Boxy Mouse

A new attempt to have an active online store will begin in earnest on the evening of Sunday, January 29th. From that day until the end of 2012, a new Boxy Mouse item will be added every Sunday evening. The goal is to have a respectably stocked and functional internet shoppe going into 2013. It’s looking like the first shirt run will drop on week #3. Maybe a coffee cup on week #4? Perhaps a work apron on week #6? Every effort will be made to switch it up and keep it interesting.

REMINDER: There are already Boxy Mouse “heart” button and magnet packs in the store. A perfect little Boxy Valentines gift for sure!

Enough of the sales pitch garbage. Here’s the tiny monkey:

It was a December to remember. The tea garden and Boiler Room shows were a success. The tea garden was especially cool — nearly half the pieces on display sold! The staff couldn’t have been nicer and presented Boxy Mouse a commemorative cupcake when the remaining art was removed (it was eaten in short order, and delicious). Hundreds of buttons were dispensed from the gumball machine, and it will remain there on a permanent basis.

So, what’s going on right now? Well, to start with, a large collection of paintings are hanging in Sebastian Joe’s Ice Cream on Franklin Ave in Uptown. Probably most noteworthy is the new and bigger Hive piece.

And there’s a ton of other Boxy Mouse canvases too.

It was hard to pry Boxy Mouse away from the ice cream case.

The gumball machine locations in January:
#1 Taraccino Coffee
#2 tea garden
#3 Sebastian Joe’s

With the surprising amount of December sales comes the ability do do some fun things. The new and improved online store will start adding things (hopefully one item per week) starting sometime in January. T-shirts, Coffee mugs, “Art for Mice” prints, new button packs and field bags are some of the things you will see in the store this year. Also, most of the new shirts will be printed on American Apparel — the consistent quality and printability are undeniable, and the higher price will be worth it.

Also, a new button design happened:

And more colors for Boxy Jay…

Alas, Manufactory is no more — it closed permanently at the end of December. Drat. It was a great first retail experience, and new sites are currently being evaluated.

The tea garden on Grand in St. Paul is full of Boxiness in December! It’s the biggest collection of Boxy Mouse paintings shown in public to date — right around 30 total including another seven-canvas “Hive”. Plus, a bunch of the small “Art for Mice” pieces are on display for sale. Also noteworthy is the brand new Button Dispensary machine — for 50 cents, humans can take away a tiny Boxy artwork. Truth be told, this started as just another small gig, but has turned out to be a special landmark show. Thanks for support everybody!

The hot topic around here right now is the Gods and Monsters III show at the Cult Status Gallery on Sunday, October 30 8-12pm. Lots of great artists are going to be showing pieces inspired by horror films. Boxy Mouse is pleased to have a couple prints in the show (there might be other little special things as well). It should be a spectacle and worth seeing. There’s probably going to be some pretty brutal material covered (not for the kiddies).

After a lovely 7-week stay, Boxy Mouse has left Espresso Royale. Lots of positive things happened here — many buttons sold, several paintings and prints found new homes, and lots of new Boxy Mouse friends were made. Hopefully another show will happen in the future. That being said, there are still 3 locations that have Boxy Mouse on the walls until at least the end of the month — Captain Cosmic’s Coffee, Caffetto and Sebastian Joe’s in Linden Hills (on Upton Ave). Also, a new infestation is coming up in November at the Boiler Room in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Question: If the gumball-button machine is not in Espresso Royale, where is it?
Answer: Caffetto!

With all the October shows going on, the painting production slowed a bit. Three handsome canvases were completed.

November promises to be a productive painting month. Little hexagon canvases are going to be the main focus. The hive is being built!

Lastly, with the holiday shopping season nearly here, please make sure to support local artists and businesses.

Well let’s get this out of the way: Boxy Mouse will not be at Craft-O-Rama this year. A disappointing setback, but the show goes on with as much enthusiasm as ever.

In more cheery news, Espresso Royale Downtown has extended the show for three more weeks. It’s such a great location and has been a great help to furthering the cause. The show at The Beat Coffeehouse ended at the end of September, and was a pleasing experience as well. The staff was very supportive, and will be missed. Also, two new shows are under way in this month at Caffetto Coffee House & Captain Cosmic’s Coffee. As you can see, lots of Boxy critters are currently out on assignment and the studio is practically empty. Well, WE CAN MAKE MORE! In addition to all the great monthly coffee house gigs, two permanent installations in Minneapolis are in the works — more info to come as things solidify.

Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that the Boxy Button Division (BBD) had some success this month too. The first two gumball machines have raised enough money to afford a third (and well on the way to a fourth) machine. That is exciting indeed. Many thanks to those of you buying buttons from the machines!

It was looking like September was going to be a quiet month, and then the whole “roundness” thing happened. So, in an unprecedented flurry of activity, eight canvases ended up being produced. Three of the “disks” are in Captain Cosmic’s Coffee this month, and three of the round-cornered “tablets” are in Caffetto Coffee House.

The rounded canvases pass the test, and now reside in the enlarged Boxy Mouse section at Manufactory. Now make 6 more for the October shows!