Saturday, December 31, 2011

it was a very good year

What a year 2011 was! When I look back on everything that's happened this year, I'm struck by how busy things were. Where do I start? Well, January marked my very first First Friday Art Walk solo show at the Closet Factory office/showroom on Congress Street. This was a trend that continued all year long, and I'm pleased to say that I didn't miss a single one (not even when we had that freak snowstorm on April Fool's Day). Hopefully next year will even better!

Speaking of shows, I was in a fair amount of interesting ones, including solo shows at Biddeford Savings Bank in Scarborough and Scarlet Begonia's in Brunswick, a group show at Thornton Oaks, and another appearance at the Gorham Art Fair. It was my second time running a collage workshop for kids at the Family Arts Festival (with help from Patricia Boissevain this year) and my first time participating in a benefit for The Gathering Place, a new day shelter in town.

Of course, the 10x10 Brunswick was a major event for me. My "Lemon" painting came in third place in the publicity contest, and as a result, I ended up on the radio as one of six artists promoting the show. Plus, an image of my painting ended up in the Portland Press Herald! At the end of the year, my "That Heavenly Coffee" painting was one of seven images used on the poster for the Downtown Moves Up show as well, so I think it would be fair to say that it was a good year for getting my work out in front of people.

Personally, I had a wonderful year. I was fortunate enough to share these and many other events with my wonderful friends and family members, and I was able to make connections with many new people through my art. I want to thank everyone for all the support, and I hope 2012 is filled with blessings of love, peace, joy, creativity, and prosperity for all of us! See you next year.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

year-end collaboration

The last meeting of the year for the Brunswick Art Collaborative was on Tuesday, and what a meeting it was! We had the biggest group we've had in quite a while, and it was a wide assortment of regulars, semi-regulars, and brand-new members. Normally I just work on my own stuff during these meetings, but this time I participated in the ornament-making project that was being taught by Amanda. I was having a hard time folding my paper properly, but Amanda was very patient and walked me through the process. I now have a Phish-themed ornament for my tree (I used a page from an old calendar for the images), although I have a feeling it's going to end up in my studio so I can enjoy it all year round! I started a new collage afterwards, so I feel good about that as well. January's First Friday will be here before you know it, so the more new work I can have ready, the better!

Anyone who is local and curious about the Brunswick Art Collaborative, please stop by sometime! We meet in the art room at Thornton Oaks in Brunswick (it's in the main building) on the second Tuesday of the month, 6 pm to 8 pm. We are a very laid-back group and all are welcome!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

whirlwind weekend

What a busy weekend! Things were fairly non-stop for me, as I'm sure it was for many artists. Portland's First Friday Art Walk kicked things off, and then Saturday and Sunday I was at the Downtown Moves Up show in Brunswick. Unfortunately I couldn't be in two places at once, so I missed the Friday night installment of Downtown Moves Up (and the free gelato that went with it), but that's okay! I sold pieces at both events, and I was very happy to see many familiar, smiling faces throughout the course of the weekend. This is always a crazy time of year, so it was great to be able to spend a little time with friends...thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello.

Jennifer of Interactive Tarot was offering readings at First Friday, as usual, and one lucky woman in particular who hadn't been able to get a reading previously was able to take advantage of the fantastic discount. To say this woman was excited is a bit of an understatement! It's always fun to see people emerge from the space where Jen does her readings.

I should take a minute to say thank you once again to Lee Cheever of Five Rivers Arts Alliance. Lee once again helped me to transport my hanging racks from the Five Rivers office to the Lincoln Building and back. This isn't a long distance as the crow flies, but there are lots of stairs involved in each building, so it's not exactly easy to do. She also let me borrow a rack from Five Rivers once again (I used it during last year's Arts Downtown and All Around show), and she helped me to set things up and break things down. Lee, you are my hero!