Putting the FUN in Fundraising!

As some of you may (or may not) know, for the past two years, Fun-A-Day organizers have been paying the upfront costs for the event, with donations helping to alleviate some of the burden. The event has been growing larger every year and so, after much consideration,tThis year, we are asking our participants, family and friends, to help us make this year's Fun-A-Day AMAZING!

Fun-A-Day is one of the largest, all-ages, non-curated art shows in the entire state of Delaware and it's totally FREE. Free to participate, free to attend. While charging a fee would certainly be the easiest way to raise money, it would also mean creating a barrier for low-income participants.  This is why we're kicking off a fundraiser and - with your help - we can continue to put on this amazing community event. 

If you loved being a part of such an epic art project and show last year, if you enjoyed attending the event, or if you're in support of accessible and affordable community art shows then please visit our fundraising page and make a donation - every bit of support counts! The fundraiser will go on for 2 months in hopes this will be enough time to raise the money we need to make Fun-A-Day a success in 2014 and beyond!

Of course, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge everyone who has supported us in the past! Thanks so much to everyone who has provided financial, moral or volunteer support! Without you, this event would not be possible!

Artist Interview: Steven Alawishus

Interview by Kati Driscoll

For our latest interview, we talked with Steven Alawishus about the movies, method and madness behind his 2013 Fun-A-Day project.

Are you a Delaware artist? Have you always lived in Delaware? If not, what brought you here?
I am a Delaware Artist. I currently live in Wilmington. I have lived in Delaware all of my life other than a few years in the city of Baltimore for college.
 
How long have you been making art?
I guess here and there I have been making art since I was around 10. My brother came home with a sticky note comic he made with characters that resembled the Simpsons. I guess in a way it started as a competition to draw better sticky note comics than him.
 
What medium and/or themes do you typically focus on with your work?
I tend to have medium ADD. I get excited from doing new things so I often I tend to switch things up. I have been pretty consistent with doing woodcuts but I also do vector art, photoshop work and the occasional painting.
As far as themes, the last few years I have been centering my artwork around music and movies. A far stretch from the conceptual work I did in college. After a long day at work I try and pretend I’m in middle school again. 1980’s and 90’s flicks are my favorite, even though most are just playing as background noise.
 
Do you work in other areas, aside from your preferred medium?
I do graphic design full time, both print and web. They give me a different sense of satisfaction. With the right project I’ll do a logo, print brochure, ect.
 
And now to delve more specifically into your Delaware Fun-A-Day feats: describe the project you submitted last year.
I had a project where I had to frame two hundred pieces of art in store bought frames. I kept the factory inserts. A week before I heard about the Delaware Fun-A-Day on DCAD’s twitter I started to do a sketch ever other day or so on my lunch break. So the Fun-A-Day show really just came in and fit perfectly with where I was in life. I have a bunch of old markers, pens, white-out so I decided to use them with the free paper from the frames. I would pick the movie the night before if I was lucky. Decide on the character. Get some reference photos from Google or Pinterest. Then the next day on my lunch I would watch part of the movie and sketch out basic proportions sometime throwing the white-out or pant maker down to create a base for the markers. Then go home and work from dinner 'til bed time. I watched that movie, or another movie with the same character, laying down colors and smearing them with my fingers. They were raw and colorful every morning. I got caught up in the anxiety of it all.
 
Your pieces in previous Fun-A-Day show(s) featured a lot of famous faces. How do movies influence your work? Will your work this year feature famous portraits again, in some way?
I find it is easier to connect to the audience with something they already know. A lot of people related to the movies they watched when they were kids. I watch them while I work because some of the emotion of the movie actively effects how I paint them. I found through my work that I often have to limit myself somehow. It can be through medium, subject matter, or time. When I locked down that I would: do characters from movies (80’s 90’s), I’m going to use markers pens white out, on old factory photo inserts. All that is left for me to do is pick a movie and create. This takes some of the stress out of the conceptual and lets me focus on the portrait.
 
What did you enjoy about last year's project? What challenged you?
I enjoyed all the people at the event and the social media aspect around it. I would take process photos while I worked and posted the results. The amount of daily feedback was awesome. Some of the other people and I on instagram used a #DEfunAday so I was able to keep up on other artists projects.
I think perhaps I set an unrealistic bar when it came to the quality of these portraits. I stayed up most nights till 12 or 1 to get them done. I stopped going to the gym and had to give up some Friday and Saturday nights. Through pushing myself over those 30 days I really got threw what I would call a creative slump. Taking my time getting one piece done a month. It got me refocused so I am grateful.

What made you want to participate in Delaware Fun-A-Day again?
It’s probably time I pushed myself again to see what happens. I had a great time last year. The show was awesome, too. I got to have a few drinks and, surprisingly, a lot of my friends came out that I didn’t expect. I saw some of DCAD staff I knew, and made new friends.
 
Any thoughts on what your Fun-A-Day project idea(s) is(are) for this year?
I’m not sure and my ADD for something different is kicking in. I am batting around some ideas, perhaps mono prints with the theme of musicians. Really I will decide last minute and hopefully I can clear my plate of other projects so I can have time to fail, adjust and still have some good work to show. You will have to wait and see and hopefully follow the social medias for my process.
 
As someone who has been through this experience before, how will you change your approach this year?
I think I am going to switch up scale and do thirty 24”x36” posters…kidding. I might have my 30 subjects picked before hand so I don't have to spend anytime researching and getting references.
 
Are there any other projects or events that you are working on in 2014?
I would like to have enough prints to do a craft/art sale but we will see. I might have to wait till it warms up a bit. I have a few places I am looking at displaying work but nothing concrete at the moment.
 
For more of Steven's work, visit him online at his website & facebook or follow him via instagram & twitter. 
 

Artist Interview: Andrew Howard

Interview by Kati Driscoll

As we prepare for our third year of Fun-A-Day, we wanted to share with you some inspiration and interviews from previous participants. We're pleased to introduce photographer Andrew Howard as our first interview of 2014!

You went to Delaware College of Art and Design. How did that experience shape you as an artist?
It shaped me in everyway, shape, and form. DCAD laid the foundation. Before I walked into DCAD I had just one photo class under my belt. I initially discovered my love of color photography at DCAD as well my love of portraits.

How would you describe your artistic style?
That’s a really hard question. I’ve never been asked that before. But if I really had to say my artistic style is candid street photography. On the other hand I’m also a portrait photographer. I really don’t know how to answer this question.

Do you work in other artistic areas, aside from photography?
Not really. I used to draw a lot when I was a kid. But when I got older and saw how much better everyone else was around me I lost a lot of confidence in my drawing skills and stopped. I drew a brain recently though. I really proud of it, I put it on my wall in my bedroom.

What attracted you to photography and how does it influence your work?
I totally became a photographer by accident. I was fresh out of high school and was really into film making so my mom and aunt signed me up for a photo class at the Delaware College of Art and Design. I totally loved it and I’ve been doing it ever since. I pretty much stumbled into photography.

Your pieces in the 2013 Fun-A-Day show were taken using the Hipstamatic app. What drew you to this format?
I had just taken a mobile photography workshop with David Norbut at Cab Calloway and I was drawn to the immediacy and intimacy that taking pictures with your iPhone can provide. Walking around with a DSLR or Hasselbald people tend to be more aware of you, and they avoid you or make weird comments. When I use my iPhone I tend to blend in. I’m just some guy with his phone like the hundreds of other people.

Do you expect to use mobile technologies for this year's show?
I thought about it but most likely not, while I still enjoy and use mobile photography for me it’s become something I use as photography exercise.

You capture a variety of images both private (like your portraits) and public (urban architecture, street photography) - which interests you about each? Which one interests you more?
Portraits always interest me more. I always consider myself a portrait photographer. With portraits I work from a sense of fear. I have always been a pretty shy person and taking portraits have always been a way to confront that. Even when it comes to people I have known for years that fear still lingers inside me. I can’t even tell you why but I always use photography as a way to explore it. As for street photography I just like taking pictures around the city.

What did you enjoy about last year's project? What challenged you?
One thing I enjoy was going out everyday and taking pictures it challenged me. I’m a very slow photographer. I may go out a few times a month to take pictures. I use mostly film and because of that I’ve gotten very selective about the images I decide to make.

What are your artistic plans for 2014?
Finish my book. I’ve been working on it for seven years now and it’s time to finish it. I hope to have it released by the summer.

Thank you so much, Andrew! To see more of Andrew's work, check out his website and store or follow him via twitter or instagram.

Fun-A-Day Needs a New Home!

Hey y'all! Just a heads up that we are still on the look out for a new location for Fun-A-Day this year. Here are our requirements for spaces:

• Low to no cost (we are an independent collective, funded 100% by community & organizer donations)
• Plenty of wall space & ability to hang
• Flexible hours of availability for set up, artwork drop off, hanging, the event and closing
• Location on Wilmington Art Loop
• Wheelchair accessible

If you know of any available space or interested hosts, please let us know! 

Delaware Fun-A-Day 2014 Dates Announced!

Ahoy hoy! It's officially official: Fun-A-Day will kick off in MAY with the show taking place on June 6th (location TBD). We'll open registration for the event on April 1st (no foolin')!

Malachite & Marble images licensed under Creative Commons.

Artist Interview: Lauren Watras

Interview by Kati Driscoll

Prior to the start of Fun-A-Day, we focused on some of our 2012 participants. Now that we’re almost to the end of the project, we thought it would be nice to reach out to artists who are new to this project. Kicking things off (and repping lower Delaware) is photographer Lauren Watras!

Photography is obviously a very important part of your life – when/how did your love for this medium begin?
I can’t recall ever not loving photography. I remember in 5th or 6th grade, one of my teachers asked what everyone wanted to be when they “grew up” (does that mean I’m a grown up?!?) so she could post the careers on the bulletin board. I wrote Photographer. My dad got me my own Canon SLR for Christmas that year, and it was a passion ever since. I would just walk around the yard, or down our street with 3 or 4 rolls of film just taking photos of everyday things. I was trying to teach myself to really LOOK at things I’d see every day, and try and find the beauty in them. Years later, I set my sights on art school, and graduated from The Art Institute of Philadelphia in 2005 with my degree in Photography.

Who/what is your inspiration these days?
What doesn’t inspire me? Generally, its landscape and nature, the beauty of the world outside. But I love portraiture too. My poor 3 year old daughter, Rowan, gets a little tired of me following her around with my camera. But that actually makes for more interesting portraits of her. I like to capture those natural moments, the ones that aren’t posed. Every now and then, I’ll ask her to cheese a little for me, but for the most part, the photos of her are candid…digging in the dirt, jumping in a puddle, reading a book. And those kind of images are my favorite. Thinking back on how I would always look for the loveliness in the ordinary, it’s something that I absolutely still carry with me during photo shoots.

Your project this year is a Farm-A-Day, what inspired this choice?
Local farms are fascinating to me. And I beyond admire the tenacity and determination of the farmers. Especially now, when family owned and run farms are becoming so few and far between. People see farms all the time, but if you step back and really think about all the hard work and perseverance it takes to make a living off of the land you own, it becomes a thing of beauty, really. I wanted to try and capture that spirit and grit in my photos.

You currently live in the Dover area, what is the art scene like in the lower half of the state?
There are several art leagues in the central and southern parts of the state. They focus on marketing local artists. The Dover Art League has a number of educational workshops to participate in, from pottery to painting. There is also a lot of focus on exposing children to art, which I think is an incredibly essential program that needs to not just continue, but thrive. They even have summer creativity camps available. With all the beauty in our small state, there can always be more art programs!

What has delighted/challenged you about creating art everyday?
It’s energizing! It has helped breathe new life into my passion for photography. Delaware Fun A Day has really gotten me excited about the arts again. When I was in college, I was surrounded with all types of new and interesting art, and this has really inspired me to enjoy that creativity again. The challenge to work on a project and create something different, something you’re proud of, on a daily basis has gotten the creative juices flowing again. It’s hard, but in a really awesome way. Even though I haven’t met the majority of the other artists participating, there’s a “we’re all in this together” vibe, that I’m really excited to see the culmination of on May 3rd. Rock on, Fun A Day!

Thank you so much, Lauren! For more of Lauren’s artwork, please visit her Flickr page or show her some love by liking her Facebook page!

We’ll be rolling out more artist interviews before – and after – the show! Stick around!

Artist Interview: Jason Fawcett

Interview by Kati Driscoll

Our third interview features the work of artist Jason Fawcett! 

Are you a Delaware native? If not, what brought you to this fine state?
I’m originally from New Orleans. I came to Delaware for family.

How long have you been making art?
I remember showing a drawing to my older sister when I was a boy. It was of the singer for the band “the Romantics” doing “talking in your sleep”. Her reaction to it made me love drawing. I never stopped after that. I was about 7 years old.

What medium and/or themes do you typically focus on with your work?
I’ve dabbled in a lot of stuff but I’d say oils and pen and ink. I really like drawing about our ability to remember the past. I think time is on my mind a lot too. memory time.

And now to delve more specifically into your Delaware Fun-A-Day feats: describe the project you submitted last year. 
I decided to think of it as journaling so i’d grab a thought I had or something that I overheard someone say, then made a small collage from it using old editions of National Geographic.

What was the greatest challenge you faced while participating in last year’s event?
UGH DO I HAVE TO MAKE ANOTHER ONE lol

What made you want to participate in Delaware Fun-A-Day again?
I was incredibly proud of the work that everyone did. This feels like a marathon. It takes a lot of time, energy and devotion if you want to create something meaningful. Everyone at that show really nailed it. I wanted to experience that community again.

What project are you working on for this year?
So far I haven’t decided on mine but one of my daughters will be doing Fairy-a-Day. My other one wants to do Doodle-a-Day. I may do the same thing I did last year. I’ve missed doing collage.

How did your daughters’ involvement come about? Have you done other projects with them before?
We do a lot of stuff together. They’re in a lot of my photography. Most of our time together is spent on making something. Kids are a wellspring of new ideas and its a lot of fun considering them to be my creative partners.

If you do work on more collages this year, do you think you’ll continue to pair that process with those fleeting thoughts or remarks that you extract from your day?
Yes most definitely. that was the most fun i’d had making art in a long time.

As someone who has been through this experience before, how has your approach changed this year and why?
I am way better prepared to do this mentally because I know how I’m going to make good of what little time there is to complete the project.

Are there any other projects or events that you are working on for 2013?
I play music with a friend. We’re recording some songs and getting a set together to start playing out. I’ve started a page on reverbnation.com but its not complete. Anyone interested in listening can go to soundcloud.com/JasonFawcett. We’re looking for a drummer!

Do you have a website or any other online outlet where the readers could check out more of your work?
JasonFawcett.com

Artist Interview: Bonaia Rosado

Interview by Kati Driscoll

Our second interview highlights Delaware illustrator/printmaker/jane-of-all-trades Bonaia Rosado!

So, Delaware things: have you always lived in Delaware? If not, what brought you here?
I grew up in Quebradilla, Puerto Rico while my dad was stationed in Japan. When he came back, I was about 10, we moved with him to California. Moved around quite a bit and we ended up in Delaware.

In addition to being an illustrator, you also sew. What attracted you to sewing and how do you incorporate it into your work?
Sewing has a character to it. My aunt made us Cabbage Patch dolls, my mom made us outfits, which, looking back at photos now were scary, my grandmother sewed the lace on her bathroom towels, etc. it was just more prevalent growing up. Hand sewn items feel more… just real, more cared for. When something’s manufactured you can tell right away and it feels cold and generic. That idea influences a lot of my work.

Do you work in other areas, aside from illustration and sewing?
Yeah, I try to. I screen print, I do a lot of sewing for my online shop, at some point I was doing a lot of freelance work for comic book companies. Digitally coloring comic book pages or children’s graphic novels. I’m working on my inking skills right now. Trying to be like the old school guys in the comic book world. Sharp lines with smooth edges only using brushes and nibs. None of the Photoshop stuff you have nowadays.

Your pieces in last year’s Fun-A-Day show featured your daughter. Has she influenced your work? Will your work this year feature family again, in some way?
Aw man, she’s been such a big impact. Having a kid gives you a whole new perspective on people. If she’s being a jerk that day it’s for a reason, if she’s being extra needy it’s for a reason, if she’s giggly that day it because she’s feeling something. I apply that same reasoning with everyone I meet. People are either scared, upset, happy or whatever in their life and because of that they can be kind or mean or flaky. Knowing that off the bat makes me take more interest in people and drawing them. Portraits are a big theme for me right now.

This year I’m actually going to make work with my daughter. She’s three years old. It’s going to be mixed media. I’m using some techniques some of my favorite children’s illustrators use. Eric Carle, Ed Emberly and Mary Blair are some of them. It’s exciting.

What did you enjoy about last year’s project? What challenged you?
It was great! There was no question as to what I had to make everyday. Working with the same idea everyday is great. I had to figure out different compositions, different ideas on the same piece of paper, same material every day. It pushed me.

I’ve noticed that you tend to work with very warm colours in your work. What draws you to this particular palate?
The palette used in children’s books and an assortment of fashion in the 40′s-80′s have influenced me greatly. I collect imagery and try to submerse myself via the internet, greatest tool for reference, with things from those times. Cartoons, sweaters, kids toys, posters or advertisements. All of that influences me.

Many of your pieces are portraits – can you tell us about some of your subjects? Are they real or invented?
A lot of my portraits are real people I know. My style is basically line work. People are made up of lines in my head. Plump, straight, round, angular all different lines. If I don’t know the person in my portrait I come up with my own background for them. Why are their frown lines so deep, why are their ear lobes so stretched out, why does this man never stop smiling, and in trying to answer those questions you come up with a whole new narrative of who they are or what they’ve done. It’s fun either knowing a persons story or writing it yourself.

I understand you have a number of projects and events in the works right now. Can you share some of those plans with us?
Right now I’m collaborating with a great friend/fellow artist Bondé Prang. She works for House Industries and she’s an amazing designer. We’re opening an online boutique later on this year called Bonde y Bonaia. I’m also working on a portrait series called “Familia” for a group Exhibit for the Chris White Gallery in August. The group is made up of some amazing local artists. Really excited for that show.

For more of Bonaia’s work, check out her blog. Original artwork, vintage finds and handmade goods are all available for sale in her etsy shop. Thank you, Bonaia!

Artist Interview: Maggie McDermott

Interview by Kati Driscoll

Today we’re pleased to launch a new feature on the blog: artist interviews. We’ll be highlighting some of our second year participants and, in the future, some of our new participants! Kicking off the series is Maggie McDermott!

First things first – the first state: have you always lived in Delaware? If not, what brought you here? 
Born & raised in Delaware. I like the small town vibe and accessibility so I haven’t moved away (yet).

You work in a variety of mediums, which one is your favorite? Can you tell us a little bit about your approach with each?
My work depends on the time I have. I love color interaction (Josef Albers) and with collage, I was inspired by Picasso’s late work with paper. With charcoal, that was always my strongsuit. My approach with that is toning and using compressed charcoal and tiny erasers to make high-contrast pieces. Photography has grown on me a lot, as well. I enjoy using filters to bring out unique color and to manipulate form of the objects I shoot. Lots of balance between negative space and detail.

What was your work for last years show and what made you select that theme?
My work for last year’s show was Triangles and the feminine form. I chose that because I was feeling particularly drawn to the color palate in large-sized underground fashion magazines and the way I could combine geometric shapes with carefully chosen colors. The aesthetic created helped to emphasize how the master painters would use a triangle to create the “perfect composition” as it doubled as a form of my own feminine power. I used to also have a habit of over-working my drawing and paintings, so collage helped me to achieve that healthy simplicity to create a stronger focal point.

What themes do you think you’ll concentrate on this year and why?
This year I’m thinking of taking a more photographic approach with six-word poems incorporated. I’ve been writing a lot so I’d like to play around with the words within artwork. That, or, finding unique bottles to make fiber sculpture arrangements all in a line on a windowsill with lights. I think that might be more of a striking collection from afar. Maybe a six word poem attached to each one. It’s still in the works.

Your work tends to incorporate the female form. What draws you to this subject matter?
My gravitation towards the female form is an outward expression of the pride I have for my gender. Kind of a feminist approach without the militant attitude. I’m very intrigued by the connotations of being a woman as well as gender roles. I feel like women carry a lot of power and that can carry through quite well in art form.

What other subjects do you tend to gravitate toward in your work?
Other subjects that I like to play around with are mundane objects that can carry a large meaning out of context. I like a lot of found object art. I might do that combined with poems as opposed to photography. I’m kind of torn.

In addition to having a distinct art style, you are also notorious for your fashions. Tell us a little bit about your personal style.
I’m flattered! My personal style I have found is my way to use the body as a walking canvas. Anything can be aesthetically pleasing if you do it right, so with my ears I see them as a blank canvas as well as my body to be dressed. I use the same process getting dressed as I would painting a picture. Colors, patterns, metal, etc. It makes life more fun. My hair I see as a sculpture that can grown back and be re-vamped. (:

What other projects are you focusing on in 2013?
I have been focusing a lot on my newfound love of poetry. It’s clever and cryptic. I’ve found it to be such a release.

More of Maggie’s work can be found on deviantART. Thank you, Maggie!

Weekend Events!

Hello Delawareans, Delaware-Enthusiasts and Enjoyers of Fun! We wanted to tip you off on a few happenings this weekend that you should check in to!

TONIGHT! A few of us (read as: Kati & Val & Sarah) of the Delaware Fun-A-Day team are going to be at 1984 this evening and we thought we’d invite you along. If you are not already familiar, 1984 is a really rad bar with awesome beer and games of the video and pinball style.

We wanted to give everyone an opportunity to get to know more about Fun-A-Day. Or, if you really want to participate in DE Fun-A-Day but you are still in need of an idea, this lovely beer-drinking, video-gaming duo will chat you up and throw some ideas your way!

So, pick your challenge: You VS Kati in X-men – behold her haphazard gaming skillz! You VS Valerie in IPA challenge – can you handle the hops? Or will it be a cat-lady cat-fight with you VS Sarah as you decide who is better – grumpy cat or lil bub.

Hope to see you at 1984 in Wilmington at 8:00 p.m.!

TOMORROW! Former Fun-A-Day participant and big-shot photographer of the month, David Norbut, is doing a photo-walk in Milford @ Bicentennial Park. The photo walks, which David and CineMavericks‘ Brad Wallace co-organize, always focus on interesting places and spaces. Come meet up with local mobile photographers and explore your community!

We  also wanted to take the time to shout out our registered participants & thank everyone who has shared the event. Between the new space for this year’s event and all the great ideas rolling in, everyone here is super excited about this year’s show!