Richmond Zine Festival

We have a soft spot for the Richmond Zine Festival -- Conspiratorial was introduced there.

The festival is a chance to interact with artists, writers, photographers and poets (and sometimes these are one and the same). It's a fantastic feeling to connect with people who are passionate about what they're doing and want to share their ideas and stories.

Nothing gets us going quite like talking to someone who is passionate about their work. It doesn't particularly matter what the work is -- it's the passion we get off on. Hearing someone talk about their creative ideas gets our own thoughts racing.

Sadly, we missed Richmond Zine Fest this year but it's a September event and these days time seems to fly, so it's already on the L.C. calendar for next year. 

http://richmondzinefest.org/

The Art of Dana Ellyn

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"She's a looker. Look out."

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This drawing was purchased years ago at an outdoor arts festival in D.C. The girl's eyes are piercing an uncomfortable. There is a strangeness to some of  Dana Ellyn's work that simultaneously makes you uncomfortable and crave more. One of our favorites is the "Matador and his Bull(dog)" — whimsical and touching. 

Her 31 Days in July project is great -- she creates a painting based on the front page of the newspaper each day.

The catalog card is for a book, "Painting with Light."

http://www.danaellyn.com/

Here's Some Weirdness: Runcible Spoon

Reading  DC-based Runcible Spoon is like wandering around the imagination of a curious cook.

Malaka Gharib's humor is evident all through the twice-yearly publication she edits. It's fun, it's whimsical, it's creative, it's weird. And that's a pretty awesome combination, the sort of thing that invites you to expand on your own quirkiness, makes you want to cook something ridiculous or return to an old favorite haunt.

The zine describes itself as:

 ... a twice-yearly zine about food and fantasy based in Washington, D.C. Our goal is to capture the pleasure and playfulness of eating through imaginative, delicious (and sometimes made-up) recipes, illustration, storytelling and collage, submitted by writers and artists across the country. 

And who doesn't love a cheap-eats issue? (Sticker price: $699).

http://therunciblespoon.info/