My Art Show at Atticus is Open

My art show at Atticus bookstore opened on Monday, September 12.  I woke up to the blaring of my alarm clock at 5:00 am and I immediately jumped out of bed and got into action.  This was the day I’d been working towards for several months and I was excited and somewhat relieved as well.

Preparing For My Art Show At Atticus

For several days and even weeks, I’d been packing for the art show at Atticus. I had a packing list that I’d created to help me not miss bringing anything important with me. Last night, I put all the stuff together in one place so in the morning, I could move them easily into the car.

I stepped out to bring the first batch of stuff and boy was it cold? The cool 50° C autumn air hit my face and wiped away all traces of sleep that might have still been lingering. I quickly ran back indoors to grab a sweater before bringing out the next batch of stuff for the art show at Atticus. Soon, I realized it was taking a lot longer to load up the car than I’d thought.  I was beginning to run a few minutes late.  I had one hour before the store opened and another hour after that to finish up installation. My friend Stephen Kobasa was going to be there to help me hang the show. I didn’t want to waste any time. So I hurried up and drove to Atticus Bookstore and Cafe to get this show on the road.

Setting Up to Install The Art Show At Atticus

When I arrived, Stephen was already waiting. Immediately he saw how many pieces I’d brought with me, he knew I had too many. Stephen is experienced at doing this, that’s why I asked him for help. He’s been a curator and a gallery director far longer than I’ve been an artist. We unloaded the car and got right to work.

After Stephen and I had discussed our plan of action and how we wanted to curate the show, we put all the work on tables so we can easily see them. Then we arranged, rearranged, arranged, and then rearranged  again all the pieces on the floor next to the walls on which we wanted to hang them. After we were satisfied with the floor arrangement, it was now a matter of putting nails in the walls where needed or using the walker hanging system that the store already had in place.

Installing The Artwork

Now the rest of the process of installing the art show at Atticus involved hanging and straightening and then straightening and hanging yet again.

We brought plumb lines to ensure the artwork was straight.  Funnily, I brought a tool box and so did Stephen.  My tools were in a soft fabric case and Stephen’s in a hard red metal box.

Art Show At Atticus is Installed

Following are some photos of the work when we were done installing.  Photographing in an indoor space with spot lighting is an art I haven’t yet mastered.  My friend Jan Doyle came to help me take photos and we still didn’t get as many great photos as we wanted.  But between the two of us there’s enough to show you how the show hangs right now.

I used both my iPhone and my DSLR to take photos because as I said, I was struggling to capture the light properly. The photo above and the next couple ones were taken with the PANO feature on my iPhone.

I must confess that my iPhone did a better job with the long shot views than did my DSLR. It may well be that I don’t know how to use my DSLR for such shots or the iPhone is simply good.

Finally, …. It’s Done!!!!

And finally, I get to sit down. Here I am threatening to pour sugar in Jan’s cup of coffee.

Thank you Jan Doyle ( being behind the camera, meant you didn’t appear in any of the photos) and Stephen Kobasa for all your help on installation day. The exhibit looks fabulous.

The art show at Atticus will be on view till October 23, 2016. I invite you all to stop by and view it.  Invite your friends and family to also go see it. Schedule lunch with a friend at the bookstore once or twice before the show ends. The show truly looks great.  I’ll be in the store September 17 and October 22, from 3:00pm t0 4:00pm on both days to meet and greet viewers of the show.

I hope to see you there.

Warmest Regards,