Blessings and Good Fortune!

My family celebrated the Chinese New Year a few weeks ago by taking part in the festivities on Fourth Street. By far the most exciting event all day was the lion dance, performed by Kei Lun Martial Arts. Located in San Francisco, the Kei Lun dancers visited Berkeley to bestow good fortune and blessings on the shops and merchants of Fourth Street.

As part of the performance, the lion and the monk characters came into Castle in the Air. Roann, one of the newest members of the Castle crew, was downstairs that day. Recalling the excitement later, she said "They blessed the registers!"

According to the website for the Kei Lun Martial Arts group, "the kei lun is a benevolent mythical creature from Asian folklore. As an adjective, kei lun can be loosely translated as 'talented.'" Their lion dance on Fourth Street was featured that night in a segment on our local television news, and we certainly agree that they are talented.

Dromedary Dreams

One of my greatest joys of the past year has been to devote more time than ever to my book projects. For years, Dromedary Press has been a dream that I've been able to bring more and more into the waking world to share with everyone else. The gallery show is shaping up to be a grand celebration of my books and illustrations.

I hope many of you will be able to come to the book signing at Castle in the Air on February 11. But even if you can't join us, you can be a part of the adventure by getting your own copy of Commonplace Mouse through our Online Shoppe!

Prints, Charming

We've been a bit quieter than usual on the blog for the past few weeks, as we're giving all our spare moments to the preparation of the next Castle in the Air Gallery show, an exhibit of three dozen prints of my watercolor illustrations and portraits.

For this show, I've taken several of my favorite illustrations and embellished them in the "dressed prints" style popular in India. Countless hours in my home studio have been spent adding silk, feathers, jewels, lace, sand, and other elements to turn the flat prints into sculptural wonders. You'll have to come to the exhibit (or the reception and book signing on February 11) to take in the full effect.

Prints, Charming
Portraits from the Studio for the Imagination
February 1 through March 19, 2010

Gallery open 12 - 6 Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday

Reception and book signing with light refreshments Thursday, February 11, 6 - 8 p.m.

Castle in the Air
1805 Fourth Street
Berkeley, Calif. 94710
(510) 204-9801

Read the full invitation and press release.

Happy New Year!

The holiday decorations are put away, everything is counted and in its place, and the store has been scrubbed from tip to tail. Now we can let the new year begin!

Will the real Santa Claus please stand still?

This afternoon at Castle in the Air, I kid you not, the real Santa Claus came in to do a little shopping. I won't tell you what he bought, as that might give away the surprise to some deserving reader who has been good all year. Who knew that the real Santa Claus wears a green top hat when he shops?

What was just as strange as Santa's visit was what we found right after he left. Two other customers had been testing pens at different ends of the store. As they walked away, they left behind these sketches. Were they looking at Santa as they drew? It looks like one artist is putting Santa on The Nice List, the other has him down as Naughty!

A Sign for All Time

If you've ever walked around Berkeley and stopped in your tracks to check out a well-made sign for a shop or restaurant, chances are you were admiring the work of Steven Vigeant, owner of Berkeley Signs. (Click over to Steven's portfolio for some memorable shingles.)

We hired Steven to make a sign to hang above the door at Castle in the Air, and look at the unbelievably gorgeous one that he brought us! Just like the artisan products we carry, the sign is made with the same attention to detail and old-school methods we love. Steven created it in a Victorian style, with chipped glass, painstaking hand-lettering, and three kinds of gold leaf.

From the moment the sign went up last week, people on Fourth Street have stopped to comment on how much they love it. It catches their eye because it's such a rare treat to see real art used in commerce. We're living in a time in which mechanization is favored for its convenience and craftsmanship is dying out. I'll venture to say that the only person who loves the sign more than us and our customers is Steven himself, because he got the chance to go back to the techniques and tools of a golden age. And because the sign's double-sided, he got to make two! I hope you can come by and see it in person. We're so pleased to have it pointing the way into the shop.

More Holiday Haps on Fourth

Santa Claus Comes to Fourth Street
Santa Claus is coming to...Fourth Street! Meet Santa and his elves at "The Berkeley Pole" in the courtyard across the street from Peet's Coffee on Fourth. And as artistic representatives of all things magical, Castle in the Air is providing the decorations!
Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 - 4:00 pm

Extended Hours
Castle in the Air is one of many shops open late during the holiday shopping season. Through Christmas Eve, our hours will be:
10:00 am - 6:00 pm Monday through Wednesday
10:00 am - 7:00 pm Thursday through Saturday
10:00 am - 6:00 pm Sunday
We will also be open late December 21, 22, and 23 for all the last minute shoppers.
On Christmas Eve, the store will close at 4:30 pm.

Live Music and Entertainment
Local artists will keep your spirits bright with live music and entertainment all along Fourth Street each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and December 21 through 24.

Free Hot Cocoa and Cider
Warm up with a free cup of hot cocoa or cider at one of our newest neighbors, Chocolatier Blue Patisserie at 1809A Fourth Street.
Hot drinks every day from 4:30 - 7:00 pm (weather permitting)

Holiday Lights
Santa's reindeer won't have any trouble finding Fourth Street. Thousands and thousands of bright and colorful lights adorn the trees and lampposts, bringing holiday sparkle to the shopfronts and restaurants.

When Black Friday Comes...

The store and all of Fourth Street is teeming with humanity today, the day with so many names -- The Official Start of Holiday Shopping, Buy Nothing Day, Buy Everything Day, and Black Friday (both because the of the maddening hordes of shoppers and because this is the day that many stores go "into the black," beginning to make profit for the first time all year).

It's on the busy busy days like this that it's easy to forget that life exists outside our little world. But just a few days ago a nice woman came in and dropped off the postcard pictured above. She's helping to organize a crafts fair for the Pastures Preschool in Bodega, California, on December 4, and she made the fair's announcement card using crepe paper and Dresden from Castle in the Air, photocopying her work onto cardstock. It's always such a treat to see what people make from our materials. Have fun at the fair!

Here We Go!

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Whatcha doin'?" It's a fairly common question at Castle in the Air, especially among the staff. There are at least two qualities I would say we all share here at the shop -- our own artistic expertise and a curiosity about each others' work. So it's often the case that we collaborate on projects, especially large ones around the holidays. Sometimes it's planned, and other times it grows out of that simple question: "Whatcha doin'?"

Take the holiday wonder John McRae's been putting together for us. (I promise I'll tell you what it is soon. I know, I'm dying to tell you too, but I'm kind of enjoying the suspense!) When he realized that it needed a wintry backdrop scene, he asked if I could pitch in. Of course!

So here's one more tantalizing glimpse at what we're putting together. It will be up in the store after the Grand Transformation this Thursday. But until then, you can find out more by dropping by, peering over our shoulders, and asking "Whatcha doin'?"

Animal Spirits

If you venture past Castle in the Air this week, you'll notice that a pair of odd animals have set up a little bar in the front window. It seems that they slipped out from the pictures on the new Max Ernst greeting cards we're carrying. (More on Max soon.) A feline femme fatale? And who is her dapper companion? They must be close, because they're sharing the most intriguing drinks. Maybe they'll offer you a sip!

Looking and Looking Back

We spent time this week preparing some postcards for our upcoming exhibit of children's portraits from the 19th and early 20th century. We're also finalizing our plans for the dates of the show and a reception, so check back soon for that.

What's most striking about looking at these prints, aside from the fact that they were produced by early photography's best-known artists, is the character in the faces of the children pictured. Here's the Portrait of Paul Nadar, Enfant, an 1865 collotype from Felix Nadar.

Some pictures have a bit of legend handed down through the decades. This 1910 gelatin silver print is by Jessie Tarbox Beals and is called Physically Defective Children, an amusing title once you realize that the youngsters' "defect" was that they had tonsilitis!

Other legends are more serious. I love this Julia Margaret Cameron albumin print of The Clogstoun Sisters, from around 1868. But I can't stop thinking about how one of the sisters died a few years after the photograph was taken.

Another Cameron albumin print, from 1872, has got to be my favorite. Portrait of Florence Fisher just returns my gaze every time, and reminds me of the portraits I take of my own girls.

Happy Michaelmas!

Today is Michaelmas, the autumn counterpart to St. George's Day in April and a celebration of the Archangel Michael and his power over Lucifer. In everyday terms, that means winter is coming, so everyone had best gird up and get ready for foul weather and all the highs and lows of the holiday season.

Today at Castle in the Air we're slaying dragons just like George did, even as we hang up devilish decorations in the store. The upstairs gallery space was painted yesterday, and in the coming days we'll be hanging our first gallery show -- an exhibit of photographs of children from some of the best photographers of the early decades of the art form.

Our show will feature prints from Julia Margaret Cameron, Edward Curtis, Gertrude Kasebier, Carl Moon, Edweard Muybridge, and Alfred Stieglitz, just to name a few. We're also delighted to have a number of prints from Lewis Carroll. In the picture above (sadly, not one that will be in the show), Carroll photographed the Kitchin family children playing out the St. George story. My eye is of course drawn to the brave knight and the beautiful maiden, but Mr. Marsh wonders who got roped into playing the part of the fallen soldier. (And what a great use for the family leopard-skin rug!)

The Journey

Today Mr. Marsh brought us a publication from one of his wandering correspondents in Portland, Oregon. He says he's inspired by the magazine--Communicating Vessels--because its publisher rejects so many of the trappings that most of us take for granted, including a computer, telephones, and beginning with the next issue, outside printing services.

Despite the material differences between his publishing and ours, we seem to share common roots in what inspires us. Here's a page from Communicating Vessels where a traveler describes his visit to a "castle in the air."

The journey has been long and hard. I have trudged through cities, villages, towns. There seems to be no place for me. My feet keep moving and moving. Here a place there a place and then over there a place. Wandering and wandering and wandering. Forever wandering. I light my lantern and continue on. Continue on my journey. To where? I couldn't give you precise details. I let my imagination take me on the journey. Why let my weary imagination lead the way? You sure ask huge handfuls of elaborate questions. But I will answer you anyway. My feet are exhausted and my heart is barely mendable so I follow the vast ocean of visions and utopian dreams my mind draws into focus.

Castles standing tall in the air amidst peach and nectarine trees and wild flowers. Wild flowers as far as the eye can see. As you journey into the castle a friendly jester greets you by doffing his hat that extends to the roof. He holds out his hand and you open your mouth in awe. But I will save it for another time. The complete story will be told at a later date. I need to stop daydreaming and get on the road. Get on with my journey. Stop distracting me with your curious questions. I must go. Good day to you and remember to keep your lantern lit. Sometimes the path on your journey can be dim.

To order a copy for yourself, you can send a letter and a donation of cash or stamps to:
Communicating Vessels
Post Office Box 83408
Portland, Oregon 97283

Something Wicked This Way Comes!

Take a Holiday

Castle in the Air is getting decorated for Halloween today, so in that spirit we've decorated the Holidays section of our Online Shoppe with several new vintage postcard images. See for yourself!

The Blue Castle Badge

What's that silver glint on the lapel of the boy you just passed on the street? What's this blue enamel pin on the blouse of the woman standing next to you in the cafe line? Why, it's none other than the Blue Castle Badge, the official sign of noble and noteworthy individuals!

The Blue Castle Badge is awarded to those who have accomplished one or more of the following achievements:
* They have sent a real, paper letter to Castle in the Air illustrated with some of their own artwork.
* They have sent a real, paper letter to Castle in the Air telling us of a good deed they have performed.
* They have been mentioned favorably here on the Castle in the Air weblog.

Scores of people have already earned their Blue Castle Badge. Maybe you'll be the next!

Send your letters to:
Castle in the Air
1805 Fourth Street
Berkeley, California 94710
USA

By participating, you understand that Castle in the Air may use your letters for promotion or as a basis for store merchandise and may display your letters in the store or online. All of us at Castle in the Air understand that your privacy is very important, and we will always do our best not to reveal your personal information.

Fierce Felts

For me, one of the many joys of going to Castle in the Air every day is meeting the amazing artists who stop by. Whether they're shopping for materials, showing us items they've made, or just spending time on Fourth Street, the artists who come into the store all have wonderful stories to tell, both in words and in the works they bring with them.

Take Uma Schaef, a felting force of nature who visited Castle in the Air recently to show us her woolly wonders. These pictures are closeups of a great coat and a shawl she wet-felted featuring depictions of mythological creatures. She regaled us with the folklore behind the visuals for these fierce characters -- did you know that lions are sometimes depicted with antlers, which signify the king of the beasts' roar?!

Uma also showed us a knapsack and a few hats that she'd made. All were incredible in their detail and the freshness of the creatures. It seemed as though they were ready to fly right out of the wool. If you would like to see Uma's creations, give her a call at (510)486-0333.

A Cup of Inspiration

We're giddy this afternoon over this shipment of earthenware mugs. Everyone at the shop's picked their favorite, tall or squat, solid colored or two-toned. An assortment of mugs will be available for students in our classes, and we've put the rest on display in the store for anyone who wants to take a piece of Castle in the Air home with them. Most great projects start with a cup of coffee or tea, why not use your own Castle in the Air mug?

Starting from Scratch

When I first opened my store, I made a real effort to make it a place for artists who didn't want to be boxed in. I sold art supplies, but I didn't carry any finished products made from them. I was busy defining myself as a person and as an artist, and I wanted to leave other people the freedom to do the same thing for themselves.

It didn't take long before I realized that people don't mind a little nudge when it comes to what to do with a blank canvas. Like any artist, I'm often intimidated by all the possibilities that could come from the raw materials of the artistic life. The artists who visit Castle in the Air are no exception. We all need inspiration when our own wellspring isn't flowing as fast as we'd like. So, bit by bit, the store became a place where artists were free to pick up their art supplies and as much or as little direction as to what to do with them. Some people take our classes to make an amazing creation just like the sample they see in the display case, others are happy to pick up some new techniques and take it from there with their own ideas. Everyone comes to Castle in the Air with a different idea of what they want to take away, and I don't think many people go away disappointed.

Downstairs the busy shop is filled with people and papers and pens and books and inks and paints and dolls and decorations and baubles and blotters and whatsits. Upstairs it's empty. I like it. It feels like the right time for a blank canvas, a new start. These white walls are a place to dream. They hold the potential for all kinds of new inspiration. We know a little bit about how we want to continue, to make our loft into something new, but nothing's yet set in stone. Whatever happens with these walls, it will speak to the imagination in each of us, about our work and our lives as artists. It will be its own creation, and just as it was when the store first began, this is another chance to start afresh.

Little Shops Make a Big Difference

One of the nicest surprises I had in Italy was to find so many similarities between the shops in the ancient towns we visited and the shops along Fourth Street in Berkeley, where Castle in the Air is. Of course, we don't have the luxury of being right down the street from the Pantheon like Natalizia's shop in Rome, pictured here. But philosophically and socially there is a lot to compare.

The Italian shops tended to be clustered together in warrens, shopping districts that were destinations in and of themselves. These parts of town had played host to merchants and buyers for centuries -- if the streets could talk, what stories they'd tell!

In a post like this about visiting shops in foreign countries, on a weblog that I use to promote my online store, it might sound odd for me to tout the virtues of shopping locally. But it's something that I sincerely believe in, and the afternoons spent in the little shops in Italy really drove it home for me. What struck me more than anything else was how vital the shops were to creating a sense of community in their neighborhoods, in their towns. Fourth Street is like that for those of us who work down here in Berkeley, and for our regular customers. After spending my childhood watching Fourth Street grow, and following years of running my store, getting lunch at the take-out place next door, buying treats for my dog across the street, and seeing all the other workers and customers day in and day out, Fourth Street is as much my home as anywhere else. I know it's that way for so many people in so many little districts around the world, and I believe it's something we all should cherish and support when we do our shopping.

Colorful Summer Classes

I've been busy the past few days photographing the sample projects our teachers have sent in. We've already listed a handful of upcoming classes at the Online Shoppe, with more on their way. I hope you can make it to the loft studio for a day or two with our amazing teachers!

Why don't you go...

...fly a kite! This morning, John McRae rode the west wind into Castle in the Air with a bundle of wonderful Chinese kites under his arm. Our May Queen let go of her pole and took up the spindle, flying the kites on a magical breeze.

Fantastic Castles!

Among the first pieces of Dresden trim we ever carried at Castle in the Air was this incredible three-dimensional castle. It's about ten inches tall and has doors and shutters that open and a balcony and sign-post that extend out an inch or so. It comes in silver or gold, and for the first time in history... black! I had it made especially for the shop and apparently it had never been done before. I use the silver one as a backdrop for the store's display of the first Dromedary Press title, Castle in the Air, and we've all been fantasizing about using one of the black castles in a spooky Halloween craft project. The castle is one of the many Dresden pieces back in stock in our store, and one of many, many pieces that we'll be adding to the Online Shoppe this summer.

Illustrated Letters

Before there were web pages and blogs, it was more common to see people adding color to their communication by drawing and painting images on the letters they sent through the good old U.S. Mail. Tomorrow Caron Dunn and I are teaching a class on illustrated letters in the studio at Castle in the Air, so this morning I worked up some sample envelopes. What makes illustrating letters such a delight is that it really gives you more time to think about the person who will be receiving it, and making art that you think they'll really enjoy.
Of course, any letter is a joy to receive, especially if it has a beautiful stamp on it. The post-office is raising its rates on Monday to 44 cents for a first class letter, so we bought a new book of stamps for the shop. They've got some wonderful art on them!

Rap-tap-tap!

Throughout the day, visitors to Castle in the Air have been startled by recurring banging and buzzing noises, which seem to be coming from behind the northern wall of our upstairs studio. What could be happening? Kobolds haunt the mines of Germany (just like their cousins, the knockers, do in Cornwall), making lots of noise before a collapse. Perhaps some kobolds have tunneled too far afield and found their way to Fourth Street! Or maybe the goblins from George MacDonald's wonderful book The Princess and the Goblin are digging their way in to steal someone away to their underground kingdom. If we've got any goblins in our walls, we have to guess that they're not here for mischief but to herald some more fun-loving changes at Castle in the Air. Don't run away!

Summer Classes Are Here!

Our summer class mailer is at the printers and will be in the mail soon, but in the meantime, you can get the first look at our offerings at the Castle in the Air website. Click on the "Classes" link to page through our calendar and register online for your seat in our Studio for the Imagination.

The City Doll's Kitchenette

I was upstairs in the Castle in the Air studio today, sorting through our collection of vintage clippings, photographs, postcards, and other what-not to make some ephemera packs for the store. One of the most charming pieces was a folded sheet of paper titled The Little Delineator, the children's supplement to a March 1923 edition of The Delineator, a popular women's magazine. Here's something for the kids to do on a rainy March day using a cigar box and some other household rubbish. (Click on the images to get a closer look.)

A Little Help from Our Friends

Every January, just after the New Year's confetti is swept up and the party hats are put away, we roust the gnomes for help with the first big job of the new year. Because it's every January that Castle in the Air closes for three days to sort and stack and count absolutely everything in the store.

You might not think that fairy creatures would be into helping modern-day retailers with inventory, but the gnomes have a natural knack for this sort of work. The little workers love gathering knowledge -- in fact, they are thought to have been named by the 16th-century alchemist and philosopher Paracelsus, who derived the word "gnome" from the Greek word for "intelligence." And besides, they're small enough to get into all the corners of the store and count all the wonderful things we'll be bringing out in the new year.

So, Monday, January 5 through Wednesday, January 7, Castle in the Air will be closed for inventory. Come by on Thursday to see the new displays!