Renegade Chicago

  rcpostel  Can you believe that I live in Chicago, yet had never been to Renegade before this year? The timing just never worked out in the past, but I'm glad that I finally dragged myself {and my somewhat unwilling husband} downtown for a few hours of meandering through crafty stalls and soaking in the inspiration of all the creative sellers. I ended up not snapping nearly enough pictures, so these are some Flickr photos that capture the spirit of the craft fair.




{Photos from: Rich Go // Wayside Violet // Kaitlyn Sullivan -- click each photo
to go to Flickr for more information}

I really love art and craft fairs because it is so cool to see the artists right there selling their creations. Even when you buy directly from an artist on Etsy, there is still the technological barrier between maker and buyer. I loved being able to put real live faces to some of my favorite online shops and blogs. It was fun being able to introduce myself to Jessica Swift and tell her I am one of her Kickstarter supporters. She was as sweet as can be, and I loved seeing her work in person. Elsie and Rachel were adorable, and I had a moment where I felt like I spotted a celebrity when I recognized Valerie from Project Runway in her booth for her fashion line Yellowcake.
 
I got to see some of my old favorites, and discovered even more new shops. Here's my list of Renegade notables.

Old Favorites
- Dolan Geiman: I've loved his Southern-inspired collage work since I first saw it at Art on the Square in Madison, Wisconsin a few years ago. The picture above with the whale and USA map is from his booth.
- 1Canoe2: Bright, colorful letterpress cards featuring some fantastic hand-drawn calligraphy and illustrations.
- Isette: Bold, graphic, laser cut jewelry in wood and acetate. I love her work because she seems to share my penchant for ampersands.


New Favorites
- Sophia Masri: Her work was among my favorite at Renegade. She makes gorgeous porcelain jewelry that looks perfectly vintage without appearing dated.
- Fernworks: Stunning nature-inspired jewelry and mixed media paintings made from resin and ephemera that create layered, dreamy scenes. Looking at their website, the work was a million times more intriguing in person.
- Another Feather: A jewelry shop that mixes natural elements like feathers and flowers with geometric lines.

I'm super happy to have attended Renegade for the first time, and I've already put the Renegade's Holiday Chicago on my calendar (December 3-4, in case anyone is wondering)!