Monday, October 31, 2011

gorham art fair recap

I had a lovely time at the Gorham Art Fair this weekend! I met a lot of cool people who were browsing/shopping, and I had a chance to connect (and reconnect!) with some wonderful artists. Lots of people signed up for my email list, and I was able to promote First Friday Art Walk as well...I was surprised to find out that a lot of people didn't know what that was! Plus, I sold a mixed media piece entitled "Let Love Rule". The woman who bought my piece is an art teacher for kindergarten through fifth grade, and she bought it to show her students! She made a point to tell me that my piece (and my website) would be used to teach kids. How cool is that?

Friday, October 28, 2011

el camino

I'm going to start this blog post with a re-post of this month's Art In Focus column from my website (this decision will make sense if you keep reading), so here it is:

"An artist chooses his subjects...that is the way he praises." -Friedrich Nietzsche
I found this quote the other day and I thought it would be a fitting way to begin this month's Art In Focus, because it perfectly describes the way I feel about one of my most recent paintings, "El Camino". El Camino is my favorite restaurant, and I wanted to pay tribute to it by doing a painting. They specialize in Mexican food, and they use local, organic ingredients whenever possible. To me, El Camino equals fun. I always have a great time when I am there. The decor is fun and funky, the food is fantastic, the service is friendly, and the mojitos are the best I've ever had anywhere (plus, the bartenders know exactly how I like them, and they
always have fresh mint). Whenever we have friends or family visiting from out of town, we go to El Camino. Whenever I want to celebrate selling a
painting, we go to El Camino. Whether we just go for drinks or we stay for dinner, we laugh, we enjoy each other's company, and we have a blast. There is something very special about that place, and El Camino is another one of the many things that make me grateful to live in Brunswick, Maine. I hope I was able to convey all of these feelings in my painting. If you are reading this and you have never been to El Camino before, do yourself a favor and go...and tell them I sent you!

So, I am very happy to report that Paul, one of the owners of El Camino, bought my painting this week! He said that of all the paintings, photographs, and pictures he's seen of El Camino, mine is the one that captures it the best. What a compliment! He said he really wanted it because he knows that someday he won't own the place anymore (to which I said, "I hope that's not anytime soon!") and he wants to have the painting to remember it by. It feels good to know that "El Camino" has gone to a good home where it will be loved and appreciated for many years to come. I couldn't be happier.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

do your homework

I had an interesting experience on Friday night! A nursing student from SMCC came in and said he's taking an art history class. His assignment was to go to First Friday Art Walk, check out the work, talk to the artists, and choose someone to write about. Well, he told me he had done the entire Art Walk, and that my work was the only stuff he found interesting...so now I'm going to be the subject of his homework assignment! How weird is that?

We chatted for a little while and I gave him my card, which is something he said his professor would be happy about. At one point he asked, "How did you know you wanted to be an artist?" Before I could think about it, I said, "How did you know you wanted to be a guy?" He seemed to get a kick out of that answer (even though he was initially startled by it)! Before he left, I gave him my email address in case he thinks of any follow-up questions. I don't know if I'll hear from him, but I hope I do because I would love to read what he writes!  

Monday, October 3, 2011

10x10 recap

Well, I am happy to say that "Lemon" was one of the first pieces to sell on Friday night at the 10x10 Brunswick! The buyer actually sent a proxy to wait on line and pick it up for her...she couldn't be there when the doors opened, but she didn't want to take the chance that someone else might buy it first. I walked in to St. Paul's at around 5:15 and saw a big blank space on the wall between my two other paintings. Thankfully, I also saw Trish nearby, and apparently she had just said, "Oh, I wish Maria was here to see this!" I walked right up to her and she told me the proxy was actually her friend Catherine, a local acupuncturist who she used to work with at Bayview Gallery. What a coincidence! Trish suggested I ask Catherine if we could hang the piece back on the wall for one last picture. Naturally, she obliged, and I was thankful for her courtesy, her connection to Trish, and my timing. I asked Catherine where her friend had seen "Lemon", and she said it was the image 10x10 preview page on the website that grabbed her attention. I was surprised since the images on the site were all fairly small, but I'm glad "Lemon" made an impression on her. What a fun evening, and what a great cause! Thanks to everyone involved in the Brunswick 10x10!