Longest Day Ever

And Even More Sky, 2008, oil on Gessobord, 4x4

Today has been a very long day. I had to get up at 5am, which was simply painful on a really cold, dark snowy morning, in order to drive an hour and a half to take my daughter to a swim meet. But the payoff for that was that she and I were able to watch the sun rise and reflect off the ice encrusted trees, from the previous night's ice storm. It was like driving through a million pink, yellow and blue sparkly icicles. Naturally, I did not have my camera along to document this beautiful morning, but sometimes things should just be experienced rather than documented anyway and this was one of those things.

I spent the next five hours chatting with the other parents which was fun, got my social thing covered for the next month or so, hehe, and oh yeah, I watched my daughter's events too. Which took up all of 4 minutes out of the five hours.

Then we drove to Saratoga Springs so I could pick up my remaining paintings from the gallery that closed there a few months ago. We did a little bit of shopping, and then headed home where my daughter finally crashed and delivered the mother of all tantrums, the kind most people might get locked up for, which was something I was considering until she calmed herself down and apologized. Should I be embarrassed about going to bed at 9pm on a Saturday night after all this? I think not.

So that is all I have for today folks. Not terribly exciting (except for maybe the fit) but then they can't all be, right?

I will close by shamelessly mentioning The Fine Art Department and Small Art Showcase yet again. Still plenty of time before Christmas to buy a gift for a friend, or family member, or yourself. Well, maybe not plenty of time but enough, anyway!

Bummer

Center Punch, 2008, Oil on Panel, 11x14

A few months ago I learned in an email from Betty, the owner of Multiple Impressions (my NYC gallery) that she had decided to close the gallery. I wasn't exactly surprised as there is a high turnover of businesses on that particularly quiet block of Wooster Street, however I WAS very sad to hear the news.

This will be a bit of a blow to me in several ways. First of all to my business. In just one year, Multiple Impressions sold almost 40 paintings. (a huge number for me, alas, not quite enough to keep them open, heh) Betty picked each piece that she wanted to show and she seems to have a really good eye-every single piece she chose sold, I have never gotten back unsold work from her. My income from her gallery sales accounted for one third of my year end total last year, a pretty significant percentage and one that I am marginally freaked out about having to replace now that I have bought a new car and paid for the attic remodel. And they have really been on a selling tear since announcing the closing, I was getting near weekly checks, it was almost like having a regular paycheck there for awhile. Betty included my work in my first art fair last June and she is also responsible for urging me to work at a larger scale which has been a really interesting and challenging path for me to travel. A path that I am not sure I would have taken had there not been a bit of gentle pressure.

But what I will really miss is my relationship with Betty, Julie (Julie invited me to be her friend of Facebook!!) and Stephanie. We have all gotten to be friends, they read my blog (and probably know WAY too much about me:)), and both Doug and I spend significant amounts of time just chatting with them when in the city (Doug more often, since his store is just a few doors down the block). I can't even imagine that I will be able to wade through the gallery scene in NYC and find another gallery who will have me AND where I will finds friends to work with.

As I have learned in the gallery world though, life goes on. Betty will start a new adventure, Julie and Stephanie will probably go and work in another gallery and I will have to dust off my presentation packets, gather together all my nerve and self confidence and start getting out there again.

It will be fine. Sigh.