The Indian Hill Art Show has always been good to me. This year it was the best ever. This is true not because of sales or contacts made specifically, even though sales were good. I think it was one of my most memorable shows because of a conversation I had with another artist.
I have always admired the work of Leslie Shiels. Her paintings of dogs are so magical it is hard to describe them. I first met her when I was visiting Cincinnati Art Galleries to show my mentor Pam Kirchener some new work. Leslie dropped in that day and we talked briefly. I googled her when I got home and found her work to be amazing. The layers of rich colors just compel you to look deeply into the paintings. It’s not about the dogs, which are wonderful. It is about the positive/negative space balance and the patterns and colors-rich and beautiful. Anyway, I was happy to see she was again displaying her work at Indian Hill this year. She doesn’t normally show her work outside of galleries but Indian Hill is her home.
I overcame my initial reluctance to approach her and went over to re-introduce myself to her. We discussed various things and I finally told her that Pam had become a mentor to me and I miss having her advice to guide me. I mentioned that I was feeling a bit stifled and restless in terms of my work. My paintings have been shown in all of my favorite venues and I have pushed it about as far as I feel I can in this market. I very much appreciate what I have achieved but I think it’s time to do more. I think it’s time to make some kind of move, but, I feel unsure what to do. Leslie replied very quickly, “Get out of town. That’s what Pam would tell you- get out of town.” I asked her to expand and she just said it’s time to move your work to a larger market. “Do what you want-it’s your work.”
I mulled that over for a while and started to work the internet for places I could explore. I am a google addict so that was actually kind of fun. Instead of finding galleries to form alliances with I looked for nationally juried shows with themes that seemed appropriate for my style. I applied to a few shows and the first results are in. I have not been turned down yet! Here are the first results of my 2013 “get out of town” initiative:
“Pop! Goes the Art”- a nationally juried show of contemporary POP art in the Sacramento, CA. area. I have one piece that is featured in this show. It is called “Stella updated her status from ‘in a relationship’ to ‘engaged’.” It is pictured below. (The tablecloth is made of photos of diamond ring ads) The call for entries asked for commentaries on consumerism and popular culture after the work of Warhol and other 60’s greats.
“EcoCreations” – a nationally juried show in Longmont, Colorado. This is a show featuring work made of repurposed materials at the Longmont Council for the Arts. Longmont is near Boulder and also near where my brother and nephew live with their families. I hope to visit this show before it is over. The piece entitled “Sunday Best” pays homage to my grandmother. It is made of vintage lace and cloth napkins of hers (they were stained) as well as paper from books and catalogues. Pink was her favorite color and the expression “Sunday Best” was one she used when she set the table with the good china. It is pictured below:
There are several other competitions on my list and I hope to attend some of the openings and get a chance to travel a little. I think Pam would be proud of me and I am very grateful to Leslie for the advice to “get out of town.” Thanks, I needed that.
Can’t wait for you to come to CO….great post.