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.

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!

That's a Wrap!

Ok, so I've had two pieces accepted for the Creole Gallery's "Vagina Show". Yay! Now all I have to do is drop them off and go on my merry way, right?

Wrong.
There's a lot of schtuff left to be done before, during and after show time.

When showing my work, I usually don't frame it. At best, I feel the frame should be the personal choice of the final owner. At worst, the frame can be a distraction, unless it's an integral part of the piece. At worstest worst, someone might purchase the piece for the frame and through the artwork out! (Don't laugh; I've done this myself!) So, instead of framing, I will paint the edges of the canvas a matching or complimentaery color. Simple, looks good, and doesn't distract. Because I do it this way, I also have to "wire" the canvas so it will hang on the gallery wall.

Lastly, I varnish the piece so it is protected from dirt, dust, and grime. You don't want to varnish until the paint is totally cured and, since all the pieces I submitted for "The Vagina Show" were created for the show, I've had to wait to varnish them.Also, you don't want to varnish until you are all done taking photos because the varnish can glare and cause issues with the photos.

Lastly, I need to write an artist bio and an artist statement. Yikes!  As you can tell from the "About Me" at the side of this blog, I don't usually offer to much information about myself. I don't know of many artists who are real comfortable with writing about themselves.  We all talk about ourselves and art like magpies but put it down on paper?  Ugh! Despite the fact that it's for our art and our art business, we are loath to do it.

But  it's time to buck up and do it!. I want to do everything I can to help the Creole Gallery "Vagina Show" be a rousing success. For ART! For THE CREOLE GALLERY!  For VAGINAS!

Well, Whaddya Know?

Just got notification that two of my submitted pieces have been accepted for inclusion in "The Vagina Show."  VERY cool!

Now all I have to do is sign the buggers, edge them, and let them totally dry so I can varnish and get them to the Creole Gallery on the 7th of September.

Honestly, I was beginning to think that my pieces didn't fit into the paradigm of the show.  Guess I was wrong!

Political Agenda

"Political Agenda" Acrylic on canvas 16 X 20

My third and final submission to the Creole Gallery show. A bit different than the other two pieces which are little more along the lines of figurative expressionism.

Wait, what time is it?!

Ok, so I decided to enter "The Vagina Show" exhibit at The Creole Gallery and submit the maximum number of pieces (3). None of these works pre-existed; they were all created for the show.

The entry rules stated that all entries must be submitted before Saturday, the 18th, at 12am.

I ran a little behind so, straight after work on the 17th, I hit the studio and painted for 6 straight hours! Finally, at a little past 11:00 pm, I finished as much as I could, took my photos and submitted the entries at 11:45 pm with a note that said, "Wow! Talk about getting in just under the wire!"

At about 12:46 am, Saturday morning, I received an email that said, "Actually, you have another day. The deadline is midnight, Saturday, the 18th."

Oops.

Oh, well, I got the pieces submitted and had all of Saturday to myself. Turned out to be a great day for sailing!

My first juried show. Should know something by the 24th. No idea what time. :)

Wish me luck!

The Vagina Dialogues

"The Vagina Dialogues" Arylic on canvas 17" X 33"

Second piece submitted for the Creole Gallery show.

This is what I call a "convertible". It is one piece comprised of three paintings. This set-up is how I intended it, but the panels can be arranged by the owner however they want. I needed to do this up get the three dialogues : woman to woman, woman to man, woman to herself.

Mine. Not yours.

"Mine. Not yours." Acrylic on canvas 16" X 20"

First completed piece for submission to the Creole Gallery show.