Pompeii update

Last night was the Pompeii Art Show at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and I promise this is the last time all of you will hear about it.  Maybe.

It was a good show with a a wide variety of artwork: abstract paintings, mosaics, sculpture, a handmade book.  Obviously there are a lot of talented artists in the Cincinnati area.  It was a good experience for me personally too.  Over half the pieces sold, including mine - and for more than my starting bid!  I got quite a few compliments from both my fellow artists and from those who came to see the show.

One of the Museum Center's employees told me how happy she was to have the painting hanging in her office for a few days before the show - her mother was the one who actually won the bid, so I'm sure she will see it many more times in the future.  I also had people tell me that they could tell by the attention to detail that I had been to Pompeii.

A few connections in the Cincinnati art world were made that will hopefully be helpful in the future.  And while my very distant hope of picking up the sponsorship of a wealthy executive from Proctor & Gamble or Johnson & Johnson didn't come true, it is a great feeling to hear praises and see my piece sold.  It  feels like a big step forward.

Here's a link to photos from the show, including one of myself and my wonderfully supportive husband.

Sneak peek

The Cincinnati Mueseum Center has posted a sneak peak at the artwork that is being exhibited at the Pompeii Art Show tonight.  These are cropped images, so it's a little hard to judge, but it kind of looks like mine is the only straight-forward landscape.  It should be an interesting show.  I'll post an update to let everyone know how it went.

Three shows in one post

Saturday was pretty hectic one for me as I ran about for two different shows in opposite directions.  The first was the annual show for the Dayton Society of Painters and Sculptors.  It's the first time I've tried this one and it will be another day or two before I find out if my two pieces, Scout and the Pink Kimono and Remnants of an Early Morning Storm will be accepted.  A fellow artist told me that usually only about a third of entered pieces are accepted, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

The second show was the reception for the Annual Juried Art Exhibit at the Preble Fine Arts Center.  Three pieces are in the show, and one, Midsummer Barn, won second place in the pastel category.  Later the chair of the committee of the show told me that the judge really liked it, but gave it second because he didn't like the frame or matting.  Ouch.  That's something I hadn't really considered, but probably should pay more attention to.  I've been trying to frame my pastels without mats - it makes them look more like "paintings" - but this one had a bright white mat.  I'll guess I'll keep that in mind for future reference.

The third show in this post is the Pompeii Art Show at the Cincinnati Museum Center.  I received an email poster for this one, and of course had to post it.  Tickets are still available if you want to come and bid on my painting!

Pompeii Art Show

Two days ago I received an email that I have been hoping for, though not really expecting.  My pastel, Road to Vesuvius, was accepted into the Pompeii Art Show at the Cincinnati Museum Center.  Only 25 pieces were chosen for this show, so I'm very honored to be participating.  The show will take place on Thursday, June 21 at 6 pm at the Museum Center.  It's a funder raiser for the Center, so tickets for the reception (which also includes entrance into A Day in Pompeii exhibit) are $35 or $30 for members.  All of the artwork will be part of another fundraiser, a silent auction, with 50% of the proceeds going to the Center.  In addition, the top three chosen by the audience will be featured on a poster promoting the exhibit and offered for sale in the Center's gift shop.  If you would like to go to the reception, tickets can be purchased through the Museum Center's web site - I hope to see you there!

And as promised, I put together a short slide show showing the work in progress.  This is the first time I've remembered to take photos throughout, and the first time I've done this much pre-planning.  A few of the slides are a bit off center - it's hard to get everything in the same spot, especially since I have to move the camera out of the way each time due to limited work space.  And I apologize for the small size of the video, anything larger didn't want to upload.  Obviously I still have  few kinks to work out.  The accompanying music is an instrumental by U2, titled Near the Island.

SOLD!

Ruins of Pompeii

Road to Vesuvius 16x20 pastel, copyright 2012
SOLD!

It's been awhile since I've taken the time to combine my two favorite things - art and archaeology - but thanks to the Cincinnati Museum Center's A Day in Pompeii exhibit, I've done just that.  As part of the promotion for the exhibit, the Museum Center is also having an art show and silent auction of 25 pieces inspired by the exhibit.  How could I resist that?  The chosen pieces will be announced in early June, I'll let you know if I was accepted.

It's been more than 20 years since I've been to Pompeii, so I pulled out my photos and strolled through the excavations via Google StreetView, which made wish I had spent more time there.  There was no on-site museum at Pompeii when I was there, so I never got the opportunity to see the many artifacts that are on display at the current exhibit.  I haven't had a chance to see it yet, but I am looking forward to it this summer.

On a side note, I took a series of photographs of painting as I worked, I'm going to see if I can put them together as a short video and post it on here, along with a few notes about my thought process.  This assumes, of course that I am actually able to create the video - we'll see how that goes.  Also, special thanks to Tracey, Nicole and Jennie for the very helpful critiques!