Sold!

Dropped by the Creole Gallery during Lansing's Bluesfest and discovered I sold a piece last night! 

  
My triptych, "The Vagina Dialogues" will have a new owner once the show is over. Ena Busby (the gallery owner) and I are very pleased! This is a fairly controversial and "edgy" show and the sale of the artwork presented helps let the gallery and artists know the community "gets" it.

After the Opening...The Waiting Begins...

It's an odd feeling after the opening of a show.

Before the show you're busy getting things prepared, writing bios and statements, inviting people to the event, and getting psyched for the opening reception.The opening itself is exciting; you meet the other artists, you check out their work, you chat and laugh, you steal glances at patrons viewing your own work and wonder what they're thinking.  It's fun, busy, and a great time!

Then the opening is over.

It kind of feels like the circus has left town. You are, once again, on your own and you begin to wonder.  So what did people think of my work? Was it really  understood? Was it well received? Did anyone really like it? Maybe even enough to --oh my!-- BUY it?!

When I'm in my studio creating, I have no one to please but myself. All I am concerned with are the shapes, colors, rhythms, and seeing the piece evolve into what it will be. I may ask my wife or sons for their opinion, but that just helps me bring the work to life. I revel in the moment and the feel of "slopping paint". A true Zen process, the only thing that matters is what I am doing at that precise moment. Pure joy.

However, once the piece is complete and signed and brought forth into the world, it becomes something entirely different. It's no longer "just mine". Now it belongs to anyone who looks at it and puts their individual "filter" on it. Now their eyes, their thoughts, their opinions shape what it is. And I don't really know what that would be. An art critic may give you one opinion, holding your child up in the harsh light and comparing it to what they have come to know and believe as "art". A friend may, or may not, give an honest opinion.  Fellow artists can fall into either camp!  You just don't know.

So, you wait.  You wait for some sort of response.  Whether it's, "Gee, this is crap." or "Holy shit!  I LOVE this and I'm gonna buy it", or any where in between, you just have to go on with your life. Go on with your art and maybe, someday, someone will respond.

Or maybe not. :-)

In Her Own Words.. Tanya Becks!

Tanya Becks describes her performance piece at Creole Gallery's "The Vagina Show".

In Her Own Words.. Ena Busby!

Ena Busby of The Creole Gallery describes the inspiration for "The Vagina Show".  (Sorry about the hammering!)

It's Showtime, folks!

Opening day of The Creole Gallery's "Vagina Show" is finally here!

I'm very excited and looking forward to meeting the other artists and seeing their work for the first time  and meeting the patrons of the arts.  This is my very first show at the Creole Gallery and, thus far, the experience has been very positive. The opening reception is from noon til five, so I'll have a good opportunity to really get to know everyone involved.

And there should be wine!  However, just in case, I will have a bottle stashed away...

It's going to be a very busy day. I have things going on before and after the show, as well, but, if you're in the area, I hope to see you!

Sending the kids to camp!

The "kids" on the couch waiting to go to "camp"!

Varnishing has been done.  Hanging wire has been installed.  Bios and statements and price lists have been sent. All that was left was to drop off the work.

It's always an odd feeling when the pieces you've slaved over and fussed over finally go off to the gallery.  Like "sending the kids to camp", you've done everything you can do but now it's out of your hands. They're on the bus and you won't see them again until "visiting day".  Weird.

Actually, it was fun dropping them off.  Ben and I took the pieces into The Creole Gallery and met Roxanne, who is co-organizing the show with Ena Busby, and Tanya Becks, another artist who will be doing a performance piece.  They both seem like great people. Very friendly and very easy to talk to. New friends! Always great! Everyone is excited for the show and looking forward to the opening on Sunday. Now all I have to do is wait.

Naw, forget that, I'm gonna paint!

Underpainting and Artist Statements

Less than three days to go before I need to drop off my pieces at the Creole Gallery for "The Vagina Show" and I'm still not done! Honestly, I've been trying everyday to check something off the list but, not being an artist who can make his entire living from his craft, I have that annoying thing I have to go to called "work".

But I'm almost done.

"Political Agenda" has been varnished and is just waiting the hanging hardware. "The Vagina Dialogues" has been put together (three paintings that make one) and will get varnished and wired tomorrow night. The big news, however, is that I have completed my bio and artist's statement and will drop those off with the paintings!  Yay! If you are at all interested, I have merged them together and have incorporated them into my "About Me" section on this blog.

In celebration of being in a new show, I also treated myself and bought a french easel!  I've long had a table top easel for travel but have always wanted to pick up an honest to God french easel.  I ordered mine from Dick Blick Art Supplies and just got it this past weekend. I stole some time, set it up in my studio, and started working on an underpainting for a portrait I'm working on. I love it! It's very adjustable and solidly built.  If anyone wants an inexpensive but good french easel, I heartily recommend the Blick by Jullian easel. You won't be sorry!