have an art show

wants it.

I got some work done on my next big piece today…its Mexico DF and its huge, chaotic and green and red, and I feel really good about where its going! YAY!

Well, I have one scheduled for August, with a friend and its going up at the restaurant/club she works at. I am so excited!!! i just have to work and work now and stop procrastinating because I have soooooo much space to fill up. I have a few pieces done, and a huge roll of canvas. I am a little low on paints right now, but only for a few more weeks until i get paid. I’m planning on getting stretchers made after I finish most of my work…and I want to incorporate some screen printing into it, and some t-shirts to sell at the opening. Got to get to work! Yesterday was the last day of school, so now its on, I have go to be working on this every day now!

I have always wanted to have my artwork hanging somewhere other than my walls. I have always painted and I take photos for a living. I am also a video artist and would love to screen the short I am working on, since many artist grant applications require a recent independent screening as well.
That said, I am scared stiff of actually asking this of the world.

So, what I decided is that I didn’t want to have a solo show first. I thought a group show would ease some of the pressure and nervousness I was feeling. I find it easy to see value in others work but not my own. I am a member of a local womens collective and I asked if there was anyone else interested in doing a group proposal and seeing if an art gallery would take us on. Lots of women were interested, but haven’t really gotten their info in to me though. It has become a much slower process and a little more work for me right now, but at least I am actually doing it. Now that others are depending on me to do this I may actually pull it off. That was the goal for me, so I hope it works.

I really feel like once I have one show I can forge ahead. I am so much less intimidated by things once I have had that initial experience. I think it’s part if the creative mind, always making mountains out of molehills.

So, today I am compiling what I have so far for the group proposal. I sent out some email reminders to the other collaborators, and hopefully we will submit to a gallery this month.
Fingers crossed!

once in college, i put up an exhibit of tiny paintings in the art department bathroom. of course it was promptly taken down by an oblivious janitor… but i always liked the idea. i found some tiny canvases at the art supply store that have renewed my excitement for the project. maybe before i head out into full on gallery show, i’ll do a series of little guerrilla exhibits first. although i think i’ll pick more upscale bathrooms to try and delay the stealing/destruction of the whole situation. more to come.

I’m going to temporarily give up on this. Because the important thing right now is not putting together a show, but having enough pieces I’m excited about showing. At the moment I’m only excited about showing about 6 paintings. Let’s see if I can bump it up to twice that amount and then maybe I’ll be ready to have a show!

How?

to even HAVE a show. i guess that is my real work and my true goal. from the time i was very small i would draw and paint and draw some more. 6 years of studio art training, and a love of creating art, but i set it aside to be a mom and wife. its not something i regret (not exactly), but now that my daughters are older i owe it to them and myself to initiate. to make. to build. to paint. to create. to express.

Done and done.
Now I just need more.
MORE.

I want to get a objective artist to view my work and also I want a few more paintings in my collection, I have several sketches, craypas, colored pencils, watercolors… I am planning on taking an art class to just have an excuse to have someone professional see my stuff… more later on that.