Kiersten and I spent last Wednesday through Sunday in Seattle, WA for the CPSA 16th Annual International Exhibition. The show was held at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, and the workshops and awards banquet were at the Renaissance Hotel. It was terrific getting to see some of my favorite artists again, and all of the little get togethers - lunch with the Scribbletalk artists, drinks after the banquet in the Visions lounge (with its incredible view of Seattle from the 28th floor) - were tons of fun. During our free time we ventured down (literally - Seattle is very hilly!) to Pike's Market, with its wild mix of fresh produce, seafood, and flowers, then to the very first Starbucks, onwards to the all glass walled ultra-modern library, and finally to historic Pioneer Square. We even had some family in the area, and got to spend some time talking over a glass of wine and (of course) watching wedding videos. The mood of the show was very different from last year's in Bethesda. The convention center is a very large space, and I found that it spread out the artists quite a bit during the reception. There was a quiet, introspective feel to it because of this. The space looks like it will get quite a bit of traffic from the public, though, so I think there will be more potential for exposure. Below are a few pics from our days in Seattle:
"Cascade" earned an Award for Excellence at the Colored Pencil Society of America's 16th Annual International Exhibition. You can view all of the award winners at the CPSA website.
Today we went to the artist's reception for Mary Lou Steinberg's solo show at Something Special in Kingston, PA. Mary Lou's show is entirely collage - many beautiful pieces. Kiersten and I bought a piece - a scene of a late day sun shining on autumn colors. Check out Mary Lou's show through August 15th at Something Special, 23 West Walnut Street, Kingston, PA 18704.
Thursday evening was the awards ceremony for the 2008 Wilkes-Barre Fine Arts Fiesta. Cascade took 1st place in Graphics, and Distraction was awarded an honorable mention.
Today the accepted artists list was published on the CPSA website, and "Cascade" was accepted into the CPSA 16th Annual International Exhibition. Show dates are July 2 - Sept 29 at the Gallery of the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Seattle, WA.
Cascade and Distraction were both juried into the 2008 Fine Arts Fiesta. Show dates are May 15 - 18th at Public Square in Wilkes-Barre.
Lambent won first place in its category, Pastel/Colored Pencil, at the Wyoming Valley Art League Spring 2008 Member's Show. There was a great turnout on Friday for the show at the Midtown Gallery in Wilkes-Barre.
Clipping from Diamond City's art and exhibit section, the week before the Something Special solo show.
Kiersten's father emailed some pics he snapped during the opening reception at Something Special. Below: Kiersten and me.
My parents talking with John Koshinski. John's my cousin, and an accomplished landscape oil painter.
Kiersten and her grandmother, Florence
Betsy from Lizza Galleries.
My parents
The artist's reception for my solo show at Something Special went great this weekend! Saturday morning there was a flurry of activity as Kiersten and I packed up all of the pictures, tools, and show cards, and headed to the gallery to begin hanging the show. Hanging went quickly, and while we were working, the Something Special folks were busy cooking up all of the yummy appetizers for the evening. They took care of the details for the setting - florals, candles, music - and were the hosts, and we got all of the artwork hung, tags and cards. We had enough time to head back home and catch a bit of a rest before getting changed and coming back for the reception's opening at 5 pm. There was a great turnout! Thanks so much to everyone who supported the show - members of the Colored Pencil Society DC115, the Wyoming Valley Art League, Lizza's Studios, friends and family, and everyone at Something Special (the food, by the way, was fantastic, and the show set up was wonderfully warm and inviting). DC115 sent a beautiful floral arrangement for the show - blue flowers which went so well with the pieces. I even sold a piece during the opening - "Curve". I was able to snap some pictures before everyone came in (below), although I was too busy to actually snap any during. Kiersten's family snapped plenty during, though, so I should have some to post in Part 2.
Thanks again to everyone who came out to support me on the opening night!
Cascade won Best of Show in the Wyoming Valley Art League's Fall Members Show. The show is on through the month of October at the Mid Town Gallery in Wilkes-Barre
The weekly entertainment guide, Diamond City, featured a picture of "In the Red Room" in its story about the Something Special DC115 Members Show. The article appeared in "The Artist's Studio" section of the paper.
Tonight we hung the show at Shakti, a day spa located on Market Street, Kingston. There was room for all 10 pieces, and I was able to group some of the series pieces together. The show will run for three months. Here's a few snapshots: Pensive and Interlude, at the entrance
Distraction, center right, as seen from the second floor
Curve and Self Portrait, in the back room
My favorite: Wrapped, just over the massage chair (seemed appropriate there!)
Thursday 9/6 I'll drop off 10 pictures for the Wyoming Valley Art League's member show at Shakti, located on Market St, Kingston. This is a three member show which will run for 3 months. Tonight I tagged all of the artwork - it was cool to see all of the pieces layed out together. Depending on the space available, not all 10 may end up in the show, but here's the roster: Bend, Lull, Haven, Blue Nude, Interlude, Curve, Distraction, Pensive, Wrapped, Self Portrait
So, the entire Blue Series, plus two Stonehenge pieces and my self portrait.
Kiersten and I drove to Bristol, RI this weekend for the CPSA DC112 Regional Show. Because it was a 6 hour drive to get there, we decided to make it a fun road trip, stopping overnight midway in New Haven, CT. New Haven is the home of Yale, and was bustling with nightlife and great places to eat. We ventured to the Union League Cafe on Chapel Street, and had an excellent meal with a decadent desert. The next day we arrived in Bristol, and had a sunny waterside lunch at Thames Waterside restaurant, watching the sailboats glide across the water.
A short walk to Gallery 297 brought us to the artist's reception. There I met a bunch of artists I've talked with on Scribbletalk, and whose artwork I admire. We posed for a group photo. Below are: Gary Ruuska, me, Cynthia Brunk, Nicole Caulfield, Christine Hebert.
Afterwards there was a group dinner at Quido's along the water, then we parted ways and Kiersten and I ventured a drive through Colt State Park, which was beautiful. A half-hour drive later, we were at our posh hotel in Providence. As an aside, I'd like to point out that Providence's street design most likely was the work of a madman. I needed to go into "aggressive driving mode" to make it to the hotel, thwarted by one-way streets and lanes of traffic with no street markings or organization. We did have quite a view from the 14th floor of the Westin, however, looking out over the state capitol.
The artist's reception was this weekend for the Something Special DC115 Member's Show. There was a fantastic turnout, with more than 100 people squishing into the shop. Something Special provided some tasty appetizers throughout the event, which were particularly yummy. The show hangs for the next 2 months. In addition to the member works, our self portrait project is also hanging - so you can put a face with the artist's name.
We had a fantastic time at the CPSA 15 th Annual show, hosted at the Mansion at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. Kiersten and I arrived on Friday night at the Hyatt Regency just in time for the social hour before the awards banquet. My piece, Bend, received the Phoenix, AZ, District Chapter 212 Award for Excellence. You can view the other award winners at the CPSA website. The next day we had some free time, so we took the metro to D.C. to do a little site seeing. I really enjoyed the Air and Space Museum - all of the full scale rockets, lunar landers, and airplanes to walk around, and the Einstein Planetarium. Afterwards we ventured outside into the 100 degree heat to check out the capitol and the Washington Monument.
After meeting up with my good friend Craig, who drove in for the show, we caught a taxi and went to the show. The mansion is beautiful, with rolling gardens and endless rooms. The artwork had been hung throughout the mansion, grouped by subject. I found Bend on the second floor with many of the other portraits, hung on its own panel. There was a great turnout, and it was really exciting getting a chance to meet so many other artists whose artwork I've admired and followed.
On Thursday me and Kiersten ventured to the Wilkes-Barre Fine Arts Fiesta for the awards presentation. Bend won 1st Place in Graphics, and Best of Show. It was great to see many of the other members of DC115 won awards as well. We returned Saturday morning to see the rest of the show, and get a few snapshots while it was sunny.
Bend will appear at the MacDonald Art Gallery at College Misericordia as part of the Wyoming Valley Art League's "Spring Preview" show. Opening reception is Saturday, February 3, 2 pm - 5 pm. The show runs until February 24.
Haven and Interlude will be on display at the Berwick Hospital Center from 10/28 to 12/1. The show is hanging just to left opposite the cafeteria when you enter. A few pics from when I stopped by:
