Thursday, September 29, 2011

i'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers...

I got an email first thing this morning from Lucy Cooney of the 10x10 committee that contained some good news: I'm in the paper! Page E19 of the Portland Press Herald's GO section has a small column advertising the Brunswick 10x10 show, and they used a picture of "Lemon" (my painting that came in third place in the poster contest) to promote the event! Naturally, when I went to the store today, I came home with a small stack. I was already looking forward to tomorrow night's event, but now I think I'm even more excited. I hope the turnout is good!

Friday, September 23, 2011

family arts festival recap

When I finished my last blog post, I remembered I hadn't given a recap of the Family Arts Festival as I had promised. I know this technically makes two posts in one day, but with the way things have been lately, I figured I'd be better off writing it now instead of waiting for another time. So, here goes...
The Family Arts Festival was, of course, tons of fun. It was a beautiful, sunny day and people were out in full force. The collage workshop this year ran from 10 am to 2 pm, two hours longer than last year's event. My friend Trish joined me this year, and it was great working together. Kat Logan was kind enough to help me set up, and Heather Gelwick came by when Trish needed to leave to work at Northeast Noodle (the bright orange food cart new to the mall this year). There were also volunteers from Bowdoin College pitching in, carrying supplies to and from my car and cleaning up. Everyone helped out and it was greatly appreciated!

Once again, kids of all ages made really beautiful work. We had quite a crowd for a while, so much so that I think next year we may need to add another table for a larger workstation! This year, we had two and a half tables for supplies and one and a half for workspace, which is more room than we had last year. It's hard to believe it got crowded, but it did! The time went by quickly and I hated to have to make the announcement that we needed to clean up to make the space available for the next workshop.

I am so happy to be a member of Five Rivers Arts Alliance, the organization responsible for this and many other wonderful arts events in the Brunswick area. They did a fantastic job from start to finish, once again making the Family Arts Festival a great experience for everyone involved...and I'm already looking forward to next year!

radio, radio

I was on the radio on Wednesday! I was one of six artists interviewed on "What's Up", an arts-related show on 91.1 WBOR (Bowdoin College's radio station), hosted by Barbara Duff. The show's focus this week was on the 10x10 Brunswick show, and I was chosen to speak because my "Lemon" painting came in third in the poster contest. I found out I'd be doing this on Tuesday night, which is good because the show was Wednesday afternoon and I didn't have lots of time to dwell on it or get myself all worked up. I was next to last to be called into the studio, but I'm really glad that's how it worked out. Don't get me wrong, I was nervous sitting in the green room and listening to the other artists going before me, but rather than making things worse, it gave me a little time to settle down, breathe deeply, and get used to hearing what the rhythm and the pace of the interview would be like.

First of all, Barbara Duff is a fantastic interviewer! She made it an extremely pleasurable experience. I had so much fun, and Barbara completely put me at ease (even though I was nervous). To my surprise, my time in the studio time flew by and I found that I could have spoken to her for a lot longer. We chatted about lots of things, including when I first knew I wanted to be an artist, the pieces I have in the show, my love of color, and the fact that I try to put positive energy out through my work...I even got to plug my website and my monthly solo shows at the Closet Factory office!

Really, I had a blast, and I never would have guessed that at the end of the interview, I would be wishing I had just a few more minutes in the studio. I am so grateful for the experience, and I'm very happy that friends and family were able to hear me through the live stream on wbor.org. Now I just need to get a copy for myself so I can hear how it sounded!

Friday, September 16, 2011

bad, bad blogger

It's been over a month since my last post (*slapping wrist*). As you might have guessed, things have been pretty busy. I'll try my best to give a brief recap:

-The 10x10 show is coming up soon! My last post mentioned that I was the second runner up in the contest for the show's promotional materials. I haven't seen any articles in the paper yet, but I'm hoping that something will come out in the next week or so and that my painting will be included; if so, I will post it here.

-"The Community Paints: Summer In Maine" show at Thornton Oaks is still going on (through September 22nd). I am happy to say that both paintings I submitted were chosen. The opening reception was quite packed (as is usually the case with shows at Thornton Oaks). I ran into some other members of Brunswick Art Collaborative and it was great seeing them and their art. I met a man named Rudy at the opening ("like Rudy Vallee", as he said) and he was collecting signatures from all the participating artists! I laughed as I signed his card (the announcement for the show) and said, "Well, I hope someday this will be worth something!"

-I am very happy to say that my First Friday Art Walk listing has made it into the Portland Press Herald two months in a row! I made it into Portland Monthly magazine's September issue as well (they did a "First Friday Art Walk Guide" feature; Patrick Dempsey is on the cover), but I was a bit bummed about the way that turned out...they didn't mention my paintings (only my mixed media pieces) and they listed the Closet Factory website instead of www.brushstrokesbymaria.com. They did get the address right and they spelled my name correctly, so right now I'm trying to focus on the positives (although I must admit that when I first saw it, I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach).

-Speaking of First Friday, the September Art Walk was absolutely fantastic! Jen was busy doing Tarot readings for most of the evening, and I sold four pieces: a collage, an oil pastel, and two paintings! The crowds weren't as big as they've been in previous months, but those who came were interested and engaging...and thankfully the number of people who walked in and went straight for the food was minimal.

-Tomorrow is the Family Arts Festival in Brunswick! I will be doing a collage workshop with my friend Trish (from Brunswick Art Collaborative and Northeast Noodle) and I'm really looking forward to it. We have tons of great supplies and the weather is supposed to be beautiful. I will fill you in on all the details!

Well, I think I've touched on most of what's been happening art-wise over the last month. I will try my best to not let this much time go by between posts again!