9/27
After such a nice first show, you would figure I would have relaxed and enjoyed the second show. But for some reason, the whole thing got under my skin. Maybe I let my guard down and my anxieties took over...I don't know. When Saturday came, I was a wreck. I knew a lot of coworkers were planning on attending because they had committed themselves thru the Facebook Event. My Dad, who has never really seen my art, was planning on visiting from Philadelphia. Talk about nerves.
This time the day was not sunny, but rather kind of gloomy and damp, typical for upstate NY in September. I had wondered if the second show would be a bomb....and I hoped that the gallery wasn't wasting their time having 2 openings in a row. My fears were alleviated when immediately folks began to arrive! Several friends from work attended, including both of my bosses and their spouses. Bruce and Kelly Button, Richard Brown and his girl Tracy, Jess and Joe, Donna and her little girl Sara, Pauline, Beth, and of course....can I ever leave out my right hand man, Travis?? Travis brought along Joshua Thomas, who is editor of the local paper, The Courier. He ended up doing an article on the show! I really felt the pressure of it all when I saw my coworkers streaming in. I wondered what these people I see everyday would think of me after they saw my work.
So many people came to the second show it surprised me and the gallery!
Next came Margrethe Lauber and Susan MacLeod, friends of mine from Town of Root. Professor Lauber is my mentor at SUNY Cobleskill and is helping through my first year as an adjunct teacher. (I am teaching Typography and Layout). She was on the grant committee for the Tri County Council for the Arts the year I entered my grant proposal and she had voted for my work. Later on, we found we were neighbors and since then we have become friends. To commemorate the event, she purchased Golden Hand Me the Fly, from the SSDK series. I was once again honored to know my artwork would hang in the home of someone I know.
A crowd of my coworkers discussing proof of the strangeness of their coworker
I knew that the Stanley's were eyeing up my artwork thru the pages of Facebook and Janet had already asked me personally about a couple of pieces. When Matt and Janet came to the show, they ended up picking out something they had never seen before and purchased it to hang in their newly renovated bathroom. She had picked out 2 that she really liked...one would have hung in a spare bedroom and would have been seen rarely. The other would hang in the bathroom and be seen quite regularly! I was happy they chose the latter...
Yours truly standing with Matt and Janet Stanely in front of "Seeded", the collage they purchased
My father drove straight from his home in Philly right to the show. It's at least a 5 hour haul, (and that's if you drive like I do...pedal to the metal!). He arrived by 3...altho he was a bit disheveled by the weather. He took a look around and asked me a lot of questions...I was amused that he noticed my fondness for using nudes! Ha! My Dad is quite a religious man, and I had to give him an intelligent reason as to why I use them. (which was....the nudes represent closeness with nature in my work) He totally threw me off by purchasing one of my larger works as a gift to his new wife that he will be marrying this Saturday. (My Mom passed away 2 years ago). I was floored! My father has never really paid much heed to my art pursuits. I really felt pride when he bought Mother Nature Looked Down Upon What She Had Done and Saw It Was Good.
Near the end of the opening, a couple came in that had read about the show in the Little Falls paper. Apparently, the woman's father used to come to the baths for therapy --back in the day-- and she really enjoyed the slide show depicting Sharon Springs. She was sad about the decay, and I guess I am too....or else I wouldn't be attempting to preserve what is left.
Magnesia Temple in it's rusty glory
Denise and her husband also attended the opening. Denise is the owner of the house that stands behind the Magnesia Temple...and she's also owner of the Magnesia Temple itself. The property is posted, and rightly so. The couple warns people to stay off the property and actively post it. BUT but but, I really wanted to see the inside of the dome!! I was lucky that Denise invited me to go there and see the structure up close. Travis and I spent an hour there with her one day 2 autumns ago...She was so gracious to let us on her property. I am giving her one of the SSDK works as a gift, once the show is over. I think we all need to do good deeds along the way in life. These people were very good to me and really helped me with a major part in the project. I felt it was only right to bestow upon them an artwork.
Inside the dome is a field of azure with stenciled stars, it's just scrumptious!
Soon enough the time came to an end, my friends filtered out into the rainy day and the second show came to an end. Chris and I took Dad to Beardslee Castle for dinner that evening and discussed it all.
I never expected things to go so well! It's a great feeling inside when people have seen your work and you get some feedback. I can't say enough how this helps me to understand how my work affects the viewer! Sometimes it really pays to get out of your box and live dangerously. Put it out there. You will be surprised at all that you receive in return.
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