Weekend recap, half-way through

Arkonbey & I went to two openings last night, one for Jordan Douglas @ Vintage Inspired down on Flynn ave, and then Adam DeVarney's send-off exhibit @ S.P.A.C.E. Gallery.  Met many of our usual art-world peeps at both locations, and had a good time mixing it up.  Some of these folks can dance like there's no tomorrow.

Today saw me breaking back into my paints.  It took many starts and stops, but in between painting, I tried to keep my activities art-related.  And so, I'm happy to say that I have a new place where my images are available for sale, at a size or type of your choosing.  It's raawther exciting.

Society 6
Many thanks to Adam D. for the tip.

   ....and more to come!

HORROR! Or: Why I love October

The weather has taken a turn for the wonderful, almost tempting me to sleep out on the deck tonight.  However, after seeing some of our resident spiders this weekend, I think I'll pass.

"Spider Silk" will be at the Art of Horror show in October
©Sweet Enemy Art

Still, occasional wood-smoke on the wind, the trees turning to gold, and oh yes,
the spooky sundries of Halloween.  We don't have any trick-or-treaters up this way, which is sad, but I still get to pull out some of our fun creepy stuff for the heck of it.  In the week leading up to Halloween, Arkonbey often has a lit jack-o-lantern ready to greet me when I arrive home late & tired.  Add to this fresh local cider & cider donuts, and life is generally better.

Now I have another reason to be excited for October:  The Art Of HORROR exhibit is about to start, and this year, three of my pieces have been juried in!  There may be one or two more, depending on what I can accomplish in the next 36 hours (besides sleep & a day job.)

The Art of Horror opens on Friday October 7th at my favorite haunt: The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery; as part of the Burlington First Friday Artwalk.  Opening reception is from 5 to 9 p.m. and includes ghost stories and a chance to have your fortune told.
I'll be there until about 8 p.m. (having a brother's birthday bonfire to attend the same night, at least my double-bookings are interesting!)

The exhibit will display through the following dates, and open hours: October 7th – October 29th, open Thursday – Saturday from 11-4pm

Do you Facebook?  Here's the event page for The Art of Horror.

Also!  This Saturday at 9 a.m. Arkonbey and I launch into our FIFTH year of 24 Hour Comics Day.  Aside from reading lots of webcomics, I've been musing about which medium to use this year.  Other than that, trying to keep my mind open so that I can start with a clean slate.  And a little less caffeine than my first year :)

Poster designed by my own Arkonbey, in-house designer extraordinaire

Super August

So many things going on in the next few weeks!
Let me catch you up:

      The August Art Auction (2011 edition) at The S.P.A.C.E.  Gallery in Burlington has already begun, and runs through August 26th.  This gallery gets a lot of mentions from me here, in part because I think they've done a lot towards making the Burlington art scene more interesting.  I'm also glad to say that it's given me a wonderful platform from which to show my art.  

Click here to see the painting that I've donated towards the cause!

       There are many great pieces in this auction, and these artists who have donated their creations are really good folk.  Did you know you can vote for the "People's Choice" artist when you visit the auction site?  I have made so many great connections, a real network of supportive friends through S.P.A.C.E., and I don't want it to end.  Help keep it going strong.   

Phoenix: our favorite indie bookshop!

       In other news, the final silkscreening class is this week, and I've been having a fine ol' time learning the basic ins and outs.  Some of the fruits of my labor will be available at the upcoming ART HOP weekend September 9th & 10th.  

       Phoenix Books will be showing a few pieces by me, my friend Karen, and a photographer (whom I haven't met yet) starting at the end of this week.  More info on that as we decide on the reception date and so forth.    

Wheeled Rabbit, 8" round ©Sweet Enemy Art

       One of my paintings on Etsy was featured in a treasury list last week!  A fun one if you like bunnies, and how could you not?

       

dress me UP!

Hey, did you know you can sample the "Dress Me Up" show online, whenever you fancy?  And oh, you certainly may have to get fancy with this, because there are so many deliciously silly possibilities.

Arkonbey pulled all our gifs together into one big happy Flash interactive, and here it is!

Speaking of "here it is"  HERE at last, in full, are the two costumes I designed for the event.  And it looks like I'll have loan of them for Open Studio Weekend as well.  (Thanks Christy!)

Fox and Rabbit Dress  (Responsible fur!) 

Aquarium Dress

Welcome to the Salon...

Hi there!  

Q:  What's the last thing that goes through a bug's mind 

when it hits the windshield?

A:  The butt.

Nothing like a little third-grade humor to get the post off to a good start.

I thought I'd share a few of the many pieces that I'll have on display at SPACE 

for the new show:  Christy's:  Salon Art Event

I'm one of eleven local artists to be displayed, and it's going to be a wonderful mix.  

"As curator to The SPACE, Christy Mitchell has come to know and love the work of many of the artists who have shown in the gallery since opening it’s doors in August of 2009.  You’ll see vignettes featuring new and older work by:

Beth Robinson, Christy Mitchell, Jme Wheeler, John Brickels, Jonathan Ward, Justin Atherton, Kristen L’Esperance, Kristin Richland, Sage Tucker-Ketcham, Wendy James, & Wylie Sofia Garcia"

I hope you can make it!  

If you aren't able to see it in person, Arkonbey has promised to take pictures while we're at the opening.

If you can't make it to the opening but want to see the show, the exhibit will run through the month of March, open every Thursday-Saturday from 11-4 p.m.  

www.spacegalleryvt.com

Until next time...  

Black and Green go well together

Okay, I've been remiss in posting all my pictures, partly because I've been busy with paintstiks and the next show at S.P.A.C.E., but here's a sweet little taste from the Seven Days website:
Body by Jme Wheeler, Black Gear by Justin Atherton, and the Green bits are by yours truly!
(click the link to read the nice little write-up)

And what's next at S.P.A.C.E. you ask?  Why, this!

Christy's: Salon Art Event March 4th - 26th Opening Reception: First Friday Art Walk, March 4th 5-9pm Take a stroll through The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery's Great Room this March, as Christy  Mitchell showcases the work of Burlington's finest.  Curator and Creative Facilitator of The S.P.A.C.E.,  Christy has come to know and love a talented group of local artisans  since opening the gallery doors in August, 2009.  Christy invites you to enjoy selections from each artist's body of work, presenting you with the opportunity to expand your own personal collections. You'll see work by: Beth Robinson Christy Mitchell John Brickels Jonathan Ward Jme Wheeler Justin Atherton Kristen L'Esperance Kristin Richland Sage Tucker-Ketcham Wendy James Wylie Sofia Garcia

See you there!

Winter catch-up!

So the past few weeks have gone by in a bit of an art-making blur, though I don't have the usual type of finished product to show for it.

First came the a day of three art demos for the Vermont Maturity magazine's 50+ Expo:  Relief printing, Walnut ink, and Oil Paintstiks.  I spent the majority of the prep time working with paintstiks, as those were entirely new to me.  Here's the photoset.  I'm doing another demo (of paintstiks) on the 26th of February at Artists' Mediums.



In the middle of the January I went to my third "Cross Pollinators" crit group.  There I shared a project I'd worked on at the beginning of the month:  living dress drawings done super-small, in just graphite, trying to mimic old photographs.  I've started creating a loose story line around them (very loose!) and am setting them in a vintage-style black photo album/ scrapbook.  
But THEN!  Just as I'm working super small, and everyone at the group was interested in seeing the dresses far bigger, I got an email from S.P.A.C.E. facilitator Christy Mitchell.  The call to action was for an interactive, almost life-sized paper doll show for February.  I came up with two outfit designs and got them fully painted in the nick of time to be scanned by the originator of the  idea, Jme Wheeler.  The night before the opening, scissors flew as pieces came out of the printer.  



The opening itself had a nice turnout, and several of us are hoping we could take the idea a bit further.  Once we find out how much the printing actually cost, perhaps we will! 



Artists involved in the Dress Me Up Show:  Jme Wheeler, Christy Mitchell, Wylie Sofia Garcia, Beth Robinson, Justin Atherton, and me!


I'll edit this post later to add the images of my two outfits.  
Ciao!  
Off to make valentines and eat good food.  

Art Community

Wow.  I am grateful for many people today, and since I've been terrible about keeping a journal of such things on paper, why not list a few here now.

1.)  Christy Mitchell, Creative Facilitator at the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery.  She's created this wonderful microcosm of artists and happenings right in the middle of the Burlington Arts district, and I always have a great time whenever we go.  She's a great dancer and has a wonderfully odd attraction to retro accessorizing.

I hope she doesn't kill me when she sees this.

2.)  Lorraine Reynolds, Mixed Media Collage & Assemblage artist.  Lorraine just shocked the pants off me by putting a little blurb about me on her blog, which is really sweet, especially seeing how I was going off last night about how she's doing a workshop at A.M. in the Spring, to at least three of her mutual friends, and we're all really excited...oh, I guess we hadn't confirmed that yet ...blush...

Captain by Lorraine Reynolds

3.)  Sidney Eley, Photographer and Mixed Media artist who invited me to take part in a group of working artists that bounce ideas off of each other.  I met Sidney at the VSC Vermont Art Week this April.  Through Sidney, I've been able to make better connections with some great local artists.  And it's good to have homework.  I'd put in a link to Sidney's work, but couldn't find one.  Still, if you're on Pine Street in Burlington, check out a few of her pieces at the new SEABA headquarters.

4.) All my peeps at Artists' Mediums.  Ten years and they still put up with me.  They even buy new framing equipment for me!  Alright, for the store, not necessarily for me.  But you should see this awesome book they put together for me.  And you will, someday soon.

5.)  Our buyer's agent, who had the foresight to give us a beautiful oil lamp as a housewarming gift, and the local power company crew, who made sure we didn't have to rely on it for more than two nights in a row.

6.)  And oh!  This artist, Kirsty Mitchell, whom I just stumbled upon this morning.  A photographer in England, who's right up my alley.

7.)  More people than I can count...  you know who you are, right?

Diaspora!

Well, this has been a busy week and it's only Tuesday. 

On Sunday I managed to do a quick install of some originals & prints at the Deborah Rawson Library, but lo, the shelving brackets confounded me in my pursuit of a well-balanced display.  Of course I managed to be attempting this when Pete & Karen Sutherland (arguably the most well-known folk musicians in VT) were trying to set up in the same room.  Yikes!  Hopefully I'll have a chance to get back and adjust the shelf this week. 

Yesterday saw the shipping off of "Buzzy Will Guide You" to a friend I've known since at least the first grade, who now resides on the other side of the country. 

And this evening, I hand-delivered "Mode de Monstre" (the original 6 paintings in the series) and "City Wear" (also from the M. d. M. series) to a dear friend who is also an artist. 

Sadly, there are only so many hours to each day.  The advent calendar project has gotten side-lined again, but there may be hope.  And preparations are still underway for this weekend's:

PINE STREET
(arts district) HOLIDAY OPEN STUDIO & SALE! 

(it's hilarious, I think more words are added to the title of this event every time I hear about it from someone!) 
Well, you'll see me there at #4 Howard Street at Studio D-3, once again a guest of Marie Davis & Carol Norton, hurrah!  Fellow Underhiller Anne Linde will also be there with her cards & small sculptures.
The show will run:
Friday December 11th 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
&
Saturday December 12th 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There are some really fine & amazing artists & craftspeople in this district, it's an honor to be invited once again.  Hope to see you there!
(And don't forget to stop into S.P.A.C.E. to see the Small Works show.)

Shows, shows and more shows

Currently Showing, through December: 

The Bryan Gallery is hosting both their annual member's "Small Picture Show," in which I have two pieces (though just one on the wall currently,) and their anniversary show "Hello Dolly, Hello Teddy," to which I was invited by one of the curators.   
The Doll show is appropriate for just about any age,  and just about every taste too:  i.e. when bringing my dolls in for the show, I received both a horrified "oh, that's really weird" and a sweet "these are great" response, just in one hour. 

I contributed eight of the dolls I'd made several years ago, such as The Jolly Queen, Mama had a baby, The Debutante, Soft Frog Robot, and others.   Also on display is my painting of the little bear with the cookie jar.  Remember him?

At the opening I met Beth Robinson, creator of the lovely Gothic Lolitas on display.  Her "Daisy" is one of the dolls on their image gallery for the exhibit.  I've also linked her site "Strange Dolls" here on the blog. These shows are up until the end of December.  I highly recommend checking them out! 


Next up:  Three more exhibits!  How did I ever get so busy?

Small show at S.P.A.C.E.  starts this Friday, December 4th during the First Friday Artwalk.  I've submitted 5 pieces, two of which are "specimen" type drawings for my Mode de Monstre series.  There are also two dark moody water-themed acrylic pieces and one teeny tiny drawing.  The rules for this show were anything 12x12 inches or smaller.  This is a great new venue in the area, and I'm very excited to take part!

Pine Street Studio Holiday Sale is December 11th & 12th!
Many of the galleries and studios along Pine Street will be participating.  You'll find me at the studios of Marie Davis & Carol Norton, on the corner of Pine & Howard.  The last time this show happened, in 2007, it was for only one day.  This year you'll have more chances to get around and see everyone.  I plan on having a studio "clean-out sale," so no matter what your budget, I hope you'll find something you love to take home or to share as a gift.  
The Studio sale starts at 3 p.m. on Friday (running till about 7 p.m. I believe)  and starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, running till about 5 or 6 p.m. 

At the Deborah Rawson Library in Jericho, I'll be exhibiting work in their small display case for the month of December.  Also on view will be work by Joan MacKenzie, so the library will be brimming with weird and wonderful animals all month long.

More news to come, but I think that's enough for now.  Hope to see you at one of these fine events!