glass

I redid the Bushwhacker Glass lino today. The first one had some lines and connections that weren't right. Here's the second go 'round. I've flipped it horizontally so you can see how it'll print. The letters are carved in backwards.

Cider Tree

I just put the finishing touches on this linocut. Now for the initial print, then I'll clean up the edges after seeing what prints that shouldn't.

to do list

I got the cards back from the printer- they look great! I have them at Bushwhacker Cider on 12th & Powell. More to come- there will be 4 apple designs on cards.

BUT before I do that, I hung a boatload of cityscapes at the new Warehouse Cafe just a block from my place (with really good coffee!). Now that those are up, I can finish the 10 more paintings for the Big 100 show in December.

Then I'll paint the cityscape that my mom-in-law wants to use for Xmas cards this year, THEN I can get back to linocutting!

Where am I?

Salutations, and happy autumn! Here's where you can find me:

• First Thursday, November 4th (my birthday!)

• I have a piece in a show in Minneapolis, MN at Altered Esthetics. OCD is a show about how artists deal with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, anxiety and depression. I've never shown this piece- it's far outside my usual style. you can see photos of the piece here: http://www.apriloconnor.com/blog/anxiety/ This is link for the gallery: http://www.alteredesthetics.com/events/72 This show is open until November 27th.

• I also have three pieces in an online show curated by Still Point Gallery in Brunswick, Maine. You may purchase any piece from this exhibition online- see an art show in your jammies! I'm on page 6. http://www.stillpointartgallery.com/index.php?action=currentexhibitions This will be open until December 7th.

• I have a piece in the 10x10 show at Art Media. There are 150 artists, all work is 10x10" and under $100. 10% of sales go to p:ear- an arts program for homeless youth. The reception for this show is Friday, November 12th from 6-8pm at the downtown Art Media- 902 SW Yamhill. The show is currently open and will be until December 23rd.

• My work will be hung soon at Warehouse Cafe- the newest addition to the Brooklyn neighborhood. Come in to 3434 SE Milwaukie for a tasty latte and some art!

Cards of my linocuts will be available soon- I'm currently shopping for printers.

Hope to see you at First Thursday- the weather should be great!

~April

http://www.apriloconnor.com/index.html
http://www.etsy.com/shop/purplespideroconnor

oops!

I've started a painting to replace one that I sold twice. I failed to deactivate the listing on etsy for Cityscape 21, which I sold at October's First Thursday, then Monday got a purchase for. I responded to the buyer with the good news/bad news that I'll do a brand spankin' new one for her/him with whatever changes they'd like, and a better frame. I haven't heard back, so I started a similiar one- basically creating a series with disparate numbers. I bought a BUNCH of nice frames today at Michael's- inexpensive + on sale + 25% off coupon- including a nice wood frame (as opposed to the press-board frame with plastic "glass" and a cardboard back & stand from Ikea) for this piece. I'll send the buyer a photo tomorrow when it's dry enough to scan, and have offered a full refund if they're not happy with it.

I knew this would happen at some point!

makin' progress

I'm almost finished with the 10x10 piece due tomorrow at Art Media. I'm kinda please how it's turned out. I worked from the frame inwards in a style inspired by one of the artists I visited on the Open Studios tour. Completely out of my norm. That's the fun of shows/exhibits/contests like this- One can break out and try something new & different without being seen as inconsistent. I'm waiting for some glue to dry, and I'll take it downtown tomorrow.

I have 3 of the 15 (not 30!!) pieces for the Big 100 show in December. I only have 5 boards, and more should be in tomorrow. They should have been in Fri/Mon. Oh well- it's only half the work I thought it would be! And I've been concentrating on the 10x10 piece anyway.

Now that glue and paint are drying, perhaps on to some lino cutting of apples & chickens...

a day off

I went to 7 of my 34 studios in Portland Open Studios yesterday, and had in mind to go at it again today, but I blew it. I stayed up WAY too late (and could have done without that last drink or two) and woke up at noon. I wasn't ready to leave the house until 3, and by then I had house stuff to do. So, I decided to just not do art today. I think about it all the time, and have done something art career related every day since July, so it was a novel idea to not try to recut some frustrating mats (for the 3rd time), start on the 30 pieces for December's Big 100 show, starting the piece for Art Media that's due in 10 days, do the painting I owe to Athena, print my apple themed linocuts, find a printer for the cards, etc, etc. I'm going to bed at a reasonable time tonight, will get up at a reasonable time tomorrow, then I'll stress about that list.

in stitches (sew funny!)

I got a very early birthday present from my mom- a sewing machine! A new one, too- better than the reconditioned one I got for $40 13 years ago. It never worked well, and was heavy as hell. This one is light and has bells & whistles. I'm working on making a pattern for a stuffed bicycle. Yes, you read that right. A plush bike.

This will add possibilities to rock my art world. As an experiment, I sewed a photo of one of my paintings to some construction paper and made an insta-card. Mom liked it & kept it =) For Christmas I want to make something spectacular for her. She's mastered the plush chicken already- I have to come up with something new.

We had a great day yesterday, shopping for a machine, then getting some goodies at Fabric Depot. She wanted pinking shears for her birthday (next week), so I got her those and some fun "fat quarters" (1/4 yard pieces of fabric for quilting/small projects) she picked out. That's the way to do birthday gift exchanges! She gave me some pointers on the machine, as it's been years since I've used one. I made a catnip toy that Oscar immediately approved of, and a triangle shaped chicken with Mardi Gras colored tail feathers. I even quilted the wing! Jim & I were already planning to meet at Bushwhacker's for a tasting of Blue Mountain's ciders, so Mom & I walked up there & got to try it, too. Freakin' delicious. And Russ was there- Jim's boss at Sanborns. He loves that place, and has a half pint every day after work! So Mom got to meet him (a great guy- we love him) and what's he say? "We think pretty highly of your daughter & son-in-law." (Russ is a rock star.) We sat in the sun and drank yummy cider with Jim. He said later that when I went to the restroom Mom said that she'd really enjoyed the day. That makes me happy=)

I htink i'm cross eyed

...from the detail in the apples. *ow*

apple tree

1. the sketch
2. the transfer to block
3. outline carved
   

cutting edge

We went to the cider place in our 'hood yesterday, and I showed them the apple sketches I've drawn in the past week. Erin and Jeff both really liked them, and one of just a tree was similar to the mural on the wall of the place, painted by their friend. I suggested giving them a framed original print, and that I could sell repro cards or postcards there. They were hip to the idea, and Jeff even said that he might like to use the tree on a brochure they're putting together. How cool is that?!?! AND I had another flash of inspiration for the apple series- a bike with apples for wheels. Erin LOVED that idea :-) Yeay linocuts!

Makes me consider finishing the chicken series, and asking the good folks at urban Farm Store and Naomi's to sell cards. Hmmm...

dream

I had a dream that my whole family was leaving someplace like Bend where I had paintings showing somewhere, and my father-in-law mentions that when he went in that morning, 9 pieces had sold.

mind reeling

The trip to Seattle for gallery recon was great- I saw everything from top-notch fine art to cafes & shops where my work would fit in nicely. Now I need to follow through and send my info to them. But first- submitting to a show. Deadline's tomorrow. Need more caffeine to make the brain work, though.

biz cards

I'm designing April's business cards v 3.0 This is what I have at the moment.

100, THE CENTURY, THE C-NOTE

I just scanned in paintings 97-100. :-)

LA MERDE

I got a last minute show at the bar at Montage. The original August artist flaked on July 31, and that's when I called, knowing that she may need a fill-in fairly soon. I had no idea how soon! Thankfully I have stock, so I hung 14 pieces on Sunday. Now I have to cushion what's left for First Thursday. I recently framed 3 pieces- 2 of which I painted in Sun River), so that helps. I shoulda put one or two of the new ones up at La Merde... oh, well- it was a hurry-up type thing. I even forgot to water the garden that morning- oops.

<--S*C*ATT>>>>ER-----B#R@AI NED^-->

I see piles of unfinished (or finished & not put away) projects. I've done some good work on finding insurance- I've gone from 100+ options to 3. But our insurance ends in 2 days. I need to balance my check book & pay a bill. I have a painting to frame. I have laundry to do. A painting to deliver. A check to collect. A new contact to call, and new space to check out. A form to get notarized & send in. I haven't put away stuff I brought home from work. I feel fatigued- and realize that it's because I haven't exercised regularly for 2 weeks. Add that to the to-do list. I have a bunch of plants that need re-potting. I need to clean up, organize, recycle, shred, clean, put away, and follow up. I need to eat better and drink less to take care of myself. All the things that weighed on me when I was a cube denizen are spinning around my head in a whirlwind of tattered to-do lists. I have time, priorities, distractions, inspirations, bad habits, things to do, things not to do. I have no idea how to knit these all together into something good. Lost in my own head.

You know you're an artist when: in reorganizing your nails, screws, nuts, bolts, special closure devices, and hooks (because this is what you do on any normal weeknight... after 4 drinks, normal....), you find a dried piece of grass caught in the seal between compartments in your nut/bolt container, and smile. {|-)

SHIPPING AND HANDLING

At first I was at a loss when I thought how I'd send Faith's painting- matted and frameless- light, but vulnerable. I made a wooden frame so that it can't get bent, protected the corners with foam, wrapped it in paper, sandwiched it between 2 more foam layers, then shrink wrapped it, then covered it with brown kraft paper.

I'd just figured out yesterday morning that a good light but rigid frame would be wood, and yesterday I ran across a small trailer being filled with debris from the remodeling of an old house. They'd stripped out many moldings (which I took for frames), and the lath from the lath & plaster walls was prefect for the project. Yeay! I love it when things line up like that!

A NEW BEGINNING

I am officially now self-employed. I'm feeling out a schedule for myself. I meant to get up at a reasonable time this morning- even set an alarm- but 2 hours of toss n' turn from 1-3 didn't help. Jim eventually woke me up- I'm glad he did. I felt funny sleeping in, but I was "working" until 10pm or later. I have a hard time calling it work when I enjoy it:-)

I bought a folding cart today that will help me immensely at First Thursday, and stocked up on frames. You can't beat buy 1, get one free! I scored- got a light folding cart, 10 frames and a pad of nice paper for $125. Whoopee!

Also on the to-do list today: finish Lawrence's commission and the 2 pieces I did in Sun River, and keep organizing.

I stopped into True Brew this morning- it's under new management, so the boycott is over. My neighborhood cafe is looking better & has good aesthetic possibilities, including local art on the walls. That's me! I emailed an inquiry and my website to the owner.

irrational fear?

I realized recently that I've been hesitant to change my cityscape style because I'm afraid that people who've liked my previous work would look at it and say "eh. It's ok, but I like what you were doing before." It seemed a rational hesitation at the time. But now I realize that I love it when my favorite artists throw a curve ball at me. I love their style- not just the individual aspects of their work. Any new bits in their work re-enchant me- they give me something new to consider in a previously familiar landscape. I have to accept the idea that those who like my work will most likely have the same reaction for the same reason to any changes or improvements to my work. I've had so many new ideas lately- different color schemes, textures, backgrounds, building placements, etc. I just tried the new collage inspired backgrounds on a whim for the Big 100, and even the ones I wasn't particularly satisfied with sold. Now I'm doing that style in 20+ paintings for the Lunar Boy show in March, and I was recently hit with another new idea that came out of left field and stuck. I'm not even done with this series, and I have ideas for the next! I think I shall have faith and let my work evolve.

it's that dress

This is a new leaf in my growing art career. I've moved up a level. To wit:

~all 12 of my cityscapes sold at Big 100- 1 woman bought 3. Jim was proud to announce that he couldn't find any of my cityscapes 2 hours after event has started. l THAT was AWESOME.
~i got an e-mail recently from a bloke in the UK who'd like a tattoo of my work
~When Jennifer came over this week for seeds for the farm, she left with 2 paintings.
~I got an e-mail from Chuck inviting me to share a show with him at a gallery in Astoria. HE chose ME, sent my link to the curator, she loved it, and now we're doing a show together.
~Part of the reason he asked me is that "I know you have a following. I know you have collectors- I mean, I own some of your stuff."
~The desired price range is $95 -$200
~With the blowout from the Big100, I made $543 from art last year. I may have spent less than that this year- I might actually have in-the-black art income.


OK, then. I'm allowing myself to grow into the next size of clothing- like when you're a kid and you have something you're dying to wear, but it's still just too big because Grandpa always bought 2 sizes too big- you get frustrated and vow to eat your veggies from now on because you have growing to do; and you give up and stop thinking about it for a while- then the day comes when you try it on again, and IT FITS! You've finally grown into it! It's now your favorite article of clothing, and you're thinking about it if you're not wearing it. The above list of occurrences within the last 30 days is that dress.

SO- now that people are seeing me and saying "Hey! Artist Lady! Congrats on all your shows and stuff!" (or something vaguely like it), now that I'll have pieces (a NEW series that I just started this week.) SO- now I have a golden opportunity to expand my viewing audience/potential buyers with the platform of a Second Saturday gallery (who has recently shown the likes of Jesse Reno) with Chuck E. Bloom (whose work I collect). SO- I need to step up my commitment in turn. Accept this gift.

I need to be working First Thursdays now instead of walking them. Not that I consider it work per se; more of a solid commitment.

I need to commit to sending out monthly bulletins to my mailing list.

I need to commit to updating this blog- weekly. It could be about what I'm doing, how I'm feeling, or upcoming shows. It could be more often.

I just read in an art mag this evening- take yourself seriously. When someone asks what you do, tell them you're an artist first, then mention the steady paycheck. Or not.

Those are the big ones I'm going to focus on. I also have a longer to-do list of more specific things.