Weekend Madness

Between the Poles, 2008, Oil on Panel, 16x20

Today I am finishing up a new batch of paintings that will be on display at the Affordable Art Fair in NYC next weekend. I am excited to have my work there again, as last year's AAF was pretty successful for me and well, I still owe some money on my new attic so I admit that a few sales right now would be really great. I may have jinxed the whole thing by saying that out loud but there you go.

Last year my work was shown by Multiple Impressions, however, since they are closing (sob) I will be with Carrie Haddad at booth A-303, just in case anybody out there will attending the show. I was hoping to go but Doug will be out of town and things are too hectic around here for me to leave for a day or two, so my work will be there without me.

Speaking of hectic, this weekend isn't even officially here yet and my head is spinning with all that is going on. A soccer game tonight, my son is leaving for a Boy Scout camp out, a dinner for my daughters who have working on a triathlon, for which I have to bake a rhubarb cake this morning. The triathlon on Saturday morning, an end of the school year party for my older daughter, dinner with friends, and then on Sunday I have to drive down to Hudson (for the third weekend in a row-oh the fuel!) to deliver the paintings. I also have to stop at the paint store and finally decide on which color/colors to paint my studio, which has to be finished before the floor guy comes on Wednesday to sand the floors. I am only about halfway finished priming the walls and so have much more to do up there.

Oh and we have to finish up the vegetable garden. Everything is planted finally, but we want to cover and mulch the walkways so that the weeds don't overtake us all (more on the garden next week).

But I am thankful for the rain we finally had last night. At least I won't have to spend an hour each day for the next few days, hand watering the garden.

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.

Cool!

My name has moved from being somewhat obscure in the new acquisitions page on my NY gallery's website, to the home page right along with the other artists.

I think that is a good sign.

Break on Through

Bright Afternoon, 2007, Oil on Panel, 48x60

Well, Doug left this morning with the large paintings I have been working on for the last week or so. And I am left with gaping holes, not to mention a big mess in my studio. I will spend today and tomorrow cleaning up and preparing panels for the next round of paintings. I have the flower show on deck, plus I need to have a few more paintings on hand. My inventory is at exactly zero right now.

I also really felt as if I made a breakthrough with this batch of paintings. There was a bit of urgency involved as the gallery in NYC wanted some new work quickly and I had to coordinate delivery with a day that Doug had to drive into the city rather than take the train. Most of the time, deadlines really help me along. I don't have as much time to think when I am inundated and that is generally a big plus for me. heh. Anyway, I was able to loosen up with this work because I literally had to just jump in and start them. And while it may not be so visible in the photographs (I should have taken some close up shots), these paintings have more of the painterliness that I have previously had trouble catching due to my fear of large scale panels. The other thing that really helped me here was to actually use my regular large sized brushes. Before, with the large scale paintings I kept trying to scale up on the brushes as well and was using 2, 3 and even 4 inch brushes. But I felt I had less control with those and they didn't have the same softness as my favorite sables have. So this time, even on the 48x60 painting, the largest brush I used this time was an Old Holland flat sable, size 24 (about 1 1/4" wide) with much better results.

And that painting (pictured above) is the "sort of" commission, you know, the one where I copy my previous self. I have painted this scene a number of times, which you can see below. The one on the bottom, Cadmium Yellow Field is the first one I did, in 2005 (and as I recall, at 16x20, that seemed HUGE to me then). I always intend to make significant changes in the colors, but somehow I keep coming back to the basic blue, yellow, and green combo. I have been varying the colors in the tress a bit though, so that's something!

I will post the rest of the large pieces over the next few days.

Just a Field, 2007, Oil on Panel, 9x12


June Field, 2007, Oil on Panel, 36x48


Cadmium Yellow Field, 2005, Oil on Panel, 16x20

My Flowers

Pink Bee Balm, 2006, Oil on Panel, 16x20

In response to Peter's comment on the previous post, I thought I'd put up this piece that I did last winter. I am really happy with it (and it is currently at Multiple Impressions in Soho, if anyone in the area feels inclined to go see it), so much so that I have felt a bit intimidated about doing another flower painting. I would have gotten over that if I had been able to focus on the subject matter, but I haven't had the time to do that for the last few months.

However, this is how the pressure of a gallery show really comes in handy for me. I'd probably put off pursuing painting flowers for another six months if it weren't for this upcoming show.

More Sales

On the Way to Provincetown, 2007, Oil on Panel, 18x24

Thanks everyone, for all of the lovely words of encouragement regarding my recent cluster of sales in NYC. At an art fair no less! I am still a bit loopy about it all. Of course I am aware of the recent trend in art fairs but none of the galleries I have shown with until now, participate in them, so this seems like a good step up for me. And after thinking about it a bit, I am glad I didn't know ahead of time that my work would be there. I would have gotten all stressed about it. Also I would have secretly hoped for much success there which surely would have jinxed it. This way I didn't have a chance to mess it up. Of course the director did say she would include me next year, so I do have a full year now to work myself into a frenzy. Heh.

Anyway, when it rains it pours. I picked up my work from the show at Enderlin Gallery yesterday and also received a check for three of the five pieces that sold. And today's mail bought me a check from the Harrison Gallery for three more sold pieces. I must add here that there should be a place in heaven for gallery directors who pay their artists within days of the sale, as nearly all of mine regularly do.

So this has been a very good month income wise, but believe you me, I have learned from experience to hang on to whatever I can, as next month could just as easily bring me exactly zero dollars.

Very Cool News

Purple Edge, 2007, Oil on Panel, 18x24

I got a call today from the owner of my NYC Gallery and she had some very exciting news for me. I had sent two 36x48 paintings down to her via Doug last week to add to the several pieces that they already have of mine. He said the large ones looked great in the gallery space and so I confess to fantasizing a bit about how cool it would be if one or the other sold right away. Little did I know!

At the last minute, the gallery decided to include my work in their booth at the Affordable Art Fair. My paintings were given a prominent spot I guess, and received some good attention. Hearing that feedback would have made my day, but it gets better. The gallery sold every single one of my paintings! Holy cow!

I was incredibly full of myself for about an hour, until I realized that I had to clean the really icky kid's bathroom and prepare for my daughter's sleep over, which is still in full swing (they are semi quiet, watching a movie). So daily life saved everyone around me from my attitude. Heh.

I still have a little buzz though.

Still Love Getting the Mail!

Deep Trees, 2007, Oil on Panel, 16x20

The Saturday snail mail delivery by Jim the mailman (who is also our neighbor and doubles as the guy who brush hogs our land each fall), brought me two lovely and much needed surprises. Doug has been out of town for weeks at a time over the last few months and we were nearing the end of another week long stretch. And so I was going a bit mental. Not from the kids so much (ok, well maybe a little) but from having to do everything, everyday, most especially cooking and cleaning up after dinner each night. The kids help, but, well, they don't really, know what I mean? And I was incredibly tired after having stayed up until 2am to watch The Good Shepherd (got a late start on that because I had to go pick up my daughter from a birthday party at 9pm Friday evening). Then Saturday morning there was soccer practice and another birthday party, a few manufactured preteen dramas as well as feelings of guilt over not going outside to do some yard work in order to take advantage of the stunning weather. And why oh why must I actually feel ill the day after having only a few hours sleep? I used to be able to do all nighters with ease and now if a miss an hour or two of sleep I become the worst crabby patty* ever.

Anyway.

Folded into the usual bills, junk mail and endless credit card solicitations were two hand addressed envelopes. Very rare these days! The first one contained an acceptance letter for a juried regional show in my favorite place ever, Woodstock, NY. I have stopped entering competitions for the most part, but I make exceptions for ones that have some meaning for me and whose organizations I like to help support. I entered this same show last year and had some luck getting in and winning an award, a gift certificate for a actual art supply store for $100. Which I used to buy four, yes, only four tubes of paint. Ones that I never would have splurged on otherwise. Since I love, love, love Woodstock and the Woodstock School of Art, I am very pleased to be included again this year, as well as having an excuse to drive down and spend a day there when delivering the painting.

The next piece of mail was a check along with an encouraging note from my New York gallery (that has such a nice ring to it), Multiple Impressions. They have sold a number of paintings now and I am feeling good about my possible status there. Of course, now they want more pieces, large ones of course (because they are the most difficult for me to do), so bright and early Sunday morning I found myself priming two 36x48 panels.

Days like that make me very happy that mail has not become entirely obsolete yet.

*Gratuitous SpongeBob Square Pants reference.

About New York City

Me! In a window! In a gallery! In Soho! In NYC!

We decided to drive the whole way into the city last Thursday instead of taking the train. I had some paintings to deliver, Doug needed to deliver a fossil to a client on Saturday and we also planned to pick up a load of birch panels at Soho Art Materials on our way home. And since we left later than planned, we drove into Manhattan at rush hour. Yay. Although Doug is a good driver, I was filled with terror. I don't think you could pay me enough money to drive through that city.

Anyway, we stopped at Doug's showroom and then went down to Multiple Impressions to deliver a few paintings. It was nice to look at the other artist's work as well as to finally meet and chat with Betty, the owner. We settled into the loft space that Doug's company had rented for the month and then went out for a really nice dinner, where the waiter only had eyes for Doug. Literally. He never looked at me once and he practically rolled his eyes when I spoke. And despite the fact that we insisted on no desert, he brought over a piece of cheesecake, for Doug, of course. When we left he looked right past me to say a heartfelt goodbye to Doug. I would have felt offended except, well, it was funny.

On Friday we met up with Chris Rywalt in Chelsea and visited about 859 galleries. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with Chris, he is very funny, silly and smart all at the same time. Doug and I totally enjoyed seeing so much contemporary art and the highlights for me, were seeing a few of Jeff Cohen's paintings (I used to read his blog, which seems to be gone now), Ron Ehrlich's work at Stephen Haller Gallery, and David LaChapelle's photography at Tony Shafrazi Gallery. I really connected with the show at Dillon Gallery. Michael Ryan's paintings remind me of my own, but are much much better. Bigger, more colorful and more abstract. I loved them. Another show I enjoyed was at McKenzie Fine Art. The work of Marietta Ganapin should be seen in person as it is incredibly and wonderfully obsessive. In a very good way, of course.

After getting back to the loft, I dozed on the sofa (I never sleep during the day, but I was beat and what the hell - I was on vacation!) and my husband, the workaholic, went to the showroom and spent a few hours working. We ordered pizza and watched tv for the rest of the evening. Pretty exciting night in the city, eh?

Tomorrow I will write about my visit to the Whitney, which was life-altering!