I have a show opening on February 10th, 2018, at the Rancho Linda Vista Gallery in Oracle, AZ. The show is up for the month of February. Here are a couple photos of the paintings before they were hung on the walls of the gallery.
A pile of paintings ready to be sorted through at the gallery
Lined up in position with one painting hung on the left wall, making progress
A Sequence for Documenting Each Painting
From creating the work to getting it photographed by my wonderful husband, James Cowlin, (see featured photo above), entering each new painting in my data base & then to my own website gallery, then to my online galleries, then to my list of arts consulting companies around the country, it’s a long process for each individual painting.
Social Media
Then there are the Instagram and Facebook posts of the works in progress and when they are finished, to make sure viewers know that the new painting exists. I send out applications and show proposals once I have started to have a good start on a body of work.
I’ve Got the Work, I’ve Got the Show, What’s Next?
Next are the weeks and months of completing enough paintings for the specific gallery space. Before the show opens there are postcards to get designed (thanks Patricia Sahertian for the great design), ordered and when they arrive, sent out to people on my mailing list and additional postcards handed out and placed in various locations. Publicity on Facebook & Instagram about the upcoming show, a heads up in my newsletter are just a few of the marketing efforts I make. As the date grows close, I make sure all paintings have indeed been photographed and added into my filing system.
The Installation Process
A few days before the start date of the show I cart all the paintings to the gallery. In this case it’s a short drive to Rancho Linda Vista Gallery (5 minutes).
Some water paintings in place, ready to hang (unless I change my mind again)
For this particular show I knew I had more work than would fit in the space. I spent hours moving the paintings around adding and subtracting paintings and adding and subtracting again. The process of elimination was kind of difficult but eventually I got it sorted out. There are 37 paintings in the show and it took a little over a day to hang them all. That process is an art form in itself!
The Wait & Preparation for the Opening Reception
Now I’m in the waiting game stage. The show’s been up a week. I didn’t have the opening last weekend because I figured that the Super Bowl would be a pretty big distraction. In the next few days I’ll be baking cookies, making guacamole and generally getting details in order for the opening.
Then I hope for good weather and lots of people at the opening. The show is the culmination of many hours from start (making the paintings) to finish (taking them down and hauling them back to my studio—the ones that didn’t sell that is!) over the past several years.
The Looming Letdown and How I Prepare for It, Plus a Link to a Great Article in Vasari21 Online Publication About This Very Subject!
Meanwhile, looking ahead, there’s kind of a big letdown coming. I know this from previous experience. I always try to have paintings on the easel and in the works so I’m not facing an empty easel once the show comes down. It helps to keep working. This isn’t an unusual reaction at all. In fact my friend Ann Landi’s amazing e-publication Vasari21 produced an article (for which I was included) about this very topic. By the way, Vasari21 is “a serious site for serious artists, A community for working artists, a place to connect, find information, read about the new and the unknown, listen to podcasts, and learn about how the art world really works.” A wonderful way to see artwork from artists around the world and to read Ann’s informative, funny and amazing articles.