Outside looking in |
Category Archives: My Exhibitions
FOUR EVENTS FEATURING MY ARTWORK THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6th!
Some of my work at InSideOut in Vinings |
Song of the Moon 24×36 |
Up next, on Thursday February 9th. InsideOut Accessories located in Vinings Jubilee will host an evening with the artists from 5-9p. This is an artisan boutique that features everything from jewelry, metal sculptures, glasswares and much more. This is a good destination to find that one of a kind Valentine’s Day gift, as everything in the store is handmade by Georgia artists. In addition to what is usually on display in the store, I will have several small original paintings that would make a great Valentine’s Day Gift, as small at 3″x3″ to 24″x36″.
InsideOut |
February, Friday, February 10th. Emerging Art Scene, located in Castleberry Hills will be open 6-9p as part of the monthly Art Stroll. My work will be exhibited as part of the Valentine’s show!
AND, finally, The Seen Gallery, located on Church Street in Downtown Decatur will feature my work beginning on February 11th. An opening reception will be held on Saturday February 11th from 7-10p.
The painting below will be featured in this show. The show is tentatively titled Journeys.
Journeys, here and there and back again at the Defoors Center – shot in HD!
My show is finally up!!!!!!! We have gotten good press and alot of attention. Today there is an article in the Northside Neighbor – Female artists highlighted in Buckhead Art Exhibit!!!!
I hung 70 pieces this weekend. Joel Conison photographed the exhibit in HD – click HERE to not only see my show, but see how great the photographs look!!!!!
It is a great venue – 5500 square feet, 30 foot ceilings!
Come to the opening on Sunday 6/19 – 2-4P
GETTING READY FOR A SHOW AND AN APOLOGY TO MY FRIENDS
I feel like I have been the absent friend of late, and I owe my friends an apology. Committing to a show of this size in The Forum at the Defoor Centre has taken up ALOT of my time, and I have not been keeping in touch with people as I should. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about my friends, I just haven’t been communicating. I promise, when this show is up, I am going to be back!!!! I might even socialize again!!!
Jill Kettles, of Scribbles Studios contacted me last year and asked if I wanted to do a show in the Forum. I readily agreed. The Forum is a fairly large space and I knew I had alot of work to do. I wanted to paint larger for awhile and had been collecting canvases. This was the opportunity to do this and work on larger works in a couple of series. Because the room has dividers, I feel I can hang 2-3 series and still make it look cohesive.
Because of Jill’s expertise with PR, she has managed to get the show listed on the following:
Pressitt
Atlanta Skirt Magazine
Atlanta Planet
eventful
11 ALIVE
as well as the Northside Neighbor (which didn’t have a link).
I’m excited to be showing with several of my friends (we all have separate rooms), Laura Parker and Tina Ciranni, as well as Lisa Stevens and Ruth Gogel.
Jill was able to get Ike Stubblefield as the musical guest. He has played with people such as Eric Clapton, B.B.King, Boz Scaggs, The Pointer Sisters among others.
So – what do I have ready to show at this?
Here are 24 pieces that are finished, except some of them still need wires and the edges finished. The largest piece here is 36×48 – my largest piece yet.
Shown here are 14 pieces that are finished, but will be photographed prior to hanging.
Here are the framed pieces – 14 in all. I have 2 additional pieces to be framed – 16 in all.
Three pieces in progress, and yes – I am using hula oops and baking pans!!!!
And – I have a few more I have begun that have been drying by the gardenia bush – which as you can see is in full bloom.
The reception is on June 19th – 2-4p, and is open to the public at the Defoor Art Center, located at 1710 Defoor Avenue, Atlanta, Ga. I really believe this opening will be fun!!!! Not only will the entertainment be great, I think the refreshments will be worth the trip – and – – – The Defoor Art Center is haunted!
THE HIGH PROJECT
THE HIGH PROJECT was an experimental collaboration between one dancer and two local abstract artists while creating a three-dimensional canvas. I was one of the painters, along with my friend Lance Carlson. This was organized by Heather Harper, the Artistic Managing Director of the Harper Continuum Dance Theatre with Stacey Perkinson dancing.
The artwork was painted live while the dancer moved between the two canvases. The canvases were made of spandex, which allowed the dancer the freedom to move within the actual material. This was a fun project, but because it was at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, we were restricted by the materials we used. In the end, we used primarily washable tempura paint. After alot of experimentation, we found watered down food coloring in spray bottles, as well as food coloring in shaving cream worked well too. We were also allowed to use charcoal. The piece featured abaove is my finished piece. When I started seeing a figure developing I concentrated on channelling DeKoonings large women paintings!
Because the canvases were so porous, we applied gesso to the canvases prior to the event. We didn’t want to cover the entire canvases, as we didn’t want to restrict the Stacey’s movements. We wrote words we felt had meanings in both the visual arts and the dance. We used the words Rhythm, Movement, Composition and Fusion. CLICK HERE TO SEE A VIDEO ON THE PERFORMANCE
We hope to repeat this at a future date – Heather has been contacted from as far away as Idaho with interest in the event!
For those of you not familiar with the High Museum of Art, it was founded as the Atlanta Art Association in 1906. Two decades later, the High family donated their family home on Peachtree Street , thus the name The High Museum! It now houses over 11,000 works of art in its permanent collection.
UPCOMING EVENT – HIGH MUSEUM PROJECT
I am excited about my upcoming project with the Harper Continuum Dance Theatre (click here) and the High Museum of Art. This is an experimental collaboration beween one dancer and two painters while creating two canvases made of spandex. The painting will be live and the artists and dancer will explore the connection between both movement and composition.
The event will be January 23rd at the High Museum of Art and take place in the atrium (of the original High Museum) .
How did this happen? . Heather has recently relocated to Atlanta and is starting a dance company. To begin this process and gain attention as a choreographer, she is looking for new and different ways to approach dance. She saw my website and liked the rhythm and movement in my paintings. I found the project very interesting. I searched and searched the web, but couldn’t find anything like it. So -not one to back down from a challenge, I readily agreed to be part of the project. I am happy my painting buddy and friend, Lance Carlson, is going to participate too because of his use of gesture, color and of course his speed!!!!
So, this project is exciting, and I am excited to be a part of this. But the countdown is here and we are scrambling to get organized. The High Museum has very strict rules about what materials we can use and the more we get involved the more restrictive they become. But, in the creative spirit, we are all trying out new and different mediums.
I have experimented with Tumeric, Beets, coffee and tea. Unfortunately, these materials just stained the canvas. Then I experimented with food coloring, which had much better results. Today I used shaving cream and added watercolor and food coloring and was happy with the results! Tomorrow I may try whipping cream!
So, check back and see our progress. If you have any suggestions, or know of anything like this that has been done, please leave a comment!
DECEMBER EVENTS – 10% limited discount on purchases, details below
I always thought the winter was a slow time for art, but I’ve got an amazing amount of things going on this month. This weekend is especially busy.
First of all, I will be exhibiting at the DECATUR HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE AND CAFE on Friday and Saturday (12/4 and 12/5). This is an established market located at the Clariemont Elementary School.
Also, for the month of December, I will be part of a group show at the Limelight Gallery (in Binders Art) as part of the Shadowline Artist Group. The reception for this is Sunday 12-6 2-5p.
Also – for you East Marietta people, I have five pieces at the Art Gallery at Paper Mill, and the opening reception is Friday 12/4. Stop by on your way home for some food and wine!
The last thing going on next weekend is the Artist Loft Tour at the Stacks in Cabbagetown. I will also have work on view at the Emerging Art Scene.
Then – on 12/12 and 12/13 I will be part of Art on Argonne, located at 863 Argonne Ave, NE. I am one of 6 artists showing their work for the holidays in a nice relaxed home setting. It will be Saturday 11a-6p and Sunday 11-5p
If you mention this post to me at the Decatur Holiday Marketplace or at Art on Argonne, I will give you a 10% discount!!!!!!
MY EXPERIENCE FROM SHOWING MY WORK AT THE ALLIANCE THEATRE
Maybe I should title this piece – “What I Would Have Done Differently” because I learn something every time I show my artwork.
To start with, the Alliance Theatre was presented several artists by Digital Arts Studios – 12 artists were chosen, and 2 will be showing their work one hour prior to the performance opening weekend. I was fortunate enough to be chosen for the season opener which is the world premiere of “Come Fly With Me”, featuring the voice of Sinatra with the choreopgraphy and direction of Twyla Tharpe. This is definitely Broadway Bound!
So, Ian Greathead and I were there an hour before every performance, and stayed until the performance was opening during opening week. The Alliance Theatre got such positive feedback they asked if we wanted to come back. We came back the following weekend, and I will return alone for the closing Friday and Saturday nights.
Let me say upfront, it was great exposure, and I didn’t really expect record sales. After all, people are cominng to the theater, they are not coming to buy art. AND, the Alliance Theatre shares the lobby with the Atlanta Symphony. Where else could you get a better audience of people that might actually BUY art. The feedback has been very good, and I learned people are starting to recognize my work. While I sold some small things (prints and cards), I feel the interest was genuine and people will eventually seek me out again!
What I would have done differently?
1. Have a professional nametag. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile, and I don’t know why I haven’t had one made. When people come to look at the work, you want to be available, but you don’t want to hover too closely. I can’t tell you how many times I was asked if I was the actual artist, and seen the surprise and delight in their face when they realized they were talking to an “actual artist”!
2. When you don’t have control over the lighting, chose dramatic pieces – they will show up better. My artwork has ALOT of detail, so I think those that are interested in my artwork will be very pleased when they see it in proper lighting.
3. Show affordable artwork. You might put up a couple of large expensive pieces to get attention, but I doubt they would sell at a venue where people are going to the theater. However, they will remember them. They are more apt to purchase a piece they can fit in their purse to take home with them.
4. I broke my own rule of showing a complete body of work, and for good reason. I have a series of dresses, and this is what impresseed the Alliance Theatre, so I felt I should include them. Because the production is “Fly Me to the Moon”, I brought my series of moons. Because the symphony was also playing, I put some of my musical pieces facing the symphony, which garnered alot of attention. So, if you have work that fits into the theme of the show, use it. If you have time to create work that is specific to that show, then go for it! Ian did a painting using Sinatra;s hat, his cigar, a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, sitting on top of the music for “Come Fly With Me”. That was perfect and got alot of conversations going for him.
5. Digital Arts Studio supplied the gridwalls and the hangers, and there was a shelf to put our information. Space was limited, so I didn’t bring anything to collect names and addresses. BIG MISTAKE! People that actually asked for my card would probably have given me their email address.
Would I do it again? You betcha!!! This was the inauguration of a new tradition. As theatergoers get more and more used to seeing artwork for sale in the lobby – they might start coming prepared to purchase something!
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR
I had a very busy month of September and haven’t had time to really sit down and compose something for my blog. In the month of September, I demonstrated collage during the Atlanta Arts Festival for 2 days, my work was taken to the events for Fashion Week, and I have been exhibiting my artwork prior to the performance of “Come Fly With Me” a world premiere at the Alliance Theater utilizing the voice of Sinatra with the choreagraphy of Twyla Tharp. (see picture above – Gallery in the Galleria) All of this has been excellent exposure for me!
Coming up for the remainder of the year:
Chastain Park Art Festival, Oct 16-17
Georgia Perimeter College will have a group show of the Atlanta Collage Society in the month of October.
Cabbagetown Chomp and Stomp – a very fun day on November 7th
Group show with Shadowline Artist Group – month of December in the Limelight Gallery in Binders
Group show with Atlanta Collage Society – month of December in the Quinlan Museum in Gainesville, Ga.
12/11 – 12/12 – Art on Argonne – more information to come
There are a couple of events I’ve applied to and haven’t heard from yet, as well as a couple of things I’m considering doing, such at The Metro Atlanta Holiday Market located in Le Fais
Do-Do on Ellsworth Boulevard. I will probably do a market at Virginia and Highland when the weather cools off too!
I’m looking at the spring festivals as well! And, Denise Jackson with Emerging Art Scene in the Stacks in Cabbagetown keeps finding new and interesting places to exhibit also – and she has my work up there too.
If anybody has any ideas of places to exhibit I may have missed, please leave me a comment!
ECLIPSE
This piece was started in a class and finished it at home. It began with collage of dress patterns in the shape of a cityscape. After layers and layers of acrylic paint and ink, I would mask certain areas and paint over it and move the masks around. This was entered into a show and I am happy to say it won an honorable mention. The judges remarks were “sophisticated with rich colors, great textural quality, really draws you in”. However, it was suggested I hang it vertically. Personally, I like it better this way, but knowing it can hang differently let’s me know there is balance in the painting.