after the party's over....

Friday was a glorious Indian Summer day here, a real gift of sorts. It always helps when the weather cooperates for the opening of an exhibition. That evening was picture perfect and at least 200 people made the choice to attend the show. Since I think I only knew about half of them it wasn't just a friends' and family love fest... something else very nice about meeting new people simply because they came to see my work.

I have to say straight away that the show was beautifully installed. This is so crucial to how the pieces are "read" and it takes an experienced eye to plan the order of installation in such a way that each piece flows seamlessly into the next and so on around the entire space. Karen Gillenwater, curator at the Carnegie Center for Art and History, is very well trained and an absolute dream to work with. She did a fabulous job of cohesively integrating my old and new pieces across 2 rooms in a very large exhibit space. The only real debate was whether to eliminate several pieces in favor of giving more breathing room to each drawing OR hanging the show tightly so it could be viewed much like a film strip rather than a collection of uniquely individual images. We opted to include as much as the space could handle since this is essentially a story about knitting together the before and after within the scope of my 30 year career.

Of course a professional installation in a beautiful facility does not mean people will (a ) come see the show or (b) actually like the work, especially the 16 new pieces. This is a large show. I think there are about 3 dozen frames, the smallest being about 30x24". I'll post some installation shots when  I have them. Nothing like 100+ year old neo-classical architecture in pale gray and white with gray marble columns to set off my jewel toned colors. The lighting is excellent and the visible daylight is 12' high facing south  -  lovely in mid autumn light. I really look forward to seeing how this changes into December....

But the fact of it all is that I seem to have scored a hit acros the board. People were earnestly enthusiastic abut the work. Even had 2 sales  -  a new piece (Blue Moon) and Couple 8 which is 15 years old. The oddity is that both are mainly yellow. I must say that through the years I have challenged myself to work with yellow as a main element. It isn't a color for which I seem to have any natural affinity. Yellow can either bea bit of a bully or be easily manipulated into absorbing aspects of other hues with the resultant loss of that lovely lemon color I prefer. There is absolutely no explanation for why, with so many pieces in a show, 2 of the 3 dominated by yellows are those who found buyers on opening night. If the show had opened in March, as was originally planned, would some other color have held more appeal? No way to answer that any more than I can answer why certain pieces always seem to draw a larger audience than others. Once again I could have sold "Fish Gotta Swim" several times.

Having had 48 hours to bathe in the glow of my own success I am feeling confident that I am back on the proverbial career track. Yes I worked hard for this plateau. No I'm not planning on gloating or resting on my small laurels. It's a new beginning. But then that's exactly what I hoped would happen with an exhibition titled "Phoenix Rising". So I owe a huge thank you to the Carnegie's fabulous Executive Director Sally Newkirk. She was the generous visionary who offered me a retrospective exhibit early in 2006 when I had no idea I'd ever be able to make art again. Wonders never cease.

countdown to the big event

Whenever I have a major exhibition, either a solo or a 2 person show, the most nerve wracking aspect is delivery day. So many things can go wrong between loading the work and getting it safely into the gallery. In the old days (before my bionic shoulders) I wrapped, packed, lifted, shifted, loaded, unloaded and carried all the work myself. Doubt that had anything to do with developing arthritis in both shoulders; it was just what I did. For me it has always been a control issue. My daughter used to accuse me of being a control freak about making rules for her to follow but I was just trying to be a good mother. I readily admit to being a control freak where my work is concerned. I want to be in total control in the studio, in total control of the framing process, in total control of packing and shipping, in total control of loading the car, in total control of getting the work where it's supposed to be ON TIME and in perfect condition. And why not? Of course it's a matter of professionalism but it's also about bringing order into what is inherently a rather chaotic situation. So few artists ever get to have solo exhibitions in legitimate venues, women still fewer than men, that I have always felt I had to do 200% on my part perhaps in simple gratitude for the opportunity. I can't control who comes to see the work any more than I control who eventually buys it. Sure I can press things and tweak  a bit in that direction but ultimately those things are out of my hands. So delivery day has always been a huge deal for me.

Yesterday both brothers, my nephew and a very close friend were enlisted as my delivery crew. My brother Tom lives around the corner and has helped me load and deliver work many times in the past. It was a first for my nephew and I feel certain he had no idea what the big deal was. For starters I didn't want his father or uncle to strain their backs carrying work up a flight of steps and through a veritable obstacle course into the garage. A boy of 20 can do just about any sort of slave labor! On the othr hand, since I haven't exactly been active in the art business since 2004, he really has no concept of what it entails. Besides, I may need him to be a long haul driver at some point in the future if this second career takes off! All in all some 31 frames were safely delivered to the Carnegie Center for Art and History across the river in New albany, IN.

Today my task was to figure out pricing for the new work and insurance vallues for the older borrowed work. The money part is always tricky. It has become trickier in the current economy. Why should the value of art be exempt from today's financial pitfalls. Art has traditionally been the first thing eliminated from a budget even in good times so trying to price new work to avoid sticker shock always seems like a crap shoot to me. To further complicate things I am literally coming back into the marketplace from the near dead. the bottom dropped out of the contemporary art market starting 4-5 years ago but I wasn't a participant then to notice much. My first solo exbhibition at Langman Gallery in suburban Philadelphia in May 1983 consisted of about 18 drawings. The majority of pieces were priced right around $600. Through the years as work sold and more dealers represented me the prices went up accordingly. I had to laugh today when I realized all my new pieces would be under $1000, most about $700. I have to wonder if this is progreee or regress?

The show opens on Friday night. For 2+ hours I will speak with old friends, meet new people, answer many of the same questions over and over and hope somebody likes the work enough to buy something. A friend driving down from Indianapolis who has never been to an art opening was surprised to learn that I wouldn't have lots of time to chat with him during the event. I had to explain that openings, despite what will hopefully be a party atmosphere, are really rather exhausting working nights for artists, the one opportunity we meet and greet the public and cement a face and personaity in their minds with the pieces of art. I can only be my own advocate a few times during the show such as opening night and when I give gallery talks or teach classes. Otherwise it's up to the art itself to communicate with visitors  -  and for the gallery staff, not me, to answer their questions.

Am I ready for this career renaissance? Probably. Am I getting excited at last over all I have managed to achieve with this new body of work? I think that's starting to sink in. The work is satisfactory  -  and that's saying a whole lot for me! I'll permit myself to get excited when I see some red dots. I'd love to see lots of red dots!!

let there be artwork.... I congratulate myself

My friend Tim Maloney said it was definitely possible for me to figure out how to upload photos of my artwork onto this site. He's a certified genius in my book and someone who has been designing graphics for his own businesses for years and years. I, on the other hand, am still intimidated by computers (this laptop is named "Grammie's Challenge"  -  got the picture?) and I regard those who are fluent in their language as members of some secret society. But Tim assured me that the clever people at Google were ready to deal with ignorant users like moi and had made the photo upload process all but idiot proof. He was right; nothing much new on that front. But the point is that my blog now includes images of some 2010 work for all the world to see. Now the challenge is getting the world to know I exist!! This may well be a "Field of Dreams" scenario.... if I build it "they" will come. One thing is certain; if I don't build it they are far less likely to find me or my work.

There's something very different about learning a new skill at age 63 from learning 40 years earlier. I think it has to do with bravery of the spirit becoming a less elastic entity with age. I have no doubt that with age comes wisdom. There's nothing like life experiences to temper our impulsivity and make for more juducious thoughts before actions. But it feels like there might be a flip side to some of that.... call it the emerging wimp factor. I'm just not as fearless as I think I used to be about trying new things of any kind  -  except food. all I know is that my pulse was literally racing while I was first taking baby steps to navigate how to add a picture here. But with each small success I found my anxiety level easing more and more. Now does this mean I'm brave enough today to figure out how to add images from another source/ No. But I am brave enough to believe I'll even be able to figure out that task as well.

So I congratulate myself on what feels like a major acccomplishment. It's like a subatomic particle for people like Tim and my Belfast friend Ian Fleming. But I feel like a Nobel laureate in technology right about now!!

art career renaissance ain't for sissies

My left shoulder had its 3rd birthday this week. Nobody noticed but me. going bionic is a very personal thing, something truly miraculous but fairly private after all the fuss and bother is past. But having had this 2nd shoulder replacement surgery within 4 months of the first enabled me to set out on a determined part to recapture my skills in the studio and hopefully lead to a career renaissance. Mission accomplished on the first and the jury is still out on the latter.

The odd thing about all this is that I have a 25+ year history with a CV to match. Only now that holds about as much water as the strainer for my pasta. This is a weak economy, weaker still for visual artists in part because art is the very first line item cut from any construction or remodeling budget. It's expendable. Posters are cheap and look good in frames. "Real"artwork unfortunately gets swiftly booted to the back of the bus.

So how lucky am I to be having this big exhibition that opens at the end of the month? Damn lucky. It will be a good show  -  and a long show since it will be up throught Decemebr 30. But my challenge starts before that. what am I going to do about finding new gallery representation for my newly resurrected former career? I'm not even certain my previous galleries will be interested. Just keeping their doors open is a challenge and they may have decided to focus on what sells in this weak market rather than exhibiting work by artists they used to know love and actually sell in the "old days". I may have said this before, but I feel like a virgin with a long resume.

I've ben away from commecrcial art sales for so long I dn;t even know which galleries to approach. I'm starting from scratch looking for galleries that handle works on paper, oil pastel pieces, colorfield pieces, abstractions, work by artists I admire, etc. Once upon a time in the old days this cojuld be accomplished by looking through a year's worth of Art in Americas, noting artists and/or galleries I felt were hopeful prospects and doing a bit more research. Today with the web, the whole world is in digital format and finding a prospective gallery is harder than ever.Getting someone to look at unsolicited work is probably as difficult as it ever was if not harder) but unless an artist knows a represented artist willing to make  the introductions, it's all one enormous crap shoot. I hate gambling.

So my career renaissance has a strong start, especially if there is some sort of decent press coverage I can use as a teaser for galleries. But most likely I'll need to pound the cyber pavements and say lots of prayers. It's a steep climb but I didn't come this far to be  a wimp about it. People have always has positive responses to my work because it is colorful and seems upbeat. I'm counting on that being even more important in a weak economy.

10/10/10 hype

My friend Ian Fleming (the artist not the dead writer) had this entire 10/10/10 event planned in Belfast today. I hope it went swimmingly (one of the activities was a swim in the Lagan River with a group of regular Irish Sea swimmers [?!!!] called the Frosties) and was enjoyed/appreciated by many people of all ages. Having been alerted to the significance of this date by Ian I was ready for something auspicious to happen to me at 10:10 this morning. Charles Osgood read a not so clever poem about 10/10/10 on CBS Sunday Morning but that was it. What an anticlimax. Hope things were more exciting in Belfast.

I need a wife or a secretary or an assistant or a keeper!

In preparing for my upcoming art exhibition I have spent the past 4 weeks doing absolutely necessary clerical and secretarial work. The tedium of it all has certainly been dreadful but something surprising happened along the way.... I fell into a rhythm on occasion that was somehow oddly satisfying. No intellect required, just repetition after repetition after repetition. Today I went though every digital image converted from a slide and selceted 60 works for inclusion on the museum's iPODs. I'm sure the curator wll say that is too many but how am I suposed to include representative samples of my work in chronological progression.... If they will burn these selections on a CD I'll be able to use them when I give talks in the future, including while the show is up. The problem is that this meticulous work which requires almost no brainpower is absolutely exhausting. My house is a mess; my kitchen is a disaster waiting to happen; the bedroom needs a makeover; the whole place needs some serious vaccuuming.and I haven't the energy for any of it!!! I'm waiting for sheets to dry so I can change the bed and that will likely be a 3 stage event!! The show opens 10/29 and a good friend arrives from Dublin that night for a 10 day stay. As excited as I am about this visit I am hoping I can get this place into decent shape over the next 2 weeks!!! I need an extra body!!!

breakfast together for 14 or is it 15 years.....

Today is Thursday so I went to meet artist friends for breakfast as I have been doing most Thursday mornings since 1995 or 1996. Amazing the thing has lasted so long.....

Babrara Pence was a banker who also served with me on the Board of the Louisvile Visual Art Association. One day years ago she announced she was leaving banking to pursue her art in a more serious manner. she asked me to set up some lunches so she could meet with other local artists. I told her that no working artist I knew would break up a studio day to met with another artist -  a potential client , a gallery director most definitely. I explained that I often met artist friends for breakfast and she thought that sounded like  a fine idea. We agreed to each invite another artitst and meet at 8:45 the following Thursday at Lynn's Paradise Cafe. When that was successful the 4 artists agreed to each invite another artist and meet again the following Thursday. The gathering of 8 all felt this was a very valuable and interesting concept to continue. We let it be known throughout the arts community that we were meeting and essentially put out the welcome mat for one and all.

All these years later some of the original 8 still meet along with others who joined the group in dribs and drabs (and some who made the attempt but failed to fit in). It has been a fascinating social experiement to observe simply because there are no rules but the public perception is that one still needs an invitation to have breakfast with us. Some "regulars" have left town leaving room for artists new to Louisvillle to join  and become permanent fixtures. Our ages range from late 40s to 75 with most being 58-63.

Some are painters, some sculptors, some photographers, some work with mixed media (both 2D and 3D), some work with textiles in one form or another. All are successful studio artists who have had many solo exhibitions through the years and whose work is widely collected. We do not compete with eachother. We sometimes collaborate. But always, we encourage and share contact information for some exhibit or grant opportunity that might be of interest to one or to the group.

When I moved back here after nearly 20 years in suburban Philadelphia I never dreamed I would find such a suportive community of very talented artists in my sleepy ol' hometown. But sometime during that 20 year period and the following 2 decades sleepy ol' Louisville became a regonal magnet for creative people of all types, especially visual artists. This odd turn of events has certainly been my good fortune.

in the beginning et al....

For years I have been curious about the chutzpuh needed to publish a collection of thoughts for anyone in the world to read. It recently occured to me that as an artist I have been doing exactly that with my artwork for over 40 years. I just employ colors as my language instead of words. But oh how I love words as well -  for their deliberate intent, their lyricism, their rhythms, their individuality. So I made the decision to simply begin this word adventure and see where it leads. Or if it ends up simply being a self-indulgent circular monologue. Once I figure out how to post images I will share artwork and discuss that on this site as well. However that currently seems overly ambitious for a technophobe like myself.

I know that one day I will have to adjust to a new "phone" that can do everything but bake a cake or do a root canal but for now I steadfastly resist text messaging, mobile TV, game playing and web access in the palm of my hand. My cell phone plan has the minimum number of minutes and I essentially carry the thing in my purse for making appointment changes or possible car emergencies. Never did have much interest in gadgets. I used to think that was a gender issue but have come to understand that seldom applies to anyone under age 50. The so called IT age seems to be entirely egalitarian. And that is a good thing but it doesn't make me want to run right out and buy all sorts of "new" gadgets.

I have this theory that there is a rampant conspiracy among inanimate objects. They are impatiently waiting to control the world as we have known it and their favored form of guerrilla warfare is attacking technology as a way of driving humans totally bonkers. Last night I was watching a perfectly charming made forTV movie. It was a piece of fluff but enjoyable fluffy entertainment when I wasn't in the mood to read Mave Binchy. First the picture began breaking up here and thee. Fifteen minutes later the sound had also broken up and the picture was looking more and more like a jigsaw puzzle. Having determined that this problem solely existed on the one station I was watching (of course) I called to cable company and reported my frustration. Fine. They needed to schedule a technician to come check out the situation tomorrow. Argh.... Then this morning I woke up and wanted to see what fascinating tidbits of news I might learn at 7am when to my horror neither CNN nor MSNBC were working. You got it... pictillations called "tiling" in cable repair language and audio completely messed up to the point where NPR was my only option. I picked up the phone to once again call my cable monopoly and complain for the 2nd time in 8 hours only to find my land line phone wasn't working either. Oh joy. As if having been drawn mysteriously downstairs I went to the computer only to find it wasn't working either. And, oh by the way, my cell phone was dead!!! As I previously mentioned, absolutely HAD to blame the world conspiracy of inanimate objects. And people wonder why my mother's generation has no use for technology!! It ain't for sissies!!!