Wednesday, August 7, 2013

coming up

Well, it's official: my painting, "Prentiss' Owl", is one of two runners up in the 10x10 Brunswick publicity contest! The press release arrived in my inbox first thing this morning and that was a wonderful way for me to start the day. I am excited that my painting made the top three, it feels great to be in such good company (Joe Godleski's painting was chosen to be on the poster, and a fiber art piece by Catherine Worthington was the other runner up), and I am really hoping that "Prentiss' Owl" makes it into the paper. We'll see what comes of this!

The 10x10 is on Friday, September 27th, from 5 pm to 8 pm at the Morrell Meeting Room, Curtis Memorial Library, and the Parish Hall, St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Brunswick. For more information, check out the website: www.10x10brunswick.org. Mark your calendars now!

Friday, August 2, 2013

i do like guthrie's!

This morning, I hung my solo show at She Doesn't Like Guthrie's in Lewiston. Let me tell you, it was a fan-freaking-tastic experience! Heather (the owner) could not have been friendlier, I was able to park right in front, and the show went up quickly, thanks to their fabulous hanging system: two simple wooden cleats along the wall. The cleats made it very easy to line things up, and they keep the walls free of nail holes, which makes everything look a whole lot nicer. No fuss, no muss. I would highly recommend this system to any business or establishment that displays art. Oh, and yeah...they're offering my magnets for sale as well! Woo-hoo!

I was originally scheduled to hang my work tomorrow morning, but the artist who had the show before mine is heading out of town this weekend, so I was given the option to come in today instead if it was convenient. Not only did it work out better for my schedule for me to go in this morning, but it gives my work an extra day to be on display; plus, Fridays are very popular at Guthrie's, so it would have been foolish to pass up the opportunity. I am excited about this show for several different reasons. First of all, the space is beautiful. Second, they get great live music at Guthrie's. Third, the food is yummy and the menu is different...and how often do you see a Pixies reference when you're ordering food? Fourth, the staff is friendly, and Heather has been an absolute pleasure to work with.

Please stop by sometime this month if you're in the Lewiston area, and if you're not in the area, make a special trip! Support an independently owned business: treat your body to some healthy food, treat your ears to some good music, and treat your eyes to some art! Here's their website: http://www.guthriesplace.com

Thursday, August 1, 2013

fairy fill in

In early July, I got an email from crafter extraordinaire Heidi Boyd asking me if I'd be willing and able to fill in for her at a "build your own fairy" children's workshop at Curtis Memorial Library here in Brunswick. I was thrilled that she thought of me, so I immediately said, "Yeah, why not? That sounds fun!" Heidi is very well known for her crafting prowess: she writes books (http://www.amazon.com/Heidi-Boyd/e/B001JP8G5G/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1375376559&sr=1-2-ent) and she has a very successful business (https://www.facebook.com/HeidiBoydWhimsyKits), so to say that she's got some pretty big shoes to fill is not an understatement. We met last week so she could give me a crash course in Fairy Building. I took copious notes, I photographed each step of the process, and, of course, I got nervous about the whole thing...but most of all, I had fun, and that's the spirit I wanted to bring to the workshop. She assured me I would be fine and that the kids would be a very open, receptive audience; she also told me I would have help from at least one librarian and a high school student with volunteer experience. All of this made me feel better, and I started to get excited.

Well, the workshop was yesterday morning, and WOW- what a whirlwind! There were at least 25 kids there and they were all very eager to build their own fairy. My helpers were amazing: Robyn, a librarian, and Kathryn, a teen volunteer. The three of us set up the room and got all the supplies ready before the kids arrived. When the start time rolled around, I introduced myself to the crowd, showed my Art Walk poster (as Heidi suggested), and went through the fairy-building steps. I then asked the kids to repeat the steps back to me one at a time (again, as Heidi suggested); they had obviously been paying attention because lots of hands shot up into the air every time I said, "Okay, what's next?" When it was time to get down to business, the kids swarmed the table for supplies. I turned to Kathryn and said, "Uh oh...have I lost control already?" She smiled knowingly and said, "Don't worry. This is normal." Kathryn and Robyn were on glue gun duty, and I helped kids who asked for a hand. I had intended to take pictures, but I just got so wrapped up in what I was doing, I didn't even touch my phone. Before I knew it, the room was mostly empty, and there were just a few more kids waiting to get their fairy's wings glued on! It was all over in just 30 minutes, everyone left happy, and the room was fairly clean. That's what I call a successful workshop!