bARTer Sauce Travels to Sacramento, CA

Some of you probably already know about bARTer Sauce. It's my experiment in trading for art and odd objects. Whatever I get -- I trade for something else -- and everyone I trade with has to tell me a story.

The project was supposed to last for one year, but it's been over four years at this point and it is still going strong. I have made hundreds of trades with people all over the US, Canada, Mexico and the UK. I've met some crazies and some people who have become friends for life.

This year, one of my favorite Sauce Traders, Nicolas Caesar, approached me about doing a bARTer Sauce art show at Side Show Studios in Sacramento, CA. I thought it sounded like great fun. I would ship the items in The Sauce that are available for trade (21 at this point!) and Nik would display them and also handle any trades from the Sacramento-ers.

I had huge signs printed with the stories that were submitted with each available item. Some of the past Sauce traders shipped their artwork to display at Side Show as well. It's gonna be a blast!

Are your heart strings tugged? Well, I normally pay out-of-pocket for all bARTer Sauce expenses: shipping, printing flyers, advertising, etc. but I am hoping to get some folks to chip in to help ship bARTer Sauce to and from Sacramento and cover the cost of having the signs printed.

I was just accepted for a Kickstarter campaign. They are awesome. It gives you a platform to do funraising. People make pledges and then if you meet your goal, your project gets funded. Yay!

Help me meet my goal of $500 and get some cool stuff in the process!

How Many Unicorn Posters Have YOU Stolen?

None? That's what I figured.


Well Nik is different. A little bit. Not in a Canadian way -- but still different. Plus, although I've never met him, I do imagine that he smells of almonds. Again, not in a Canadian way -- in a good, almond-ey way.


What am I talking about?
I have no idea.


I meant to do a blog post about my latest trade with Nicolas Caesar and perhaps I should just stick to the task at hand instead of talking randomly about the scent of almonds.


I'll try it.

Mr. Caesar, a frequent Sauce trader and the proprietor of Scary-Art.com, traded with me again. 
A two parter, this one included a Unicorn Poster that he stole along with a Transvestite Robot (well, really just a robot, but he included a weird wig in the box that he sent me so I put it on the robot and started calling it Transvestite Robot. It stuck). 

He gave me those in exchange for the Weird Rooster Thing and a painting I call "I Can See Butt."


Are you wondering at this point how you can grab the Unicorn Poster or the Transvestite Robot for yourself? 


All you need to do is get signed up on the bARTer Sauce website.  Once you have an account, you can make offers on any of the items that are currently available. 


What do you need in order to make an offer: A piece of art or an odd object -- and a story. That's pretty much it. 


Of course, I'll make you do other things like taking picture and answering "interview" questions but those come much later on in the process when you've already invested way too much to back out.  
MMMMmwwwwwwwaaaaahahahahahahahaahhahahahahah

bARTer Sauce Trade: Holy Souvenirs Batman!

The Sauce did a trade recently with Jessamyn. She rules. She once traded me a brain scan. OF HER BRAIN! What? Yes, it's completely true.

This time she came through with what I call: Holy Souvenirs Batman! It's a bunch of little religious medallions. I like 'em. Even though I'm not religious. They're pretty and the thought behind them is nice. They came in a pretty red, velvet box.

And I must say, I'm pretty proud of my photography here. I like the maroon next to the aqua blue. I like the medallions spilling out of the box. In general, I just like them I guess. There, I said it.

And if you don't agree - leave a comment here and I'll send you some examples of my first attempts at taking pictures for my Etsy shop. Wow. They're really, really terrible. So I guess I'm just saying -- I've learned a bit in the last couple of years.

In exchange, Jessamyn got a carnival horse made from sequins on black velvet. She seemed happy about it.

If you're wondering what the heck this bARTer Sauce thing is - read on:

bARTer Sauce is an experiment in trading for art and odd objects. Whatever I get, I trade for something else -- and everyone I trade with has to tell me a story. I document it all on my website.

Now, trade me something.

Newest bARTer Sauce Trade: Mondo JubJub

bARTer Sauce's added a new trade to the family of currently available objects.

I gave Nik (a frequent Sauce trader and proprietor of scary-art.com) a painting I called "Proud Green Boobs" and a huge metal bra to cover some huge boobs that I call "Full Metal Bra."

He gave me this painting called "Mondo JubJub" and a book called "Aku Aku: The Secret of Easter Island."

Read Nik's answers to my "interview" questions.

"What's bARTer Sauce" you ask. What's bARTer Sauce?!

bARTer Sauce is an experiment in trading for art and odd objects. Whatever I get -- I offer up for trade for something else. And everyone I trade with has to tell me a story. That's pretty much the poops of it.

bARTer Sauce Gets a Lesson in Steampunk-ology

bARTer Sauce just did a great trade for this Steampowered Top Hat to Increase Your Thinking Power.

And boy, if that isn't just what I need - increased thinking power.

Gary recommends putting a stick of incense in the top to give it the full effect. I think that idea rules because not only will people wonder why the top of your head is smoking, but they'll be overpowered by hippie smell (minus the b.o.).

This is me - trying to recreate Gary's picture above.

Who knew Photoshop was so freaking hard????

Here's Gary with the Robotic Bug that he got in exchange for the Steampowered Top Hat to Increase Your Thinking Power.

I think he likes it.

And if you like Steampunk stuff, you should check out Gary's Steampunk Beer Goggles. They are super-duper cool.

If you're asking yourself what the heck bARTer Sauce is -- then you're in the majority. bARTer Sauce is an experiment in trading for art and odd objects. Whatever I get, I trade for something else and everyone I trade with has to tell me a story. I document it all on bARTerSauce.com.

bARTer Sauce: Nik Trades me Mosaic Clown Painting and Lost Cock

Nik trades with bARTer Sauce a lot. A LOT. All the time. He trades with me so much that I am really far behind in updating the website with all his trade offers. He trades with me so much that I have officially BANNED him from the site until September 1, 2009. He is not allowed to make any trade offers, no matter what kind of awesome stuff I get between now and then.

How's that for punishing someone who likes your project and participates fully and often.

Yeah, that's how I am.

Ridiculous.

Here's what Nik traded me last time. First, I got this Undead Mosaic Clown Painting. I love it.

It's so very undead and pointy. Plus, red and light blue are really hot colors this season. I'm sure that's what Nik had in mind when he painted it. Fashion. Yeah.

Then he also traded me the Lost Cock which is a technicolor rooster that he promised to trade me long ago but then couldn't find and now found again.

Read more about our trade and find out what Nik got in return.

Make me an offer for the Undead Mosiac Clown Painting

Make me an offer for the Lost Cock

What's bARTer Sauce? Seriously? Ummmmmmmmm...yeah. Try Google. I'm not here to answer all of life's little questions for you. Put forth some effort.

Ray Guns in My Future

bARTer Sauce just traded for a Blueray Gun. It's ceramic. And blue. And super awesome.

I had to give up my Gumball Machine-shaped Kitty Cat Feeder in exchange, but I still think it was worth it.

Are you wondering what the hell I'm talking about? Then you probably don't know what bARTer Sauce is. And that's too bad because I'm not going to tell you either. Google it. You know how.

bARTer Sauce EXPLODED

For some reason there has been a renewed interest in bARTer Sauce, my experiment in trading for art and odd objects. The idea is that whatever I get, I trade for something else. And everyone I trade with has to tell me a story. This past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of trades and trade offers. Ba-zang!

Here's what I got from Will recently (click on the links to read the stories that came with each item): 

A Russian book (Will got Wedding of the No Face Couple in Exchange)

A French Telephone (Will got Terror for Terror in exchange)

This Weird Orange Cross with stuff smooshed into it all over (Will got the Stuffed Dooky Kiss in trade). This cross also came with a somewhat heart-wrenching story about a man named Phil who advertises his "skills" on matchbooks. 

And finally, the pride of pack 314: A trophy shaped like a totem pole commemorating the 1979 Cake Bake. Woot! (Will received a slightly broken Hugs for Jesus statue in exchange)

I'm afraid I had to make an example of Will. You see, many times people I'm trading with send along "extras" with their trades. Things that are odd, yes, but that now I have to deal with. You see, part of the idea behind bARTer Sauce is that I trade for odd things -- BUT THEN I TRADE THEM AWAY -- to other people. For them to enjoy (translation= "deal with"). 

Will was no exception. In fact, the trophy and the book were not sanctioned trade items.  So here's what happened (and what will happen in the future to all Sauce traders who send me "extras"): I "punished" Will by sending him one bARTer Sauce item (of my choice) for each "extra" he sent me. At first Will did not understand this punishment and set about trying to tell me what to send. He did not understand at all. 

You see, this was an opportunity for The Sauce. An inventory overhaul opportunity. And I took it. Will received the Hugs for Jesus statue, which, while hilariously named, is not all the wonderful to look at -- now especially since he arrived a bit worse for the travel and was in several pieces. 

Enjoy Will! Enjoy!

Two New bARTer Sauce Trades

Nik, a long-standing member of the bARTer Sauce family traded me this Super Stripey Pig and this Technocolor Chicken for a Box of Regrets and 2 Empire Carpet Man Bobble Head dolls. See. Then, my friends Kristen and Andy came to visit and Kristen traded me this Gumball Kitty Cat Feeder for my Vintage Farting Duck. See. All in all, a good, good, good, phase of bARTer Sauce. Are you wondering what the heck bARTer Sauce is? bARTer Sauce is an experiment in trading for art and odd objects. Whatever I get, I trade for something else. And everyone who trades with me has to tell me a story. I document it all on www.bartersauce.com. Join us. See what I currently have up for trade.

Vintage Video Game Paintings

bARTer Sauce normally trades everything that comes through the inventory for something else. I made an exception once and just gave something away. For charity. Don't judge me. I make the damn rules people. I make the rules.  My friend & ex-roomie Val is involved with SketchFest and they had a fundraiser. I had lots of drinks at said fundraiser. 

At one point in the evening the auctioneer said he wanted to try something different. He told the audience that we could offer up services or things that we own to the other people at the fundraiser. If the thing got a bid of a certain amount -- then we kept going. There were all kinds of cool things -- like for example, I got grant writing help from Brett Fetzer for $75. Worth every penny. 

I offered up the receipient's choice of any bARTer Sauce item I have in inventory. 

Yes, it's true: I'm sure no one had any idea what I was talking about. 

Yes, it's true: I bid on way too many things. 

Yes, it's true: Val liked her paintings. Can't you just tell by the look on her face?

Val came to pick up her item at the last First Thursday Art Walk. She chose two paintings by Sean Leary that both have a kind of 80's video game theme. Awesome!

What's bARTer Sauce?

It's an experiment in trading for art and odd objects. Anyone can participate as long as you tell me a story. Check out everything that's currently up for trade.

bARTer Sauce -- Two-Face Jane

"Two-faced Jane" is the newest offer on bARTer Sauce. I think I'm in love with her giant, mutant button eye. There's just something about it. Maybe deep down I wish that I, myself, had a giant, mutant button eye instead of a regular eye. Perhaps that would make my cat cease and decist on the waking me up by sniffing my eyeball routine that has become so popular in the mornings these days. Rachel submitted "Two-faced Jane" as an offer for the "Brain Scan."

I'm pretty sure I'd be crazy not to take her up on it which is why I immediately accepted her trade offer. You will be able to submit your own trade offer for "Two-faced Jane" shortly. Check the website in mid-February and she'll be prominently displayed for all to bid on. Are you wondering what the hell I'm talking about? What the hell is bARTer Sauce? What the hell is a "Two-faced Jane" and why the hell are you giving someone a brain scan for it? Well -- first, I would ask you to watch your language in front of the children. But, if there are no children around - -please -- continue to tear it up.

And to answer your questions: bARTer Sauce is an experiment in trading for art and odd objects. Whatever I get, I trade for something else. And then I trade that thing for another thing. And it pretty much goes on forever. Everyone who trades with me has to tell me a story. I document it all on the bARTer Sauce website.

bARTer Sauce Remixes

A couple of my bARTer Sauce traders like to remix the art that they get from my project and turn it into other arts. Here's some of their recent, cool stuffs. Introducing: Angry, Naked Guy You can read the story behind Angry Naked Guy on the bARTer Sauce website. I got Angry Naked Guy from Sean and then traded him to Nik who, Temple says, used to hang it right above his toilet. "Nik had it hanging in his guest bathroom for a long time, right behind the toilet, so men had to stare at it while using the facilities. I hope it reminded them to put down the toilet seat. From there, I inherited it as a boon from some poker game or random holiday bet. Then...this art show came up in Sacramento....Love and Lust....all pieces must include the human figure....and we really didn't want them men to be left out of this concept of the figure inspiring lust....so I made him a hat and a sexy chain fit for the Folsom St. Fair, and he's going on parade." Oh my. Here he is now... Horny, Naked Man. Temple added an awesome assemblage hat made from a thrashed vintage mink coin purse and national geographic ram horns. She also added a laced up silver chain around his ankle and aged the paper with a sepia varnish...awe yah...and glued him down to a 20 x 30 canvas. Yee Haw! Stacy painted Brick Man and then traded it to bARTer Sauce. I traded it to Nik who turned it into...... DRACULA!! Check out more of their stuff at scary-art.com. And if you're not sure what the hell bARTer Sauce is -- you're not alone. It's an experiment in trading for art and odd objects. Whatever I get, I trade for something else. And everyone who trades with me has to tell me a story. Them's the rules.

New bARTer Sauce Trade

Lookie what I just got for bARTer Sauce.

Yes, it's a flying Pee Wee Herman skeleton guy with a light-up crotch. How on earth did you get that on the first guess?

Amazing.

I traded it to Nik from http://www.scary-art.com. He got a fancy mask. Read about our trade.

Did I just hear you ask, "What's bARTer Sauce?" No? Oh.

Well, bARTer Sauce is an experiment in trading for art and odd objects. Whatever I get, I trade for something else -- and everyone I trade with has to tell me a story. I document it all on http://www.bartersauce.com.

Newest Sauce trade story

Jesamyn traded me a mask that she made for Drag Queen Clown in my trading experiment, bARTer Sauce. Everyone who trades with me has to tell me a story -- she did hers as a comic book:

2008 Glitter-Off Championship

I got into a glitter-war with this woman. I thought I would have a chance since most of my Shower Arts use glitter. I was wrong. Competing in the Glitter-Off was a huge mistake for three reasons: #1 Rebecca is an artist who has experience with glitter. #2 Rebecca was recovering from surgery and had huge amounts of free time to devise a plan. #3 Rebecca is evil. In the beginning, it was a passing comment during an email exchange about a bARTer Sauce trade -- I don't even remember exactly what -- but something about how we should have some sort of glitter-off competition. I immediately forgot about it. But Doug was soon reminded....when he went to get the mail and there was a huge envelope just full of glitter that was getting all over everything. Well done, Rebecca, well done. I thought forever about how to get her back but came up with nothing. So I made her a trophy and mailed it to her. I admit defeat in the 2008 Glitter-Off Championship. That does not however, mean that I give up my right for revenge. Now, go watch Rebecca glittering up a pig.

I'm SICK -- but Look What I Got

I sneezed yesterday at work and all of a sudden, I'm completely sick. It was weird. For the past few days, I've felt like I was fighting something off and I think that sneeze was my last chance to rid my body of whatever was trying to get in. My body lost and now I'm in my jammies doped up on all kinds of decongestant and cough syrup. I apologize in advance if this blog is "wackier" than normal. And now...the bARTer Sauce update:

bARTer Sauce is an experiment in trading for art and odd objects. The basic idea: whatever I get, I trade for something else. And then I trade that thing for something else again. And on and on. The only rule: everyone who trades with me has to tell me a story. About anything. Just a story.

First Jen -- I call her Jen Snuffalupagus because she has a really long last name and I can't pronounce it. She traded me these two pieces for a giant painting of a pigface.

Here's us making the trade at my studio: Then Tara traded me one of the Twisted Tree t-shirts that she designs and screen prints for a painting of a two headed boy. Here's us making the trade at the EtsyRAIN show in Kenmore.

And finally, the vintage, tattooed farting duck that I got from Nik for a Red Screamer. Here's the awesome farting duckie:

Heck yeah! If you want to trade for anything you saw here, visit bARTer Sauce, create an account and send me a trade offer. There's more available for trade than just what you see here. Check out the full list.

Look What I Got - A Double Sauce Post

My two most recent bARTer Sauce trades are both terrifying and also very, very, very, super-duper cool. First, Nik from Scary-Art.com (who is a rather frequest Sauce trader) gave me this painting of a Two-Headed Boy and a Robotic Bug sculpture for an Evil Looking Doll Lamp and a Space Alien in a Ship. Two-Headed Boy makes me giggle. He has so many eyes. And the teeny, tiny fangs are terrifying. And the Robotic Bug...... He's silver ....and POINTY!

And then on Wednesday, Gary traded me these four "Punked Up Nun" sculptures. I put them in the window of my shop and people have been walking by all day and shreiking. Awesome.

A close-up of my favorite: Sister Mary Dreadlocks:

If you're asking yourself, "What the hell is she talking about?" then you probably don't know about bARTer Sauce, my experiment in trading for art and odd objects. You should check it out. It's sometimes funny.

Look What I Got

I call it "Super Bright Kisses" for reasons I think might be obvious. I recently did a bARTer Sauce trade with a nice lady named Laura from my EtsyRAIN group. She makes pottery and stuff and sells it in her Etsy shop: LAS Designs. You should buy one of her mugs. I have two and I drink coffee out of them all the time. I highly recommend coffee -- and Laura's mugs. Read Laura's story that came with the bARTer Sauce trade. Read about the trade. Here's some pictures of Laura's super-cutie-potato-face son who came to the trade too and seemed obsessed with Shower Art. He's a winner in my book:

Here's Laura and I doing the trade at the September First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square. I always stick my tongue out for the first picture for some reason. And the second shot is where I go for moderately normal. If you would like to trade me for "Super Bright Kisses" or anything else that is currently available through bARTer Sauce, get in touch -- rosalie(at)bartersauce.com. What the hell is bARTer Sauce? It's an experiment in trading for art and odd objects. The only rules: Whatever I get, I trade for something else. And everyone who trades with me, has to tell me a story.