Tag Archives: 80s kids

Crow & Calico Tavern Displays Living Dead Girl Nicole’s Pee Wee Art!

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As you may recall the first sale I made from my booth at Crow & Calico’s Unruly Art Market was from Loren, the location owner. He purchased my It’s Gonna Be That Kind Of Morning, Pee Wee Herman canvas print and told me he planned to hang it in the bar.

Well after a number of intense and dangerous storms hitting our area week after week, we finally had some beautiful days this past weekend. On Sunday my husband pulled out his Trans Am and we took a ride to the cemetery to visit my Uncle’s grave, and as anyone knows its never easy celebrating the life of someone you hold so dear that is no longer with us. So Frank decided to surprise me and as we were pulling out of the cemetery he told me we were gonna take a little longer of a drive. I realized as we got closer that he was taking me to Crow & Calico. He knew I needed a much needed kitty fix from Whiskey and to cheers a drink in honor of my Uncle’s birthday.

When we went into the bar Frank pointed with excitement and said “Look! It’s your Pee Wee!” and low and behold there it was on display!

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t totally geeking out when I saw it hanging on the wall in there. I mean I know Loren told me he planned on hanging it in the bar, but to actually see it on display really brightened my day and I am truly grateful for yet another art collector that sees something special in my work.

So please if you are in the Midwest be sure to pay the Crow & Calico Tavern a visit. It’s ran by the nicest and most creative people you will ever meet and they hold so many unique events and markets there. It’s an absolute gem of a place to discover.

And if you want a canvas print of this piece for your own be sure to shop online via my Etsy shop or in person from my Cabinets of Curiosities at Closet Collectibles in Crete, IL. The shop is actually not that far from Crow & Calico so you can even make a little adventure out of it by visiting and supporting two incredible spots that support me as an artist. Be sure to tell them both that Living Dead Girl Nicole sent ya!

And if you are new here, be sure to check out this photo from Crown & Calico alongside many of the other happy art collector photos and video submissions that are featured on the Freaky Fanatics page of my portfolio website. Want to be added? Then be sure to take photos or videos of yourself rocking, displaying, or even gifting my art and contact me to be featured!

Stay Strange & Magical ✨
LDG Nicole

Evolved Art Gallery Pee Wee Herman Tribute Exhibition will Feature Signed Prints by Artist Living Dead Girl Nicole

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🤖 The word of the day is “EVOLVED” because I am totally geeking out 🤓 while signing and packaging up these giclee prints of my “Its Gonna Be That Kind Of Morning” pencil and colored pencil art piece.

They are headed to California and will be available for purchase at the Evolved Art Gallery during their “I Know You Are But What Am I?” art exhibition in tribute to the legendary world of Pee Wee Herman.

As you all know I have been a huge fan of Pee Wee Herman/Paul Reubens since I was a little girl. I am literally surrounded by his movie posters and 80s playhouse toys in my living room as I type this out. My art piece as well as my tattoo of him are even featured on his website. What you may not know is after drawing this art piece my husband and I traveled to a convention in Indy to meet and gift it to him. Unfortunately he had to cancel his appearance. The following year I purchased tickets for us to meet him during his big Pee Wee’s Big Adventure Anniversary Tour but due to COVID lock downs he was forced to cancel his last two shows, and Chicago happened to be one of them.

Then the worst news possible shook the playhouse with his passing and now the art piece sits framed in red still in the gift bag I was going to give to him along with a card expressing the ways he positively impacted my childhood and the wacky loner rebel that I am today. So in other words this piece is as sentimental to me as Pee Wee’s bike 🚲 was to him and I did not want to risk it getting lost in the mail. The gallery owner Christina was impressed by my work and felt it really aligned and reflected the love and passion she is looking for in this special tribute exhibition so she suggested another way for my work to be a part of the show and I immediately said “AHHHHH!” (in my best Pee Wee voice) and got a hold of my printer.

So if you will be in California from July 11th – August 30th, 2026 be sure to bring your inner child to the Evolved Art Gallery in Ventura and check out the free and open to the public “I Know You Are But What Am I?” art exhibition in tribute to the wonderfully weird world of a true legend. There you will find my signed prints available to purchase at the gallery.

And if you are new here, be sure to check out the Creature Features page of my portfolio website. There you can find this exhibition listed amongst some of the other unique places my art has been featured over the years.

And if you are interested in showcasing my work, let’s connect, chat and make some magic together!

Stay Strange & Magical, ✨
LDG Nicole

An Unforgettable Evening With Howie Mandel

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Never let anyone tell you that your art will get you nowhere, because getting amazing seats and going backstage at a Howie Mandel show is a pretty epic place to be! 🤩✨️

This weekend was filled with so much joy and perspective. At one point during the evening I was looking up at the beautiful ceiling of the Genesee Theatre and it hit me that this unforgettable evening I was having with my husband all stemmed from a piece of art that I envisioned and created.

There I was, 45 years old, standing next to Howie Mandel, all because I had picked up my drawing pencils to engage with my 8-year-old inner child. The little girl who fell in love with a movie that made life less scary, because there was always the possibility that a high-energy, baseball-card-collecting, Dorito-munching, home-goods-smashing, bully-revenging, apple-juice-pissing, homework-eating monster of a friend was just a bedtime away.

That’s when I got this overwhelming sense that my younger self would be so proud of where her art has taken her. That she would be so glad she never listened to those who told her that art would get her nowhere. Because although it has not made me rich financially, it has blessed me with so many amazing life experiences that my younger self could have ever imagined. And to me that is somewhere.

5 years in the making, and I truly can not thank Howie’s Manager Rich enough. Not just for an unforgettable evening but for also pushing me to take a risk and ship an original piece of artwork to him because “Howie saw it and loved it so much”. The heart of this “little monster” is now fuller than “an elm tree”😆💗🌳 and you made that happen.

Stay Strange & Magical,
LDG Nicole

*Tattoo featured in reel was done by the incredibly talented Luke Reubelt at Untold Gallery.

Lydia Unboxes 80s Pop Culture Art by Living Dead Girl Nicole

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My newest art collector, Lydia, discovered my artwork after we connected over our artistic outlets of expression (give this girl a harp or piano and you won’t be disappointed) as well as our mutual pop-culture obsessions on LinkedIn. When I learned she also has a soft spot for Jeff Goldblum, it felt perfectly fitting to see an Etsy order come through from her for a canvas print of my “Insect Politics” split-face portrait of Brundlefly. And because we both share a deep love of 80s kids’ nostalgia, it made total sense that she would take the opportunity to snatch up one of my Limited Edition Totally 80’s sticker packs while I still had some in stock.

True to her generous spirit, Lydia didn’t just enjoy her new art privately, she shared the excitement by posting an unboxing video across her social media, snapping a great photo of her purchase, and even left a heartfelt 5-star Etsy review that absolutely made my day.

“I am a HUGE Jeff Goldblum fan and was thrilled with this beautiful art of Jeff and the Fly! The hand drawn stickers of Pee Wee, Labyrinth, Little Monsters are amazing with detail! Beautiful pieces of art and excited to add these to my 80s collection. 💕🙂” – Lydia B. on Etsy

It’s collectors like Lydia that remind me that those who really get my art will one day discover and love it as much as I did creating it. I am so honored to have my work on display in the happy space of her home filled with so much rad 80’s nostalgia!

If you’re new here, be sure to check out Lydia’s photo and video submissions featured alongside some of my other happy art collectors on the Freaky Fanatics page of my portfolio website.

And if you are looking for an extremely talented harpist and pianist, or an enthusiastic travel agent, be sure to connect with Lydia on Linkedin! She also has a travel vlog diary on Youtube, a Spotify channel for those looking to zen out to her music, and a totally tubular 80s themed TikTok for those who are feeling nostalgic! Find and support them all here!

Looking for some new art for your collection or to add some unique spark to a special space in your home? Shop my creations! And if you already have, be sure to take photos or a video of yourself rocking or displaying my artwork and contact me to be featured!

Stay Strange & Magical ✨
LDG Nicole