The month of gratitude: day 4
Day 4
Face of putto on patina'd statue, in Tacoma's antique row district
I'm grateful for the beauty of patina on old statues, and for learning techniques to recreate this weathered look in my work. (In fact, I've created a whole Pinterest board of patina'd and aged items. Go see.)
The month of gratitude: Day 3
I missed the first two days to be publicly grateful/thankful, but today I'll make up for it!
Day 1
I'm grateful I made time to visit a gallery outside the neighborhoods I usually visit.
Investigating a gallery in Tacoma. Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash
Bonus: one of the gallerists was there and had time to talk. (That never happens.)
Day 2
I'm grateful for a new color combination I might use in a small art work. Where did I find it?
On top of Mount Laundry.
Day 3
I'm grateful for the gym treadmill.
Exercising to make mental room for new art inspiration. Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash
But only because I admit exercise helps quiet down the Inner Critic so I can get more work done. There, I said it.
If I received a Facebook challenge to do this, I'd probably refuse on the time-honored grounds of You're Not The Boss of Me. I'd rather do so as an extension of my art practice. (Many thanks to Alyson Stanfield's Art Biz Blog for the recommendation to hand-write your "gratitudes.")
See you tomorrow for day 4's gratitude!
Post-"Best": mostly pain-free lessons learned
What a great experience being an artist vendor at "Best of the Northwest" was! And not just because some lovely people became new collectors of my art.
I learned more valuable lessons from old friends, too.
1. Set-up help is good, but breakdown help is better: Not only is my friend Satira great with big power tools...
Satira making sparks fly in her studio. Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash
... she also happily helped me break down my booth at the end of the show. Which took us two hours. I shudder to think how long it would've taken to pack up without her help.
2. Catch up when your friends show up: My fellow classmate Vikram Madan, from the Artist Trust EDGE program, helped brighten day 3 of the show.
Painter/poet Vikram Madan stops by to chat at the Best of the Northwest October show. Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash
After two months of meaning to contact him, I finally got to ask Vikram for suggestions on art galleries which might be a good fit for my work.
3. Step it up: Despite self-delusions to the contrary, I am not tall enough to mount booth lights while standing on the ground.
If only I were as tall as the guy in the jeans, I could adjust booth lights from the ground... Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash
The art is the most important thing. But I need to remember to bring a &%@#$! stepladder next time. Hopefully, "next time" will be the spring Best of the Northwest show. Crossing my fingers that I'm one of the select few...