Renegade Craft Fair Flies Back to Chicago

No need to get your feathers ruffled. Renegade Craft Fair is making the rounds back to Chicago this weekend, and they’re bringing their trusty mascot along for the ride: the owl.

Not an actual owl (this isn’t Hogwarts), but a paper one designed and printed by Mat Daly. Each year that RCF criss-crosses the U.S., Daly celebrates with a limited edition screen-printed poster of an owl. This year, a snowy owl (one of Daly’s favorites) takes center stage amid a gusty blizzard.

The owl was dubbed RCF’s mascot after founder Susie Daly stumbled upon a vintage burlap tapestry at a thrift store.

“I think owls have always been fairly iconic in American craft imagery,” Mat Daly said.

 It’s fitting then, that it serves as the mascot for a show that has fought to create a place where indie artists and up and coming designers can feel welcome.

The Skinny:

We asked Daly to give us the inside scoop on four fellow printers/illustrators he’s most excited to see at RCF this winter. Here they are:

Dan MacAdam, Crosshair Press

MacAdam turns sites of industrial infrastructure into haunting landmarks.

Jay Ryan, The Bird Machine

Picture animals of all shapes…and professions: monkeys riding bikes, astronaut dogs and plushy orange creatures in trees.

Ryan Duggan, Drug Factory Press

We love good advice, especially when it comes with from such a cute little guy with a bushy tail.

Dan Grzeca, Ground-Up Press

Think bold visuals, stark imagery and subtle color, combined with a painterly bent.