serious recapping

What a week! I need to do some serious recapping. Here goes:

1. A week ago, I hung my solo show at Curtis Memorial Library. First of all, I want to send out major thanks to Patricia Boissevain for stopping by for a bit and helping me with layout/hanging decisions! The Morrell Meeting Room is beautiful. It's also huge and intimidating. When I first walked in, I thought, "What have I gotten myself into?" Three hours and fifteen minutes later, the show was completely hung and things were looking good. I had to go home to work on the title/price list (no tags for this show) and then type up numbers to hang next to each piece. I was surprised to discover that I had 56 pieces on display! It's a good thing I paint every day!

2. Saturday, January 5th was the opening reception for my solo show, and I am relieved to say that it was great! I was worried that people wouldn't show up, but thankfully that wasn't the case. I posted the event on the Five Rivers Arts Alliance Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/FiveRiversArtsAlliance?fref=ts) and the Times Record in Brunswick had it listed in the "events calendar" (www.timesrecord.com); several people stopped by as a direct result of those posts. Family, friends, and art lovers of all kinds were in attendance, and the feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive: the music from Cumberland Crossing was a hit (https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Cumberland-Crossing/103708278373?fref=ts), the food was a hit, and the art was a hit, too. I met some really nice people and got to see others who I hadn't seen in quite a while. I sold four pieces during the opening, and I got a phone call from someone a few days later saying they wanted to bring the running total to 5! The evening flew by, and after the show was over, we went to El Camino to celebrate. Yay!

3. On Monday, January 7th, I hung a two-woman show with Hati Modr at the Brunswick Town Council Chambers. Hati is lovely and so is her work, so it's a real treat to be sharing this space with her. Our work looks good together, too. We both love color, but we both have very different, distinct styles. It will be interesting to hear what people have to say about this show. Anyway, I'm glad I live so close to town, because I had to run home twice to get more paintings and to type up additional tags! I'm also glad I brought my "bag of tricks" with me, because there were no picture hangers on hand for us to use. All of the paintings on display are food-themed, except for one: I hung my "Forget-Me-Nots'' painting because we had a space that needed to be filled and it was the right size...that's one of the ones I ran home for. I think it works, even if it's not a food painting. To be fair, I didn't have too many spare paintings lying around to choose from since I've got work in four different places right now!

4. Last night was the first Brunswick Art Collaborative meeting of 2013, and I'm glad I was able to make it. I was able to make progress on a couple of different pieces, and at the end of the evening, Joanne (one of the members) took out a bunch of boxes that were the same size and shape (they had previously been used for Christmas ornaments). She passed one out to each of us and said she thought it would be interesting to see what we would come up with. I'm excited about this little project/challenge, and I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else does!

5. This morning, Hati and I met with Blake Hendrickson at the Town Council Chambers. He took some photos and some footage of us with our paintings for a video to be aired on TV3 as promotion for our show. Things seemed to go well, in spite of the fact that at one point while I was speaking on camera, my cell phone started ringing. Whoops. I don't think I'll make that mistake again!

Okay, I think I'm officially caught up now...and now I'm tired. Good night!

bang!

Happy New Year, art lovers! 2012 was quite a ride, wasn't it? I want to wish all of you a very happy, healthy, and joyful 2013, and I'd like to say thank you once again for all of your support. It will be interesting to see where this new year takes us! Things are starting off with a bang. Is that a champagne cork or a starting gun?

First, I have a solo show this month at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick! I'll be hanging the show tomorrow and it will be up until January 31st. The opening reception is this Saturday evening, January 5th, from 5 pm to 7 pm, and I am very happy to say that the lovely and talented Cumberland Crossing will be performing! I'm hoping the weather will be kind. January in Maine can be a crapshoot, but so far, the forecast looks good. Here's the link to the Curtis Memorial Library's event calendar: http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/events.cfm?curOrg=CURTIS

Second, I will be participating in the 5th annual Joy of Art group show at the Topsham Public Library! This show is Tuesday, January 8th through Saturday, February 16th. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, January 12th from 1 pm to 3 pm, and an artists' talk on Saturday, February 16th at 11 am. Awards will be given by the jury during the opening reception, and there is also a "people's choice" award up for grabs (to be announced on February 16th), so come on by and vote for your favorite piece! Check out the Topsham Public Library's website for more information: http://www.friendstopshamlibrary.org/JoyofArt.php. I did this show last year, and boy, am I glad I did! I made the cover of The Cryer in the beginning of the year with a picture taken at this show, and in the fall, I ended up on the cover of the Topsham Public Library's annual report with another picture taken at this show! Once again, major thanks to Keith Spiro and Susan Preece for that.

Third, I am excited to have a two-woman show with Hati Modr at the Brunswick Town Council Chambers! This show begins on Monday, January 7th. This is not a "typical" gallery show, but if you'd like to stop by and see it in person, the best time to do that would be before the council meeting every other Monday from 6:30 pm – 7 pm (meetings are held at 7 pm) at the Brunswick Station, 16 Station Avenue, in the Town Council Chambers, located on the second floor. The municipal calendar is available at http://www.brunswickme.org/calendar/municipal-meetings/. If you live in Brunswick and you watch the council meetings on TV3, you will be able to see the art on display behind the councilors. Word on the street is that these meetings will be fairly well-attended (I guess there are some school budget-related matters to be discussed), which I guess is not always the case. The timing sounds good to me!

Last, but certainly not least, my work is still on display at Jai Yoga at Fort Andross in Brunswick! If you're in the Brunswick area (or even if you're not, but you're up for making the drive), you should check out the "7 Days For $7" promotion they have running right now. It's a great way to begin the new year. I'll be doing it! Here is a link to their website: http://www.jaiyogahome.com/

jai!

I hung some artwork at Jai Yoga in Brunswick today and I am feeling really up and optimistic about this opportunity! I have loved this yoga studio for a long time and I am honored that Jen has been kind enough to offer some wall space to me. I've got paintings, mixed media pieces, and even an oil pastel on display. I really hope my work is well-received by students and teachers alike!

Anyway, if you are looking for a yoga studio in the Midcoast Maine area, then please check out Jai Yoga. They have kind, knowledgeable instructors, a beautiful space, a great view, and a wide variety of classes with a drop-in schedule that's really convenient. Here's a link to their website: www.jaiyogahome.com.

doors are opening

November was my last First Friday Art Walk at the Closet Factory showroom in Portland. I was surprised when the space closed, and I felt a sense of loss and confusion. "Where am I going to show my work now?" was my first thought. On the heels of that thought, however, a little voice inside me said, "Well, maybe this is happening to free you up for something else...other places where you can show your work and have it exposed to new groups of people." Obviously, this was a much nicer thought than the first one, so I tried to keep it in my mind (which was not as easy as it sounds). I was already planning on doing Arts Downtown and All Around in Brunswick, so at least I had something lined up in December, and the Joy of Art show in Topsham would be running from January through February...perhaps something would make itself known after that.

Well, sometimes when it rains, it pours: I am happy to say that I already have a bunch of shows scheduled for 2013! In January, I have a solo show at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick (I'm still working on figuring out a date for the opening reception); I'm also going to be part of a group show at the Brunswick Town Council office (that's January through February). I have a solo show at Cafe Creme in Bath from May through July, and a solo show at She Doesn't Like Guthrie's in Lewiston in August. If that's not enough, I met with Jen from Jai Yoga in Brunswick, and she wants me to bring some work by next week so she can hang it in the studio! I am thrilled and excited...and I need to get busy!

estilo!

I love painting...and I love to paint places and things that I love. Last year, I painted "El Camino", my favorite restaurant; this summer, I did two paintings to honor The Gelato Fiasco ("Mandala Fiasco" and "Give Gelato A Chance"). Recently, I finished a painting of Estilo, a women's consignment store, and one of my favorite shops in Brunswick (or anywhere, for that matter).

Last night, I posted on the Estilo Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Estilo-Womens-Consignment/104045166210) to tell them about my painting, and Lauren, the owner, said she'd like to see it. I brought it in this afternoon...not only did she love it, but she bought it right then and there! Lauren was very flattered that I would paint her shop, and she also said she didn't expect to love the painting as much as she did. What a nice compliment! Here's a coincidence, too: Eloise, one of the owners of El Camino, was shopping at Estilo the same time I was there! Funny, since Paul, one of the other owners of El Camino, bought my painting of their restaurant.

Anyway, I am very happy that "Estilo" has gone to a good home. I am also happy to say that while I was there, I picked up a sweet deal on a fake fur jacket! If you haven't had a chance to stop by this great little shop, do yourself a favor and check it out: www.estilobrunswick.com. Happy shopping!

waiting for the other door to open

It is with a VERY heavy heart that I must announce the closing of the Closet Factory of Maine showroom (647A Congress St., Portland). I am grateful that my boss let me use this space for First Friday Art Walk for nearly 2 years and I am thankful to all of my friends and family who supported me by coming out to my shows and being a part of this very special opportunity. Major thanks to Jen of Interactive Tarot and to the members of The Intergalactic Yurt Band and Cumberland Crossing for lending their talents and taking these shows to a different level. I'm hoping that this is a "one door closes, another one opens" situation...

special delivery

So...I found out a few days ago that a photo of me and my painting, "This Is The Year", is going to be on the cover of the Topsham Public Library's annual report! The photo is from the Joy of Art juried show back in January. I have a picture of the cover on my website, if you're curious to see it (www.brushstrokesbymaria.com- you can find it on the In The Press page). The annual report (which they entitled This Is The Year) will be in the November issue of The Cryer (www.thecryeronline.com); it will also be showing up in the mailbox of every Topsham resident! Major thanks to Keith Spiro for taking the photo and to Susan Preece (director, Topsham Public Library) for choosing to use it. I feel really honored!