Lots of exciting things have been happening these days! I don't want to go into detail just yet, because I want things to be a little more concrete first, but rest assured, I will post some cool news soon.
One thing I do need to post right now is an apology to anyone who may have made a special trip over to Cafe Creme in Bath to see my solo show...because it's been bumped! There was a scheduling issue, but hopefully things are resolved now. I'm slated to hang my work on Sunday, June 9th. The show will still be up through the end of July, so even though I missed out on any Memorial Day traffic, I'll get in on the Fourth of July/Bath Heritage Days action. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit bummed out about the snafu, but I'm trusting in the Universe and its timeline for me. So, if you're looking to treat yourself to a lovely coffee drink after next weekend, consider making a trip over to Cafe Creme! You'll be glad you did...and so will I.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
odds and ends
I don't have a long story to tell about one particular experience or happening, but a bunch of little things are going on, so I figured I ought to touch on a few different topics in this post.
First of all, I got new business cards! I am really happy with how they came out, and I'm thrilled with how quickly I received them. I ordered them VERY late on a Monday night (so late, it was almost Tuesday morning) and they arrived the following Saturday...and I hadn't even paid for expedited shipping. Thank you, VistaPrint! Here is a picture:
First of all, I got new business cards! I am really happy with how they came out, and I'm thrilled with how quickly I received them. I ordered them VERY late on a Monday night (so late, it was almost Tuesday morning) and they arrived the following Saturday...and I hadn't even paid for expedited shipping. Thank you, VistaPrint! Here is a picture:
Second, I got a lesson in iMovie yesterday! Blake came over and brought a ton of footage he shot of my solo show at Curtis Memorial Library (video from the opening, still shots from the opening, video from the day I took the show down, and still shots from the day I took the show down). Getting all that information at once was a little overwhelming, but I am excited at the prospect of making another YouTube video. Speaking of YouTube, Brunswick TV3 is re-running my "artist profile" from last year! Here are the dates/times:
Tue., May 14th, 6 pm
Thurs., May 16th, 5:30 pm
Fri., May 31st, 4 pm
Sat., June 1st, 3 pm
Mon., June 3rd, 5:30 pm
Wed., June 5th, 6:30 pm
Fri., June 14th, 4 pm (just in time for Second Friday Art Walk!)
Third, I got a call from Arlie at Cafe Creme: I'll be hanging a solo show there on Saturday, May 25th at 5:30 pm! This show will run through the end of July, which I'm really excited about. Cafe Creme is a great little coffee shop, and the location is fantastic - it's right on the corner of Front Street and Centre Street, smack dab in the middle of downtown Bath. Here's a link to their Facebook page, if you haven't had a chance to stop by yet: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cafe-Creme/90066531736?fref=ts
Last, but not least, I just got an email from Five Rivers Arts Alliance: I am one of six artists who will be participating in a group show at Thornton Oaks in Brunswick! The show opens on Thursday, July 25th and runs through Monday, September 2nd. The call for artists went out yesterday and it was a "first come, first served" situation. I am fortunate that I was home when the email arrived and was able to send in my application right away. It will be interesting to see what the mix of artwork will look like, since the selection process was somewhat random. I'm sure it will all work out!
Monday, May 13, 2013
that's groovy, baby
I am SO tickled right now: my work is the subject of the lovely and talented Sage Lally's school art project! Sage is Terry's 16 year old cousin, and she contacted me a few months ago. Her class assignment was to profile an artist, and she chose me! It was to be a large, end-of-the-semester project, and I was asked to send along an artist's statement, a brief bio, and some images of my work, which I did. I had no idea what the end result would be like, but Sage's mom, Leigh, was kind enough to send a photo my way the other day...and here it is!
I don't know about you, but I would LOVE to be represented by the Groovy Gallery! That looks like my kind of place. Thank you, Sage, for making me smile!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
because different is good
My friend Trish posted an interesting quote on Facebook this week. It said, "The easiest way to be creative: try something different, even if you don't think it will work." I took that advice a couple of times this week, and I'm glad I did!
Wednesday, April 24th was the Scoop-A-Thon at the Gelato Fiasco to benefit the Brunswick Teen Center. As I mentioned in my most recent blog post, I was asked to do face painting for preschoolers between 11 am and noon; I said "yes," even though I had no experience. The face paint, brushes, and various other supplies were being provided for me by People Plus (which is where the teen center is located). I was hoping to get my hands on those supplies a few days beforehand so I could sneak in a little practice time and then take some photos (so kids could get a sense of what things would look like). Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and needless to say, I was a bit nervous Wednesday morning. Shortly before I left the house, I figured I ought to sketch out a few simple designs. If I didn't have actual photos, at least I could give the kids (and myself) something to work with. I filled a piece of paper with things I thought might make good face painting options: a flower, a peace sign, a seahorse, a rainbow, a spider hanging off a web, etc. I grabbed my paper and headed over to Gelato Fiasco a few minutes before 11, hoping I wouldn't be eaten alive. Well, not only was I not eaten alive, but the hour went by very quickly, and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves. No one minded that I had no previous face painting experience, and everyone was happy with the wearable art they walked out with. It was a fun time for me, and I never would have experienced it if I hadn't decided to try something totally new and different.
The other new and different experience I had this week was at home. My husband Terry's 45th birthday was on Thursday, April 25th. Anyone who knows Terry knows what a huge music fan he is. I thought it would be fun to make him a birthday cake that looked like a 45 record, complete with the yellow plastic adaptor in the middle. I wasn't sure how to make this happen, so I went over to Pinterest and did some investigating. One person suggested using a paper cutout on top of the cake, but that didn't feel right. I called my friend Tim, and thankfully he's had some cake-decorating experience. He said, "You're an artist- you can do this!" He instructed me to start from the center and work my way out: a small circle of dark frosting for where the adaptor would be, colored frosting around that for the label, then more dark frosting for the vinyl. He made it sound simple, so I decided to go for it. The next step was figuring out what I would do for a cake. Terry loves chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, so I knew that had to be what I would make. That being said, Terry lost almost 60 pounds a little over a year ago. He still likes sweets, but now he enjoys them in moderation. Baking him an entire cake seemed a bit cruel and not very supportive...kind of the opposite of what I was going for. It was back to Pinterest with me, and this time, I was looking for healthy cake and healthy frosting recipes. Not only was this my first time making a cake on my own completely from scratch, but it was my first attempt at making a healthy cake. Would it work? Would it taste good? Would the frosting design come out the way I was hoping it would? Well, I am very happy to say that the answer to all of those questions is the same: YES. He was completely surprised (and quite tickled) by the cake's appearance, he loved the taste, and he was able to enjoy it guilt-free (only 100 calories per slice, not including the frosting). Once again, trying something completely new and different ended in a positive way, and I have a feeling that cake will be making another appearance before either one of us has our next birthday!
Wednesday, April 24th was the Scoop-A-Thon at the Gelato Fiasco to benefit the Brunswick Teen Center. As I mentioned in my most recent blog post, I was asked to do face painting for preschoolers between 11 am and noon; I said "yes," even though I had no experience. The face paint, brushes, and various other supplies were being provided for me by People Plus (which is where the teen center is located). I was hoping to get my hands on those supplies a few days beforehand so I could sneak in a little practice time and then take some photos (so kids could get a sense of what things would look like). Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and needless to say, I was a bit nervous Wednesday morning. Shortly before I left the house, I figured I ought to sketch out a few simple designs. If I didn't have actual photos, at least I could give the kids (and myself) something to work with. I filled a piece of paper with things I thought might make good face painting options: a flower, a peace sign, a seahorse, a rainbow, a spider hanging off a web, etc. I grabbed my paper and headed over to Gelato Fiasco a few minutes before 11, hoping I wouldn't be eaten alive. Well, not only was I not eaten alive, but the hour went by very quickly, and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves. No one minded that I had no previous face painting experience, and everyone was happy with the wearable art they walked out with. It was a fun time for me, and I never would have experienced it if I hadn't decided to try something totally new and different.
The other new and different experience I had this week was at home. My husband Terry's 45th birthday was on Thursday, April 25th. Anyone who knows Terry knows what a huge music fan he is. I thought it would be fun to make him a birthday cake that looked like a 45 record, complete with the yellow plastic adaptor in the middle. I wasn't sure how to make this happen, so I went over to Pinterest and did some investigating. One person suggested using a paper cutout on top of the cake, but that didn't feel right. I called my friend Tim, and thankfully he's had some cake-decorating experience. He said, "You're an artist- you can do this!" He instructed me to start from the center and work my way out: a small circle of dark frosting for where the adaptor would be, colored frosting around that for the label, then more dark frosting for the vinyl. He made it sound simple, so I decided to go for it. The next step was figuring out what I would do for a cake. Terry loves chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, so I knew that had to be what I would make. That being said, Terry lost almost 60 pounds a little over a year ago. He still likes sweets, but now he enjoys them in moderation. Baking him an entire cake seemed a bit cruel and not very supportive...kind of the opposite of what I was going for. It was back to Pinterest with me, and this time, I was looking for healthy cake and healthy frosting recipes. Not only was this my first time making a cake on my own completely from scratch, but it was my first attempt at making a healthy cake. Would it work? Would it taste good? Would the frosting design come out the way I was hoping it would? Well, I am very happy to say that the answer to all of those questions is the same: YES. He was completely surprised (and quite tickled) by the cake's appearance, he loved the taste, and he was able to enjoy it guilt-free (only 100 calories per slice, not including the frosting). Once again, trying something completely new and different ended in a positive way, and I have a feeling that cake will be making another appearance before either one of us has our next birthday!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
face time
I had an interesting phone call yesterday: Sarah Brayman, who is one of the Brunswick Town Councilors, asked me if I'd be interested in doing face painting at a benefit for the Brunswick Teen Center next week. Since I have absolutely zero experience with face painting, I naturally said "yes". I figured: what the heck? Why not? It's only for an hour, it's for a good cause, it's at the Gelato Fiasco, and the kids will be preschoolers. I went on Facebook today to get some tips and advice from friends, and many of them had great suggestions ("get good quality paint," "have a lot of brushes," "bring sponges, water, baby wipes, headbands, etc.," and, of course, "practice!"). I even spent a little bit of time poking around on Pinterest, getting ideas for designs and subjects that kids might be interested in. It is amazing how much is out there and how complicated face painting can be! I'm planning on keeping things simple...I don't want to get in over my head! So, if you're a local, and you're looking to support a good cause AND throw some moral support my way, how about stopping by the Gelato Fiasco on Wednesday, April 24th, from 11 am to noon? I would love to see you there!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
let there be songs to fill the air
A few weeks ago, I got a phone call from Connie Lundquist at Five Rivers Arts Alliance, asking me to be one of the music coordinators for this year's Second Friday Art Walk season in Brunswick. My job would be to book musicians to perform at two different sidewalk locations (in front of the Bank of America building, and in front of Cool As A Moose, both right on Maine Street; Peter Alexander was already booking acts for 98 Maine Street and The Gelato Fiasco). At first, I was a little nervous, but then a couple of things dawned on me: 1. This could be a nice way to get involved in making Second Friday Art Walk a little bit nicer, and 2. This could be a great opportunity to help out some of the wonderful musicians I know. I said "yes", and I am happy to say that I was able to book all three of my dear friend Erica's bands (The Intergalactic Yurt Band, Thornapple Scrub Brush, and Cumberland Crossing), as well as Terry's aunt's husband, Bruce Grover, who is a singer/songwriter.
Being one of the music coordinators has involved lots of emails and several meetings, including one on Monday night at the Brunswick Town Council Chambers. Five Rivers Arts Alliance needed a representative to show up and ask for permits in order for the musicians to perform on the sidewalk, so I was asked to attend. Connie had already sent in a letter of request, but in case there were any questions, she thought it would be good to have someone there.
I thought I might be nervous speaking at the meeting, but since I'd done it before back in January when Hati Modr and I had our paintings on display, I was a lot more relaxed as I was waiting. That's a good thing, because I did a LOT of waiting that night...two hours and forty minutes worth of waiting, to be exact. By the time I was called up to speak, my stomach was growling, everyone was exhausted (councilors and spectators alike), and the room was mostly empty. I walked up to the podium, introduced myself, said why I was there, and then exhaustion took over. I said, "Please grant our permits, because I've been here for over two and a half hours and I'm starving." Thankfully, everyone laughed, and the permits were granted. They thanked me for my tenacity, and one of the councilors mentioned what a great idea it was to have music on the street and that the art walk made the town fun. I headed home, feeling tired but positive, secure in the knowledge that the Thai lentil chili waiting for me at home in the Crock Pot was going to taste wonderful.
Being one of the music coordinators has involved lots of emails and several meetings, including one on Monday night at the Brunswick Town Council Chambers. Five Rivers Arts Alliance needed a representative to show up and ask for permits in order for the musicians to perform on the sidewalk, so I was asked to attend. Connie had already sent in a letter of request, but in case there were any questions, she thought it would be good to have someone there.
I thought I might be nervous speaking at the meeting, but since I'd done it before back in January when Hati Modr and I had our paintings on display, I was a lot more relaxed as I was waiting. That's a good thing, because I did a LOT of waiting that night...two hours and forty minutes worth of waiting, to be exact. By the time I was called up to speak, my stomach was growling, everyone was exhausted (councilors and spectators alike), and the room was mostly empty. I walked up to the podium, introduced myself, said why I was there, and then exhaustion took over. I said, "Please grant our permits, because I've been here for over two and a half hours and I'm starving." Thankfully, everyone laughed, and the permits were granted. They thanked me for my tenacity, and one of the councilors mentioned what a great idea it was to have music on the street and that the art walk made the town fun. I headed home, feeling tired but positive, secure in the knowledge that the Thai lentil chili waiting for me at home in the Crock Pot was going to taste wonderful.
Friday, March 22, 2013
tasty
It was a beautiful, sunny day today, and Terry and I both happened to have the day off, so we decided to walk into town for lunch at one of our usual spots. We weren't sure where to go when we first left the house, but as we walked and the chilly wind started to hit our faces, we decided to go somewhere relatively close: Scarlet Begonias, a favorite choice in any weather. We ordered our lunch, and just as our food was served, Doug (the owner) came over to our table. He said, "Hey, are you interested in having another show here?" I was thrilled. I said, "Well, I would love to, but I'm pretty booked up through the summer with Second Friday Art Walk and a couple of different solo shows. Is is too soon to think about September or October?" He thought for a moment and said, "Actually, that would be perfect. How about October and November?" He had me write my information down just so he had it again, and then it was official...another solo show all lined up, and I didn't even have to go looking for it. Four months ago, I lost my free First Friday space and I was filled with fear and uncertainty...now every month of 2013 is booked. My delicious lunch became that much better before I even had the chance to take a single bite.
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