Big Chill Poster!

That’s right, y’all.  This poster will soon be gracing the halls and walls of coffee shops, community centers and libraries everywhere.  This screen printed, limited edition of 100 will be for sale for $10 at the bar at The Big Chill on Sunday, December 2nd.  Yay to our local artists, Kris Johnsen and Meagan Anderson for putting it together!

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Vendor Spotlight: Kris Johnsen + Meagan Anderson

Kris and Meagan at work

Hey, guys!   The Big Thaw arts, crafts and vintage sale is TOMORROW:  Saturday, May 12 from 10am to 4pm.  We will see you at 10 Mayo Street (Mayo Street Arts Center) – come by, grab a beer, browse the merchandise and leave with something excellent for your mom!

We are featuring Kris Johnsen and Meagan Anderson, the two inspired minds behind our gorgeous Big Thaw Poster.  You never know what these two will show up with, but whatever it is you know you’re gonna want it.  Check it out:

by Meagan Anderson

by Kris Johnsen

by Meagan Anderson

by Kris Johnsen

by Meagan Anderson

by Kris Johnsen

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Big Thaw ’12 Posters!

click on link to purchase poster

Yay!!  Posters are here!  Actually, they’ve been here for some time, but I’m finally just able to get off my lazy end and take a picture or two.  Kris Johnsen and Meagan Anderson (who will be setting up their wares at The Thaw on May 12!) spent some quality time making yet another work of art for us to share our event with the world.

click to purchase Big Thaw poster!

The posters are for sale in the Etsy shop, and you can send me a message if you’d like a listing created with no shipping fee and you can just pick it up at the sale.   Purchasing these posters at $10-a-pop (what a deal!) really helps to support the time and effort that goes in to the creation of our Big Thaw event.  If you need any more incentive, just know that they are gorgeous, three-color screen prints on a Spring-y green french paper as the background —  Kris and Meagan also used a ‘split fountain’ on the sky, which is why you get such a nice gradation in the blue sky.

click to view listing for this poster

Some people have asked why we’re so crazy to spend time and money on a limited edition, hand printed event poster when just a flyer would do.  The answer?  We really care about quality work, and we also really care about artists working in our community.  Even though we only have 100 posters to sell and post around town each one of those packs a real punch.  This time it’s a deer, squirrel and birdy punch.  Pow!

The Big Thaw arts, crafts and vintage sale will take place on Saturday, May 12 at Mayo Street Arts Center at 10 Mayo Street in Portland, ME from 10am to 4pm.  We hope to see you there!

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Poster Process!

A huge part of the Big Thaw and the Big Chill is our handprinted posters, a collaboration from Kris Johnsen and Meagan Anderson.  Advertising our event with artwork that has been locally-sourced and cared for is important!  And… we’re picking up the posters this week – excitement!  For now, enjoy these pictures of the process that Kris and Meagan went through to make them.  We’ll post pictures of the final product soon:

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Big Thaw ’12 Poster + Vendor List Coming Soon!

Yes.  It’s here!  Kris Johnsen and Meagan Anderson have done it again:  The Big Thaw 2012 poster is here.  Printing commences and soon you’ll be seeing these beautiful posters all over Portland.  Prints will be available for sale online (TBA) as well as at The Big Thaw on Saturday, May 12th (the day before Mother’s Day) from 10-4pm at the Mayo Street Arts Center, 10 Mayo St. in Portland, ME.

Vendors have been selected and we will be posting the list for your enjoyment very, very soon.  Between now and May we will have frequent features to show you all the amazing talent we are hosting!  Now off to enjoy this sweltering March evening…  Thaw, indeed!

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Big Thaw March Updates: More to Come Soon!

Good morning, Maine!  Vendors for The Big Thaw ’12 have been selected and notified, and now’s the time to mobilize all my notes, websites, photographs and features so we can bring you weeks and weeks of visual delights from the cast + crew.  First thingies first:

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The Big Thaw poster '11

Meagan and Kris are busy at work putting together the poster for the event, you may have seen their work hanging around Portland in the past, or just seen the perfection that is the limited edition screen printed event poster.  Practical?  No.  Completely worth it?  Yes.  Each event, we have printed 100 limited edition, large-ish attention-getting posters to be hung in local businesses and organizations in the Greater Portland area.  The Thaw is about quality, handmade or vintage, aesthetically sound goods and what better way to show this by using our poster as art?

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Big Thaw vendors will be posted ASAP for those of you curious about what to expect on May 12.  How appropriate that the event being the day before Mother’s Day we’ve had an absolute avalanche of applications from people who make goods for wee ones as well as vendors who make women’s clothing.  The selection of the work is vast, and there will definitely be something for everyone.  Keep peeking back for that tab at the top that says “Vendors.”

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 How exciting that Spring is almost here, we’re about to push the clocks forward and it will be light out ’til 7pm (!!!), and The Big Thaw is on its way!  Be back soon, guys, with eye candy and goodies galore!

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Hand Printed, Limited Edition of 100, Big Chill Poster-y Goodness!

I’m beside myself!  The December 2011 Big Chill Poster is just gorgeous!  Each one in the edition of 100 (all signed by Meagan Anderson and Kris Johnsen) is a little different, with layers and layers of colors.  Watch that video up there and see just how committed to handmade quality this whole song and dance is.  Also you get to hear The Screaming Females as the soundtrack and now you know just how great they are.  We’re hoping they don’t get stolen from the shops, boutiques and community centers we are putting them up in before the 3rd!  But if they were, we’d totally understand, cause these posters are frame-worthy.

If you’d like to purchase your print the legitimate way (and not taking it from the bathroom at The Blue Spoon, for example) then click on this link here if you’re in Portland (no shipping charge, just local pick up) or here if you’re from away and don’t mind paying the shipping charge.  Each poster is $10 – what a deal – and will be available through the holiday season!

Before ogling our photos below, check out this slideshow of the printing process (featuring the artists holding the prints!)

And now, without further ado, some lovely details for you:

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The BIG THAW Poster!

What a thing of beauty!  Printing starts this week:  then no telephone pole or bulletin board is safe!  Our poster was lovingly illustrated by Meagan Anderson and will be expertly printed by Kris Johnsen of Emblem Studio (and both of them will be sellers at the fair!)  Excellent.

And here is a thumbnail button for your websites, be sure to include a link to The BIG THAW embedded in the image.  ( https://thebigthawportland.wordpress.com )

Coming soon:  Vendor list… images… vendor features… Spring!

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