Women of West Virginia Art Expo

Tomorrow is the 5th annual Women of West Virginia Art Expo! It takes place at Fairmont State University's "Falcon Center" (2nd floor) in Fairmont, WV from 10 am - 2 pm. I will have a display of work at this event and will be at my table throughout those hours. It's always a lot of fun, I enjoy seeing all the new work of other area artists and talking about my work with the public. There will be music as well as poetry readings taking place around 12:30, everyone is welcome!

I have some pictures to post of Derek Overfield's reception from March 14th at Gallery 62 in Grafton, WV. Derek had a great response to his latest work New Paintings in Enamel. It's impressive stuff and will move to James Brooks Gallery at Fairmont State University, Fairmont WV in the fall and then to the Robert C. Byrd Federal Building at Charleston, WV in March 2010.

Solo Show

Friday I received the news that my work (along with fellow artist Derek Overfield - see "Very Important Links") has been accepted for a solo show at the new Robert C. Byrd Federal Building in Charleston, WV. The exhibitions will run from mid-March through mid-April of 2010. Derek's work, New Paintings in Enamel, will be displayed on the second floor while my exhibit, Paths: Landscapes in Oil, will be displayed on the first. I guess I can mark "solo show" off of my goals list, for 2010 anyway....now I just need a set date for 2009. I am looking towards a possible show in July at Gallery 62 in Grafton, WV. Watch for updates!

Spring has Sprung!

. . .and not a moment too soon. I had to celebrate the changing of seasons on my blog because it's very relevant to my art-making. As a plein air painter, spring means many more available painting days - much more production, and that's a good thing! I paint during the winter months here in West Virginia, and it can definitely be enjoyable. The silence and subtle coloring of the landscape are refreshing at times. But what a relief to leave behind my not-so-attractive, bright orange coveralls (okay, ugly) and icky black boots for jeans and a t-shirt! Here's my latest work that I painted on the 18th:

Also, tonight is the closing reception for a juried exhibition I am participating in titled small, etc. It's at the Jackson Kelly Gallery in Morgantown, WV from 5:30 - 7:00 pm. Anyone in the area should stop by!

Goals 2009

I have recently celebrated a birthday, and being another year older makes me think about goals. I've noticed other brave souls write about their career-related goals on their blog, now is as good a time as any for me to do the same! Every artist has a different definition of success. Lately I've been thinking about what being a "successful artist" means to me. Keeping organized goals will help put me on a path towards my vision of "success". So here goes...

Art-Related

Create:

• 25 new 7" x 6" paintings
  


• 25 new 15" x 13" paintings
  


• 25 new 24" x 21" paintings

Business-Related

• Mail out 3 small packets per month to possible galleries (only ones that I have researched)
  


• Try to update my mailing list seasonally
  


• Make sure all work is wired and ready to hang after completion
  


• Receive representation at one gallery (not holding my breath on this one!)


• Schedule 1 solo show for 2009



• Have 200 brochures printed
  


• Have 100 business cards printed
  


• Update website at least once a week with new paintings and current events
  


• Update blog at least once a week
  


• Enter at least 4 juried shows within the year
  


• Implement a better record-keeping system for inventory

New Painting!

I completed this 16x13" on Thursday at Prickett's Creek. I was hoping for a nicer, warmer day, but the weather was just so-so. This weekend, I will be picking up new stretchers - I'm down to one. Hopefully, there will be some good weather to go along with all those new surfaces. Spring should be around the corner. . .!

Competitions, Festivals, etc.

March and April are looking to be very busy months for myself, as well as many other West Virginia artists. I thought I would mention these upcoming opportunities! I've included links to the related entry forms/prospectuses for furthur information. I'll be writing about each individual event over the course of the next few months...

• Emerging Artists of West Virginia, at the State Museum http://www.wvculture.org/news.aspx?Agency=Division&Id=1042


• Images of the Mon at the Morgantown Arts Center, http://www.monartscenter.com/macnews/files/e7a6a452638b88116394056617d7c253-0.html


• Arts on the River Festival, Morgantown, WV, http://www.artsontheriver.org/


• Women of WVArt Expo at Fairmont State University http://www.fairmontstate.edu/node/5289


• Best of West Virginia Juried Exhibition at Tamarack in Beckley, WV http://www.tamarackwv.com/gallery/juried_gallery_exhibition.aspx.

Am I forgetting anything? If anyone has any other upcoming events, don't hesitate to comment!