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

feed your head

Mark your calendars: On Saturday, January 30th, I'm having another "Paint-a-Thon"! I will be setting up my easel in the front window of Cool As A Moose (128 Maine Street, Brunswick) and painting from roughly 10am-6pm. At the end of the day, the completed painting will be raffled off, and 50% of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program's "Backpack Program". Raffle tickets can be purchased in person or online (here's the link: https://www.carii.com/#/register/BrushstrokeswithImpactbyMaria) for $5 each or 3 for $10. Plus, I will have a "pop-up" show of my art at Cool As A Moose from Friday, January 29th through Monday, February 1st, and 10% of all my art sales (excluding magnets) from this show will be donated to the MCHPP's Backpack Program! If you haven't heard of the MCHPP's Backpack Program, you can read all about it right here: http://www.mchpp.org/backpack-program/. It's a great cause! 

Being raised in an Italian-American household, food was a major focus for my family. My mom was known for her cooking, and she seemed to make it her mission to feed everyone and anyone who walked into our house. My parents were also very active food bank donors, and they made it a part of their regular grocery store routine to include space in their shopping cart for food pantry staples. Because of this, teaming up with the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program feels like a bit of a no-brainer. I'm grateful to be hosted by Cool As A Moose as well! I was a "pop-up" artist at Cool As A Moose back in September 2014, and I had a fantastic time. I'm looking forward to working with them again. The staff there is so friendly! 

warm memories

Incidentally, if you're reading this and you have a story to share regarding my mother and her cooking, I invite you to leave it in the comments!

snow down, slow down

It's snowing where I am! Sometimes snow days can be rather inconvenient. Sometimes snow days can come at just the right time. Today feels like one of those well-times snow days. Yes, it's true: today's snow day has resulted in a postponement of the artists' reception for the 8th Annual Joy of Art juried group show at Topsham Public Library. While that is a bit of a bummer, the reception has already been rescheduled for Saturday, February 6th, 1pm-3pm, so that's taken care of. The Joy of Art began on January 12th and runs through February 20th. For more information, please visit the Topsham Public Library's website: www.topshamlibrary.org

The beauty of a good snow day is the permission to take things slow, to kick back a bit, to sleep in, to catch up with things that have been needing attention. I've been trying to make this day a healthy combination of all of those things. I still have plenty to do, but somehow, it feels like everything will get done. One of the things on my list was to write a quick blog post to include something I can't believe I left out of my last blog post: I made the paper! 

back page news! 

Yes, my "Paint-a-Thon/Paint4TheCure" made it into the January edition of The Cryer! The article is the entire top half of the back page...pretty awesome, if you ask me! I'm grateful to Keith Spiro for documenting the day so beautifully, and I'm already looking forward to my NEXT "Paint-a-Thon"! Please visit (and join!) my Carii community page, Brushstrokes With Impact By Maria, to find out more! In the meantime, stay warm! 

we can be heroes

To all who were involved in my "Paint-a-Thon/Paint4TheCure": I am overwhelmed and humbled by your support! Thanks to you, today I was able to donate $374.98 to NFCR's Play4TheCure program! This total came about through several different ways: 50% of the proceeds from all of the "Paint-a-Thon" raffle ticket sales, 10% of the proceeds from all art sales from my show at the Mix, and all of your post-raffle donations through my Carii community page, Brushstrokes With Impact by Maria! 

David Bowie's passing from liver cancer on January 10th has affected me in a way I never would have seen coming. Obviously, I did not know him personally, but David Bowie was one of my heroes: a true artist who was always reinventing himself, always pushing boundaries, always evolving, and always relevant. I'm grateful for the incredible music he left behind, and for the inspiration he provided for me personally as well as for so many others. Being able to make this donation to NFCR's Play4TheCure program just days after David Bowie's passing feels like an appropriate tribute.

"Heal" with its new owner: my awesome sister, Addie! 

Would you like to be the next lucky winner? Well, mark your calendars for my next "Paint-a-Thon": Saturday, January 30th! Details to come...stay tuned! 

i raise my glass to you

As 2015 winds down, like most people, I'm finding myself in a reflective mood. I wanted to take this moment to say "thank you" to everyone who has been supportive of me (and my art!) this year. If you purchased my artwork in any form, if you came to one of my shows, if you shared my work with someone you care about, if you bought a raffle ticket for my first "Paint-a-Thon," if you promoted any of my art events, if you opened your space up to me so I could show my work there, if you are taking the time to read my blog, whatever...I am grateful for YOU. Family, friends, and strangers alike, thank you all for your support! You helped make 2015 awesome. I am hopeful about the coming year, and I'm excited about the possibilities ahead. Know that I will raise my glass to you tonight. I wish you all good health, happiness, prosperity, and creativity in the coming year. Let's kick some ass together in 2016!

yes, it is!

Paint-a-Thon/Paint4TheCure recap!

It's been just over a week and a half since my "Paint-a-Thon/Paint4TheCure"! I've been laying low for a little while, for several different reasons...partly because the "Paint-a-Thon" was an intense experience and I needed a little time to process everything, partly because I needed to catch up with all of the work I'd been putting off...and, hello- Christmas is tomorrow! What?!? Well, here's my recap of the day...

Where it all happened! Photo by Keith Spiro

Masking tape is a fun medium! Photo by Keith Spiro

I started at 10 am as planned. The front window of the Mix proved to be a supportive, wonderful place to paint! Thank you, Jill, for allowing me to be there all day long and to take over the music as well. The soundtrack of the day consisted of Iron & Wine, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Tom Petty, Phish, Gin Wigmore, and New Earth Mud, plus a two-hour set of live music in the middle of the day from Kathleen McGee, who was wonderful. The eight hours flew by, and I was really in a zone. I only stopped to use the ladies' room, and most conversations I had included me saying, "I hope you don't mind if I don't look at you while we talk!"

Work in progress! Photo by Keith Spiro

I went through all of the ups and downs I typically experience while working on a painting. Usually these feelings are spaced out over days, weeks, or sometimes even months, but not this time. It was a day-long roller coaster ride: "Here's my idea, I know what I'm going to do." "This is going along well. I feel good about what I've done so far, and I've got plenty of time to finish. Maybe I'll even be done early!" "Hmm...wait a minute. Am I going to be able to do this?" "Holy cow, one o'clock already? I need to get the lead out!" "Three o'clock? Uh oh." "What the hell was I thinking?" "There's no way I'm going to finish this on time!" "Wait- I think it's happening!" "Yes! Yes! It's finished!" Sure enough, just before 6pm, I was signing my name in the lower-right hand corner of the 8" x 8" canvas. I felt punch-drunk, slightly dazed, and buzzing with adrenaline. In other words, it was kind of awesome. Then it was time to pull the winning ticket! Here's a video of the moment of truth (including the finished painting!): https://katch.me/KeithSpiro/v/22a3e361-030f-3d5a-9fb2-b38659f4f43c. After that, it was time for a celebratory mojito at El Camino!


Thanks to the help of so many people, my "Paint-a-Thon" was a success! Keith Spiro was with me all day long, taking photos, shooting video, and promoting, promoting, promoting. He was working directly with the folks from Carii, coordinating the online raffle ticket sales through the community page he created, Brushstrokes With Impact By Maria. Speaking of Carii, major thanks to the folks at Carii for donating the programmers and space to make this community appear overnight to help with this project...can you imagine? My head is spinning just thinking about it! Special thanks to Dave Bjork, Cancer Research Evangelist, for his support of this #Paint4TheCure project (and for not minding that I altered your Play4TheCure banners)! I feel like I can't say "thank you" enough for all of the support I received throughout my "Paint-a-Thon"! I am grateful for everyone who stopped by to say hello and give me a hug, to everyone who bought a raffle ticket, to everyone who shared or promoted this event in any way, and to everyone who sent loving thoughts my way via social media, text, or brainwaves. Know that you are truly appreciated...it really means a lot, and I will always remember your kindness. You guys are a regular dream team! No thank you list would be complete without my ever-patient husband, Terry, who puts up with my mania on a daily basis and loves me just the same. 


So...what's next? Well, I've got another "Paint-a-Thon" up my sleeve for January! I will release details later (including the date, the venue, and the cause), but if you'd like to be in the know, I invite you to join my Carii community page, Brushstrokes With Impact By Maria! It's free, and there are no advertisements. Plus, you can see all of Keith's posts from that day, including more photos and video. I hope to see you there! In the meantime, I hope everyone reading this has an awesome holiday!!! 

the night before

Holy cow- it's almost here! The "Paint-a-Thon" is tomorrow! I was interviewed on WCME first thing this morning (thank you, Jim Bleikamp, for having me in the studio once again), then I came home to bake cookies and make white bean and basil hummus for the food table, and late this afternoon, I went over to The Mix to set up my easel, my paints, and my brushes. This is really happening! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't starting to get a little nervous...

inside out

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has been kind enough to help me with promoting my "Paint-a-Thon"! Lots of friends and family members have shared the event page on Facebook , along with the Carii community page (which is where you can buy raffle tickets online). I've also gotten some great "tweets" and "re-tweets" from friends, supporters, and complete strangers on Twitter, and that's been fun to watch, too! Plus, The Coastal Journal printed the press release in this week's issue. Woo hoo!

it's official!  

I'm going to try to get a good night's sleep tonight...I will certainly need it!