Steamrolled by inspiration in Tacoma

For my birthday this past weekend, I took myself and my husband 40 miles south to Tacoma, for a little creative inspiration. Look what I found!


1. Beautiful weather. It was sunny and dry for most of our visit. From our hotel room we could see Mount Rainier in the distance (it's the one that didn't erupt -- but might someday) and the famous Tacoma Dome (the one that wasn't torn down) on the right.

2. The fabulous Tacoma Art Museum!  We went to see an exhibit of New Mexico art (starring Georgia O'Keefe, of course) and saw much more, including still lifes by Northwest artists. I was pleased with how many paintings were by women. Here are some favorites.

3. A great used book store. Really, really great. The kind with maze-like aisles filled with ceiling-high shelves of well-organized, hard-to-find old books. Tacoma Book Center is just a few blocks away from the Tacoma Dome.

It felt like Heaven. My version, anyhow. I was afraid I might never leave. But leave I did, with lots and lots of great finds (some that will eventually be turned into tablet cases).

4. A vibrant printmaking community. We were incredibly lucky to be in town for the famous "Wayzgoose" event, which brings together bookmakers and letterpress artists from around the area. I met the very talented Chandler O'Leary, whose blog I follow, and I tried using an old-fashioned platen letterpress, like this one.

We watched artists at work.

Oh, and we saw a steamroller make a huge art print.

 How cool is that? Thanks for a fun birthday, Tacoma!

P.S. Here's why it's called "Wayzgoose".