Tuesday, November 25, 2014

big love for shopping small

As I mentioned in my previous post, the holiday art show season is up and running! ADAA kicked things off, and I've got three other shows coming right up: the Brunswick Downtown Association's Small Business Saturday "pop-up" show, the UU Church of Brunswick's Holiday Art & Craft Fair, and the Holiday Open House show! Mark your calendars: the UU show is Saturday, December 6th, 9am-2pm, the Holiday Open House show is Friday, December 12th, 5pm-8pm, and Saturday, December 13th, 10am-2pm, and the BDA Small Business Saturday "pop-up" show is November 29th, 9am-5pm...otherwise known as THIS SATURDAY! Small Business Saturday should be quite the event...just look at the poster!

Supporting small businesses keeps Brunswick COOL. 

Downtown Brunswick is going to be hopping! Check it out: horse and carriage rides, hot chocolate and cookies, Santa and Frosty the Snowman, the annual tree lighting ceremony, sales and promotions at neighborhood shops and restaurants, and LOCAL ART! What more could you want? The "pop up" venue looks like it will be a good one, too: we will be at 90 Maine Street, in the former Agren Appliance building! Not only is this space big, it has great windows, wonderful visibility, and awesome neighbors, including the Gelato Fiasco and Big Top Deli! Take a peek at the list of participating artists...better yet, come and see us in person!  

Thanks to Mike Gorzka for snapping this photo! 

I am excited to be a part of Small Business Saturday, and I hope to see your smiling face on November 29th! Don't forget: shopping small has a BIG impact! Let's face it, Brunswick has a LOT of great independently-owned shops and restaurants. Supporting those shops and restaurants (and artists!) is what keeps Brunswick cool, different, and unlike any other town. Give Brunswick big love by shopping small! 

Shop small for BIG FUN! 


Monday, November 24, 2014

kicking things off!

Arts Downtown and All Around was last weekend, and it was a wonderful way to kick off the holiday art show season! I had a great time...and if you weren't able to make it out to ADAA, don't worry: I have three other shows coming right up! We're in the swing of things now, aren't we? First things first, though...allow me to do a little recapping! 

My heart is filled with gratitude for everyone who made ADAA a wonderful experience. Thank you, thank you, thank you to my fellow artists, to all the show-goers, to those who couldn't make it out but still offered their love and support in other ways, and to the event's very hard-working organizers and volunteers...as the kids are saying, "mad props" to Catherine Worthington, Lily Roy, and Joan Carney in particular. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, this year's ADAA group show was in the former Coleman Burke Gallery space right next to Frontier. This location turned out to be fantastic! The room itself was beautiful, with high ceilings, exposed brick, large windows, and good lighting; plus, the proximity to Frontier got us a lot of traffic that we may not have otherwise had. People started arriving while we were still setting up on Friday afternoon because they were either on their way to or coming from Frontier, and on Friday evening, when diners were waiting for their tables, the Frontier staff encouraged their patrons to make good use of their wait time by checking out the art! Thank you, Frontier peeps, for supporting local artists (and for making awesome food, too)! 


Twinkly lights make everything nicer, don't they? 

Things were busy right from the get-go, and the traffic all weekend was fairly steady. Not only were people in a good mood, but they were in the mood to shop! They were also in the mood to chat...allow me to share some stories that were shared with me!

*A couple bought an "El Camino" magnet and an "Old Fat Boy Sign" magnet to send off to their daughters who are currently living in California, but are homesick for Brunswick.

*A woman told me the magnet she bought was going to be the "pickle present" this year. I told her I didn't know what that was, so she filled me in! Evidently, this is a tradition in Polish families: you hide a pickle ornament in the Christmas tree, and whoever finds the pickle ornament gets the "pickle present"! I've seen pickle ornaments in stores before, but I just figured they were made for people who loved pickles (such as myself)...I didn't know there was a story behind them!

*A woman bought an "Old Fat Boy Sign" magnet as a stocking stuffer for her adult son. She told me that when he was a child, her son would get very upset when anyone in the family would say "Fat Boy," because it wasn't nice to call someone "fat". He insisted they refer to it as "The Restaurant By The Airport." It didn't stop them from eating there, of course! 

*A woman bought a couple of magnets and a mixed media piece from me. We started talking, and it turns out she is a collector of my work! She lives in the Gorham area, so we first crossed paths at the Gorham Art Fair a few years ago. I remembered that one of the pieces she bought from me a while back was called "You Are Eternal," and when I brought that up, she told me something that made the hair on my arms stand up: she gave "You Are Eternal" as a gift to her brother after he had been diagnosed with ALS. "He keeps it in his man-cave," she said, smiling. 

Not only am I grateful for the excellent turnout and for the great sales I made at ADAA, but I feel really good about all the wonderful interactions I had with show-goers and artists alike. It is a privilege to be able to connect with others through my art, and for that, I am thankful...and if you're reading this blog, I am thankful for YOU! 





Monday, November 10, 2014

no office? no problem!

In addition to being an all-around awesome guy, my brother-in-law, Marc, is a patent attorney in Boston. Marc is also a big supporter of my artwork. Here is some photographic evidence:

Case in point!

He recently changed firms, and although Marc is much happier where he is working now, he doesn't have the private office (and therefore, the walls) he used to. Thankfully, that hasn't stopped him from enhancing his work space with my art! Check this out: 

Art transcends the gobbledy-gook of everyday life. 

"Oil And Water" is now suspended between Marc's two computer monitors. Not only is that a super-clever solution to the "no walls" issue, but the painting's placement allows Marc to enjoy it pretty much any time he is sitting at his desk! Smart, right? I told you he was awesome.

If you have a small space that you'd like to adorn with some tiny original art (or some magnets, or prints, or larger original art!), please come and see me at one of my upcoming shows! This weekend is Arts Downtown and All Around! This three-day holiday art show and sale usually takes place in December, but this time, it's in November...and it's in a new location, too: the former Coleman Burke gallery space (right outside of Frontier), Fort Andross, Brunswick! Kick off your holiday shopping season right: support local, independent artists! 

The holidays are coming...