poochie-coochie

I went to Pecha Kucha night at Frontier Gallery in Brunswick yesterday and it was a lot of fun. The event was completely sold out (as usual) and I was fortunate to have gotten in. I managed to snag the last reservation that morning, and the ladies I attended with were able to get in on standby...whew! The presenters all had really interesting and diverse work to show, and the stories were equally fascinating (check out www.pechakuchamaine.org to get an idea). I left feeling very inspired, and I know the women I was with felt the same way.

Even though Pecha Kucha has been very successful, no one seems to know how to properly pronounce "Pecha Kucha". According to the website, the correct way is to say "peh-chak-cha", but most people just pronounce it phonetically...and some even say "poochie-coochie", as the MC did last night (with a big smile on his face).

more than just cookies

Terry and I had dinner with our friends Heather and Matt last night. We always have a great time when we get together: good food, good wine, lots of laughs and animated conversation. After we ate, Heather showed me a recent find from the local flea market - a 1959 copy of "The Girl Scout Handbook". I was never a Girl Scout, but I found it fascinating to be leafing through a book filled with rules and guidelines for the proper conduct of young ladies who were. There was a section on famous American women, there were tips about how to handle gossip-y situations, there was even a chapter on arts and crafts. I liked the paragraph entitled "Drawing and Painting" so much that I wrote it down (and now here it is, straight from page 118):

"Through drawing and painting you can talk to people all over the world and be understood. You paint a picture to say something about the way you feel. It is like writing a letter or telling a story, but you do it with color, form and line."

The simplicity and accuracy of these words really struck me. I wonder how many Girl Scouts over the years have gotten inspiration from those sentences...

putting-it-all-together

I had so much fun in New York! The "Putting-It-All-Together" show at climate/gallery was amazing and I'm so happy that I was involved. The opening reception was totally packed and there was a lot of really incredible artwork on display; plus, the thrill of having my work hanging in a place with a view of the New York City skyline was something I will always remember. Thank you, Julia, for sharing it with me, and thank you, Alley and Bill, for surprising me at the gallery with your smiling faces. My only regret is that I didn't take more pictures!

i want to be a part of it...

I am in a show that opens this week and I am very excited about it. The show is entitled "Putting-It-All-Together: Collage, Montage, and Assemblage", and it's at climate/gallery in Long Island City, New York. This is the first all-collage show I've been in, so that will be a new experience for me; additionally, it's in New York and that's where I'm originally from, so that makes it exciting too. (If you're reading this and you'd like further details, please check the "shows" page on my website: www.brushstrokesbymaria.com.) I just hope the weather is clear for my trip there and back!