Gophers and Cheese

In September 2024, Zac assembled a truly remarkable amount of his Heavy Clothing items that he has made and sold over the past 10+ years and hosted the Cult of Heavy Art Show at Neverest Studio in St Paul.  It lasted 2 days, September 6th & 7th.  I attended the night of the 6th.

Back in 2017, Blue Cat Motorcycle hosted the Ignition Motorcycle T-Shirt Show where artists had designed a number of motorcycle-themed t-shirts for sale.  I still wear the shirt I bought (a red/orange print on a light blue t-shirt featuring a skeleton with a machete riding a motorcycle with the word "Minneapolis" under it) and still have beers out of the pint glass I got at the event.

The Oil & Ink Vintage Motorbike Print Exposition is a traveling art exhibition that came to town Thursday night, the same night as Rumble on the Deck in Stillwater.  After hanging out in Stillwater for a bit, I swung by Create in the Waterbury building to check out some moto-art. There was a small but diverse mix of bikes out front including this old shovelhead. Inside the prints were framed and lined two of the walls (about 20 prints in total).  Music was playing and beer & wine were available.  Each print was available for sale for $100 each (unframed).  There were some that I really liked, but not enough to impulsively shell out $100 with no practical means of carrying it home.  I don't have a lot of suitable wall space anyway. I didn't notice these two guys when taking the photo above, but their reflection in this print makes me smile. The one I really liked was a Vincent that appeared to have been done in watercolor. Out of res...

Thanks for the link on your site Shawn!!!

I am beyond excited to share the new Gophers and Cheese logo at the top of the page.  I contacted Shawn Dickinson a few months ago to see if he would be interested in drawing something up.  I've never commissioned artwork before but I really couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. If you're not familiar with Shawn's work, I think it most closely resembles classic Looney Tunes cartoons, but with a hot rod style.  Here's just a small sampling of his work that I really like.  You can find lots more on his blog and you can buy his work in his store .      

Saturday had two great shows just 3 miles apart in downtown Minneapolis.  I spent the day bouncing back and forth between them.  Since they were so close, I stopped at Chopper Art Show 2 three times and the Ton-Up Minneapolis Rockers Spring Social twice.  I took a lot of pics at both events as well as points in between and will be sharing nearly 150 photos over the coming days so keep checking back! Saturday started off very wet.  I left home while it was still raining.  I tied a bandana between my forks and headed out.  My first stop was Chopper Art Show 2 at the Armory in Northeast Minneapolis.  Mine was the only bike in the lot when I arrived.  My jacket and shins were wet but I wasn't drenched.  The rain actually felt pretty good. I went inside and paid my $10. Not only were there choppers and art but there was some art-in-progress too. Almost anyone who loves motorcycles will be familiar with the work of David Mann...

After enjoying a large cold press at Bob's today, I headed up Lake St. to take a lap around Lake Calhoun but I ran into the Uptown Art Fair .  I decided to stop and take a walk. I got a spot next to a camouflaged Honda scooter.  Can you see it? It was hot and humid (especially in jeans & boots) but that didn't stop the crowd.  There was a great turnout. There were beer tents along the way and I was pleasantly surprised by the fact you could drink on the street. There was also entertainment... ...and food.  Yes, that guy is wearing a corn shirt and corn hat. I was really excited to see a huge pan of paella being cooked in front of Kitchen Window .  I have seen that stuff cooked on TV but never in person.  I got a bowl and it was delicious. Of course there was art too.  These wireframe dancers were beautiful.  The artist, Michael Gard , would make a wax figure, and wrap it in wire and then melt the wax away.  They came in dif...

After riding Arcola Trail, I continued north.  There have been so many times on my way to Taylors Falls that I passed Franconia Sculpture Park but I never stopped.  Since spontaneity seemed to be the theme of the day, I pulled over to check it out. This crane was for sale in front of the park (in case you happen to be in the market for one). There are a ton of sculptures in the park and most are very large (the photos don't quite convey the scale).  The sculptures were much better than I thought they would be.  For some reason, I imagined the place was run by some crazy welder who owned a bunch of land and a junkyard who just liked making crazy stuff.  Maybe it is, but many of the pieces were very good.  I really enjoyed it and it seemed like a great place to bring family. Art was being crafted on premises by a handful of people while I was there.  This artist was busy welding. Here's a small sample of sculptures: Even though I was practica...