spring fling!

I just found out that I've been chosen (along with 24 other artists) to participate in Cyon Solutions' "Spring Fling" fundraising event on Saturday, June 2nd, at Pineland Farms! This is a juried show to benefit the Odd Fellows' Home of Maine: Cyon Solutions (of Topsham) is hoping to build two new sustainable long-term care facilities in Auburn as part of the "Green House Project", and they are looking to beautify both the existing facilities and the new buildings with local art. It sounds like it's going to be a fun event, too: dinner and dancing under a heated outdoor tent, with food catered by Black Tie Company and music provided by the Saco River Jazz Band. Pineland Farms is known for its wonderful hiking trails, so I'm looking forward to a little exploring as well! There's also a $500 commission up for grabs for two of the artists in the show...keep your fingers crossed! If this event is something you might be interested in attending, here is a link with information about times and tickets:
https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/events/291837267565971/

second things second

Last night was the beginning of Brunswick's Second Friday Art Walk season! It was a lovely evening for an art walk. I was set up at The Inn at Brunswick Station, which is a beautiful place. I was right near the front entrance, with my paintings set up on either side of the fireplace. I couldn't have asked for a better spot. It took me just over two hours to set up, so it's a really good thing I got there when I did. Last night was my first time using my brand-new (even though they're technically used!) metal grid displays. I am very happy to report that they were easy to set up and break down. Dealing with getting the S-hooks to stay on, though...that's another story! I was able to make everything work, but it might be worth investing in some hooks that aren't so aggravating (and time-consuming). Live and learn, I guess!

The Tavern at the Inn allows patrons to bring drinks into the lobby, so I was able to enjoy a nice glass of Malbec (it was a generous pour, I might add) with Prentiss Weiss, one of the other "pop-up" artists. Thank you, Prentiss, for bringing along that wonderful homemade "gorp" for us to snack on! There was a gentleman there (I think his name was Peter?) playing acoustic guitar, so that was a nice bonus as well.

The turnout was pretty good for the first art walk of the season, I think. Thank you to Peggy, Mark, Mandy, and Jason for stopping by and hanging out (it's always so nice to see friendly, familiar faces!), and a very big thank you to my husband Terry for not only hanging out, but for helping me break everything down and pack my car at the end of the night!

overdue first friday recap

Holy cow! What a crazy First Friday it was this month! The first two hours were absolutely dead. Then my friend Heather (www.monarch-massage.com) walked in...then Rebecca walked in...then Jenn and Lori walked in...then Sarah and Rachael walked in...then Peggy and Mark walked in...and suddenly, a large group of strangers walked in. In a matter of minutes, the place was absolutely packed! Things stayed quite busy for that last hour: Jen had a reading with a client (www.interactivetarot.net) and I ended up selling a piece.

When I packed everything up and headed home, I figured the craziness was over. Not so! I checked my email after I had been home for a little while, and there was a message in my inbox from Connie Lundquist, who is coordinating the Second Friday Art Walk in Brunswick for Five Rivers Arts Alliance (www.5raa.org). The email was entitled "Times Record article- your painting". I quickly opened it and was extremely surprised to find out that an image of my "El Camino" painting had been used in an article in the Times Record (the local Brunswick paper) to promote Second Friday Art Walk! It was the weekend edition of the paper, which meant that it would be on sale through Sunday, but I decided that I couldn't wait. Even though I was already in my pjs, I changed and drove down to Hannaford to get my own copy and see for myself! The image is small, but it looks good, and it's on the cover of the "Ticket" section of the paper (page C1). The only downside is that one of the art walk locations got mixed up in the article: the actual spot is the Inn at Brunswick Station (which is where I will be this month), but the Brunswick Inn was listed by mistake. Oh well! It's correct in the Second Friday Art Walk brochure, and I think that's what most people will consult for information on the event (http://5raa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2nd-Friday-ArtWalk-Brunswick-2012.pdf). We'll see!