Thought-Full Art Studio

A conversation...

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Fall Finally Arrives

Sitting in my home today with all the windows open. A welcome event in Texas. The 49th Annual Edom Arts Festival was last weekend and it was terrific. It was a little warm but no rain and a great crowd. A huge thank you to those who put on the show, all the volunteers who take care of the artists, and the town itself for its hospitality and devotion to this show.

My next show is not until 2022 (dates still firming up). For the next few months, my wife and I will be working on getting the website refreshed and we will offer some discounts so please check back often. I would really appreciate your signing up to receive notices from my website and hope you will do so. I won’t spam you (or at least my wife won’t – she handles most of the site updates). Use the Contact form below (and thanks in advance!).

Have a wonderful Fall. I hope that you will be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family. I hope that folks who are eligible will choose to get vaccinated and help protect themselves and those we love. It would be great if we could move into 2022 with this disease as a nuisance more than the devastation it has been for the past two years. There is a lot of work ahead to repair all the damage of the past few years – spiritual, physical, and economic. I hope we can all leave the pettiness and anger behind us and move forward to a better future. God bless.

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Edom Art Festival – 10/9-10/10

I’m looking forward to participating in the Edom Art Festival in October. This will be my only show this Fall. Hoping that people will get vaccinated and wear masks until we get Covid under control and that next Spring will be a better show season for all artists. I am not sure if the festival world will survive if we cannot get this under control by the end of this year. It is extremely tough to put on festivals – requiring a LOT of paid and volunteer work. Many festivals and artists took a hard financial hit when Covid started because spring show costs had already been paid out. Since that time, it has been hard to catch up. If you can safely do so, please vaccinate, wear a mask, and show up for artists. Consider purchasing online from their various outlets. I have a shop on this site and also have some items available on Society6.

My son is a talented artist and he also has items available on Society6 and through other venues. Young artists, in particular, have been hit by the lack of viable venues. While selling virtually is great – selling directly to people standing right in front of you is so important to artists. Getting feedback and encouragement from customers is one of the most valuable and treasured opportunities of art festivals.

Be safe out there! Hope to see you soon in person!

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Long Hot Summer Ahead!

The Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts was great – and extremely hot! Normally that show is held in April when weather in Oklahoma is punctuated by cool evenings and occasional rain. It was a marathon to get through, and I am so grateful to all my former and new patrons who went out of their way to attend and purchase art!

For the first time in many years, I came back from my very short “art season” to a garden still in active production. I’m enjoying gathering in cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes! I do not have any other shows on my calendar at this time until Fall. I’ll post those dates when they become available.

With the rise of the Covid Delta Variant, numbers are again ticking up here in Texas and across the country. For us to beat this thing and get people safely back to work, make events as safe as possible, make school as safe as possible for teachers and our children, and to enjoy a Fall of true Thanksgiving and holiday blessings – we HAVE to work TOGETHER.

Please – if you have not been vaccinated – reconsider and take action. Getting vaccinated was the most personally liberating act for myself and my wife. Not only do we know that we are safer – we know that we are doing the best we can to help others remain safe. Nothing is “foolproof” and from the beginning, scientists have made it clear that these vaccines are about 95-99% effective against Covid 19. But, in addition, for those who do contract Covid and are fully vaccinated, hospitalization is typically not necessary and they can very often be treated at home.

At this time, over 95% of those being hospitalized are unvaccinated. The AVERAGE hospital stay for Covid patients is seven days. I don’t know if you have ever been hospitalized, but even without life-saving heroics such as ventilators and ICU care, the costs are prohibitive even if you are lucky enough to have insurance. This isn’t political. This is just good, basic science. God bless and I do hope we can have a Fall art season. It really does depend on people stepping up their game in regard to Covid.

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The Neighborhood Series

“The Neighborhood” series of original artwork will be available in my booth at the Summer 2021 Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts. The show dates are June 22-27, 2021 and I am in booth 24B.

This fun little series evokes the feeling of a “Creature Apartment Neighborhood”. It makes a humorous and interesting installation when two or more of the framed series are hung in a row. Since we have all recently come through a time where we were watching our world largely through our windows, I thought how creatures might have participated in the same experience. I will post a couple of images in an upcoming post.

If you need information about the upcoming festival, you can visit their web page at Festival of the Arts – Arts Council Oklahoma City (artscouncilokc.com) or their Facebook page at Arts Council Oklahoma City | Facebook.

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Spring 2021

A few people have reached out asking what shows I will be in this Spring. With the pandemic still in high gear and the vaccination rollout still struggling (getting better though), I am not planning on participating in any Spring 2021 shows. I have a show scheduled for mid-Summer 2021 but we just have to wait and see whether or not that holds. Some states are doing better than others in terms of getting people to wear masks and socially distance and that is a big factor – along with the vaccination rollout – for my safety and the safety of customers.

I hope that you and those you love are remaining safe and well. For the sake of everyone, I ask that we all take care of one another by wearing masks, follow CDC guidelines on social distancing and hand washing. We know these things work and can make a significant difference in transmission of the virus. I’m striving to do my part – and hope you will as well.

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New Prints Added

I’ve updated my shop with some additional prints. I’m trying to post all the prints I normally take with me to arts festivals as quickly as possible. If you do not see something, please use the Contact form and describe it as best you can and I will get back to you quickly.

Three of the prints currently listed also have the original artwork still available: The Vegan (black and white version), Catch 22, and Through the Curtain. If you are interested in the originals, please use the Contact form and I will get back with you to discuss the details.

The Randy Brodnax show that I have been blessed to participate in during the Fall had to cancel. But they are trying to put together an online “show”. Once that is set up, I’ll post information here and on Facebook on how to view, share, purchase art, etc.

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Cottonwood Arts Festival News

Update – 7/18/2020 – Cottonwood Arts Festival Fall Show has been cancelled. We hope things will be better in 2021. Be safe and do your best to keep others safe as well.

C.J. Bradford

Festival leaders are trying hard to figure out how to plan in this environment of change. One festival that has been very active in keeping in touch and promoting artists in the DFW area is the Cottonwood Arts Festival team.

I have been blessed to be part of this festival most years since 1985. I am very honored that they are highlighting my work on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CottonwoodArtFestival/videos/197180664714693

There is a special promotion for the month of June so I encourage you to visit their page and come back to shop!

I hope that you remain safe and well. I miss seeing you and interacting with you. I especially miss hearing the stories from young and old about how they are trying to explore art themselves. I look forward to seeing you down the road.

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Documentary Video

I’ve been really blessed in the last few weeks – in many ways. While I miss my art show community and the opportunity to interact with customers, I’ve found some times of real joy and peace working in my garden.

I’ve always planted lots of flowers and have had a vegetable garden since I had my first home. But typically I plant the garden in early spring and then am in a mad dash to shows, with only a couple of weeks of free time here and there. So my garden would start out lovely and by the time the shows settled down, they were overgrown, weary, sun baked.

But this year I’ve had the opportunity to really enjoy Spring for the first time in nearly 40 years. I realize that this time is absolutely horrendous on a national scale, and I would gladly give up my garden time to be back selling art and knowing that those I care about are safe from a pandemic and economic ruin. But we look for small blessings in this midst of these kinds of events and I am truly grateful for the vegetables now coming out in my little “patch”.

Also during this time, a long awaited documentary of my work has now been made available. Ms. Sissel Anderson is a college student who does extraordinary film work. She chose me as a project for a competition. She and her team worked tirelessly over many weeks to put this together. I’m so excited that she won 3rd place in the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association for Excellence in Texas Collegiate Journalism! Below is a link to her YouTube. I have also posted the video on my Facebook Page

A Documentary by Sissel Anderson

I know we are going to see/hear more about Sissel in the years to come. Hope you enjoy the video!

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Stay Safe

All spring shows have been cancelled. While several hope to reschedule in the Fall, we won’t know for some time. My prayer is that each of you remain safe and can avoid this disease.

My wife and I are practicing shelter in place. We are grateful for the world of technology that allows us to stay in contact with friends and family by telephone, email, and virtual meetings. I hope that you are finding ways to stay connected.

To the health professionals, first responders, and the many people who are continuing to work in essential businesses, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Your service is critical for us to get through this. We know that an unprecedented number of people are suffering terrible economic issues and that is heart breaking.

We are going to beat this thing. We must practice social distancing and do our very best when we must get out to protect ourselves – and to protect others – by respecting the laws of science in regard to this virus. The more we do this, the quicker this will be over and the faster we can all get back together and work to rebuild what has been lost and damaged.

God bless you and keep you during this time.

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Corona Virus and Show Impacts

Please visit my Show page for information on Spring 2020 shows. As would be expected, it has become necessary for show officials to postpone and/or cancel large gatherings as everyone works to stop the progress of this virus within communities.

I want to encourage everyone to at least take the minimum precautions when out and about in your communities. Each of us can have a positive impact by simply maintaining responsible behaviors toward ourselves and others.

  1. Wash your hands longer and more frequently.
  2. Keep hands away from your face and the faces of others.
  3. For now, a shoulder bump is better than a handshake.
  4. Stay informed and stay calm.
  5. Respect those who are in high risk categories (elderly and/or those with preexisting health conditions) by following the previous suggestions.
  6. And stop hoarding toilet paper. Really. Stop.

Be safe and be kind and I look forward to when this is behind us and we can once again have a fun time at some of the great festivals around the country.

And a reminder – you can order from me on this website! Thanks!