potent potential

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Pierce

The new year is always filled with potential and possibilities. I am excited about what is already unfolding in my life!

Last night was the opening reception for "Winter Wonderland," the Five Rivers Arts Alliance group show I am a part of at Coastal Orthopedics in Brunswick. It was the first art-related reception they've ever had there, so it was a fairly low-key event. I spent some time chatting with Jen, one of the directors at Coastal Orthopedics. She gave me a tour of the facilities...and let me tell you, that place is huge! Not only do they offer orthopedic care and sports medicine (including surgery, rehab, and massage therapy) but they offer classes (such as self-defense), they have gym facilities, they host kids' soccer matches, they have an adult dodgeball league, and they are forming an "adult recess" group, allowing people to get together and play schoolyard games like kickball and capture the flag! Even though only a small handful of people came to the opening reception last night, Jen told me that every day, there are a few hundred people who walk through their front door...and that sounds very good to me. If you're curious about what they have to offer (or if you'd like to stop by to check out the art!), here is a link to their website: www.coastalortho.com ; if you'd like more details about the show itself, here's a link to the Five Rivers Arts Alliance website: www.5raa.org

After I left Coastal Orthopedics, I went over to the Topsham Public Library to drop off my two submissions for the 6th annual Joy of Art juried group show. I was able to get in and out quickly, and since I was there fairly late in the evening, I was able to take a peek at the art that had already been dropped off. The Joy of Art show is usually a fairly conservative affair, but judging from the pieces I saw yesterday, I think this year's show is going to be very cool...and there's still another drop-off date to come. I'm looking forward to the opening on Saturday, January 18th! Here's a link to the Topsham Public Library website: www.topshamlibrary.org

Finally, the most outside-of-the-box thing I've got going on right now actually involves boxes: I'm going to be giving a "Make Your Own Portable Shrine" workshop at Leapin' Lizards in Freeport! I've been communicating with Melissa, the owner of Leapin' Lizards, for a little while now, and we just nailed down the date last night: Monday, February 3rd, 6 pm - 7:30 pm. It's so new, as of this moment, it's not even listed on their website/calendar, but I will certainly let you know when it is up! Here is a link to their website in the meantime: www.leapinlizards.biz. I will provide more details the closer we get, but I just couldn't wait to share my news!