Made Right Here

I remember first hearing about raw denim a few years ago and how this type of denim was worn day after day after day with no washes and an occasional soak to achieve a look all your own. The way the creases appear behind the knees, the way that certain areas fade before others, an that one little character adding dribble of coffee or bbq sauce that you promptly wiped off but know it's still there. It intrigued me and started a curiosity that I guess will sort of consume you if you let it.

I bought my first pair of raw selvage denim (Baldwin) about 2 years ago. I ashamedly admit that I just started "working" on them a few months ago. You see when you drop that kind of coin on a piece of clothing you want it to stay clean and non faded and non weathered, however this is just the opposite. You want it to be worn, you want it to be comfortable, you want it to be one of a kind. To me this style dates back to the beginning heritage of the iron workers, laborers, farmers, and all the other hard working trades that needed strength and integrity and durability in their wear and their tools. Sadly in this day and age we may not work as hard or demand that kind of durability in our everyday choices of clothing.

As curiosity takes over, you research and dig deeper into this culture and really start to appreciate all things worn and all things that are still handmade and fabricated in this mass produced world we live in today. It's nice to see it's still out there and pride is still taken in the products these tradesman produce. From shirts to belts, denim to boots, the list continues to grow as more tradesman are getting back to the roots of American handmade.

I happened upon this short documentary this morning that shows two guys ( Joe Gannon & Max Wastler ) whom I believe to be at the forefront of a long list of just really cool people that are bringing the American handmade culture to light. I'm excited to see what they have in store in future episodes. It's really eye opening and inspirational at the same time.

Thanks guys!

"Made Right Here" pitch spot from RICK PAGE on Vimeo.

Chalk One Up.

Remember me telling you about my niece and that sidewalk chalk art competition she was in. I got a call last night and it was her telling me she got 1st place. Funny thing is she calls and tells Misty " I want to talk to Uncle Mike! " Misty was absolutely in shock that she got skipped and didn't want to talk to her aunt and I was the one she wanted to tell. What can I say, us artsy people gotta stick together. Nothing like getting 1st place and some cash to get that creativity in motion.

Congratulations Rowan and thanks for inviting us to see it in person. I'm proud of you.

Artsy Weekend

This past weekend we went back to the homeland for what we thought was just a baby shower on Sunday but quickly turned into a packed day and a half.

We got a call from my sister in law saying that our niece was one of three to be selected to do chalk art drawings for an art and jazz fest on the uptown streets. They ranged from kindergarten to high school and then a few older area professional artists also contributed. It was amazing to see how some of these artists manipulated the chalk with brushes and water. Really cool.

Here is my niece showing off her artwork. I believe she called it Upside Down City or something similar to that.

This was one of the older participants. His use of shading was incredible.

Then there was this character. I had no idea what he created, however he was killing it in his bib overalls with no undershirt. Top notch artistry. 

There were tons of street vendors and of course Ki had to get his face painted which did turn out really cool. He sat there so patient and so still except for his hands which he kept lightly clapping in anticipation.

Here he is helping Gi Gi make a peach pie. A few of his teeth got wiped away after a few drinks and the classic shirt sleeve wipe

I guess Sunday wasn't all that busy. The guys hung out and watched football and let the boys swim while the ladies went to the shower. Oh and one more thing...I helped my brother in law make his first batch of American Wheat Beer. Very cool and involved process which smelled fantastic as everything boiled and cooked. Can't wait to bottle it up and enjoy it around a fire this fall.

We're back home and worn out but it was a lot of fun and relaxing at the same time.