Cheers to a hugely successful 2013!
It's been just over one year since the launch of this blog, and I'm pleased to say that, not only have I been updating regularly (OK so the updates dried up after October... I also work full time!!), but I managed to keep both of the
New Year's resolutions I'd declared for my artistic ambitions many months ago. Besides meeting my stated goals of improving my crafting & taxidermy skills and displaying my creations at a local art show, I've also put together a
Facebook page as well as an
Etsy shop. Things are going quite well, and with 5 Etsy sales and 10 admirers in about a month, I am confident that the ChupacabraCrafts Empire will continue to grow ;)
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| Proof that not all of my friends are dead animals |
This past summer I joined a group of local artists, tattooists, photographers, and skateboarders for a huge warehouse party aka
Free Art Show. For the first time my paintings, prints, jewelry, gift boxes, (in hind sight I brought WAY too much shit) and earliest taxidermy pieces were on display for the public eye.
Self-promotion can be a challenging skill to learn. For introverts like myself, it can be down right terrifying. On top of that, not everyone you meet actually
likes taxidermy. On more than one occasion I've been insulted, called "creepy" to my face... and so on. Luckily, at this event my style was undeniably well received and I made many new contacts, gave away plenty of stickers and business cards, and even sold some prints & jewelry. It was an amazing time and the show turned out to be a huge success for everyone involved. Additionally, a small posse of my Eastern MA crew turned out to show their TLC. <3 <3 <3
The best part for me was just sitting back and watching peoples' reactions to my work. Dozens of kids whipped out their smart phones to take pictures of my taxidermy and turtle-hide boxes. For some reason I love the thought of my art being passed around the internet, even if my name isn't plastered across every single snap shot. Of course, a part of me wants to hoard every last bit of recognition and credit, but a larger part of me is happy to remain anonymous.
Now here's a bunch of pictures from the past year. Thank you, everyone, for your support, encouragement, critiques, and love.
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| My display @ Free Art Show |
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| The creative taxidermy of Chupacabra Crafts |
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| I painted some foam core and made a display! |
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| My paintings about to be framed... |
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| Squirrel Foot boxes |
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| Made my own stickers! |
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| My latest mount! |
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| The artist at work... |
