My brother-in-law, Marc, besides being super-awesome and extra-nice, is a patent attorney in Boston. His firm just moved to a new building, and he now has a new office. It's a big space, and the attorneys at his firm are encouraged to hang art in their offices. Fortunately for me, Marc likes my art, and this weekend, he bought two paintings from me: "Cosmic Spirograph", and "Imagine Memorial, NYC"! I told him he was becoming a collector, since he purchased "Rocks, Gloucester" a while back for his old office.
This makes me very happy for several reasons: one, it's always great to sell a painting; two, I'm excited for new people (his co-workers, his clients) to be able to see my art; and three, I get to visit my paintings! "Cosmic Spirograph" is from 2011, but "Imagine Memorial, NYC" is still a fairly new piece. I finished it this summer, and I only showed it at one First Friday in Portland (although I did have it on display for a couple of Second Friday Art Walks in Brunswick), so it's a little hard to say goodbye. Thankfully, I only have to say "so long". Plus, it's always comforting to know that my work has gone to a good home where it will be appreciated, enjoyed, and well taken care of. Thanks, Marc! You rock.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
another in!
I just found out this afternoon (I guess it's technically yesterday afternoon at this point, since I'm writing this after midnight) that my "Dragonfly" painting got in to the "Artist's Choice" show at River Arts in Damariscotta! The juror for this group show, Leonard Meiselman (founder of www.artcriesout.com, a website for protest
art), selected 118 works by 77 artists.
I've heard of River Arts, but I'd never tried to participate in any of their shows before...until my friend Trish sent me an email suggesting that I should go for it. I'm glad she made the suggestion! The opening reception is on Friday, October 19th and the show runs through the middle of November. I'm looking forward to seeing all the different pieces that were chosen. I have a feeling it will be a pretty interesting mix. If you'd like to see what's what at River Arts, here is a link to their website: www.riverartsme.org
I've heard of River Arts, but I'd never tried to participate in any of their shows before...until my friend Trish sent me an email suggesting that I should go for it. I'm glad she made the suggestion! The opening reception is on Friday, October 19th and the show runs through the middle of November. I'm looking forward to seeing all the different pieces that were chosen. I have a feeling it will be a pretty interesting mix. If you'd like to see what's what at River Arts, here is a link to their website: www.riverartsme.org
Monday, October 15, 2012
end of the season
Well, the last Second Friday Art Walk of the season has come and gone. I am so happy to have been able to participate as a "pop-up" artist this year, and I have to thank everyone at Five Rivers Arts Alliance who made it possible, especially Connie Lundquist and Lee Cheever. I met some wonderful people, made several sales, and had a lot of fun in the process. I only missed one month from May through October, which is a pretty good track record...I was off seeing Phish in June, and according to some friends who did make it that month, it ended up being a very rainy night without a lot of foot traffic.
I'm looking forward to Arts Downtown and All Around, the holiday show that will be at 98 Maine St. in Brunswick (the "pop-up" location where I was most frequently set up)...that will be Friday, November 30th through Sunday, December 2nd. Last year's three-day holiday show was called Downtown Moves Up, but the Friday of that show conflicted with First Friday Art Walk in Portland. I wasn't able to be there the entire time because of that, and I am glad to say that won't be an issue this time around.
I'm looking forward to Arts Downtown and All Around, the holiday show that will be at 98 Maine St. in Brunswick (the "pop-up" location where I was most frequently set up)...that will be Friday, November 30th through Sunday, December 2nd. Last year's three-day holiday show was called Downtown Moves Up, but the Friday of that show conflicted with First Friday Art Walk in Portland. I wasn't able to be there the entire time because of that, and I am glad to say that won't be an issue this time around.
Monday, October 8, 2012
october first friday recap
Another First Friday has come and gone, and once again, it was a very fun night! Thanks to the weather and the holiday weekend, people were out and about enjoying themselves. The Intergalactic Yurt Band played another fantastic set of music that had people dancing, clapping, and singing along, and Jennifer of Interactive Tarot kept people enthralled with her readings. The crowds were great, and I was happy to have friends and family stopping by to hang out and enjoy the scene. I even sold three of my brand-new mixed media pieces and one of my "tiny" paintings!
Every month, I get a fair amount of regulars (familiar faces that I only know from art walk) as well as people who are just discovering the space for the first time. One of the "first-timers" gave me a wonderful compliment as he and his wife were leaving: "You've got the best party going right here!" I have a feeling I will see them again...hopefully they will tell some friends and spread the word!
Every month, I get a fair amount of regulars (familiar faces that I only know from art walk) as well as people who are just discovering the space for the first time. One of the "first-timers" gave me a wonderful compliment as he and his wife were leaving: "You've got the best party going right here!" I have a feeling I will see them again...hopefully they will tell some friends and spread the word!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
in!
I found out yesterday that one of my paintings has been accepted into the Yarmouth Art Festival! I am very happy about getting into this show, especially because I tried to get in last year and didn't. According to the email they sent out, they had over 300 entries this year and only 165 available spaces, so the competition was stiff. The Yarmouth Art Festival is held at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, 396 Gilman Road, Yarmouth; it runs from Wednesday, October 17th through Saturday, October 20th (with an artists' reception on Thursday, October 18th from 5:30 to 8 pm). For more information, click here: http://www.yarmouthartfestival.com/
Sunday, September 30, 2012
a september to remember
Wow- what a month! Here's a brief recap: it started with a very busy First Friday Art Walk, followed by a very busy collage workshop for kids at the Family Arts Festival (both of which featured a very special guest: my dear friend Tim, who was visiting from New York and went home with my "Brunswick-Topsham Bridge" painting!), then it was onto a very busy Second Friday Art Walk (where I sold four mixed media pieces). Now, on to topics I haven't covered yet...
The following week, I went on a mixed media tear and I'm still in the midst of it. I've started and finished 8 new pieces within the last 12 days, one of which is my largest mixed media piece to date...and it's still morning right now- who knows what will happen later? I also found out on Wednesday of this week that four of my paintings have been accepted into the Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration Art Walk in Lewiston next month! That event takes place on Friday, October 12th, so I can't be there physically because I'll be at Second Friday, but that's okay- as long as my work is there, I'm fine with that!
Friday was the Brunswick 10x10, which is always a very big deal. It was raining, but that didn't dampen the show at all. In fact, 47 people were waiting outside for the doors to open at 5 pm! If you're not familiar with the 10x10, here's the deal: all works are 10" x 10", and they're all priced at $200; $100 goes to the artist, $100 goes to Arts Are Elementary, a program that brings the arts to Brunswick students from kindergarten through 5th grade. No online sales are permitted, and if you want to purchase a piece, you have to stand next to it and flag down a volunteer, who will then take it off the wall and escort you over to the checkout table. The show is so big, it's in two buildings: the Morrell Meeting Room at Curtis Memorial Library, and the hall at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. This year, the first half of the alphabet was at the library, the second half was at St. Paul's. The two buildings are technically on two different streets, but there is a walking path between them.
Terry and I got there around 5:10. We walked in and I saw that both of my paintings were still there. I wanted to go over and take a picture next to where my work was, but the place was packed and I figured I'd just wait until things thinned out a bit. I should have known that things would stay packed all night, because they always do at the 10x10! I started talking to another artist, Debbie Casterlin (whose work is always hung next to mine at the 10x10 because our last names are very similar, alphabetically speaking). We were chatting and chatting and then she casually said, "Yeah, one of your paintings has sold." I said, "What???" and turned around to see a blank spot on the wall: "Re-birthday Cake" was on its way to the checkout table! I walked closer to the checkout table, and I saw my painting there, waiting to be purchased and wrapped up. I was able to snap a couple of pictures of the transaction, and I was able to meet the woman who was buying it! I gave her a hug and thanked her. She said she was originally planning on buying it for her father's 85th birthday, but she decided to give it to her daughter instead, who is about to turn 21. "Plus," she said, "that way, it gets to stay in my house!"
A little while later, Terry and I decided to check out what was going on at St. Paul's. As we were walking out, I passed Lucy Cooney, who is a member of the 10x10 committee. She said, "Hey- you're in the paper today!" I said, "What??? Which one?" and she said, "Times Record!" Terry said, "Hey, that's a good one to be in, because it's the weekend edition- that will be on sale for three days." Naturally, I made Terry stop at the store on our way home to pick up a copy (even though it wouldn't be going anywhere)! Anyway, we stayed until nearly 8pm, chatting with friends, show attendees, and other artists. Oh- file this one under "it's a small world": over at St. Paul's, Terry ran into an elderly woman he met recently at work. She had a piece in the show and we were talking to her about it. The younger woman who was with her looked at me and said, "Yes, I've bought work from you every year at the Gorham Art Fair!" You could have knocked me over with a feather...this woman was related to the woman who Terry just met! She said, "Yes, I have all of your mixed media pieces in my meditation shrine." What a compliment! I gave her a big hug and thanked her for the support.
The next day was the first pick up date for all unsold work. I was glad to have been able to make it, because this way, I can hang "Mandala Fiasco", my gelato-spoon painting, at First Friday this week, and possibly at Second Friday next week!
One more thing about the Brunswick 10x10: I am always impressed at what a well-oiled machine this entire show always seems to be. Every year, things are professional, organized, and beautiful, from the drop off, to the show, to the pick up, and everything in between. The food is always fantastic, the event is always well-publicized, and the work is always great. My hat is off to them once again! Nice job.
The following week, I went on a mixed media tear and I'm still in the midst of it. I've started and finished 8 new pieces within the last 12 days, one of which is my largest mixed media piece to date...and it's still morning right now- who knows what will happen later? I also found out on Wednesday of this week that four of my paintings have been accepted into the Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration Art Walk in Lewiston next month! That event takes place on Friday, October 12th, so I can't be there physically because I'll be at Second Friday, but that's okay- as long as my work is there, I'm fine with that!
Friday was the Brunswick 10x10, which is always a very big deal. It was raining, but that didn't dampen the show at all. In fact, 47 people were waiting outside for the doors to open at 5 pm! If you're not familiar with the 10x10, here's the deal: all works are 10" x 10", and they're all priced at $200; $100 goes to the artist, $100 goes to Arts Are Elementary, a program that brings the arts to Brunswick students from kindergarten through 5th grade. No online sales are permitted, and if you want to purchase a piece, you have to stand next to it and flag down a volunteer, who will then take it off the wall and escort you over to the checkout table. The show is so big, it's in two buildings: the Morrell Meeting Room at Curtis Memorial Library, and the hall at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. This year, the first half of the alphabet was at the library, the second half was at St. Paul's. The two buildings are technically on two different streets, but there is a walking path between them.
Terry and I got there around 5:10. We walked in and I saw that both of my paintings were still there. I wanted to go over and take a picture next to where my work was, but the place was packed and I figured I'd just wait until things thinned out a bit. I should have known that things would stay packed all night, because they always do at the 10x10! I started talking to another artist, Debbie Casterlin (whose work is always hung next to mine at the 10x10 because our last names are very similar, alphabetically speaking). We were chatting and chatting and then she casually said, "Yeah, one of your paintings has sold." I said, "What???" and turned around to see a blank spot on the wall: "Re-birthday Cake" was on its way to the checkout table! I walked closer to the checkout table, and I saw my painting there, waiting to be purchased and wrapped up. I was able to snap a couple of pictures of the transaction, and I was able to meet the woman who was buying it! I gave her a hug and thanked her. She said she was originally planning on buying it for her father's 85th birthday, but she decided to give it to her daughter instead, who is about to turn 21. "Plus," she said, "that way, it gets to stay in my house!"
A little while later, Terry and I decided to check out what was going on at St. Paul's. As we were walking out, I passed Lucy Cooney, who is a member of the 10x10 committee. She said, "Hey- you're in the paper today!" I said, "What??? Which one?" and she said, "Times Record!" Terry said, "Hey, that's a good one to be in, because it's the weekend edition- that will be on sale for three days." Naturally, I made Terry stop at the store on our way home to pick up a copy (even though it wouldn't be going anywhere)! Anyway, we stayed until nearly 8pm, chatting with friends, show attendees, and other artists. Oh- file this one under "it's a small world": over at St. Paul's, Terry ran into an elderly woman he met recently at work. She had a piece in the show and we were talking to her about it. The younger woman who was with her looked at me and said, "Yes, I've bought work from you every year at the Gorham Art Fair!" You could have knocked me over with a feather...this woman was related to the woman who Terry just met! She said, "Yes, I have all of your mixed media pieces in my meditation shrine." What a compliment! I gave her a big hug and thanked her for the support.
The next day was the first pick up date for all unsold work. I was glad to have been able to make it, because this way, I can hang "Mandala Fiasco", my gelato-spoon painting, at First Friday this week, and possibly at Second Friday next week!
One more thing about the Brunswick 10x10: I am always impressed at what a well-oiled machine this entire show always seems to be. Every year, things are professional, organized, and beautiful, from the drop off, to the show, to the pick up, and everything in between. The food is always fantastic, the event is always well-publicized, and the work is always great. My hat is off to them once again! Nice job.
Monday, September 17, 2012
by the way...
...my First Friday Art Walk listing made it into the September issue of Portland Monthly Magazine! It's on page 16 and I am very happy: my name is spelled correctly, the description of my work is accurate, and my website is listed, too. Hooray!
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