Fans & Collections

Circus Folk: Rhiannon

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Time to creep into a home like Santa Claus and see what toys and art are afoot in our lovely fans’ homes. We truly appreciate their traveling to conventions and gallery shows far and near, the hours online spent trying to get pieces, and the continued support. Now, we show off some of this hard work and passion with the beautiful collection of Rhiannon!

Click MORE for a cavalcade of more images.

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Sketchbook Showcase!

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We have a new feature that will pop up on the Circus Posterus blog from time to time called SKETCHBOOK SHOWCASE. This little feature will turn the pages of the sketchbooks many of us carry around conventions.

Here, we can gaze at the amazing work many artists do as a thank you for the fans. Some, like myself, just get a simple sketch while others might have a theme, or a larger collaboration from many artists. There are some that even push the boundary of what the artists can do with a specialized book size. There is even one sketchbook of legend that has gained Voldemort stature – we dare not speak its name because what is inside is beyond anything I can imagine for this blog (or my eyes).

For the first initial post, I cracked open my old sketchbook and took a few pictures. I don’t have too many sketches, but for everyone to enjoy, I picked out some of my favorite sketches over the years.

Enjoy!

Skwak

Lola

James Jean

Click MORE to see many more

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Circus Folk: Ethan Gould

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It is that time again! The time that we showcase the meticulous masterpiece collection of one of the many Circus Folk out there. For this installment, we are proud to bring you the collection of Ethan Gould from New Jersey, and we must give an exuberant round of applause to his lovely wife Alicia and her photography company for the images.  Now grab some popcorn and tissue for some drool because here we go.

 

Click MORE for a serious amount of more images!

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Baby Tattooville 2012: A Recap

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Alright, I’ll be honest: up until this year, I didn’t exactly understand what Baby Tattooville was. From scraps of information I’d gathered in passing online and in conversation, I assumed it was some “secret society” gathering that is closed to the public and was by invite only. And while that isn’t entirely untrue, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it’s something any of us can attend, providing we have the cash to cover the tab.

So what’s Baby Tattooville all about? Who can attend, what’s there to do and where the heck is it? Fellow CP boardie Ron “Thotfulspot” Hollatz attended for the second time this year and was kind enough to give us the full scoop. Read on, be inspired and wish you were there.

By Ron “Thotfulspot” Hollatz

On the first weekend of October, artists and collectors from all over the country gather in Riverside, CA, at the historic Mission Inn. The location is quirky enough that it fits the event perfectly. Everyone gets lost in the maze of courtyards and hallways at least once during the event. It also has areas where there are courtyards with connected conference rooms so you can have multiple things going on at the same time. The event runs from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.

To understand Baby Tattooville, you have to forget what you think about any other event. It’s not a con with a lot of art available for sale. It is set up as a weekend where the barrier between artists and collectors disappears and everyone joins in on the fun. Dinner each night is done as a group along with Sunday brunch. When the event starts on Friday, one room is set up as a typical conference room with a raised platform for the artists. The organizer, Bob Self, starts off by saying this will be the only time you will see this formal setting. From that point on, we’re one big group.

This was our second year attending. Last year was overwhelming: for the 5th anniversary, all the previous artists were invited back, and over 30 accepted. This year was a more typical year with about a dozen artists: Coop, Mark Frauenfelder, Gris Grimly, Brandi Milne, Nouar, Kathie Olivas, Nathan Ota, Brandt Peters, Ragnar, Rob Reger and Risk. It’s hard to determine the exact number since some attend as guests, or just pop in for a few hours to join the fun.

As far as collectors/attendees, there are 50 spots available; for an extra charge, a second person can come but they don’t receive the goodies. Each guest receives at least one piece of art from each artist. We also received a “11 X 11″ print with a 5” image from each artist on one sheet, along with a hand drawn image in the center by Gris Grimly, who completed the drawings during the event. A blank 12X12 sheet was also given to each artist for them to do a line drawing that will be provided as a pack for each guest.

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Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: Circus to Sunset

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By sethsabbat

Sunday morning we started out at the Musée des Arts Forains: a private collection of ancient carnival memorabilia, including working rides and games.  We then headed into the center of town with a walk around Les Halles and the Centre Pompidou.  Later we checked out the Musée de la Magie and Automates (sorry no photographs allowed here). Then a relaxing boat trip along the river Seine to see some of the highlights of Paris by boat. The day ended with a spectacular sunset. It was then time to say my farewells to the CP artists until the next time Le Carnaval des Spectres returns to town.

Click through for more sights from the City of Love!

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Circus Folk: Fernando Rios

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Welcome to the first installment of Circus Folk! Here we will show off those who venture under the big top with their wonderful collections. We can let the fans we love show off their treasured collections, and let others share in the fun. For our inaugural post, we have Fernando Rios from Texas. Fernando was gracious enough to send us many images of his home and pieces the past two weeks.

Now without further adieu, sit back and enjoy the collection of Circus Folk: Fernando Rios.

Click more for a plethora of more images.

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Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: The Flea Market & Catacombs

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By sethsabbat

Saturday morning was an early start to Le marché aux puces de la Porte de Vanves. This french flea market is a great place to find things, and Teodoru was a true expert in haggling down prices. Everyone seemed to find something from old comics, to vintage toys, to turn-of-the-century photographs. I found an antique crocodile head to add to my collection of nature morte. With bags filled, we were off to the catacombs.

In the late 1700s, the city of Paris started transferring the bones from its cemeteries here. The visit was slightly disappointing as a good part of the underground route was closed off to the public. I had thought this was due to an earlier act of vandalism I had heard about, but not the case. The night before our visit,  several walls of bones had collapsed. This could very well explain my strange dreams of mudslides the day before! After what seemed like a never-ending flight of stairs, we were back to the service and off to the Latin quarter for lunch with a group of french CP fans, and a visit to a BD gallery. BD’s are the french version of comics.

See more behind the scenes from Paris: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: From Amsterdam to Paris

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By LadyMadeline

When I heard the CP crew was visiting Europe, I knew I had to visit their show. Paris isn’t too far away from Amsterdam compared to the US, so there I was, standing on Gare du Nord. The first thing I did was buy a Paris Visite card which enabled me to use the metro, RER and bus as many times as I wanted to. There are a lot of metrolines in Paris, but with a route map, it’s quite easy to get around town.

On my first day I visited the Sacré-Cœur, a church located in the neighborhood Montmartre. There were a lot of nice stores in the streets surrounding the church, so I spent my time wandering around. Afterwards, I took the metro to Louvre-Rivoli. It took me a little while to find it, but eventually I saw the Artoyz logo pop up. I spent some time checking out the store and started to chat with one of the Artoyz owners. He told me the CP crew had headed out for a lunch, but they could return any time. I only had to wait for a little while when I saw a group of people entering the store. I recognized the artists as they went downstairs to the exhibition room and then Daniel (sethsabbat) noticed me. After a brief gab, I waited in the store, but was then invited to come downstairs (which was awesome!). I met all the artists who were busy unpacking and installing all the pieces. The art looked beautiful and fortunately, everything made it in one piece. When it was all unpacked and put in place, we went to Daniel’s house; he collected some amazing old books and other wonderful items that could be used as risers at the show. We spent Wednesday night talking and we went to a nice restaurant nearby where we ate pizza with the whole group. I really enjoyed listening to what everyone had to say. Very interesting and kind people.

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Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: Museum Day

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By Sethsabbat

A good part of the day was spent around the Le Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle and Le Jardin des Plantes, with the impressive Galéries de Paleontologie, built in 1897.  If you like bones, this is the place to be.

A stroll through the gardens to get to the Grand Galerie de l’Evolution, where a strange worm like creature made an appearance.

Then off to another building to see the famous Cabinet de Curiosités de Bonnier de La Mosson.  Stayed on the left bank, a walk around the Latin quarter and a stop at Notre Dame.

Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: The Opening

By sethsabbat

After a busy first day setting up, Madelon and I met the CP team at Artoyz around noon on Thursday, where props were put in place, and final touches made in the set up of the show. With a few hours to spare before the show started, we headed over to the Louvre. Travis was on a mission to see a painting he missed on his last trip to Paris, so we roamed the halls in search of it.  Thankfully, Teodoru’s map reading skills were better than mine, and after passing the likes of the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, we soon found it:

Afterwards, we strolled through the Tuileries gardens and stopped for lunch before heading back to Artoyz. With less than an hour before opening, a final check was made. Then bam, the doors opened and that place filled up quick. The Artoyz staff were surprised at how quickly the pieces sold; it was a full house and great success. Madelon and I then left the CP crew to have some late-night dining with Artoyz. We had to be be up early as her train was leaving Paris at 6:25am.