Fall 2013 Makers Fair

This Saturday marked my sixth experience at the TAMF and, for the first time, a bit of rain showed up in the afternoon – but that didn't dampen the spirit of the (massive) crowds, no sir. Partnering with Shreveport Regional Arts Council's UNSCENE event this time around, the Fair was large and in-charge and awesome as always. I've said it before, but it's amazing to have an event like this in my hometown. I've done fairs far and wide, and this one is always a highlight!

Many thanks to Kelly and Garrett and all those with the Texas Avenue Community Association who make it happen. Below are a handful of photos from the day.

Here's the TOOMA booth along with my TAMF neighbor & friend Kelly Rich.
Read about her shotgun house project NORLA here! She's making things happen.

The Queensborough Elementary Flag & Drum Line marches through the Makers Fair.

Pete eats fire. Nathan drops beats.

I've had prime booth space these past few fairs and I'm glad for it.
Jake and I will defend TOOMA turf to our last breath, so watch out.

New fan Gavin poses with his Roddy print – cool face paint, even cooler kid!

Look at the joy in Jack's face as he hangs out at the TOOMASOOBA table. I love it.
This might just serve as my new promotional photo – what do you think?

Re-Imagination

As the lines and colors and attitudes of TOOMASOOBA characters evolve, I sometimes retire a "classic" design that's a bit outdated and replace it with a newer illustration that matches the current aesthetic. But don't worry, friends…like any good horror movie villain, they always come back! Below is a look at two of my earliest creations dating back to 2009 who were recently re-imagined and are available online once again.

Roboy, 2009 and today.

Owlivia, 2009 and today.

Big (and better) difference, huh? Perhaps you'll see more TOOMA veterans let loose on the world again in the coming months. Glad to have RoBoy and Owlivia back in action!

Rhino Birthday Party

Rhino Coffee recently held their one-year birthday party, and TOOMASOOBA was there to help celebrate! A handful of vendors and bands were asked to join in for an evening of caffeine and revelry — Index Drums, Day Old Blues Records, Art Punch, Engine, Joshua Powell, Jacob Disedare, and Kyle Craft were some of the talented makers and rockers doing their thing.

The place was packed throughout the evening — it was a great time. I debuted a couple of new shirts and prints, spread the TOOMA word with folks who hadn’t encountered my art before, and, of course, I also had plenty of coffee. If you happen to stop by, might I suggest an Eastside Latte or Iced Thunder, perhaps?

Rhino is a cool, independent business that supports the local community (and vice versa) — I’m glad they’re thriving here in Shreveport. Here’s to many more years!

A rad hand-drawn sign to announce those involved.

I was glad to be set up inside, where there was air conditioning. I was not
so glad to be photobombed by James of Day Old Blues.

Kyle Craft doing his solo thing. Listen to his music and thank me later.

Index Drums representing on the back patio.

Engine performing - these dudes are amazing. Buy their music now!

Shoppers checking out the TOOMA action.

PRINT Workshop

Five Shreveport artists were chosen to join in a two-day screen print workshop with Modern Multiples’ Richard Duardo in mid-August — and I was one of 'em! It was awesome learning from a master (plus he's a really cool dude). The workshop was offered as part of the current PRINT exhibit at Artspace featuring seriographs by Richard and other print makers and designers, including street art rockstars Cryptik, Shepard Fairey, and Banksy! Whhhhaaaattttt?

The exhibit is up through October – so go check it out if you’re in the area! You can also view Richard’s artist talk for all the behind-the-scenes info. Definitely worth checking out (crank up the volume).

Many thanks to Shreveport Regional Arts Council for making this happen, and to my fellow UNSCENE Street Team artists: Ben Moss, Taffie Cragon Garsee, John H. Lomax, and Jeormie Journell. See more photos on my Facebook album. Rock on!

Our playground - a recreation of Richard's early workshop space.

Ben and John making magic as Richard looks on.

Experimenting with spray paint on our demo prints.

Drying racks.

Richard during his artist talk - this is some of his "pop schlock" work, as he calls it.

The gang - it was honor to work with these talented artists. Left to right:
Jeormie, me, Ben, Britt, Taffie, Richard, and John.

Happiness Happens Day

With coloring sheets and t-shirts in tow, I headed out to Happiness Happens Celebration Day in Bossier City this past Saturday. The event was put on by Holiday Lanes (in cahoots with the Secret Society of Happy People) and it was a really fun time – bowling, bands, bubbles, hula-hooping, activites, plus TOOMASOOBA coloring pages and free stickers for all.

 My table was outdoors and, no lie, the crayons began to melt after several hours. Holy cow! August in Louisiana ain’t no joke, friends. Below are several photos of happy people being all happy and such – take a look!

Robin put on the event...and chose some great colors for Eureka, too.

A couple of little dudes putting their own spin on RoBoy.

More TOOMASOOBA coloring!

I did not envy the folks rocking out these mascot suits, let me tell ya.

TOOMATUNES Vol. 1

When the time came to find music for our TOOMASOOBA mini-doc, I knew just where to turn — my long-time friend and talented musician, David Brooks. I've known Dave since 8th grade and we've always had a great creative partnership...and before I knew it he had written an AMAZING original soundtrack for the film.

It was so amazing, in fact, that we thought to offer it as a FREE download on Bandcamp! Listen below (and put "0" in the price field) to grab the ready-for-iTunes collection. It not only features the four songs from the doc, but a handful of demos and experiments that led us to the final recordings. Oh, and as an added bonus — 3-year-old Jack Bailey kicks off the collection with a TOOMASOOBA battlecry. I think you'll like it. Download, listen, enjoy, and share!

AHA Moment!

Back in May, I was invited to participate in the Mutual of Omaha 2013 AHA Moment Tour when they rolled through town — and of course I accepted! I shared my passion for art in an Airstream trailer decked out like a mobile studio. It was pretty rad.

Will my TOOMASOOBA ramblings end up on TV? Probably not, but the video is up at their website nonetheless! Check it out below.