beauty and wonderful old buildings. Monlux, Richards has confirmed with the editor that they will be tabling at the Peirce County Toy and Geek Fest scheduled for June 31st and July 1st at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. 2017 was their first year and with that success, the show organizers have massively expanded the show. Tables are sold out, you may try inquiring about a booth space.