Sunday, September 30, 2012

a september to remember

Wow- what a month! Here's a brief recap: it started with a very busy First Friday Art Walk, followed by a very busy collage workshop for kids at the Family Arts Festival (both of which featured a very special guest: my dear friend Tim, who was visiting from New York and went home with my "Brunswick-Topsham Bridge" painting!), then it was onto a very busy Second Friday Art Walk (where I sold four mixed media pieces). Now, on to topics I haven't covered yet...

The following week, I went on a mixed media tear and I'm still in the midst of it. I've started and finished 8 new pieces within the last 12 days, one of which is my largest mixed media piece to date...and it's still morning right now- who knows what will happen later? I also found out on Wednesday of this week that four of my paintings have been accepted into the Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration Art Walk in Lewiston next month! That event takes place on Friday, October 12th, so I can't be there physically because I'll be at Second Friday, but that's okay- as long as my work is there, I'm fine with that!

Friday was the Brunswick 10x10, which is always a very big deal. It was raining, but that didn't dampen the show at all. In fact, 47 people were waiting outside for the doors to open at 5 pm! If you're not familiar with the 10x10, here's the deal: all works are 10" x 10", and they're all priced at $200; $100 goes to the artist, $100 goes to Arts Are Elementary, a program that brings the arts to Brunswick students from kindergarten through 5th grade. No online sales are permitted, and if you want to purchase a piece, you have to stand next to it and flag down a volunteer, who will then take it off the wall and escort you over to the checkout table. The show is so big, it's in two buildings: the Morrell Meeting Room at Curtis Memorial Library, and the hall at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. This year, the first half of the alphabet was at the library, the second half was at St. Paul's. The two buildings are technically on two different streets, but there is a walking path between them.

Terry and I got there around 5:10. We walked in and I saw that both of my paintings were still there. I wanted to go over and take a picture next to where my work was, but the place was packed and I figured I'd just wait until things thinned out a bit. I should have known that things would stay packed all night, because they always do at the 10x10!  I started talking to another artist, Debbie Casterlin (whose work is always hung next to mine at the 10x10 because our last names are very similar, alphabetically speaking). We were chatting and chatting and then she casually said, "Yeah, one of your paintings has sold." I said, "What???" and turned around to see a blank spot on the wall: "Re-birthday Cake" was on its way to the checkout table! I walked closer to the checkout table, and I saw my painting there, waiting to be purchased and wrapped up. I was able to snap a couple of pictures of the transaction, and I was able to meet the woman who was buying it! I gave her a hug and thanked her. She said she was originally planning on buying it for her father's 85th birthday, but she decided to give it to her daughter instead, who is about to turn 21. "Plus," she said, "that way, it gets to stay in my house!"

A little while later, Terry and I decided to check out what was going on at St. Paul's. As we were walking out, I passed Lucy Cooney, who is a member of the 10x10 committee. She said, "Hey- you're in the paper today!" I said, "What??? Which one?" and she said, "Times Record!" Terry said, "Hey, that's a good one to be in, because it's the weekend edition- that will be on sale for three days." Naturally, I made Terry stop at the store on our way home to pick up a copy (even though it wouldn't be going anywhere)! Anyway, we stayed until nearly 8pm, chatting with friends, show attendees, and other artists. Oh- file this one under "it's a small world": over at St. Paul's, Terry ran into an elderly woman he met recently at work. She had a piece in the show and we were talking to her about it. The younger woman who was with her looked at me and said, "Yes, I've bought work from you every year at the Gorham Art Fair!" You could have knocked me over with a feather...this woman was related to the woman who Terry just met! She said, "Yes, I have all of your mixed media pieces in my meditation shrine." What a compliment! I gave her a big hug and thanked her for the support.
The next day was the first pick up date for all unsold work. I was glad to have been able to make it, because this way, I can hang "Mandala Fiasco", my gelato-spoon painting, at First Friday this week, and possibly at Second Friday next week!

One more thing about the Brunswick 10x10: I am always impressed at what a well-oiled machine this entire show always seems to be. Every year, things are professional, organized, and beautiful, from the drop off, to the show, to the pick up, and everything in between. The food is always fantastic, the event is always well-publicized, and the work is always great. My hat is off to them once again! Nice job.

Monday, September 17, 2012

by the way...

...my First Friday Art Walk listing made it into the September issue of Portland Monthly Magazine! It's on page 16 and I am very happy: my name is spelled correctly, the description of my work is accurate, and my website is listed, too. Hooray!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

recap x3

Holy cow! September is off to quite a start, and I'm just now getting the chance to blog about it.

First Friday Art Walk in Portland was fantastic. The place was packed with friends and strangers, thanks to the wonderful live music by The Intergalactic Yurt Band, my friend Erica's other band besides Cumberland Crossing. I was thrilled to be sharing the evening with my husband Terry, who- in honor of his first Art Walk in a long time- got all dressed up for the occasion, and my dear friend Tim, who was visiting from New York for the weekend (in his words: "special guest star, in the tradition of Charo"). Tim had heard me talk about First Friday ("I want to walk with the art!") many times and he really wanted to experience it for himself, so when his vacation time came up at work, he jumped at the chance.

Tim had a bit of a working vacation, though: Sunday was the Family Arts and Science Festival in Brunswick, and I presented a mixed media/collage workshop for kids. Thankfully, Tim was more than happy to be my assistant! Not only was he into helping out with everything, but he even brought a box of supplies from home (beautiful batiked fabric scraps from quilts he had made, burlap, cardstock, wooden buttons), and he made a piece himself! At one point, I apologized for putting him to work, and he looked at me as if I had three heads. He was loving everything about the festival, and he even learned a new technique from one of the other workshops: cyanotype printing, which allows you to "photograph" an image onto fabric. I'm sure I will see him using this newly acquired skill the next time he makes a quilt! Anyway, this is the third time I've done a mixed media/collage workshop at this festival, and every year I'm amazed at the quality of the work the kids churn out. We had a fair amount of adults making artwork, too! We were scheduled to be there from 10 am to noon, but it was so popular, we ended up staying until 1:30. We almost ran out of glue!

Yesterday was Second Friday Art Walk in Brunswick, and it was another great night. Terry was able to join me once again, which was wonderful. It's always so nice to have the company, and it made packing things up at the end of the night a breeze! I'm getting spoiled. I had the same room at 98 Maine that I had in July and August (yay!) and this time, I had music with me (which, as you know, makes everything better). The turnout was good, and I am happy to say that I sold four mixed media pieces- three to the same woman! It was funny: she walked into the room and spent a lot of time looking around (especially the spot where the three pieces she ended up taking home were). She said, "You know, this usually isn't my style, but I'm really feeling drawn to the spiritual element in your work." She started out choosing two pieces as gifts for friends (one of which is battling cancer) and decided at the last minute to add one for herself. The other person who bought from me was a gentleman named Rick, who was there with none other than the fabulous fiber artist, Susan Mills. I hadn't seen Susan for a while and it is always such a pleasure to run into her. They came into my room and we chatted for a bit, then they left and came back. When they walked in the second time, Rick went over to the piece he wanted and said, "I need this." Then they admonished me and told me I need to raise my prices, which Terry happily echoed (this has been a common topic of discussion in our house). Hmm...maybe soon...but that's a topic for another day.

Monday, September 3, 2012

...and we're off!

Well, September is shaping up to be a very busy month. Here are some of the highlights:

First Friday Art Walk is here again! Please stop by and see me at the Closet Factory office: 647A Congress St., Portland (we share an entrance with Princess Nails); Friday, September 7th, 5 pm to 8 pm. I will have paintings, collages/mixed media pieces, and oil pastels on display; there will also be wine, food, and- for the first time ever- LIVE MUSIC by The Intergalactic Yurt Band! Last month's art walk featured the music of Cumberland Crossing, and if you were there, you know how much fun it was. The Intergalactic Yurt Band will be sure to bring the fun as well! Bring your dancing shoes and spend the evening with us.

BIG news: my "artist profile" YouTube video will be airing on TV3, Brunswick's public access channel! If you live in the Brunswick area, click here to find out when you can catch it: http://216.195.129.142/Cablecast/Public/Show.aspx?ChannelID=1&ShowID=2153; if you'd rather watch it on YouTube at your leisure instead, here's the link: http://youtu.be/QTyejD0kfNw!

Brunswick's Second Friday Art Walk is also coming right up! Please stop by on Friday, September 14th, from 5 pm to 8 pm. I will be set up at 98 Maine Street (between Nest and The UPS Store). This event is sponsored by Five Rivers Arts Alliance. Here's a link to their website, in case you'd like to check it out: www.5raa.org; here's the brochure: http://5raa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2nd-Friday-ArtWalk-Brunswick-2012.pdf.

I am happy to announce that the "tiny" show at Spindleworks in Brunswick has been held over for another month! This is a juried group show featuring work that is no larger than 3" x 3" x 3". They've gotten such a great response, they decided to keep it up through September. If you are able to make it to Second Friday Art Walk, Spindleworks is right around the corner from where I will be. If you can't make it but you'd like to see the show while it's still running, their office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Here is the information in case you'd like to check it out:
 
What: (tiny)
Where: Whatnot Gallery, Spindleworks
7 Lincoln Street, Brunswick
When: August 3 - September 30th, 2012
ArtWalk Reception: 5-8pm, September 14th
(207) 725-8820
More Brunswick happenings: on Sunday, September 9th, from 10 am to noon, I will be giving a collage workshop for kids as part of the Family Arts and Science Festival! The Family Arts and Science Festival is sponsored by Five Rivers Arts Alliance, in conjunction with Cornerstones of Science. The festival will be on the town mall in Brunswick (right on Maine Street) from 10 am to 4 pm, and it will feature tons of different workshops (for kids of all ages!) focusing on art and science, live music, and various activities. There will also be a silent auction going on (to benefit Five Rivers Arts Alliance), and I have donated a 3" x 3" painting to the cause. If you would like more information, or if you're interested in bidding on one of the many wonderful items up for auction (including a gift certificate for a massage from the fabulous Heather Goulette of Monarch Massage: www.monarch-massage.com), please go to the Five Rivers Arts Alliance website: www.5raa.org.
 
It's hard to believe it's that time of year again, but it is: the 10x10 Brunswick is right around the corner! This will be the fifth anniversary of the 10x10 and this year's show is shaping up to be bigger than ever. I will have two paintings on display. If you're not familiar with the 10x10, here's the deal: it is a one-night show, with all works of art (framed and sized at 10" x 10", naturally) priced at $200; $100 goes to the artist, $100 goes to Arts Are Elementary. There will be a public preview on Thursday, September 27th from 5pm to 8pm and Friday, September 28th from 12pm to 3pm; the reception and show will be on Friday, September 28th from 5pm to 8pm. This year’s two venues are located next door to each other on Pleasant Street in Brunswick: Morrell Meeting Room, Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant Street and Parish Hall, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 27 Pleasant Street. For more information or to check out an online preview, go to www.10x10brunswick.org.
 
Also, I still have paintings on display at EcoHome Studio: 334 Forest Avenue, Portland (right next to Oakhurst, where Pier One used to be). EcoHome Studio is owned by Jan Robinson (of Jan Robinson Interiors), and she offers fabrics, home accents, furniture, lighting, and more...including local art! Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm. Check out her website here: www.janrobinsoninteriors.com.