UIC
Had a good time speaking at UIC School of Design the other week. I showed some rave flyers, Chocolate Industries records, Stussy t shirts, murals, Nike “higher than air” collection, sculptures, Ecology Center graphics and more and rambled on about my love for shapes and colors. Was nice to chat after with some of the students as well as some old friends who came to check it out. Thanks to Norman Teague and Dakota Brown for the invite and extra thanks to Dakota for the poster design.
KRINK
Fun to see an image of my Peace Pot Plant drawings go out with a recent KRINK newsletter.
More info HERE.
Recent Wall Work
Last mural of 2024. Done on 5 walls of the Flora apartment building in Chicago (commissioned by Soho Art Consulting). Big thanks to Jeff Zimmerman and crew for jamming on this one to get it done in time. Winter is here but looking forward to planning some new large ones when it warms up again. Hit me up if you need to fill a big wall with some shapes and colors in 2025 ☮️
Saturday in the shapes and colors dept...
The 100th Show
The 100th Show- featuring over 100 artists that represent the past, present, and future of Left Field Gallery.
Artists:
Adrienne Allebe
Aiyana Udesen
Alex Lukas
Allison Miller
Allison Reimus
Amber Renaye
Annamarie Fella
Anthony Lepore
Ari Norris
Austin Eddy
Ben Sanders
Benjamin Edmiston
Brian Scott Campbell
Brion Nuda Rosch
Brittany Mojo
Cal Siegel
Carlos Rosales-Silva
Cary Smith
Casey Gray
Cassie Marie Edwards
Chancellor Maxwell
Chris Miller
Christina McPhee
Christopher Iseri
Chyrum Lambert
Clayton Schiff
Cody Hudson
Cody Tumblin
Dan Lam
Daniel Dove
Deborah Denker
Denise Kupferschmidt
Donald Walker
Edward Givis
Erik Frydenborg
Geoffrey Todd Smith
Glen Rubsamen
Hasani Sahlehe
Ida Badal
Jackie Rines
Japeth Mennes
Jay Erker
Jeff Jamieson
Jessica Simorte
John Mills
Jonathan Dedecker
Josh Reames
Kate Sable
Kayla Mattes
Keith Tolch
Kevin Mcnamee Tweed
Kyle Breitenbach
Lakin Hamilton
Laura Krifka
Laurie Nye
Leif Low-Beer
Lela Shahrzad
Lena Rushing
Leslie Baum
Lila Jarzombak
Linda Daniels
Lois Ann Barnett
Madeleine Ignon
Madeline Leplae
Marcie Oakes
Mark Mulroney
Mark Williams
Matt Furie
Matthew F Fisher
Matthew Fischer
Matthew Weston Taylor
Mia Christopher
Michael Henry Hayden
Miles Shelton
Missy Reitner
Morgan Blair
Natalie Lerner
Nathan Hemenway
Nathan Randall Green
Neal Breton
Nick Lowe
Nora Riggs
Olivia Zubko
Paul Simmons
Rainen Knecht
Renee Lopez
Richard Keely
Rita McBride
Robert Gunderman
Rochele Gomez
Ryan Travis Christian
Samuel T. Adams
Sarah Frantz
Saul Alegria
Sean Gannon
Sean Noonan
Spencer Carmona
Stacy Fisher
Sylvia Fragoso
T.L. Solien
Ty Hjortland
William Emmert
Zane Zappas
Zuriel Waters
NADA with Andrew Rafacz
NADA Miami
Dec 3 - 7
w/ Andrew Rafacz Gallery
Booth E107
CINDY BERNHARD
JOSH DIHLE
JESSIE EDELMAN
CODY HUDSON
HILDUR ÁSGEIRSDÓTTIR JÓNSSON
for more info contact info@andrewrafacz.com
New Letherbee Seasonal
Label design (featuring the ROKO font from the friends at NuForm Type) for the new Letherbee Seasonal Gin.
Some info on it below:
This year’s Autumnal is a really fun one as we’ve invited our friend, Abby Titcomb, to be Letherbee’s first official guest distiller. Abby has loads of experience as the creative force behind the original distilling operations at Three Floyds Brewing and Distilling. We’ve always admired her work and we’re stoked to be a station on her newly embarked journey creating her own brand.
For this Autumnal recipe we directly imported Vetiver Root (AKA, Khus) and White Poplar Bud as the duo of central ingredients. Why? Simply because that’s what our hearts told us to do. Or, maybe because these captivating botannies deserve more experimentation and attention in the world of distilled spirits. Or, maybe because our friend Gabe has been making some beautiful perfumes with vetiver and our friend Michael recently sourced poplar buds to experiment with in his liqueurs. Maybe our friends inspire and influence us. Yes. That’s it. We like our friends.
Vetiver Root (Khus) gives wood, earth, grass, and a bit of smoke. It can spark memories of peated Scotch Whisky. Occasionally used in teas and as a spice in South Asia, its fragrance promotes grounding and calming while traditional medicines have employed its soothing, anti-inflammatory properties.
The resinous, sappy, floral aroma of White Poplar Bud surprisingly carries an additional cute and curious little hint of bubble gum. Wild-harvested in Europe, these precious tree buds have been used in teas, syrups, and topicals for centuries in both cuisine and herbal remedy.
Tangerine Peel and Sage play direct support while Juniper, Coriander, Cardamom, and Cubeb round out a classic gin foundation. The end result is a savory and welcoming spirit that works effortlessly in cocktails intended to warm the soul.
Photo: Colin Beckett
Tangerine variant prints with The Jaun
Variant prints from Jeju / Seoul available HERE. Each one has a different assortment of “Tangerines” printed over the top of the plant like forms. Made during my The Jaunt trip a few months back.
New hats for The Ecology Center
Designed a new rainbow patch hat and a new colorway in the dome trucker hat for the friends at The Ecology Center. You can check them out HERE.
Earth Planet Arts & Crafts
Worked on the third installment of 1733’s annual Artist Camo series with a print we are calling “Midwest Camo”. Inspired by plants, rocks, streams and hills around Illinois and Wisconsin as well as traditional military camouflage color palettes. We did two color ways for this release, one representing lush, green of June and one for September’s dry amber equinox. The pattern is used across a variety of 1733’s favorite silhouettes.
A little about @seventeenthirtythree :
they have been designing and making bags and accessories in Chicago since 2014. They operate out of a studio in the West Garfield Park neighborhood with a small team. By using small-batch, in-house manufacturing, selectively paired with high-quality domestic factory production, they create bags that are durable, beautiful, and uncommon.
Photos: @_lyndonfrench_
Earth Planet Arts & Crafts with 173
Midwest Camo bags now available with 1733 HERE.
Doldam Daydream Print Series
New prints from The Jaunt available HERE.
Title: Holism (Doldam Daydream)
Materials: Silkscreen print on 100% cotton rough Fabriano paper
Dimensions: ± 56 x 76cm / ± 22 x 30"
Edition: edition of 3, signed and numbered by the artist
Year: 2024
Title: Alternative Education (Doldam Daydream)
Materials: Silkscreen print on 100% cotton rough Fabriano paper
Dimensions: ± 56 x 76cm / ± 22 x 30"
Edition: edition of 3, signed and numbered by the artist
Year: 2024
Title: Self-Sufficiency (Doldam Daydream)
Materials: Silkscreen print on 100% cotton rough Fabriano paper
Dimensions: ± 56 x 76cm / ± 22 x 30"
Edition: edition of 3, signed and numbered by the artist
Year: 2024
Peace Pot Plant drawings from Jeju / Seoul
A few Peace Pot Plant drawings from the recent trip to South Korea are currently available HERE on The Jaunt website.
The Jaunt
Earth Island Works at Realation Space in Seoul, South Korea
People Places & Plants - Denver
Opening August 23, more info HERE.
Wandawega book sighting
Our friends and Wisconsin neighbors over at Camp Wandawega just launched a nice bedding collection and I was excited to see my recent book pop up in one of the photos. Check out the photo below and you can check out more about the collection HERE.
Plein Air Archive with Leslie Baum
Hung out with Leslie Baum last Sunday and did some watercolor paintings as part of her plein air archives project. You can read more about it and see photos HERE.
some info on the project from artist Leslie Baum….
This website, the Plein Air Archives, is—like the project—an invitation to explore. Click around and visit my shared painting encounters, or “dates” as I like to call them. Each date has its own page that documents the experience of painting outdoors in nature with a companion. The content varies from page to page, but most include some of the following: who I painted with, when we painted, where we painted, images of our paintings, a portrait of my painting companion, documentation of our shared view, and a brief reflection on the experience from the perspective of my painting companion.
Christmas in July
ANDREW RAFACZ is thrilled to announce Christmas in July, a jolly holiday special curated by Santa enthusiast Wells Chandler, at the NADA Exhibition Space at 311 East Broadway in Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood. Decking the halls with over sixty artists, this sprawling exhibition and online holiday market explores the pagan, gender queer and psychedelic roots of the archetype of Santa via Siberian shamanism and the mushroom sacrament Amanita muscaria. The exhibition opens Wednesday, July 10th and continues through Thursday, August 1st, 2024.
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as fly-agaric or fly-muscaria, is undeniably the most recognizable toadstool in popular culture. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland points to its transformative potency. A hookah smoking caterpillar sits upon a mushroom throne. After metamorphosing into a butterfly, he imparts to Alice, “One side will make you grow taller …And the other side will make you grow shorter.” The video game Super Mario furthers this shape-shifting narrative. Scoring the fungus allows a player to ‘power up.’ Fly-agaric is consumed ceremonially by the Tungus people who are indigenous to Siberia. The iconic red and white psychoactive mushroom is also utilized by the Nordic reindeer herding, Laplander indigenous group the Sámi. In the mycophilic bible, Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality, R. Gordon Wasson proposes that Amanita muscaria is the numinous ingredient in Soma. The Vedic Indo-Aryan libation to access the divine is repeatedly mentioned throughout the RgVeda. Through anagrams, cross cultural comparisons of Sumerian and Indo-European etymologies and unorthodox interpretations of Judeo-Christian scripture, John Allegro argues that Christianity was a fertility and mushroom cult and Jesus Christ was in fact a magic mushroom namely Amanita muscaria in his 1970’s controversial book The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross.
Siberia is the birthplace of shamanism. The term shaman is derived from the Tungus word šaman. The noun is formed from the verb ša -‘to know.’ A šaman literally translates as ‘one who knows.’
What does any of this have to do with Santa? Mythologically Santa is a harlequinian patchwork of rich and disparate narratives. Santa has worn many a Mithras stylized cap as Thor, Odin and Apollo to name a few. The enigma of the inherited Coca-Cola image of Santa fashioned in a red crushed velvet suit with white fur trim and the imprint of the current Christmas holiday both point to Amanita muscaria and its ceremonial usage by the Tungus and Sámi. Fly-agaric is the primordial image and the origin of the interconnected mycelium network of the archetype of Santa and her various fruiting bodies. This should come as no surprise. For after all, mushrooms are the gender queer guardians of timeless form.
Like Amanita muscaria, Santa Claus’ colors are red and white. Santa lives at the North Pole, a symbol for the axis-mundi. The axis-mundi reoccurs cross culturally. It is the bridge that shamans travel between the heavens and earth. Santa partakes in shamanic flight and is a master of reindeer. The Tungus and Sámi both have an animal husbandry relationship with reindeer. Amanita muscaria is psychoactive for reindeer, hence their ability to fly. Rudolph’s red nose guides Santa’s sleigh. Plain as the nose on your face! Rudolph’s misfit anatomy literally represents an Amanita muscaria mushroom stuck to the snout of an altered animal achieving inner illumination. Shamans who eat Amanita muscaria end up looking splotchy like the mushroom. Female shamans in the Tungus don gray beards and dress in red and white polka-dotted outfits. In the dead of winter, they arrive at homes on a reindeer drawn sled. Unable to access the main entrance of the snowbound yurt, the shaman slides down the chimney. Instead of physical gifts, they bring healing and problem solving, which is rewarded with offerings of food. This is not dissimilar to the contemporary tradition of chimney portals and cookies as strange attractors at the end of time. Through drumming and the help of mushrooms, the shaman enters a trance state to access information from alternate realms to help the host.
Wasson suggests that Soma in the RgVeda is mushroom laced urine. Amanita muscaria is extremely toxic but less so when a body has processed it. There are several anthropological accounts of the Tungus and Sámi people imbibing the urine of both shamans and reindeer to consume a less poisonous version. Amanita muscaria have a mycorrhizal relationship to both spruce and pine. The gifts below the tree point to this union. Archetypal images and traditions are so packed within themselves that nobody ever takes the time to ask what they really do mean. Defying space and the temporal, Santa is the ultimate time traveler and the world’s most ancient shaman.
An amateur comparative religious studies scholar, Chandler has extensively researched the way entheogenic plants have impacted visual culture and the ecstatic religious experience. Featuring painting, sculpture, drawing, fiber, photography, video, print, wearables, crafts, books and hohohomo-home goods, Christmas in July is Chandler’s largest mounted exhibition exploring the role of Santa as the world’s most famous shamanic figure. An accompanying exhibition catalog with texts by Wells Chandler and Jennifer Coates will be released August 1st, with a poetry reading by Candystore and a somatic demon trapping ceremony lead by Tamar Ettun. Dress in ritual holiday attire, as your favorite elfin avatar or come as yourself! Raise a glass of reindeer piss or libation of your choice. Get in the holiday spirit and join us at NADA East Broadway on July 10th 5-8pm to celebrate Santa in all her cosmogonic glory. Ho, ho, ho!
- Wells Chandler
Participating artists include: Manal Abu-Shaheen, Baenk, Devin Balara, Abril Barajas, Hannah Barrett, Elizabeth Bonaventura, Katherine Bradford, Colin Brant, Farrell Brickhouse, Rick Briggs, Jibz Cameron, Candystore, Soso Capaldi, Carol, Wells Chandler, Kari Cholnoky, Jennifer Coates, Tony Coleman, Gaby Collins-Fernandez, Pearl Cowan, Carl D'Alvia, Steve DiBenedetto, Angela Dufresne, Florencia Escudero, Tamar Ettun, Travis Fairclough, Lauren Francescone, Theadora Frost, Glenn Goldberg, Tamara Gonzales, Adam Green, EJ Hauser, Kate Hawes, Clarity Haynes, Dove Hornbuckle, Cody Hudson, David Humphrey, Anthony Iacono, Anna Ialeggio, Mala Iqbal, G Imaginations, Valesca Lafrance, Dante Lentz, David X Levine, Madison Lewis, Michael Mahalchick, Jake Manning, Chris Martin, Shari Mendelson, Soumya Netrabile, Nick Payne, Erika Ranee, Amy Giovanna Rinaldi + Intimate Revolution, mosie romney, Tom Rubnitz, CJ Saft, Adrian Schachter, Rachel Schmidhofer, Michelle Segre, Randi Shandroski, Michael Sims, Hrvoje Slovenc, Laurel Sparks, Julie Torres, Brandi Twilley, Jonathan Twillley, Katie Vida, Zeynab Izadyar + VVORK VVORK VVORK and Charles Yuen.