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Debut Art with Intention Exhibition
I'd been talking to their event organiser for over a year about the exhibition. But with half my time being taken up with finishing the earthship, and the extraordinary amount of time each art piece takes to complete, progress was slow. Then last December I finally bit the bullet and told Adele that I'd be ready for an exhibition in the new year. Yikes! With still lots of pieces to finish, especially the Million Stitches, Million Wishes installation to complete, I had certainly concentrated my mind. But sometimes that's what it takes to make something actual rather than just a thought. It takes a committment and energy.
So, a date was agreed and I worked to that, installing the exhibition 2 days before the inauguration date. As a graphic designer in a previous life I'm used to keeping to deadlines - huge printing presses don't wait for no man (or woman).
Leading up to this inauguration date, as well as finishing the pieces of art, I was also doing a social media campaign to publicise it. And taking high quality photos for the book about the exhibition that has been tickling around in the back of my mind for a while. So all in all, things were pretty full on. We still managed to do most of the earthship jobs on our January work schedule, but as January moved into February and the opening got closer the jobs fell by the wayside. Never mind I thought, once the exhibition is open I can catch up on other things - wrong!
A lovely inauguration party |
I was completely forgetting that an exhibition doesn't start and stop on the inauguration day. And while your hard work is there in all it's glory you need to be telling people it's there, reminding them, meeting them and generally making the most of this great opportunity to share your vision. I spent 2 days writing and contacting newspapers, radio stations and anyone else I could think of. I did a radio interview and was also contacting other venues for moving it on later in the year. Still no earthship work was getting done!
A private viewing for close friends with dinner afterwards |
So what is the result of all this busyness? Apart from massive delays to our earthship schedules that is?!! To be frank, it's been a rollercoaster of emotions - one minute elation when someone gets what my work is about and connects with it (that's a really huge thing for an artist). The next minute a tummy renching drop when someone who said they'd come didn't... because they forgot (a knife stab directly into my heart!).
All in all I think it's been worth it though, we've raised over €180 for TigerTime, my new art with intention technique is out there and being talked and thought about, I had some really fabulous feedback and met some really lovely folks too. But would I do it again? You betya, the exhibition is booked into two new venues starting in May and opens online very, very soon, watch this space...
Some of the great feedback...
“Fascinating and inspiring” “The art speaks to your soul” “Beautiful micro-worlds” “Incredibly beautiful” and “Exquisite”.
I'm so humbled by the response and am looking forward to sharing my micro-worlds with you when the exhibition opens online.
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