Some bad news...

So Jen and I went to Maine for Easter with my family. While there, we decided to drive up the road to the Old Crow Gallery where I am having my solo show in June. When we got there, we found the gallery empty and a For Rent sign in the window.

Big time bummer...

I was quite panicked, actually, because I had thousands of dollars worth of art currently at the gallery and I had no idea where any of the piece were.

I eventually got in touch with the gallery owners, whom I love to death, and they explained how it happened. Long story short, the owners of the building were unreasonable and they had to leave shop in an extremely short amount of time and didn't have a chance to call all the artists to get their work.

So, as of right now, there will be no solo show:( Perhaps if the owners get the gallery and frame shop back up and running, I may be able to show later in the year, but for now it's all off. My pieces are going to be moved to several businesses that appreciate art and may help get my name out and possibly sell the piece off the wall.

I'm pretty bummed. I've been planning this for seven months now and had all the pieces ready to go. I've actually avoided applying to shows and galleries in June so it didn't conflict with the show. I'm also worried because most galleries are booked for the year (or more) so I may have to wait over a year for another opportunity to show my work.

Le Sigh.

Regardless, I'm now looking for shows and events locally to get the word out about my papercuts in town. We just decided to not move out of town, and found a beautiful tiny house to rent with a great finished shed (more of a separate building/room with windows and heat and everything) that will become my studio.

Not all bad news, but still pretty bummed about the show.

Oh, I'm on twitter now too. Terrifying, but maybe it will drum up some support or sales?

Old Crow Gallery Winter Show

Hi, we almost forgot to report on the gallery exhibit Joe did last month at the Old Crow Gallery. It ran from early December until Christmas, and we went to the official show opening while we were in Maine before the holidays.
You can see from the pictures how packed it was! The owners did a great job of getting people in the door, and in turn Joe ended up selling a lot of art!Very exciting for us, and we look forward to working with them on Joe's solo show this spring!

Dare-I-Go

My new body of work, composed of about 12 pieces, is titled Dareigo. It is the body of work I plan to feature at my solo show at the Old Crow Gallery next year.

It is a take on the Maine state motto: Dirigo (pronounced deer-ee-go) and is meant to reflect both the topic of the work (Maine architecture and nature), my homecoming back to Maine, and my enterprising full-time dive into the art world.

As many of you know I am a professional archaeologist with a degree, tons of experience, and everything, but 98% of archaeology in the US is conducted before major construction and development projects. There is not exactly a lot of construction and development going on right now so the job market is tight. Jen and I were let go a few months ago from our full time jobs after work dried up. It’s crushing when it’s something you are passionate about and truly love.

Well, I’ve decided until things start looking up, I’m sticking to art, which is somehow actually paying the bills (that and the fact that Jen is working full time for the Massachusetts Historical Commission).

Okay, back to the art, I really want to show you some of the new designs, but I really want the solo show to be an official reveal of the new pieces. But I’ll happily describe them.

They are about half-half nature and architecture scenes. The nature scenes come from Portland harbor, Old Orchard Beach, and the Lakes Region. The architecture pieces are exclusively historic structures in Portland including (but not limited to) Old Port, the wharfs, and the Portland Observatory.

A few weekends ago Jen and I spent Saturday in Boston and wandered around two of our favorite neighborhoods: Charles St (antique district) and Newbury St (art and retail district). There are some fantastic galleries on Newbury and truly an inspiring place for anyone interested in art (creating, viewing, or buying). It gave me a good perspective on where the market is, what is currently appreciated by galleries, and the clientele. Very interesting.

My overall impression is that gallery shows typically have only a few pieces, they are the best-of-the-best work, and the pieces are very large. I think this is mostly because big is in (people want a lot of art for their money), galleries want to look clean (not too many pieces on display), and no crap allowed.

I took this into consideration and have made some, I think, good changes to the body of work I am currently creating.

First, I have reduced the number of pieces by about half, resulting in a good trimming of the fat and a hard, but needed, self-examination of what actually is good piece, and not just my ego showing through.

Second, I have increased the overall size of the pieces, since this art form allows me to completely design my pieces before cutting, I can take a digital version of the design, crop, modify, and enlarge it before ever cutting. It also allows me to completely organize and edit the entire body of work before I begin creating it.

By enlarging the designs, I was able to include a lot more detail into the piece, which will, I hope, make them even more visually interesting and impressive.

Okay, hope that has wetted your appetite!