yet another overdue entry

Once again, it's been too long since my last post...so here's a brief update!

First Friday Art Walk this month was so much fun! Friends and family stopped by and a lot of laughing took place. The biggest laugh of the night may have been when I laughed right in the face of the stranger who told me that I "obviously peaked in 1997". Yes, you read that correctly. Well, you know what they say about opinions...At any rate, it was a great night, and I'm thankful for everyone who popped in to say hello, hang out, and check out my work. See you next month!

The Cyon Solutions event at Pineland Farms (scheduled for Saturday, June 2nd) was cancelled/changed, so for those of you who might have been wondering how it went, there's nothing to report yet. I was excited about the idea of a big outdoor bash in a beautiful setting, but it's okay...it was pouring rain on June 2nd anyway, so that wouldn't have worked out, and now the single event has morphed into two different events instead! The art show will now take place at Cyon Solutions' Annual Golf Tournament fundraising event at the Brunswick Golf Club on July 16th, as well as at their Annual Home Picnic on August 4th. The winners of the two $500 commissions will be announced at the August 4th event. I'm excited about the idea of having my work at two different events with two different crowds. I'll just need a different excuse to get over to Pineland Farms, that's all!

This afternoon, I dropped off two paintings for the "Summertime Whimsy" group show at the Chocolate Church Art Gallery in Bath. The opening reception is Friday, June 15th, from 5 pm to 7 pm, and the show runs through Saturday, August 4th. Here is a link to the Chocolate Church's blog: http://www.chocolatechurchgallery.blogspot.com/.

On a completely unrelated note, my husband Terry and I went to see Phish in Worcester, MA last week. The shows were fantastic (as usual) and we had a blast. The band sounded great, and their lighting designer, Chris Kuroda, seems to get better all the time. I love his use of color. He really is an artist.

Okay, that's it for now...hopefully I'll be posting again soon!

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!

where there's art, there's hope

Once again, this is a long overdue entry! I haven't posted in a while, but a lot has been going on: First Friday Art Walk was earlier this month, my website (www.brushstrokesbymaria.com) is under construction and getting a new look, I've been asked to participate in a show this summer at the Chocolate Church Art Gallery in Bath called "Summertime Whimsy", I'm about to start participating in Brunswick's Second Friday Art Walk pop-up group shows...but probably the biggest news item to report just happened.

Yesterday, I hung a solo show of paintings at the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing! Everyone there was so wonderful, and I am really excited at the thought of my artwork giving a little hope, comfort, and positive energy to those who are fighting cancer. My work is hanging in their consultation room. It's a small space, but I really like it because you can feel the energy of the paintings more easily that way. It's a frequently used room and, as you can imagine, things in there can get emotional. Hopefully they will provide a little lift, a smile, or a much-needed distraction for those who could use it on a regular basis during the six weeks the show is supposed to run. So far, I have gotten nothing but positive feedback from the staff and the volunteers at the Dempsey Center, and I even received an email after I left saying that patients and family members were also giving favorable reviews.

The Dempsey Center staff asked me to provide a bio/artist's statement to display in the room with my paintings, which was no problem. They also asked me to write a little bit about my connection to cancer. This is what I wrote:

"Like countless other people, I have many relatives, friends, and loved ones who have fought cancer. Thankfully, the survivors’ list is longer, but even one life lost is one too many. Thoughts and memories of all these people were in my heart and my mind as I selected the paintings for this show, but one person in particular stands out: my cousin, Christopher Siegel, who passed away at the age of 19 after a 13-year battle with leukemia. I would like to dedicate this show to him."

paper chase

Once again, I am long overdue for a blog post! I mentioned last time that Clay from El Camino told me she had seen my picture in a local paper. She had thought it was the Kennebec Current, so I went on a quest to find a copy. I'd never heard of that paper before, so I went online and emailed someone from their staff. I got a reply a couple of days later saying they had no idea what I was talking about. They had checked several different issues of local papers their company publishes, and there was nothing that fit the description I gave them. Hmm...

My next step was to contact Keith Spiro directly. Keith is the photographer, so I figured he ought to know where his work ended up! Sure enough, he told me it was in The Cryer. I sent an email to The Cryer asking where I could get a copy, since I figured the paper had come out a while ago and I probably couldn't find one on my own. Before they had a chance to get back to me, I went to the grocery store; sure enough, they had a stack of copies of the February issue sitting on a rack near the entrance...and there I was on the cover! True, there were a lot of other pictures on the cover, but mine was there at the bottom right. It's a picture of me standing in between the two paintings I had in the Joy of Art show: "This Is The Year" (which was labeled as "Birthday Cake") and "Kat's Magical Snapdragon". Here's the link if you'd like to see for yourself!
http://tinyurl.com/ctnwtxd

So, I'd like to send a big "thank you" out to Clay from El Camino for letting me know my picture was floating around somewhere, and another big "thank you" to Keith Spiro for taking my photo, submitting it to The Cryer, and writing such a nice caption! What a pleasant surprise.

another weekend update

This month's First Friday Art Walk was another fun night! Unfortunately, Jennifer Moscone of Interactive Tarot (www.interactivetarot.net) couldn't make it this time, but after a slow start, the evening turned out to be a pretty busy one. Quite a few regulars stopped by (special thanks to Rebecca for hanging out and chatting for a while), and I am always happy to see their smiling faces. I even sold a mixed media/collage piece (called "Tic Tac Om") to my friend Heather Goulette of Monarch Massage (www.monarch-massage.com), who bought it as a birthday gift for her mom, Dennie!

In other news, we went to El Camino on Saturday night and Clay (our waitress) told me my picture was in a local paper about a month ago! She said I was standing in front of my paintings with another woman...I'm guessing this was at the "Joy of Art" show with Mandy Russell! Keith Spiro (of Five Rivers Arts Alliance) was there at the opening reception that day, snapping pictures of artists and their art, so I'm pretty sure it was one of his photos. I remember posing for some pictures, but I guess I really didn't think any of them would end up getting published. I am now trying to track down an old copy of the Kennebec Current...wish me luck!