I forgot to mention…I still have some “stuff” for sale. Musical instruments, photo equipment and display grids. Check it out here.
The leaves have just begun to turn. I don’t know how long they’ll last or if they will all turn before they fall, thanks to the early snow we had. For sure the nights are cold enough to turn them all, but we’ll see soon enough. I know it’s fall even without color on the mountains…the gallery is still and quiet.
This evening we (the two galleries) are hosting a private reception for some traveling writers who are vising the area on a “famtour” (familiarization). Following the reception, I’ll join them for dinner. I’m looking forward to all of that, but in the meantime it is really hard to sit here and have the gallery open with me, myself and I to chat with. I already cleaned up from last night’s fourth Friday event, and the gallery looks beautiful, if I do say so myself. I need to paint, but I’m wearing these fancy clothes so I don’t have to go home and change before the reception/dinner. I’m a messy painter, so I won’t risk it.
The Artisan Expo I went to last Sunday was a blast, thought I spent my accumulated wad in a heartbeat. I bought all the supplies I need for the new class that is coming up beginning next week…and then I bought a moderate supply of a brand new product…Ultra Soft Pan Pastel. Check it out here….it’s going to be a blast to play with! (and paint with). I’d probably be getting dirty right now, but they were sold out before i got there. They are shipping me what I ordered…and I can hardly wait!
Guess I’ll go play on facebook for a bit. See ya!
It’s quiet again at the gallery, at least most of the time, so I’m trying hard to get some things caught up, some things under way and some things thrown out. I know I didn’t post last week, as I was sitting on the floor, fingers freezing, working on a new project (more on that later) as I was looking for customers at the MVAC Illusions show. The bank had the air conditioning on and it was raining and 58 degrees outside. BRRRRRRRRRRRR. Still the Illusions reception was nice, and congrats to my friend Jacqui Binford-Bell for taking yet another Best of Show!
Yesterday I painted. I had to do something to divert my attention from the portrait I’ve been working on. I can’t continue the portrait until I get a new brush, which I will do tomorrow, but in the meantime if I work on it I’ll overdo it. So, I pulled out a tiny artist panel that I bought when Artisan’s had a great sale on them. it is only 6 x 6. Inches, that is. 6 x 6, cradled artist panel by Ampersand, my favorite purveyor of paintable surfaces. Not to diminish my love of Yupo paper, but they (Ampersand) do a nice array of different kinds of media. So, anyway, I played. I ended up with sort of a flower, sort of not. I’m calling it “A little a-MAZE-ment” Take a look and you’ll see why, oh, and it’s acrylic!
Tomorrow I’m going to the Artisan Expo in Santa Fe, where I’m sure to encounter more fun! I’ll pick up the supplies for the next class that begins on Sept. 30th. I have 3 signed up and we’re going play with oil pastel (no worries, Jennifer!) so I need to pick some up, along with “stuff to paint on”. We’ll see what I find at the expo. Basically, I’m excited to be getting out of town, if only to Santa Fe and only for a day. I’ve not been anywhere other than to Taos since May!
Then, it’ll be back to work editing video for Katherinesarttv.tv I’m getting so close to a full launch, yet it feels so far away. Let’s hope I can be productive, finish editing, get the site fully operational and live, finish the portrait , do the next commission and have a blast teaching a class…all before November 1! That’s my aim…oh and the brick floor too.
I’ve often told other artists at shows that “one customer, and 5 minutes, can change the outcome of this”. And so it was today. I was literally packing up, loading things into the back of the truck, when another car pulled in. I glanced up, and smiled, seeing one of my clients walking around the back of her car, with daughter and mother-in-law in tow. 20 minutes later they were happily climbing back in their car, with a cadre of unframed, un-mounted, un-matted originals in hand. See my smile?
So now, the truck is loaded with what is destined for Angels Attic. There are a few things left that I really want to sell. You can find a list here. Pass it on…I’ll be adding more soon!
It’s 1:49pm. The day started with a drizzle of rain, then a bit more then moved off to warm sun and cool breeze. When I opened the door this morning there were half a dozen cars in the driveway. I sold the Ladder and the glass blocks straight away. A bunch of brand new, never worn socks that just would not slip around the poor feet and up J’s immobile ankles.
Some people who said, “oh, Katherine McDermott, I’ve heard of you!”
One man stopped in, who was investigating problems with the fact that the shoulder on highway 64 ends conspicuously about 6 feet before our road. It has been a nightmare since the shoulder was laid in some years ago. A friend of mine was hit by a vehicle trying pass while she was stopped, blinker on, to turn left. The other car tried to pass, ran out of shoulder and abruptly turned to get back on pavement and rammed into the side of her car. If she had not been there, he would have plowed into oncoming traffic, as some others have done, at least one that I know of , with tragic results. Maybe he’ll get something done.
I think I’ll be loading up the truck and visiting Angel’s Attic real soon now. small sigh. I don’t mean to be ungrateful. yes, I’d hoped for more. More people, more sales. But then, I should have seen it coming.
Arts About Town, yesterday, was good. And about half or less of the traffic we had last year. Maybe it’s because Labor Day is a week later this year, somehow, a week later than the past few years. Last year we did the event on August 30th. And the year before that, similarly. hmmmm. I dunno. I kind of refuse to just blame it on the economy. Things have been going well at the gallery, for a change! Interesting experience to me. Lots of room to make up for the past still, but I’m kind of amazed, and thankful!
So, here I am. Sitting in a chair in the driveway, posting on the blog. go figure. Angel’s Attic, here I come.
No time to rest, gotta get moving tomorrow for the Illusions show next weekend. We’ll hang it on Friday. Reception on Saturday (September 12) from 5-7:30 or something like that. Hope that goes well.
Well, guess I’ll start boxing stuff up. Doesn’t look good for more customers. Next time, it will 7:30 to 11. that’s it. Live and learn (at least I try to.)
