Ohio in Review
Butler Museum Show Opening
Saturday was the opening party for the show in Ohio at the Butler curated by Mary Lou Alexander. The show looks great, Mary Lou did an excellent job and I had a wonderful relaxing trip and am recharged and ready to get back to life.
I flew out to Ohio late friday evening and got into Akron around midnight so I went directly to a nice airport hotel and slept for many many hours. I got up late, soaked in the hot tub, went for a swim and finally made it over to the Youngstown area around 1pm. Perfect start to the weekend.
After helping Mary Lou with the flower arrangements (my part was to do absolutely nothing, which I’m sure was a big help) we went over to the Butler to deliver the last minute stuff and I got an early preview of the show, which, as I already mentioned, looked great.
Back to Mary Lou’s and more relaxing before heading to the opening party. I wore the same dress I have worn to every single opening the past 3 or 4 years. I might want to think about shopping again in a year or so.
The opening, and big party following at Mary Lou’s house, was great fun meeting new people and catching up with old friends. I knew most of the other artists in the show and we see each other around the country, although mostly in Ohio, as we go from show to show. Always fun to hear how things are going.
Sunday was spent doing pretty much nothing. Sleeping, reading the in sun, trying out Mary Lou’s endless swimming pool (very cool) and another trip over to see the Butler show for a bit. We also went to a gallery in Warren Ohio for an opening – crocheted pieces draped over wooden forms and hung on the wall. Absolutely stunning. A perfectly relaxing day enjoying the beautiful fall weather.
My desire/plan to spend much time reading, journaling and thinking over the weekend worked out great. The word authentic ran through my head often. Whatever balance it is I’m searching for must feel right to me or it’s just time management and not balance. I don’t have answers but I do have a renewed sense of what is authentic and what I need.
I flew back home this morning and put in a 1/2 day of work in the office before coming home to figure out what to cook for dinner for a kid that broke a tooth in my absence. Never a dull moment.
Now time to unpack and head to the studio for an hour. I’ll regroup tomorrow and figure out what is next up on the agenda for the art business stuff.
Images from the weekend:
My work in the show (click for larger image):
My other work in the show (click for larger image):
Flowers from Mary Lou’s garden:
The trees in Mary Lou’s yard. Her home is a paradise:
The sky was Colorado blue and the weather was perfect:
Posted by Lisa in: Art Exhibits
Tagged: authentic, balance, butler institute of american art, ohio
Niiiiiiiiice! :) (not a deep and meaningful comment, I know, but sums up my response! Show looks great.)
So glad you had a wonderful trip! The exhibit looks wonderful! I will have to make a road trip to see it in person. The endless pool – now that sounds nice! I was exhausted after two days at the quilt shop in Charm – it was rather warm and extremely busy, but I loved it. So good to see people I have not seen in awhile.
Thanks Tina.
Patty – glad you had a good weekend – someday we will finally meet in person!
Your exhibit looks wonderful. I know you are thrilled. I love the photo’s as well of the flowers and fall colors. Sounds like it was a fabulous trip.
Your work looks wonderful in the pictures – those pieces look like they’d make a really big impact in person. Beautiful!
Love your mention of authenticity. I come back to that time and time again when it comes to making decisions about my artwork. It’s easy to get caught up in the business side of things, or even just the “achievement” side of art (awards, shows, etc.), and get pushed in the wrong direction without even realizing it. The busier things get, the more I have to remind myself to take some quiet time, get outdoors, and get back to the main reasons why I paint what I paint.
Wonderful art work