love that dirty water

This is a picture of my brother-in-law Marc's office. He is a patent attorney in Boston, and he bought "Rocks, Gloucester" from me last summer. It finally got hung today (he wasn't allowed to do it himself) and I wanted to post a picture of my painting in its new home. Check out the view of the Charles River!

bye bye buddha

I parted with another painting today, "Flea Market Buddha". I have to say, it's a little weird selling a painting. It's SO exciting and great and thrilling, but there IS that moment when you think, "I'm never going to see this again..." but the good stuff far outweighs the separation. I know "Flea Market Buddha" is going to a good home where he will be appreciated by lots of new people. Plus, I have great photos, and that painting will always be a part of me, no matter where it goes (just like any artwork I've made). The woman who bought it, Jenny, is very nice, and she told me that this is the first painting she's ever purchased. What an honor! I consider it a major compliment when people connect with my work, especially when someone feels strongly enough about it to put it in their home...and then to be someone's first on top of that?! Quite a bonus. I hope "Flea Market Buddha" witnesses many wonderful events in Jenny's life (and the lives of those she cares about). Bon voyage!

collaborative effort

Good news: I just learned that the bowl-painting fundraiser that the Brunswick Art Collaborative participated in raised $1500 for the Gathering Place (Brunswick's new day shelter) and the Women's Alliance! Many thanks to Heather Gelwick for letting us know about the cause, and for bringing all the supplies (and then firing all the bowls) to make our participation possible. Tomorrow night will be the next meeting for the Brunswick Art Collaborative, so I'm sure this will be a big topic of discussion. I wonder if this will inspire our group to get involved in other causes in the future? By the way, the Brunswick Art Collaborative is open to anyone who would like to join us! We meet on the second Tuesday of each month from 6 pm to 8 pm in the art room at Thornton Oaks in Brunswick. Bring along some art supplies to use (and to share) and have some fun!

it's not nice to fool mother nature

Ah, April Fool's Day in Maine. Mother Nature had quite a prank up her sleeve: heavy, wet snow mixed with rain. Now, I have to say, I have totally been at peace with all the snow we had this winter (thanks to snowshoeing, which has completely turned my head around). That being said, when I heard the forecast for this storm, I freaked a little bit. "First Friday?! Why does it have to be on First Friday?" I started begging for different scenarios. "Well, maybe the wind will shift and there will be nothing, or maybe it won't be as bad as they're saying, or maybe it will all be over on Thursday, or maybe it won't start until after Friday night."

Friday morning came and so did the snow, but I heard birds- and I took that as a good sign ("if the birds are out, it can't be that bad, right?"). I planned on still having my opening, but I was a bit worried about the drive. Schools were closed, state offices were closed, various events were cancelled, etc. I decided to head out just before 3:30 and said to myself, "Well, if the roads are bad and it seems dangerous, I'll just turn around and go home." I got on the road and I was pleasantly surprised. The highway speed limit was down to 45, but the roads were just wet (not icy) and people were flying past me. I got to Portland a lot faster than I thought, and again, I was pleasantly surprised at how clear the sidewalks were. I set up the food, the wine, the battery-powered candles, and my signs as usual and hoped I wouldn't spend the entire night alone reading the book I packed (just in case).

I am very happy to say that the turnout was pretty darn good, all things considered! The people who came were happy to see me and lamented that many galleries had closed due to the weather. They all said it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been earlier in the day, and many mentioned that they were feeling stir-crazy and were happy to have the Art Walk as an excuse to get out of the house. I met a lot of nice people, had some good conversations, and got a lot of positive feedback on the new show. There were lulls, of course, but all in all, I'm really glad I opened. Thanks, Mother Nature, for at least making things better by the late afternoon! Perhaps that was my reward for not complaining about the snow all winter...

...not exactly out like a lamb

This has been one crazy busy month! Lots of good stuff has been happening, most of which I've already blogged about (participating in the Empty Bowls Supper, my solo show at Biddeford Savings Bank, this month's First Friday Art Walk), but there's even more news: I am very happy and proud to announce that I have a brand-spanking-new-and-improved website! The address is still www.brushstrokesbymaria.com, but the site itself has been completely overhauled and I am extremely excited about it. I want to take a moment to thank my very dear friend, the lovely and multi-talented Jennifer Moscone (www.interactivetarot.net), for designing and building my new website. Jen has brought passion, creativity, and a seemingly endless amount of ideas to www.brushstrokesbymaria.com, and I am eternally grateful for her help, her patience, and her guidance. We hope to add new content all the time, so please check back often!

you can take that to the bank

My three-month long solo show at Biddeford Savings Bank in Scarborough is up, and it looks really good! I know it looks good because I ended up having to go back to bring a piece I had forgotten at home. DUH!

Here's the story: Lori Rae Curole is the woman running the show (www.wetpaintstudios.com, www.lollipopartproductions.com, www.wetpaintstudios.wordpress.com). We have been communicating via email for several months now and she has been extremely patient and helpful, answering every ridiculous question I may have had. Saturday, March 26th was the day she would take down the work by the previous artist and the day she would be hanging my show. The bank opens at 8:30 (which is when Lori would be arriving), so she asked me to get there at 8:45. I was super-paranoid, and despite having been up very late the night before taking care of last-minute framing issues (isn't that always the way?), I decided I would get my ass in gear early and arrive at 8:30 as well. Lori was shocked when I pulled up and mentioned that no one is ever early; in fact, many are quite late. This made me feel good, so I proceeded to unload my car quickly and efficiently. As I lined up all my pieces and started matching them up with the tags Lori had printed, a sinking feeling overcame me...oh no...I forgot a piece! My mind started racing...how could I have done that? I set my work aside weeks ago! I double checked everything! Why did I have to pull a flaky artist move? I went up to Lori and told her about my realization. "Don't panic," she said calmly. "If you can't get back here by noon when the bank closes, just bring it to my house and I'll come back on Monday morning and hang it then." Now, I didn't want to inconvenience her, and plus, it was my mistake. Showing up early doesn't negate forgetting a piece at home in my mind. I had a work appointment I had to go to as soon as I was done at the bank, so I started doing math in my head ("it should take 15 minutes for me to get to my appointment, and it's roughly 45 minutes to get from here to Brunswick; it won't take me long to grab the painting from home and an iced skinny mocha latte from the BoHo, then it's 45 minutes back to Scarborough...) and I said, "I can do this. This is feasible. I think I can get back here with the painting before noon." She said, "Well, don't worry, and don't speed." I headed out and thankfully, the traffic cooperated and my time estimates were correct. I called Lori's cell phone before leaving Brunswick (for the second time that day) and left a message saying that I was on my way. I walked through the door of the bank with my painting ("It's A Small World", for those of you who are curious) at ten minutes after 11 and I heard the bank manager (who is also named Lori) say, "Perfect timing!" Lori had just finished hanging the show and was starting to pack up her gear. She had gotten my message and knew I would be arriving at any time. She had left a spot for the missing painting and not only did it work perfectly in that space in relation to the other paintings near it, the hanger only needed a minor adjustment for the piece to be properly centered. I looked around the bank and I was really pleased and impressed with how Lori had hung the show. She made great choices and had a real intuition about certain pieces. It is obvious that she is a professional, and I am thankful for the opportunity to work with her.

At any rate, my lesson here is simple: triple-check everything! I got away with it this time. WHEW!

bowling for dollars

I painted a bowl for this event (as did other members of the Brunswick Art Collaborative)! Here is the info:


Empty Bowls Supper to benefit The Gathering Place shelter
Event Date: March 25th, 2011
Event Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: Side door Unitarian Universalist Church, 15 Pleasant Street, Brunswick
Contact:- robinoh@comcast.net; (207) 443-4571
Event Details:
Friday, March 25. Empty Bowls Supper to benefit The Gathering Place, Brunswick’s new day shelter, and the Women’s Alliance. Come choose and buy a locally handcrafted bowl and fill it with luscious home-made soup, chowder or chili, then keep the bowl. $15 a bowl. Sponsored by the Women’s Alliance, UUCB. 5–7 pm. Side door of the Unitarian Universalist Church, 15 Pleasant Street, Brunswick.

This is one of the many reasons why I love the Brunswick Art Collaborative! At our last meeting, we all painted bowls to donate to these worthwhile causes. Heather Gelwick brought all the bowls and the glazes for us to use, and then she took the bowls home to fire. It was so much fun to get together, paint, and see how everyone chose to decorate their bowl (or bowls). Here is a photo of some of the bowls that were made that night (the one that says "yum" is mine).