Wednesday, February 24, 2016

blogs and news and eggplant

I've been asked to write a bi-weekly art-related blog for Curtis Memorial Library! Below are the links to the two postings I've written there so far. If you're interested, I'll be there every other Wednesday!

http://curtiscreativespaces.com/hello-its-me/

http://curtiscreativespaces.com/everybody-wants-some/

In other news, I'm happy to announce that Kathleen McGee will be joining me once again for my next Brushstrokes With Impact (tm) "Paint-a-Thon" event (otherwise known as VANtastic!) from 1pm-3pm on Saturday, February 27th at Wyler's! She has been kind enough to sing and play guitar at my two previous Brushstrokes With Impact (tm) "Paint-a-Thon" events, and I'm so glad she's returning! Yay!

Another "yay": I recently sold one of my little 3" x 3" paintings to my friend and collector, Keith Spiro! When Keith and his lovely wife, Adrienne, bought "Psychedelic Eggplant," they told me there was a story behind the reason why they wanted that particular painting. They were smiling and laughing as they spoke, so naturally, I asked to hear the story...but Keith said, "Well, you're going to have to read all about it! I think I'll write it in a blog post!" A few days later, I got a notification through Twitter letting me know that the wait was over...and now, I'm looking forward to sharing their story with you! Here is the link...I'm sure you will find it just as charming as I do. 
https://keithspiro.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/magical-marketing-of-an-epic-eggplant/


"Psychedelic Eggplant": bite-sized! 

Monday, February 15, 2016

pressing matters

I just sent out the press release for my next event! Let's see if anyone picks it up...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local artist's "Paint-a-Thon" campaign for charity continues
Brunswick artist Maria Castellano-Usery continues her groundbreaking work of "art philanthropy for the budget-conscious (tm)."

On Saturday, February 27th, to celebrate her growing program, Brushstrokes with Impact (tm), she invites the community to join her at Wyler's (150 Maine Street, Brunswick), where Maria will be having a "pop-up" art show and “Paint-a-Thon," complete with a raffle featuring the finished painting as the prize.
Maria will set up her easel at Wyler's and have a day-long “Paint-a-Thon” during business hours (10am to 6pm, roughly). Raffle tickets for the completed 8” x 8” acrylic painting will be sold both in person and online ($5 each, 3 for $10) with the winning ticket being drawn the evening of Saturday, February 27th. Maria will be donating 50% of the proceeds from ticket sales to ArtVan.  Additionally, 10% of all Maria’s art sales from her "pop-up" show at Wyler's (excluding magnets) will be donated to ArtVan.

This is the third event in her groundbreaking series "art philanthropy for the budget-conscious (tm)," where Maria will be working with other local businesses and various charities that are meaningful to her. Maria started Brushstrokes with Impact (tm) as a "Paint-a-Thon" that took place in December at The Mix and raised nearly $375 for the National Foundation for Cancer Research's "Play4TheCure" program; her second event raised over $200 for the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program's "BackPack Program". If you are interested in creating a future collaboration, please email maria@brushstrokesbymaria.com
For more information about this event on Saturday, February 27th, please go to www.brushstrokesbymaria.com (click on “current shows” and follow the links) or you can make a donation online and enter the raffle here https://www.carii.com/#/register/BrushstrokeswithImpactbyMaria and join her community of giving.


That's right: my next "Paint-a-Thon" event will benefit ArtVan! I'm calling it "VANtastic". I'm having a little too much fun with these titles! Anyway, here's the Facebook event page if you'd like to share it: https://www.facebook.com/events/1679660962290648/ ...it's a public event, so please feel free! 

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

souper cool

Thank you to everyone who supported me in my second Brushstrokes With Impact (TM) "Paint-a-Thon"/SOUPER BOWL! The winner of "Apple" is none other than Paul from El Camino Cantina! Everyone who knows me knows how much I love El Camino, so I'm very happy about this. Congratulations, Paul! 


"Apple"


I had a lot of fun at Cool As A Moose! As always, the staff was friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Major thanks to Caroline Kurrus for agreeing to host me, to Cool As A Moose's marketing coordinator, Emily, for the wonderful job she did promoting the event (check out the sign she made below!), and to Ashley (Emily's "second-in-command") for helping me get the space ready, for being there all day with me on Saturday, January 30th, and for pulling the winning ticket at the end of the evening! 



Great job, Emily! Thank you! 


Once again, live music from Kathleen McGee kept me going from 1pm-3pm (otherwise known as the time when I have to start putting the pedal to the metal, so to speak). Friends and family were kind enough to stop by with hugs and words of encouragement, and I'm always grateful for that! The tireless Keith Spiro was there nearly all day long, documenting everything, selling raffle tickets, and promoting, promoting, promoting...thank you! Three paintings and a handful of magnets found new homes that day, and funds were raised for a worthwhile cause: the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program's "BackPack Program". I am still waiting to receive an official total, but when I get that information, I will pass it along. 



Ever get the feeling you're being watched? 


My next Brushstrokes With Impact (TM) "Paint-a-Thon" is coming right up: Saturday, February 27th! I'm going to be announcing the location and the cause very soon, so stay tuned! In the meantime, mark your calendars!

In other show news, the artists' reception for the "Joy of Art" at Topsham Public Library's Crooker Gallery was this past Saturday, February 6th! It was a great turnout, especially considering this was the "snow date". I had my own corner again this year! If you haven't had a chance to see the work in this year's show, you still have time: the "Joy of Art" runs through Saturday, February 20th. 


cornered