It's alive!!!

Years ago, I began to experiment with developing a paper robot sculpture. I made one around 2001, and then let the idea sit. I have been trying, to no avail, to get back around to the idea for the last year or so. Finally, I found a few moments in the last few months to work out some details and make some new prototypes.

Now I have the first of the Paperbot 3000 Kit series available in my Etsy store. You get 3 sheets of robot parts which you can cut out, fold
and glue to make your own little yellow robot.

Hopefully, I will be releasing other colors and models later in 2008.

The Final Reminder...

One last little reminder that the last day for the BOGO sale is tomorrow, 12/31/07. It's your last chance to get free John W. Golden art for a while. Probably. :)

But seriously, I've got to take a break from the BOGO thing for a while so I can get some new artwork out and do some housecleaning in the Etsy shop.

Hope you'll take the opportunity to get some free art while you can.

Wii got one!

After an incredibly grueling rush to get my holiday orders out in time (packed and shipped 96 orders in one straight 36-hour stretch, and that was just Tuesday and Wednesday, I was sleepily standing in the checkout line at our local Toys R' Us.

We had long ago given up on getting a Wii for the kids. We did not even try. I had spent the last 45 minutes trying to see if an alternate gift was in stock, which it was not. Many decisions made that morning (Dec.22), had they been made differently, would have put me standing somewhere else when a man walked by with a Wii under his arm.

I debated asking a cashier if they had Wiis, envisioned the stampede and that special humanity that only holiday shopping can bring out in the best of us, and instead slipped out of line and strolled back to the video game section. A stack of papers in a little plastic sleeve answered my question. We were getting a Wii.

I called my wife and gave her the "meant to be" speech, and fortunately she agreed.

I got my Wii and snuck out quietly, keeping a wary eye for poachers in the parking lot. That's kind of a joke, but we did have some thefts locally when the Playstation 3 came out.

So, even though I am still busy with getting the art out to the world, I have had a few moments to play with the Wii. It's cool and fun, but so far the best thing is that it gives my son and I access to GameCube games that we could not play before. Pikmin is addicting.

It's sad though how sore I am from fake bowling and boxing. And my kid is already beating me at fake Tennis.

BOGO Sale is going down!!!

Just a quick post to put out a little reminder that the biggest and longest BOGO sale in John W. Golden history is ending soon!

I'm finally calling it on this one. Thanks to everyone who participated!!

The sale will end at 12:01 am EST on Jan. 1, 2008. This is probably most likely your last chance to BOGO for a while. :)

I'll be posting soon on what's coming up in early 2008 and what I have been up tyo lately.

Scottie is up...

I have been stealing a few spare moments between dropping different kids off at different schools to get more dogs done. This morning's dog was a Scottish Terrier. Check it out on Etsy.

30 60 90...

I have begun to add to this series, which I have never officially named...

I really enjoy creating pieces in this look, which is kind of a mix of Russian Propaganda posters and Carnival/Sideshow Art. I've got a few more pieces in mind, and the latest is 30 60 90, a little tribute to the cassette tape.

I had my "musical awakening", if you want to call it that, during the heyday of the cassette. I made many a mix tape in my day, sometimes for me but most often as an amorous expression.

Probably 80% of the music I have written and recorded in my life ended up being preserved on cassette, and occasionally I will find a stray cassette and spend a few hours re-discovering songs that I had forgotten and no longer remember how to play.

This weekend I played some of those songs I do remember with some old bandmates at a show in Boone, NC. It was a whirlwind stop for me. My son and I drove 6 hours up on Saturday
morning. I practiced with these guys while my son visited with friends. We played the show, and the next morning it was 6 hours back to home.

It was well worth it, because all proceeds were donated to the family of Drew Newell (1985-2007). Drew was a friend and employee of
Ken and Wendy Gordon, old friends of mine, and he was killed Thanksgiving weekend by a drunk driver as the Newell family returned from Thanksgiving. Drew's father was critically injured.

The show became an impromptu fundraiser, as a pitcher was passed among the audience that raised $275. It was discussed and decided that the take at the door should go to the fund, and Ken and Wendy personally donated to bring the total to $1000.

Holiday Shipping Deadlines, and some new stuff...

Holiday shopping is in full swing! Based on what the folks at the postal service tell me, the following will be my shipping deadlines:

Inside the U.S.: Items ordered by 5:00pm EST on Dec. 18th will ship in time for delivery by Dec. 22nd.

International Orders: The cut-off for delivery before Christmas is Dec. 8th at 5:00pm EST.

I have recently begun to sell sets of select 3" x 3" images from a few of my series. These are available at Etsy. I hope to create some new pieces for the bird collage series soon, but I suspect I won't be doing much besides shipping between now and the shipping deadlines.

Lots of dogs are on my list now, and hopefully I can get them out in time for the holidays.