Tight deadline for an art show? Challenge accepted!

You remember I decided to stop hyperventilating, take the plunge and apply for a group art show at Seattle City Hall? I made the deadline! [throws confetti]

This piece is based on a journal page; "Opened" is the first of two pieces I submitted to the Onyx Fine Art Collective jurors I call "Opened." The canvas is supported by an opened, scorched book, attached to a cabinet door. I created the texture with light molding paste.

But it was the second one the jurors were interested in: "The Land is Ours, Papa."

I gave it to The Husband after I completed it in 2011. He loves it, but he says he's willing to part with it -- for a price.

The show is actually in two areas: the lobby...

... and the rest in the Anne Focke Gallery, on a different floor. The exhibit is partly sponsored by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. The Onyx Fine Art Collective show runs March 6th through May 1st. I'll post photos of my piece in city hall when it's up... stay tuned.

New art show: fitting in more art

What was I thinking, entering another show while getting ready for my own solo show? Time to pull out the big (staple) guns.

But then I was invited to join a group art exhibit at Seattle City Hall... and I caved.

The Onyx Fine Arts Collective show will be in two galleries at City Hall, from March 6th to May 1st. (Yes, that last date is the day of my solo show reception. Eeek.) I'm entering two pieces; this one is based on a journal page and a piece I started in Erin Faith Allen's class at the final Artfest. I'm painting (and stapling) after the kids go to bed. I'll let you know next week if I make the entry deadline. Eeek.

Thursday with LHPAI: Your engraved invitation to the "Birthday Bash"

Guess who's having a birthday party? This 111-year-old right here.

Langston Hughes, pastel portrait by Winold Reiss. From Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

Langston Hughes was born February 1st, 1902: coincidentally, the start of Black History Month. To kick off the celebrations, the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute is throwing him a birthday bash -- and everyone's invited.

National Portrait Gallery

You might know Hughes (born James Mercer Langston Hughes) was a poet and playwright of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s.

Langston Hughes consults with actors on one of his plays. From Library of Congress

But that's just the beginning: he was also a novelist, newspaper columnist, gay literary icon and civil rights activist. You earn that many titles, someone is going to want to name a cultural institution after you.

Courtesy Joe Mabel

If you haven't already gotten your invitation to the Langston Birthday Bash, here it is! Details:

WHEN: February 1, 2013 at 8pm
WHERE: Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, 104 17th Ave. S., Seattle
TICKETS: Brown Paper Tickets for advance purchase discount

Enough of me -- listen to the man himself: Langston Hughes reads his celebrated poem "I, Too, Sing America."

FTC disclosure: I'm partnering with the LHPAI on a series I call "Thursdays with LHPAI," generally published on Thursdays. I am being paid an honorarium for my work. However, all opinions and views expressed in this series are my own.