create art, incite community

Isn't that the phrase I see on bumper stickers: "create art, incite community"? Well, it happens to be true. I am very happy to be taking part in a group show at Thornton Oaks in Brunswick entitled "The Community Paints: Summer in Maine". It should be a wonderful show, with 31 artists participating...several of whom are Brunswick Art Collaborative members! The show opens on Thursday, August 18th and runs through Thursday, September 22nd. I have had the pleasure of being involved in shows at Thornton Oaks before (the "Sixty Minute Expressions" events as well as "Flow", my two-woman show with photographer Anna Low) and I can tell you, they really know how to put on an opening reception! They put out a nice spread, they get their residents and the community of Brunswick interested, and they do a great job with publicizing the event...check out the beautiful invitation posted here! Just click on the image to see the full-size. What a nice way to be able to come together.

it's in the cards

I am very happy to announce that my dear friend Jennifer from Interactive Tarot (www.interactivetarot.net) will be offering discounted readings during my First Friday Art Walk opening receptions! If you have been to some of these openings, you may already know Jen. She is wonderfully supportive and frequently comes to my shows when her schedule allows. I am so excited to have her be an official part of the festivities, and I encourage you to get a reading if Tarot is something you are curious about. Her rates are already very reasonable, and the discount she'll be offering will make things even more accessible. Please check out her website if you have any questions, and we hope to see you on Friday, August 5th!

what a difference a year makes

July 2nd, 2010, was the first anniversary of my dad's passing. I wanted to do something fun that day to take my mind off of things, so when my friend Erica called to invite me to Portland's First Friday Art Walk, I jumped at the chance. I hadn't done the art walk in a long time (and I'd never done it in the summer, for that matter) and I could use some time with a friend, so when she asked, I said yes. I spoke to my friend Heather shortly after that, and it turned out that she had plans to do the art walk with her friend Rebecca. Heather and I decided to drive into Portland together and meet up with Erica and Rebecca there. As it turns out, I knew Erica and Heather, but not Rebecca; Heather knew me and Rebecca, but not Erica; Erica knew me and Rebecca, but not Heather; Rebecca knew Heather and Erica, but not me. Well, we all got together, and to say we had a blast is an understatement. We walked, we talked, we ate and drank, we looked at lots of art, and most of all, we laughed like lunatics. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time and it felt great...it was exactly what I needed.

It was a beautiful summer night, and Portland was loaded with art-lovers...they were everywhere, and it blew me away how many people were out and about. As we walked in and out of galleries, Heather and Erica kept saying to me, "You should be involved in this. Why isn't your artwork here?" I said I would love to be a part of it but I wasn't sure how to go about making that happen. Heather kept saying, "You're spreading light with your artwork...people need that. They need to see something that will uplift them. You should be here."

Who would have thought a year later, I'd be holding my own First Friday reception (my seventh one, to be exact, since I started in January)? The Closet Factory office was packed the night of July 1st, 2011. Tons of people came out and there they were, looking at my artwork and enjoying food, wine, music, and each other's company, just like we had done a year before. Heather, Erica, and Rebecca were all there for me that night, along with two of my oldest and dearest friends, Jen and Julia...and Julia had driven all the way up from Brooklyn as a surprise. I feel like my dad had a hand in all of this good fortune...he always loved pulling strings for the benefit of people he cared about when he was able to do so. I think he was listening that night last year and got to work. Thanks, Dad, for the assistance (again!), and thanks to all of my friends, whose support means more than I can possibly express. I love you all!

thinking inside the box

I love my cats, Cosmo and Althea. They are very sweet and, of course, very curious. I have had cats before, but Cosmo and Althea are the only cats I've had who like to hang out with me while I'm painting. They see me going upstairs and they get excited, running in front of me and into the studio. I get a kick out of this and the company is nice...until they start screwing around with my stuff: knocking over brushes and water cups, using collage supplies as toys, getting underfoot when I'm stepping back to look at a painting's progress. These are all minor annoyances that aren't worth getting worked up over. A big problem, however, is when they jump into boxes containing blank canvas and/or finished paintings. They love boxes, like most cats, and they love the protection and privacy they get from the extra height of the canvases. Unfortunately, they have sharp claws, and they have damaged canvas in the past (thankfully, no finished paintings have been harmed). They especially like to hide in these tall boxes when we have company...and this weekend, Terry's brother Jerry and his daughters, Sylvia and Tiffany, will be visiting from out of state. I'm quite sure a lot of hiding will be taking place during that time period, and this prompted me to start thinking about better storage options.

I told Terry about my concerns, so we went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of wood. Neither of us could be described as particularly handy, so we asked for advice and the very patient clerk told us what to do and how to do it. I am happy to say that this past weekend, Terry built me a giant box with a lid so I can store my paintings without fear of Cosmo and Althea getting inside! I am very relieved. My paintings will be protected, there's a lot of room inside, and even though the box is huge, it makes my studio look neater and more orderly...which is always something I can use. The solid lid of the box will provide a tall perch for the cats, and they will still have plenty of hiding places to choose from (including some now-empty cardboard boxes I am hanging onto for transportation purposes), so everyone wins. Bring on the company!

just keep walking

What a great turnout it was for the art walk tonight! So far, this was the best one yet. I lost count of how many people stopped in to look around and check things out, which is a great sign. A lot of those who came in commented on how busy Congress Street was: there were artists, musicians, dancers, and art-lovers out in full force, enjoying the beautiful Portland night. I met a bunch of interesting people of all ages and I got a lot of compliments (on both my artwork AND my Fluevogs!), which always feels good. I also got to spend some time with friends and family (thank you Rebecca, Jen C., Sarah, Rachael, and Xander...and thanks for the beautiful lilacs, too), and I even sold a piece to boot! It's nice to know that my work is speaking to people and they are connecting with it. I stayed well past 8 o'clock since people were still roaming around; in fact, I think it was nearly 9 pm when I finally locked up. Things stared out a bit slow (and I brought a book along just in case), but it picked up as the evening went on, and time ended up flying by. I was stunned when I looked at my phone and saw that it was past 8:30. I'm hoping for a repeat performance in July!

three to get ready

I am happy to report that I hung my show at Scarlet Begonias today and it went up without a hitch! They don't want to make any more holes in their walls, so I had to use the hooks that were already in place. Thankfully, this wasn't a problem at all. Everything went up smoothly and quickly and things look good. I got positive feedback again from Doug and Colleen (the owners), as well as their very friendly, upbeat hostess (whose name is escaping me right now, I'm sorry to say). The skies were threatening rain, but I got there in plenty of time to avoid any kind of nastiness, and I was able to park right out front so the crazy wind that was blowing didn't have much chance to give me any issues. Also, I brought in a price list as requested (they prefer the look of a list to individual tags) and Doug was able to correctly match all the paintings to their titles, so I feel fairly confident that there won't be any confusion for potential buyers.

Tomorrow I will be hanging my next show at the Closet Factory office for Portland's First Friday Art Walk, and my show at Biddeford Savings Bank in Scarborough runs until June 24th, so that means I'll have my artwork on display in three different places this month! It feels good to say that, and I'm happy to have enough pieces to be able to make that happen. I wanted to make sure I had a decent amount of new stuff for First Friday, so between yesterday and today, I cranked out four new oil pastels, which I haven't done in a long time. I also managed to get two new collages done within the last few days, and I finally finished a painting that I had been working on for a couple of months. Whew!

she had rings on her fingers & bells on her shoes

Scarlet Begonias in Brunswick wants to display my paintings! I met with Doug and Colleen (the owners) yesterday and I am happy to say they really liked my work. I brought a bunch of pieces for them to see and as soon as I started unpacking, they got excited by my use of color. Yesterday was pretty overcast, but my paintings will be hung on walls that usually get tons of natural light (for those of you who haven't been to their new location, Scarlet Begonias has big windows in the front part of the restaurant). I wasn't sure when they might want me to hang my show (I figured maybe later this summer), but Colleen said, "How about June 1st?" When I said, "great," she said, "How about July too?" They want seven pieces for June and then a different seven for July. I am so excited about this opportunity! Scarlet Begonias has good food at reasonable prices and they are a fixture in this town. They participate in Brunswick's Second Friday Art Walk, so I'll be at First Friday in Portland and then Second Friday in Brunswick two months in a row. Good thing I didn't have any other plans!