Catching Up

It is December 5, 2009. I have not written since September!!! cannot even recall the order of things and I guess/hope/assume it doesn't matter.
What is in my mind to write? Feeling like I have to "report" on my progress. How odd, just having a blog can have that thought attached.

So much art biz to do - here sits my guestbook from the show at Delaplaine, with a bunch of nice comments and email addresses to add to my lists. Here is one: "they are filled with sunlight, beauty, and spirit."

I still cannot quite believe/accept that someone just popped into that show, fell in love with a piece of work, and paid $2000 for it. What is interesting is that when I look at much of my work - and really see it - it looks priceless. How can you put a price on something that moves you at a deep level and is soul nourishing. There is no price.

There is "the marketplace." More on that later, or when I figure that out. Hah!

During that show I left town to spend 3 weeks at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, my favorite place on earth beyond my home in Takoma Park. I think a lot of artists feel that way about art colonies, because they give you the time, space, protection, and nourishment to just flow your creativity full out. Full out, a phrase Betsy Damon used years ago, saying that women often have a hard time being full out with their art. (Sexisim sucks).

I had a new and different experience at VCCA this time. Nancy Manter asked to see my work before she left, and she advised me then to have some others come in to see it, as well as to see the reproductions of my older work - the visceral and ethereal stuff. Something life changing happened there - as other serious arts people gave my work full attention and then gave me feedback. Each responded to different work!! And I welcomed this!

By the time I left, and mostly in connection to my open studio, I had sold 8 encaustic paintings and traded a ninth for some writing about my work. One was even sold to a (!!) western European white male visual artist!

I have still not integrated this and "recovered" from the shower of love, respect, and actual money that came my way. And even more came after that.
Whew. So overwhelming to write that I'll end the post here.

Collage for the Soul

I have three confirmed students. Another woman asked for information and I wrote her that I tend to have an inward focus on accessing creative sources. Did I scare her off? What scares people in art?

Sacred Ground opening and more

Last Saturday was my opening in Frederick. WAY better than I expected. Lots of genuinely sophisticated and wonderfully unpretentious art-smart people were there, and they talked with me about the work. I was really relaxed too - the first opening of my own that didn't feel like "work."
The person who bought January 1 came just to meet and talk with me. Heartwarming to say the least, as she really loved the work. So did another woman who said it was her third visit to the show! hmmm. I'd love her to buy a piece as well. And our pals Harley and Marji were there, interested in a couple of pieces, and they treated us to dinner at Acacia.
And a good time was had by all....

Abundance

My show at Delaplaine comes down September 27. Today I got a call from York Arts - where they are doing the Hot for Wax show - and four of my pieces were accepted! They want the work on September 25. One of the pieces has been sold (January 1) and I HOPE that more will be sold tomorrow (the opening).

So September 21 I leave for 3 weeks at VCCA. Carl has offered to drive to Frederick, pack up my show on the 28th, DRIVE TO YORK PA with the pieces for the show there, leave them with the director (a few days late) and then drive back home. This is good. More than I can handle!!

Woah, I need to figure out a way to repay him. I couldn't even hire someone to do this - all of it I mean. And if I could - at what cost?
One thing I can do is attend the Musica Viva board meeting coming up, and help get things organized for all these cool events we are planning.

Art Scene in Asheville

Last week we traveled from my friend's place in Blowing Rock NC to Asheville. A few people had said we HAD to see Asheville... so we drove down, stopping at Black Mountain (a little town) where no one knew what Black Mountain College had been. Odd. On to the big town and somehow, I don't recall how, we found our way to the River Arts District. Now THAT was something! A bunch of old down and out looking factory and mill buildings had basically been turned over to visual artists, who poplulate all of them with studios open to the public. We found the ONE encaustic artist (a painter who paints with encaustic paint) and spent quite a while in her huge space. Very impressive, lots of sales, decent, actually lovely work - craft oriented (it's the South!) and a bit decorative, but she loves the medium and the work is nice and resonant and waxy. Yum.

What most intrigued me was that Asheville is a magnet for art buyers. DC is not. This woman had been approached by a Dallas curator to be in a show (I need to call that curator!) of encaustic work. And while we were there, potential buyers were milling around. The artist says she can't keep up with the demand.

Unfortunately we don't want to live in the South, and though I am pretty moveable, my musician husband and Musica Viva are not. But woah, would I LOVE to be in a place where art lovers are hungrily roaming around. Is this a fantasy?

Collage for the Soul

Update is that I have one excellent student committed to do this work with me and she is recruiting others in the neighborhood. I realized this is not just for the money - can't get rich on what I'm asking for this - but it's part of my right work to offer it. Hopefully it will feel just right and there will be synergy, energy, creativity, even love floating around!

January 1 is sold!

The gorgeous painting I chose for my last Constant Contact and the postcard announcement for the Delaplaine show has been sold to !!! someone who walked into the gallery and fell in love with it. Not a friend or acquaintance, but a genuine art lover. Yay! That may be all I say in this post.
Except that the opening is coming up in two days and I am hoping that even more such art lovers will show up. And this is not to say that my friends who purchase my art are NOT genuine art lovers - they ARE of course, AND they often also wish to support my vision. So interesting being an artist in this society. I have promised my friend Carol MacDonald that I will keep going for "no limits" in my work and work in the world. Hard to do, but I have committed myself.