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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BREAKING: CLAW’S 2018 YOUNG ILLUSTRATOR OF THE FUTURE ART SCHOLARSHIP application deadline extended till JUNE 1st! CHECK our SCHOLARSHIP page for portfolio submission details!

CLAW Instagram account: GET REAL TIME photo updates from CLAW activities now on instagram here @theclawartistguild PLEASE follow us!

OPEN SWIM art event MAY: “These are the DROIDs you are looking for” Star Wars themed robot design mix/match drawing game! Public is welcome to join in KINGS BOOKS 7:30 pm Wednesday MAY 23rd. HOSTED by Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy known as CLAW Member Corey Macourek

Wayzgoose Letterpress Report: HUGE SUCCESS! Big Thanks to Printmaking CZAR Anique Zimmer and CLAW President Jennevieve Schlemmer for manning the CLAW booth activity!

Come on down to #tacomawayzgoose at King’s Books today and find our booth for a fabric print! Bring a shirt or bag, or pick from our fabric swatches and bring home a print of Sal the Serpent here or his friend Mr Skull. Look for the flying monkey!

A post shared by CLAW Artist Guild (@theclawartistguild) on Apr 29, 2018 at 8:53am PDT

Zine/Comic Workshop Report: ANOTHER HUGE SUCCESS! Big Thanks to Zine CZAR Anique Zimmer and CLAW President Jennevieve Schlemmer for making this Pierce County Reads event happen!

CLAW Monsters in Thriftshop Art Show STATUS UPDATE: paintings are currently on display at… Soaring Crane Bodywork, 2520 N. Adams, Tacoma.
It’s in the Proctor district, across the street from the library. (More specifically, across the street from the statue.) UP NEXT: Traveling thrift art show will be on exhibit at the RED ELM CAFE approx mid July through August. We will discuss and plan at meeting next week! There’s lots of wall space for new paintings!

Tinkertopia Workshop/Summer Camp:

HELLO SEEKERS! Tinkertopia, official art store of the CLAW still has plenty of room in its summer camp program! Did you know they just won “MOST INNOVATIVE RECYCLER OF THE YEAR” award from the Washington State Recycler Association? It’s a Tinker  FACT!