Ah, screen printing - a vexing mistress are you. So difficult, but so handy. Over 100 years old, traditional screen printing requires large and unwieldy accouterments - imagine an exploded Xerox machine with parts sticking out everywhere - but a whole century later, its untidy appearance belies its staying power and demand. The boys behind Bearded Lady, a local screen printing outfit here in Austin, should know. Josh Chalmers and JD Fanning started their studio in 2000, developed a large enough client base to go full-time in 2002, and today, work with everyone from local bands to Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios. We asked Chalmers to chat with Austinist about Bearded Lady, which is gearing up for participation in the East Austin Studio Tour. Visitors can drop by at 3504 East 4th Street - # 47 on the EAST map - and in addition to gawking at comely band posters and design projects, you can also visit with Bearded Lady's security personnel (i.e. very small, very adorable dogs). more ›

Like so many young creatives, Abi Daniel is living out one form of the Austin dream - you move to Austin "temporarily" because you heard it was hip and you love the sunshine then get sucked in by the city's charm and pretty soon, you find yourself with a home, a life, and even a job you can't really complain about. An illustrator who works across many mediums, Daniel was able to land a position as an artist for one of Austin's many game companies. When she's not drawing space machines for a paycheck, Daniel creates refined portraits, often of animals, using watercolor and pyrography. For this year's East Austin Studio Tour, Daniel will be setting up a temporary workspace and gallery show inside screen printing studio extraordinaire, Bearded Lady (located at 3504 E. 4th St.). Abi Daniel talked to us recently about her own messy studio, her "really good nightmares", and what it's like to be a creative in the game industry. more ›

On Good Friday (that's tomorrow, for all you non-observant readers), two gods among mortals in the Austin art world, Michael Schliefke and Ian Shults, are curating a holy showing of art entitled Biblical Proportions. The exhibit will be split up between two East Side studios, Blue Genie and Bearded Lady, where the focus will be on art from the Old Testament and the New Testament, respectively. The over one hundred participating artists have been asked to create a piece of art based off of a story from the Bible. more ›

Bearded Lady Printing is celebrating their seventh year in the screenprinting business with a group art show entitled simply, Friends of Bearded Lady. The show which opens on Saturday will run through March 6th and features fourteen of the studio's favorite artists. The exhibit will feature a diverse group of artists who work in a wide range of media; a departure from the space's usual display of Bearded Lady's own printing work. more ›