Kinetically Speaking

Saturday was full of sunshine, hearty brunching and the viewing of fantastical bicycle sculptures making their way around Kensington parks and through muddy mounds on Trenton Ave. This weekend the second annual Kensington Kinetic Derby took place in (where else) Kensington. Below you will find my photos as I journeyed to the far reaches of Philadelphia to watch this wacky and impressive event.

At the head of the pack was the Octopus Bike.


Followed by its lovely blue bicycling ocean waves.

Then came a giant robot bike!

A skull... And many more! Check out the rest of my pictures from this event in my flickr photo album. The derby ended at the Trenton Ave Arts Festival (not in Trenton, I know many people were confused about this). The Arts Fest was full of great vintage clothing, silk screened tees, prints , ceramics, jewelry and tasty mac n cheese. Boto didn't get out to the sales tables this year, because I found out too late about the show. Hopefully I'll be selling my work there next year or building a giant robot headed bike sculpture to parade around the streets of Kensington.

Boto Button Family

Boto Buttons are finally here! These little 1 inch pinbacks first hit the scene last Saturday at the Philly Indie Craft Market. They are now available at my etsy shop.

Select from: Red Sumoboto, Blue Boto, Light Blue Fukurobo, Green Perplexed Planto, Pink Botoka or Yellow Takoboto.

Philadelphia Independent Craft Market

Phew! I did it! My Botos made their official craft show premier this past Saturday. In the compact green walled 941 Theater in northern Liberties, about 40 sellers gathered to sell our paintings, jewelry, t-shirts, glass, extremely vintage clothing, robots and more.

The show was accompanied by some great musical acts and free beer! The friendly sellers and attendees made for a very welcoming environment. I want to thank everyone who came out to the show and all of the gracious sellers who traded their goods and knowledge with me.

And, last but definitely not least, there is someone very special who needs to be thanked: Hanoch Reichert, also known as my dad or aba. I would like to crown him Supa Supporta! He not only bought a t-shirt and pin but also stood by my booth and offered his assistance to any and every boto browser, telling them which canvases matched their eyes and explaining how comfortable his 100% Fine Jersey cotton t-shirt was. It was adorable. Here you can see him in all his boto glory.

Following the show Sam and I decided to drop some newly made boto cash on some artery clogging goodness at Honey's Sit 'n' Eat.

Then we went home and passed out. The end.

My First Craft Show!

Two days ago I was contacted by a fellow Etsy member about participating in The Philadelphia Independent Craft Market, and I decided... why not!

So this weekend Saturday, May 10 2008, 11:00am - 6:00pm I will have a little Boto booth with my paintings, t-shirts, buttons and dolls at the show. It will be my first craft show EVER! If it all goes well maybe I will participate in more shows. If you're in town and want to come down err up to Northern Liberties for the show please do! I've attached the flyer with all of the info.

Botodesigns: The Beginning

After graduating from college I was accepted into the JET Program in Japan. So off I went to Nara Prefecture to teach English at Kashihara H.S. (about an hour SE of Osaka). I lived in Japan for a year and spent most of my time traveling, collecting postcards and enjoying the culture and wacky characters that I encountered on a daily basis.

Somewhere along the line my experience planted the seed of the idea of a robot tourist. It gestated for a few months until Boto was born and soon after came his motley gang of friends and family. And they just keep coming...