Thursday, March 31, 2011
...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!
Monday, March 28, 2011
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!
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!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
bowling for dollars
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.
Friday, March 4, 2011
in like a lion...
Tonight's First Friday Art Walk was great! The turnout was even better this month than it was last month, and since last month was better than the previous month, I'd say this is looking like a trend! It was a bit chilly but that didn't seem to stop anyone from coming out. Just think of how much busier it will be next month when it warms up! Lots of friends came by (thank you Jen, Mary, Erica, Heather, Rebecca, Jeremy, Sabrina, Echo, Jesse, Sy, and of course, my lovely husband Terry) to show their support, share some yummy food, and enjoy some lively conversation. I saw a lot of new faces too, plus some people who had stopped in last month remembered me and made a point to come by again. Jesse mentioned more than once that the food was better than what most other places had to offer, so I guess that helps matters as well! Perhaps I should have titled this post "come for the guacamole, stay for the art".
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