Monthly Charlie’s Playground: June 2026
From Amsterdam and Cologne to Chicago zine events, June was packed with travel, printing, exhibitions, and creative inspiration—even if the blog stayed quiet.
Oh noooo!!! I didn’t manage to post on the blog even once in June… and somehow it’s already July!
I’m one day late, but I still want to look back at June. It’s going to be a little different from my usual monthly recap, but here we go!
Early June
I chose this illustration because my baby has been moving so much lately—it honestly feels like she's having a little dance party in there! And I also spotted one of the prints I made at Riso Pop last year!
From the end of May through the first half of June, my husband and I spent about three weeks in Amsterdam for a combination babymoon and work trip.
As you probably know by now, our favorite Amsterdam riso studio, Riso Pop, has been a huge part of my creative journey. Since the owner, Aafke, is on maternity leave, the studio has been inviting guest instructors to teach special classes—and my husband was invited to teach a Risograph animation workshop!
I wasn't involved with the class itself, but on another day I visited the studio to print the thank-you cards for my baby shower back in Chicago.
One thing I discovered at the exhibition: Yayoi Kusama has been painting pumpkins for decades! I was genuinely surprised—and kind of relieved—to realize it's okay to keep coming back to the same motif.
We also took the train from Amsterdam to Cologne to visit the Museum Ludwig and see the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at Museum Ludwig.
The exhibition featured around 300 works spanning Yayoi Kusama's entire career, from her earliest pieces to her newest work. There was so much to see! My favorite room was filled with her giant blow-up sculptures—it was absolutely breathtaking.
And the outdoor installation was incredible too. Seeing Kusama's work displayed with Cologne Cathedral in the background felt almost unreal.
Mid-June
I finally got to visit the First Annual Chicago and Vicinity Riso Exhibition at Epiphany Center for the Arts.
I'd submitted one of my own pieces to the exhibition organized by Spudnik Press, but I wasn't feeling well when the opening reception happened back in May, so I had to miss it.
I'm so glad I finally made it! I especially loved how the work was grouped by different artistic styles instead of being arranged randomly. My piece ended up in one of the colorful sections, which felt just right.
Late June
Here's what our table looked like this time! We decided to put the spotlight on our zines.
I reprinted Uma Kuji, which had completely sold out back in April at Madison Print and Resist.
The reason? My husband and I were invited to exhibit at the ALA Zine Pavilion, held on June 26–27 at McCormick Place.
Since it was part of a conference for librarians and library professionals, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But wow—zines really seem to be getting a lot of attention these days!
So many visitors stopped by our table, looked through our work, shared encouraging words, supported us, and even took our zines home.
And thanks to everyone who visited...
Something Long sold out again!
Looks like it's time for another print run!
Even though I didn't spend every day making art, looking back, June was surprisingly full. I made new work, visited amazing exhibitions, traveled, printed at one of my favorite studios, and took part in another wonderful event.
I'd say it was a pretty satisfying month.
The biggest thing on my mind now is that my baby is due in about two months. Before she arrives, I have a little dream... I'd love to finish one—or maybe even two!—brand-new zines. Will I actually manage it? Who knows!
I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself. I just want to enjoy the process and see where it takes me.