During the past few years, I have gradually backed off from my involvement with art shows and galleries. The outdoor art shows were a no-brainer to discontinue. You know how it goes there –
- schlepping heavy art across uneven surfaces
- hanging art in unsettled weather conditions, and
- sitting in the heat, the wind, or the cold waiting for people to stop by and express interest in my work.
All has become too tedious.
Galleries require similar loading and unloading. Unfortunately, I have not had great experiences. or raging successes selling my art in galleries of late.
I had participated in outdoor art shows for many, many years but now I prefer to show my work inside. There are juried shows where I found myself thinking “Been there, done that, and don’t need to do it anymore.” The occasional solo shows are wonderful and I’ve certainly enjoyed them much more.
There have been several artist co-ops that were fun to be in because of the relationships you could have with the participating artists. Remember most artists paint by themselves. My last remaining artist co-op is Arts on Main in Gloucester. The Dare County Art Center in Manteo NC is a great venue but the logistics (especially in beach season traffic) are off-putting.
I am very fortunate in that I am the solo artist in my husband and daughter’s professional medical building in Hampton at Associates in Dermatology. The only downside is that you have to be a patient to see my work and in many cases, patients are very caught up in their own physical problems and the last thing they are paying attention to is art hanging on office walls. But I think my art provides a distraction for patients. I do have an annual show and sale in November that has remained popular even through the pandemic years.
So the art world has evolved with many people branching out in their marketing towards the Internet, including social media and Etsy, etc. These online venues require some expertise in computer skills and shipping. That avenue is also time-consuming. Although you can expand your marketing around the world I have to say I don’t have the energy to paint and deal with selling.
So What’s New … Design & Consign
All of these comments lead me to discuss my new venture, working with my friend and partner Gay Larue. After retiring, Gay launched another career in wood furniture restoration and design, We have opened a booth together at Design and Consign on Warwick Blvd in Newport News.
Our aim is for our booth to resemble a living room with Gay’s furniture along the walls and my art above them. Lamps, carpets, and lights will give ambiance. When you walk in the door at Design and Consign, make a quick left turn. We are toward the back of the room on the left.
I love the fact that Design and Consign is open 7 days a week and we do not need to be there. So we can manage our pieces but do not have to sit with them. A very friendly professional staff handles business. What’s not to like?
I have, as you see in the photo, a few large originals and many smaller framed acrylics. I can now display my very small unframed sketches as well as my enhanced prints of the local area. Folks have been collecting these prints since I produced them in the 80’s. So all of you who remember the:
- old Newport News High School,
- Warwick,
- Hilton elementary,
- Hampton high school
- Yoder Dairy,
- St. John’s Church, DOG
- St in Billyburg,
- all the OBX lighthouses on and on
Please come by Design and Consign and while you are there sign my guest book. Take a brochure and should you want to see more or talk to me all you need to do is email, text, or call.
