It’s oh so quiet…shhh…shhh…

April 26, 2015April 26, 2015 / bobbimarbles / Leave a comment

unnamedre

What can I say? It’s been some time….a lot of time…since we’ve posted anything, Plans are made, then life happens, and plans change. Last year was a pretty good one. Until there was a very significant death in the family. That put a lot of things into perspective, and….changed plans.

Bobbi Marbles has not been put on hold. Not officially. We still have our Etsy shop, and we have some product in our lovely local shops (The Octopus and the Fox and Haven Skate Shop, wassup ladies!). But as far as new designs and product, we’ve taken a bit of a hiatus. It was more natural to focus on a few other projects for the time being. We do plan on pursuing new designs and products, we just haven’t been able to wrap our heads around anything else for now.

That being said, we have both been so very very busy (call it a grief coping mechanism…call it avoidance…or call it growing up *barf*). We’ve been working very hard, and trying new things. One of these biggest “things” has been Karl’s new work for Stranger Factory‘s three person May exhibition, “UNWOUND“! Karl is making his largest body of work, to date, for this show. The last post here, on this site, was from his participation in last July’s SF x CCM exhibition. We didn’t think we could be more excited for his artwork being in an exhibition, but here we are. Nearly a year later, and Karl finalizing his pieces for this incredible opportunity to show with two other insanely talented artists, Joe Scarano and Scribe.

slide

It’s amazing what can change in such a short amount of time. My dad, Martin Garley, the wonderful man we lost last year, was always so proud of Karl and his artwork. He always teased and said, “One day people are going to point to your paintings and say, ‘Hey look! That’s a Deuble!'”. He even had one of his small paintings hanging up in his kitchen. He won’t be here to see all the hard work Karl has put into his paintings, but I can be proud enough of him, for the both of us.

I don’t know why I decided to get so personal on a blog post that at most, only a handful of people will read. But I feel that it is all connected. Dad dying. Not working on our Bobbi Marbles project. Being too busy to think. And being so excited, happy, proud, and nervous for such a great achievement. I just wanted to share that Bobbi Marbles is not gone, she’s just cat-napping, and that if you need some creepy weird-teethed artwork in your lives for the meantime, go to Stranger Factory in May to see “UNWOUND”. Better yet come to the opening reception on Friday, May 1st, from 6-9pm. We’ll give you awkward high fives!

-B

stranger factory x cotton candy machine.

July 10, 2014July 17, 2014 / bobbimarbles / Leave a comment

it never ceases to please me when i get to share some excellent news about karl and some new opportunity he gets. today’s news is about his participation in an excellent new art exhibition. for the last several months, he has been tirelessly working a new pieces for the collaborative crossover exhibition at both stranger factory in albuquerque and cotton candy machine in brooklyn.

now, after all the time and hard work he’s put into his pieces, the opening is here! karl has three paintings and a limited run of t-shirts at each gallery, and they will be hanging up among many other incredibly talented artists’ work. the exhibition will be up at both stranger factory and cotton candy machine from july 11th to august 3rd (cotton candy machine will have it up until august 10th).

this is what karl has been up to for the past three months…painting for sfxccm with headphones on, while bobbi tries to be as annoying/adorable/in-the-way as possible.

the opening reception at both galleries is on july 11th from 7 to 11pm, local time. make sure you get a chance to check out all the cool art in person this month!

-b

what we’re into wednesdays: podcasts

July 2, 2014July 7, 2014 / bobbimarbles / Leave a comment

i’ts a little late on a wednesday, and it’s a little late in the year since our last blog post.

oh well, onward.

k and i prefer to listen to something while we work. our home is very rarely silent, and if it is, it’s most likely because we both have headphones on. but sometimes, listening to music is not going to cut it. whether it’s because we just don’t feel like figuring out what we’re in the mood for, or the shuffle option on our various devices are playing all the wrong things, we turn to something else: podcasts!

more specifically, comedy podcasts. several years ago, k and i discovered that there was a plethora of entertaining, easily accessible, and FREE content out there. who knew? well apparently, now we knew.

k’s self portrait of what he looks like while he’s working. the headphones are for music and PODCASTS!

we’ve delved into the more “serious” fare of podcasts like this american life, and yes i have even downloaded a few about knitting. (what? i’m a MODERN 28 year old grandma.) but comedy podcasts can get us out of a horrible work related funk, and make a long boring drive both awesome and extremely dangerous because i am laughing so hard i start crying on the freeway.

here’s a list of a few of our favorites:

comedy bang! bang! (formerly comedy death ray)
u talkin’ u2 to me?
cashing in with tj miller
the pod f tompkast
call chelsea peretti
who charted?
how did this get made?
mike and tom eat snacks
professor blastoff!
doug loves movies
and basically everything else on the earwolf podcast network

there are more we listen to or have listened to, but i think you get the idea. we like the absurd and the hilarious, as you can read from our previous post about us liking cartoons. if you have never listened to a comedy podcast, the list above is a good start of what to listen to, and we highly recommend you get started right away. and if you do listen to comedy podcasts like comedy bang! bang!, then we already know that you like to “womp it up”, and that “plugs” is your favorite part of the show.

please let us know if there is any other podcast (comedy or not) that you think we should know about!

-b

we love stranger factory.

February 27, 2014May 7, 2014 / bobbimarbles / 1 Comment

sometime last year, k was asked to come up with a design for an exclusive stranger factory t-shirt. he has been working with the good people at stranger factory for well over a year, printing various jobs for them, and as mentioned in this post, he was invited to participate in their annual halloween-themed art exhibition.

after coming up with several designs, the owners narrowed down their choice to the “stink eyes” design. k printed them up, delivered them, and on january 31, they went live for sale!

hot off the press.

have i mentioned this design is for stranger factory yet?

details.

k used this original sketch of his from 2012 as direct inspiration for the shirt design.

it has been so exciting for k to work with the fine folks at stranger factory, and to be included in the circus posterus collective. if you have yet to peruse their site or visit the physical gallery + store in albuquerque, please do so IMMEDIATELY. we visit stranger factory at least monthly, and always leave with inspiration, a smile, and more often than not, a new purchase to add to our home collection of unique art.

-b

it’s just one of them days, don’t take it personal or: how i learned to stop worrying and love bobbi marbles.

January 30, 2014 / bobbimarbles / Leave a comment

(do you like how i can make both a monica AND a dr. strangelove reference in one blog title??)

tonight’s post is going to do double duty. first, i wanted to write and let everyone know about the valentine’s day art market we will be participating in this weekend. it will be at the very cool factory on 5th, and it’s set to be a very fun time. there is an opening reception on friday january 31st, from 7-10 pm and there will be music, a food truck, and more. saturday’s hours are 10-5, and sunday’s hours are 12-5. we will have a table set up each day, and we hope to see as many of you as possible! we’ve got a few new cards (very much love based), as well as new sweatshirts and stickers.

second, i just wanted to write about what a crazy couple of months it has been. since my last post, last november we participated in our third asunm arts and crafts fair. it was by far the most successful fair we have participated in so far, and we had such a great time! in the last four days leading up to the fair, we were like busy little bees prepping and making so much for our booth. karl designed and printed his ass off, while i sewed and worked my ass off. it really was such a blur, but all well worth it.

i am happiest when i am busy doing what i call “bobbi marbles work”. i love sewing, designing (or rather, asking karl “can you make this idea that i have into something?”), making tags, and yes, even doing inventory and keeping track of our numbers. i know karl is happiest designing, printing, and creating. and we are so lucky to say that we both got to do more of the things we love in 2013 than any year previously. but while 2013 was the most successful year to date for bobbi marbles, it was also a rough year, personally.

i struggled with what’s going on in my own head, as well as with some relationships in my life. it was odd to be really happy about the work i was doing, while also really upset with what was going on in my head + heart. so i’ve made the decision that 2014 is the year for both professional and personal growth.

as i said, since i’m happiest doing “bobbi marbles work”, instead of second guessing our every move, and what everyone thinks of us or says about us, i aim to transform negative energy into positive energy. i’m really proud of bobbi marbles; i think karl and i do something special, and it makes me happy to share it with my partner.

we’ve got a lot more planned for this year. “expansion” is the word that comes to mind for us. just more and more and more of everything we have done in the past three years for bobbi marbles, and in the past eleven years as a couple.

and to thoroughly nail the cheesy-ness factor to this post, i’ll end with a quote by theodore roosevelt:

“comparison is the thief of joy.”

so here’s to the year of being ourselves, and being happy.

-b

bewitching III group art show at stranger factory.

October 25, 2013October 25, 2013 / bobbimarbles / 1 Comment

i’m a little late on this post (what else is new?), but k and i wanted to share with everyone the exciting news that he has art hanging at the bewitching III group art exhibition, at the always fantastic stranger factory. (if you are unfamiliar with stranger factory, it’s time you get acquainted very quickly.)

“the skull” by karl deuble. mixed media, 8″ x 10″. $250

“the witch’s breath” by karl deuble. mixed media, 8″ x 10″. $250

“the bat dance” by karl deuble. mixed media, 10″ x 8″. $250

stranger factory puts on an annual halloween show showcasing local, national, and internationally recognized visual artists and designers. several months ago, k was invited to participate in this always intoxicating and delightful group show. since the initial invitation, i have watched him wrack his brain for ideas, then sketch, draw, print, and paint his way to the five pieces he submitted to the show. each piece is very halloween and very karl deuble.

“the sorcere’s gaze” by karl deuble. five color print on stonehinge, 9″ x 14″. 1 of 10 prints. $80 framed, $40 unframed.

“the fat head” by karl deuble. three color print on stonehinge, 11″ x 11″. 1 of 10 prints. $70 framed, $35 unframed.

the show reception/opening was friday, october 11th, and it was such a fun night. i can’t express enough how proud i was to see k’s art hanging up among many other artists we both admire and appreciate (kathie olivas, brandt peters, mike egan, allison sommers, chris ryniak, amanda spayd, etc. etc. etc.)

the show runs until october 31st, so please head on over to stranger factory at 109 carlisle blvd ne albuquerque, nm 87106, or you can view all of the artist’s works at the exhibition page here.

-b

august planning.

August 20, 2013August 20, 2013 / bobbimarbles / Leave a comment

whoa whoa whoa. how is it possible that we are already this deep into summer? not to sound like an old fogey but, where is the time going? we blink for one second and it’s already the end of august, jeez…

i hate to drop off the face of the earth, but i also find it hard to post about what’s going on when there’s not exactly much to show for it. i mean, we already have several of those posts, oops. but k and i ARE working! the wheels are always turning. we’re preparing to set up an online shop, new products are being designed, and craft fairs are on the horizon, as usual.

we finally got some professional business cards. “because we want to win some lunches!”

we are also planning for…dun dun DUUUN…the holidays! yes, after two years, we have learned that sooner is better when it comes to holiday planning. to anyone else involved in our type of business, this is really no surprise. and in fact, august is not even particularly early, as far as getting the holiday prep started. but k and i are constantly learning as we go, and we’ve learned that starting holiday prep in the fall is ok, but summer (and maybe even earlier) is better. because one day…ONE DAY…it would be nice if we weren’t completely scrambling at the last minute, leading up to holiday craft fairs.

this is some font we’ve been practicing and playing around with for potential new cards.

and really, when it comes down to it, it’s so that we can give our customers more of a variety of product. the more prepared we are, the more we can have for you all to peruse and purchase when the holidays come around. (bobbi marbles calendars, greeting cards, and sweaters, anyone?)

-b

haven skate shop is rad.

July 7, 2013July 7, 2013 / bobbimarbles / Leave a comment

we are so happy to announce that we have some of our merchandise at haven skate shop!

haven skate shop features a large selection of skateboards, longboards, men’s and women’s clothing, and accessories. the owner, emelia, is as cool and nice as can be, so head over, check out her super cool store, and shop shop shop! haven skate shop is located at 114 Vassar Dr SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106.

-b + k

ACE re-cap

June 27, 2013June 28, 2013 / bobbimarbles / Leave a comment

i just loved this sign, it made me smile.

well, everyone, bobbi marbles has her very first albuquerque comic expo behind her. it has been four days since ace ended, and k and i still have a bit of a “hangover” from it. don’t get me wrong, by now we have both caught up on our sleep, have started eating normally again, and we’ve even had some down time to lounge and watch a few movies. (while i iced my carpal tunnel-y wrist. ouch.)

no, the “hangover” we still feel is referring to the feeling after the nagging stress of getting 1000 tasks completed in a very short time period. i can’t help but think, “wait, i have time to clean the house? what bm task am i neglecting? there has to be something i’m forgetting, if i have time to clean the house…”

yes, it was an intense whirlwind, the weeks we spent preparing for ace. but it was all well worth it, because the three days of ace that we spent selling, hustling, and talking with lots of really cool people was just so much fun! there’s really nothing like seeing people stop in their tracks so they can get a closer look at our items, then fork over their hard-earned cash to buy something that we’ve put so much work and love into. it is such an incredible feeling.

our humble table at artist’s alley. i’m convinced k can never take a serious photo.

we genuinely want to thank everyone who stopped by, shopped, chatted with us, and even just cracked a smile or laughed as they looked at k’s designs, when they walked past the table.

i have to say that, even when k and i were just sitting there at our table, when things were slow, we were far from bored! there was some incredibly detailed and well thought-out cosplay going on. and as a self-described voyeur + eavesdropper, i got a kick out of hearing a lot of excited and geeked-out conversations happening. i felt right at home, among so many others who weren’t ashamed to get publicly excited about something they like, something usually considered “nerdy”.

on one last note, i just wanted to say how smoothly everything went for us at the convention center. the staff and volunteers for ace were so great, and they helped make ace an even more enjoyable first time experience for us. so a big thank you also goes out to all those fine people!

we walked away with a lot of great feedback, encouragement, and new ideas, so we will definitely see you again next year, ace!

-b

what we’re into wednesdays – cartoons!

June 19, 2013June 17, 2013 / bobbimarbles / Leave a comment

sorry to give you nightmares, but this is “candy wife” from the marvelous misadventures of flapjack.

looking at a lot of the bobbi marbles’ character designs, it should come as no surprise the k and i like cartoons. there are countless saturday morning cartoons we watched when we were growing up, but this post is about the current cartoons we like now. we are both in our late twenties, so i should probably be more than a little embarrassed to admit how many cartoons k and i tend to watch. alas, i am not embarrassed. i am proud of our vast cartoon dork-dom.

just to give a peek into the types of cartoons we watch, i can tell you that we dvr all new episodes of adventure time, bob’s burgers, the simpsons, and futurama, and we own the marvelous misadventures adventures of flapjack on dvd. we speak and joke in quotes from our favorite cartoons all the time, and in fact a few years ago, i dressed up as leela from futurama for halloween.

yet, these are just a few of the cartoons we watch regularly; i wanted to share the ones i feel give an overall tone to what kind of humor and animation k and i gravitate towards. in my opinion, all of the previously named cartoons tend to be a little twisted, a little dark, and always weirdly funny. if at one point or another while watching a cartoon i don’t say, “what the hell?!” and laugh out loud, then it’s probably not something i watch on a regular basis.

one reason i wanted to write about how k and i are into cartoons is because k is often told that the characters he draws, paints and prints remind people of one of the aforementioned cartoons. “do you watch invader zim?” and “have you seen that show adventure time?” are almost always asked when we do craft fairs. the truth is, k’s cartoon characters have evolved over time, but they’ve always retained a warped air about them. in the past i have affectionately referred to his art as “ugly art”, only because it is unusual and not exactly what one would call “pretty”. his characters (and consequently the bobbi marbles designs) are not exactly cute and cuddly, but that’s what i love about them.

the belcher’s from bob’s burgers and the simpsons are far from perfect american families; fry from futurama is dimwitted and his best friend is a drinking, cursing robot; adventure time is set in a dystopian future; peppermint larry in flapjack has a candy wife that is borderline terrifying. i think it’s safe to say that k and i are drawn to the strange when it comes to cartoons. and without getting too deep or cheesy, we’re into these cartoons because while they’re a little bit odd, they also have a pretty good sense of humor. just like k’s art, just like bobbi marbles, and just like us.

-b