The first six months of 2013 have been exceedingly busy for me. I have reveled in it. For too long I have just lazed around here on the ranch. Of course, I paint and sleep and stay on the internet FB pages too much, too. I look out my windows or walk down to the mailbox. BUT, it was so energizing to have so much to do to prepare for the conference as well as a show in Houston at Jack Meier Gallery.
By December 2012… I figured I better heat up the encaustic and get out all my paints and panels. I had not worked with encaustic for many months and needed to get my hand back in. I had no idea what kind of show opportunities would come up, the themes, the sizes or anything…………just paint and see what comes. I even decided to do a few small works on paper and panels to take to the Hotel Fair at the conference.
Work did get made… I liked some of it better than others. The themes were announced with sizing. OMG, I had painted some work way too big. That’s okay… I took it to the Houston show. I was fortunate to get a painting into the juried show, SEVEN, chosen by Shawn Hill and held at Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, and another in the A Gallery show titled RED, chosen by Adam and Marin Peck, owners of the gallery. I was really pumped with getting into two great shows during the conference.
Besides the exhibition opportunities accompanying the conference, there were SO many lectures, demos or workshops you could choose to attend. It is impossible to make everything. Not a one was a dud, I promise you.
I went to Nancy Natale’s Bricolage two day workshop before the conference started. I have a better understanding of how I might can add other elements to my work in the future. Nancy is a very generous, talented teacher as well as a nice person and a wonderful artist.
The other workshop I attended was Post-Con, Understanding the Curatorial Process, with Barbara O’Brien, director of the Kemper Museum, Kansas City, MO. I can say unequivocally that this kind of workshop is of the most value to anyone who has been an artist for a long time. Of course, it would be for someone in the earlier stages of their career as well as anyone wanting to challenge themselves. A time comes when it is not the technique you need to dwell on (unless you need a new one) as much as the inner journey you make as an artist. Sometimes you have to be forced kicking and screaming into do the thinking that goes with the art making………….the why, the why not, the who cares, the … you get the drift.
I was terrible at documenting the conference. I just had way too much going, doing and listening to do to remember most of the time to take pictures or make many notes. What I do have are disjointed. I leave you with a few photos and a heartfelt thank you to Joanne Mattera and Cherie Mittenthal for hosting such a wonderful event for all of us to come to every year we can.
My apologies for not finding more photos right now… and I have to give credit to someone ( I know not who) who made the two pictures with Joanne in them. Let me know and I will post your name. Photo of me in the hat at the restaurant is by Helen Dannelly.
Love the blog, the way your write about it, and makes me wish even more strongly, that I could have gone too! The curatorial workshop sounds like it was fabulous! I really think we should all study our motives and thoughts about art more than we do normally. I once was told by John Salminen, that the most important caveat about an artist and their work was the ability to verbalize your work, and really discuss it. I thought about that after reading your post. So glad you had fun and made it home safely!
Hi Cheryl,
It was a pleasure meeting you and sharing the conference. it was the first for me and and I too found it to be so worthwhile. I stayed for post conference workshops and also found the talks after the workshops which Joan gave to be so interesting. I took 2 workshops, each 2 days…one with Lisa Pressman along with Sarah Mast ànd the other by Sherrie Posternack. They were both excellent. I did takes many notes but the one thing I lost is my memory! I was so sure I would rmember everything and now find myself scratching my head and searching the brain for all I put in there. I do hope it surfaces. I am trying to remember the process that Pamela Wagner uses and for he life of me the brain is at a stand still. I so enjoyed her presentation and again was so sure that I couldn’t possibly forget any of it. So much for my confidence!!!!
You had a big trip back. I hope it all went smoothly. I
Hi Cheryl,
It was a pleasure meeting you and sharing the conference. it was the first for me and and I too found it to be so worthwhile. I stayed for post conference workshops and also found the talks after the workshops which Joan gave to be so interesting. I took 2 workshops, each 2 days…one with Lisa Pressman along with Sarah Mast ànd the other by Sherrie Posternack. They were both excellent. I did takes many notes but the one thing I lost is my memory! I was so sure I would rmember everything and now find myself scratching my head and searching the brain for all I put in there. I do hope it surfaces. I am trying to remember the process that Pamela Wagner uses and for he life of me the brain is at a stand still. I so enjoyed her presentation and again was so sure that I couldn’t possibly forget any of it. So much for my confidence!!!!
You had a big trip back. I hope it all went smoothly. I drove back to Long Island and cut the driving a little by taking an enjoyable ferry ride across the Long Island sound from New London, Conn. to Orient Point, LI. From there it is 1 hour and 45 minutes to my house. My total trip was about 6 hours.
The pictures are nice to see. Your work is wonderful and you look smashing in your red hat. I didn’t see you that night with the hat on. Congratulations on being in the 2 exhibitions plus the hotel fair. Next year I will be sure to enter. I did do the hotel fair which was fun.
I do hope you will remember me after I just wrote all of this. It just occured to me that you might not!
At any rate, good luck with your work and your new knowledge (hopefully you can remember!) and any exhibitions coming up for you. I look forward to next year and hope our paths cross again.
Best regards, Edith
I know what you mean about the memory. At the time, you think… oh yeah that makes sense… then you later realize you need a little something to set the memory to rolling.
AND, I DO remember you………and I had an uneventful trip home. I think I am finally caught up and ready to get back in the studio. I am already looking forward to next year.
See you then..
Take care,
Cheryl