Come See Me On Broadway!

Okay, maybe it’s more like “in” Broadway, as in The Broadway Gallery where my latest art show just started a couple days ago.

If you’ve been keeping track (and even I can’t keep track on most days), this is my fourth show this year: two showings with the Clackamas County Arts Alliance (one of which ends in a few days), my Spring Show at Clackamas Community College, and my display at the West Linn Lutheran Church (which is still going on).

However, this latest show is a little special since 1) it’s in a “real” gallery, as in a commercial gallery, rather than simply decorating the walls of a public space, and 2) is my first show outside of Clackamas County…and out of the state of Oregon as well! So let’s just take a quick look at how it all came together.

Getting the Call and Getting Ready

It’s seems a billion years ago that I answered the Broadway Gallery’s call for artists and got accepted for a spot in the gallery for August 2017. Because I had sooooo many pieces from my Spring Show there really wasn’t any scramble to get work completed for this show even though it’s running concurrently with two other shows (yes, I had THAT many pieces for the Spring Show).

So, actually, getting ready for the gallery was a piece of cake, I just needed to make sure everything was tidy and ready to show off. However, to save time on set up day, I did lay out, rearrange, measure, and re-rearrange all my pieces to get an idea of how they would fit in the space I’d been allotted (about 15 feet of wall that was mine, all mine!!). I then snapped gobs of photos to use as a reference for set up day.

The night before, everything got packed up using very high quality art-packing tools…okay, it’s pillow cases, a sewing machine rolly bag, and a Powell’s Bookstore tote, but I’m getting to be an old hand at this and know what works and how to avoid looking like a pack mule.

Get Ready…Get Set Up….Show!!

Set up day saw a slight fiasco at first because, even though my space was called “The Up Front Gallery” and therefore implied it was up front, I was led all the way to the back of the gallery to a room that, while not too bad of a space, was not going to work for how I wanted to display my stuff.

Finally, things got sorted, and it turned out I DID have the smack-dab-up-front-right-as-you-walk-in-the-door space. The scary part was that an artist with some gorgeous fused glass pieces had set up her work already…right below where I need to hang my stuff. And by “hang” I mean I needed to use nails and a hammer…right over these delicate glass works. EEK!!

But with the help of my lovely assistant (aka “Mr. Husband” who complains he never gets to make an appearance on my blog) and a good grip on the hammer, I managed to get everything up without having to find out how stern the gallery was about their you-break-it-you-bought-it policy. And the display turned out almost exactly as I had planned it out on my basement floor.

 

So, now on with the show, moving along my wall from left to right….

First Thursday Reception

The Broadway Gallery is hosting an artist reception this Thursday, if you happen to be in the area (Longview is about 45 minutes north of Portland) and want to stop by for nibbles and entertainment. I’ve opted not to attend, but there’s still several artists to meet and chat with if you pop in.

August Show 

Running 1 August to 31 August, 2017

The Broadway Gallery

1418 Commerce Avenue, Longview, Washington

By the Way…

I’ve gotten a few questions about my work and whether or not it’s for sale. The short answer is YES!!! All my original work is for sale directly through me. Just contact me and I can let you know the price and we can sort out how to get your artwork to you. Even stuff that is in a show (which is everything at the moment), is for sale; it just needs to remain on display for the duration of the show, then it’s all yours.

If you would rather have a print of my work, or if you’d like to see my art on a pillow, a tote bag, a phone case, etc. then just stop by my storefront on Fine Art America and shop your little art-loving heart out!

Thanks everyone! See you Saturday with a little trip through the bowels of hell (it’s kind of hot here in Portland).