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Behind the Scenes Preparations for a Solo Art Exhibition

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Mary Ahern hanging artwork

Here I am on a ladder hanging my exhibition

Most people think the amazing artwork you created & have hanging on the walls at your Solo Art Exhibition is where you put all your energy. If you are like most artists who represent themselves as I do, this means that you are the person responsible for creating all the art as well as all the promotion that goes along with a successful outcome of your show.

When I had my third solo exhibition at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River, Long Island, New York, not being a prolific artist, I worked every day for years to fill three rooms in this historic Manor House with my artwork.

In the exhibition on display were my drawings, colored pencil works, abstract acrylics, painting in oil and mixed media paintings in acrylic and oils. Over 40 original pieces of art which I created in my studio, prepped for hanging, documented on spreadsheets, matted and framed when called for, transported and hung.

Most people think that an artist just creates in their studio but that’s only part of the process if you are a self-representing artist. There is plenty of creativity in marketing as well. Here is some more of the creativity that I put into an art exhibition.

 

Here is some more effort that I put into an exhibition.

  • Solidify the venue, show dates, opening reception and artist’s talk dates and sign the contract, individual and shared responsibilities with the venue.
  • Internalize and create towards the general theme of the show that will be the focus of the art and the marketing.
  • Create a model of the exhibition space using accurate proportions for planning the quantity & sizes of artwork. Use either Architech’s drawings, graph paper, or a digital program.
  • Create a spreadsheet for a working model of how many works you need & where they are in the creation process
  • Analyze the amount of time you need to create the artwork. Be realistic.
  • Capture WIP images to promote the upcoming show, both stills and videos.
  • Continue to post about the progress of the work on social media to raise interest in the upcoming show.
  • Write about the work regularly. Some for publication and some for understanding your process & progress.
  • Create a postcard to snail mail and for handouts. Mail the postcards to the appropriate people in your database of contacts.
  • Create newsletter content to email to your mailing list with both images & text: I use MailChimp
  • Send emails to your list regularly months before the show opens, showing photos of the WIPs & talking about the process. Ie. the thoughts behind the work, the mediums, the tools, etc.
  • Continue to post to all social media channels about the preparations & creation of your work.
  • Write & send press releases to your publication list in your database well before the opening of your exhibition.
  • Create price lists to distribute with your letterhead and contact info. I use Excel and put images of each painting next to the title so it can be easily identified by potential customers.
  • Design business cards, handouts, bios, and takeaways & get them printed in or out of house.
  • Keep your website updated with info about the exhibition.
  • Post regularly to your blog to keep people informed about the upcoming show.
  • Create wall signs with the # of the piece, title and medium that corresponds to the printed price list. (more info about each piece if you have time & QR code if you have them)
  • Plan the delivery of your artwork, the protective packaging like bubble wrap or other protective material, the transportation, and the assistance you may need.
  • Once the exhibition is up, 
  • give yourself a well-deserved reward before you start working on your Opening Reception menu and Artist’s Talk Powerpoint.

Marketing an Exhibition

 

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ChromaLuxe Spotlight Artist, Mary Ahern

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ChromaLuxe Spotlight Customer Mary Ahern

Click here to download the brochure.

ChromaLuxe is the leader in aluminum for a variety of industries. The thick gauge of aluminum and the brilliance of their color matching makes for a perfect vehicle for my flower and garden prints.

I tested many brands from various vendors and ChromaLuxe proved to offer the superior product for my work. Prints of my original paintings have been hanging in my garden for over 5 years now. They have withstood winter snow and summer heat. I wouldn’t sell something I didn’t trust.

As an appreciation for my testing and our collaboration ChromaLuxe created and distributed a full-color brochure of my Artwork on their exterior grade aluminum.

To purchase the aluminum prints of my original paintings please visit the Metal Prints section of my Art Shop.

You can even take your mobile device outside into your garden to use the Live Preview/Augmented Reality feature to see what my artwork will like in your garden. Have fun!

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ChromaLuxe Customer Spotlight, Mary Ahern Artist. Page 1.

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ChromaLuxe Customer Spotlight, Mary Ahern Artist. Page 2.

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ChromaLuxe Customer Spotlight, Mary Ahern Artist. Page 3.

 

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How the Art World Has Changed For Me

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As a person involved in creating art for the past many years, the opportunities and revelations keep coming.

Mary Ahern - Floral Park Art League 1975. The Art world has changed.

Mary Ahern – Outdoor Art Show with the Floral Park Art League 1975

The art world has changed but so have I. I’m more self-assured about my work than I was at the beginning. Through a lifetime of hard work, bumps, skids, rashes, pain, zigs and zags I’ve developed the thick skin needed to have confidence in my skills as an artist and as a person running a small business selling and showing my art.

We all know the tremendous changes that the internet and social media have introduced into the careers of artists. We are now independent enough to take our careers into our own hands rather than rely on galleries as the only outlet to selling or placing our work. I’m sure that for some artists, galleries are the central force in placing their work in prestigious collections and museums. For most of us though, galleries are not the only answer any longer.

Gallery representation isn’t for everyone

One of the obstacles for me is that I have 3 distinct bodies of work in which I like to create & promote. One is digital, one is in traditional mediums and the third is a combination of both. Even though they all focus on the same subject matter, flower and gardens, they all have very distinctive looks. I love the freedom that being independent affords me so I can create in whichever medium I choose.

As a lifetime entrepreneur the thought of having a gallery owner tell me what they want and when they want it is abhorrent to me. There is a benefit to being a working artist for many, many decades. I have the emotional and financial security to remain an independent artist. Having spent my former career in sales and marketing and also having had my own graphic design business for decades, I have the skills that many artists don’t possess. 

I’m committed to creating my own art styles, exploring new mediums, enjoying the process of experimentation. But I’m just as committed to running my art business. Because of the tools now available through technology, the internet and social media I can do that myself at an affordable price. It’s a game-changer.

Recently I was asked what advice would I would give to my 21-year-old self on how to get started and keep motivated?

I can’t speak to my 21-year-old self since I was married and the mother of a baby boy by then. I didn’t put myself through college until my youngest went to nursery school. By the time I graduated from art school I was a 32-year-old single parent. A career was foremost on my mind in order to support my sons but I knew that I needed to focus on the arts in some way to follow my calling. By creative thinking & sheer guts, I got myself into the nascent computer graphics industry in the early 1980’s as a salesperson who had to use and demonstrate graphic devices and electronic paint systems. This gave me a toe-hold into the conversation of creative arts. 

Critical as well was that I always maintained a working studio in my home, even sitting in it & studying art history books when I was too stressed to pick up a brush. Because I kept my focus on the artist part of me more than the technologist part of me I was able to transition into creating my own art more often as my sons grew up and life became easier. Maintaining this tangential association with the creative arts was the reason I’ve been able to now focus 100% of my effort into my artwork.

Keeping motivated isn’t difficult when you’ve burned with the desire to create your whole life. What does help however is having artist friends and mentors who understand the struggles to carve out the time to express yourself in an ever-busy world. Accountability partners help me to keep the balance needed to make room for the creation of art and the running of an art business. Either one of those activities is all-consuming but without one you don’t need the other.

Mary Ahern-Artist Talk. The Art world has changed.

Mary Ahern giving an Artist Talk at The Firefly Artists Gallery in December 2019.

 

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Enjoy Metal Weather Resistant Aluminum Art Outdoors Year Round

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Tired of the browns and grays and whites of winter? So am I!

I’m looking to get a jump on some brilliant color outside. I want to see color outside my windows, outside in my garden and outside on my deck. I’ll bet you are too.

Bright splashes of color greet me when the trees are bare and the shrubs covered with white snow. It is so cheery to see in the dead of winter. Seeing color reduces my stress. It probably does for you too. That’s why gardens are so relaxing.

ChromaLuxe exterior grade aluminum metal prints hanging in the garden all winter in the snow. Mary Ahern Artist

ChromaLuxe exterior aluminum prints hang outside in my garden all year long popping color when I most need it.

During the spring and summer, I coordinate the color of my plantings with the colors in my art. It gives me a very creative palette of colors to work with. It adds to the fun of gardening.

I hang my aluminum art on the garage so I can see flowers all year from the windows in my home, I hang the art on my deck where we entertain and select art that color coordinates with my outdoor furniture. As a garden designer, I’ve designed woodland walks around my home and studio and even hang art on the trees for when people wander around on my garden tours.

I tried a lot of products outdoors in my own garden on Long Island in New York where we get snow and ice in the winter and lots of heat in the summer. I found that not all aluminum is created equal since much of it warped in the extreme temperatures. Then I tried the ChromaLuxe brand of exterior grade aluminum. I’ve tested these prints throughout all the seasons and they have flourished in my garden for years.

In my video, you can see some of the ways I’ve displayed my art in the garden and also the gardens of some of my happy customers. Take a look and be inspired.

Click here for the video.

Then have some fun. On my website I’ve introduced a separate category for the indoor/outdoor metal aluminum art with an augmented reality feature. Now you walk around your space with your mobile device and see how my art will look in your own setting. You can also try different sizes to see what will fit perfectly for you.

Seeing this live takes the stress out of deciding what artworks for you. It is the ultimate in customizing your own living spaces both indoor or out. Try it now. No commitment to purchase is needed to see for yourself. Go to my online shop, click on the metal print category, select an image that intrigues you, change the size, try a different print, try a different space. Enjoy yourself now!

Go to the Metal Print Shop section in my Art Shop and try the Augmented Reality for yourself in your own home or garden!

 

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Have Fun Buying Art Using Augmented Reality

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Selecting art to buy online can be daunting but it doesn’t have to be. In my Art Shop I’ve added a few features to help you take the guesswork out of what art and what size will work in your space and what will not. It’s called Live Preview AR (for Augmented Reality.)

Here’s a video I made to get you excited to try this yourself!

Using your own mobile device you can select a print from any of my collections of landscapes, floral portraits, still lifes and designer prints and view it through your on-board camera projected onto your wall space. You can resize the image of the print until you find that perfect sweet spot that will work for you in your own particular setting.

You can easily select different prints to view. Will a landscape style work or perhaps a square print? Choose prints to view either by clicking directly on their image in the category library or just press the left or right arrow to view the next in line. All the available sizes for each print are quickly and easily seen by you in the pull down menu right at your fingertips.

To exit Augmented Reality is easy and brings you right to the ordering page. You have an array of options in which to choose. What surface do you want for your print? Canvas, fine art paper, aluminum or acrylic? Once you decide the size and treatment you might consider a frame or matting depending on your choice of materials.

Now that your selection is made just click to see your shopping cart and the rest is a breeze. The hardest part will be anticipating the arrival of your very own piece of Art, custom chosen by you for your own special place. Enjoy!

 

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Aluminum Prints of my Original Paintings

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Aluminum Print Display at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum of the art work of Mary Ahern

This was the display of my Aluminum Prints at my show at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. You can purchase these for your own home and garden here.

I have always dreamed about having my Art displayed outside around my garden and outdoor living spaces. And now the technology has caught up with my dream. I have my original paintings printed under heat & pressure to create these very vibrant aluminum prints. They can have a glossy or matte finish to them and I haven’t any particular preference since I like them all.

Sunflowers and Purple Asters in a Home Entrance. Aluminum prints of original paintings by the artist Mary Ahern

Sunflowers and Purple Asters aluminum print at the entrance to the home of one of my collectors.

The weather-resistant aluminum which I’ve selected for my Art is thick and durable enough to survive and flourish in my garden throughout the 4 seasons and has been doing so since 2014. Because I wanted to make sure that the quality was right and the color lasted I tested many fabricators before offering the metal prints to my collectors. 

Sometimes I frame the pieces in simple aluminum frames but most often I just hang them outside, on the trees, on the fences and on the walls. What a delight to look out of my office and look at art instead of looking at my garage & thinking it needs powerwashing! Even better is looking out in a snow storm and seeing the brilliant color of summer flowers breaking through the white and gray backdrop.

When the birds decide to decorate the art, I just squirt the pieces with some window cleaner and using a paper towel I wipe them clean again. No problem.

The aluminum makes the colors pop whether they’re on a matte or glossy finish. Though these prints can be hung outdoors many of my collectors buy them for inside their homes. Either way, it’s a unique decor addition whether inside or out.

Go now to my website to see how these aluminum prints will look like in your own home and garden using the augmented reality feature on my website shop.

 

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Northport Art in the Park Annual Art Festival Event

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Art in the Park
Art, Music, Poetry and Dance Festival

A July summer event, featuring music, dance, poetry and over 30 artists displaying and selling their original work. Art show begins at 10am and festivities begin at 12pm. Free admission and a fun day for the entire family. Hours are 10am to 5pm.

For Additional information visit the Northport Arts Coalition website

Join us for another exciting event in the picturesque Village of Northport, NY. This multi-disciplinary annual event is held in the Village Park at the foot of main street surrounded by the lush tableau of water, boats, trees, playgrounds and the old time Village feel of another, calmer and genteel era.

Mary Ahern Artist Northport Booth. Art for sale

To see and purchase my art anytime of year please visit my website shop. You won’t be disappointed!

 

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Apples in Boxes – Flowers in Squares – New Paintings on an Old Theme by Mary Ahern

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For decades I have been creating art in circles surrounded by squared edges. When I first made this type of work it was in the mid-1970’s. The circle was most often represented by an apple inside a square or cube. At that time it represented to me the yin and yang, female and male complements to our lives and our characters. The apple was an Eve figure, soft, female, curious, playful and seductive. The boxes were the rules, the male, the limitations, the protection and the containment of her attributes.

Apple in Boxes Pointilist drawing by Mary Ahern the Artist

Apples in Boxes – A pointillist drawing in ink on paper. c1970’s

 

I have recently returned to this theme but using flowers from my garden as the subjects rather than apples. It feels so calming to me when I create these voluptuous rounded floral paintings. This peony was the first in a series of exploring again the circle in a square imagery so I named it “Centering” because that is how I feel towards these works. I find my centering in two places, in my studio and in my garden. They completely complement each other, one provided by nature and one in interpreting that vision.

There is a difference between the imagery of then and now. These flowers, though they are encompassed in a square format canvas, they are not contained. They are bursting through the limitations of frame, of edges, of inhibition. They are positive and empowered by their form and by their explosive color. They are neither shy nor retiring. They declare themselves as having established their own space. They are declaring themselves as individuals.

Centering - Pink Peony Squared. Original oil painting by Mary Ahern the artist.

“Centering – Pink Peony” 36×36″ GW. Oil on Canvas. Original painting by Mary Ahern. To purchase or for additional information please contact the artist here.

 

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Why Bigger Flowers Are Better

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Not until I studied botany and viewed flower structures under magnifying glasses and microscopes did I really appreciate their magnificence. As a life-long gardener I looked at and created landscapes, matching groups of plants to be seen from a distance, blending distant views of overall colors and shapes. Matching seasons and cultivation needs, heights and spreads contributing to the designs I created in gardens and on canvas in my landscape paintings.

Tulips in a May Garden. Mary Ahern the Aritst

A rainbow of colors in a friend’s May garden. Photo by Mary Ahern.

But that aha moment of peering dramatically close to the parts of a flower opened a whole new world of vision and contemplation for me.

By painting my flowers overly large and entirely out of scale from the real world, I try to bring that same sense of awe to my viewers. Show them something of what I see. I try to create for them their own aha moment of joy and wonder to take on their journey.

Yellow Tulip Squared

Yellow Tulip Squared. Various size prints available on canvas, fine art paper, metal and acrylic in my online shop.

 

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Preview Your Art on Location Before You Buy

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Ever wonder what size Art will work in your ideal location? Will the colors of the Art complement your display area?

What treatment do I want for my Art?

  • Canvas that is gallery wrapped or framed?
  • Fine Art Paper with matting and framing?
  • Art on metal or acrylic for a new and contemporary look?

You can test all of these options in my online Art Shop.

Say you found a piece of Art that you’d like to buy but don’t know what size or whether it will work colorwise in your location.

White Peony Squared. Wall art by Mary Ahern

White Peony Squared. Prints available in a variety of sizes on canvas, fine art paper, metal or acrylic.

 

My Art Shop is filled with features which will help you to imagine exactly how your new Art will look in your own space. The ultimate in customizing!

The Wall Preview Button on the page of the Art you selected allows you to:

  • See what your painting will look like on the wall in a variety of room settings.
  • View the size and match your own wall color.

ASF art wall preview. Wall art by Mary AhernTo make a purchase select the Art that makes your heart sing. Then you can:

  • Select the medium of your choice: Canvas, Fine Art Paper, Acrylic or Metal.
  • Next, you select the size of your Art.
  • Based on the medium you’ve chosen you will be able to choose options such as framing or matting.
  • Now you can either add your Art to the Shopping Cart or save it to your Favorites right there in the Shop.

 

Other nifty features:

  • Examine the texture and details of a painting using the ZOOM tool.
  • Email your favorite painting to a friend for their opinion.
  • Your purchase is a safe and secure checkout using PayPal or your credit card.

Who has time to waste trying to figure out new menus?

I like diagrams. Don’t you? Here is a diagram that will show you the many different treatment options available to you for each Art Work in my Shop
ASF art shop instructions

Choose from the hundreds of sizes and treatments of my Flower and Garden Art.
This is the ultimate in customization for you to use when designing for your home or office.

 Now you can visit my Art Shop and try these features on any of the hundreds of sizes and treatment variations available to you for your home or office! Have fun!

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Yellow Tulip Squared – The Inspiration Behind a Painting

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Circles in squares always give me comfort for some reason or another. This particular yellow tulip gave me comfort during the tail end of a winter when I sorely needed color flooding into my eyes.

Yellow Tulip Squared

Yellow Tulip Squared © Mary Ahern. Prints available in various sizes on canvas, fine art paper, metal and acrylic in my Art Shop.

So what do I find as I’m strolling past the senior buffet at Costco but this glass jar filled with joyously bulging and ready to bloom tulips. They just tossed themselves into my cart and begged to be taken home. And home they came.

As the bursting buds thrust themselves open I knew they needed to continue their job of bringing color and joy to my winter and to my spring, my summer and fall. The thrill of painting flowers is that you get to immortalize them before they disappear into their own winter of lifeless existence.

So many paintings came to mind as I watched the tulips unfurl. But which would be my composition. Closed or open? Silhouette or frontal? One or many? Natural sunshine or artificial light? Solid or textured background? Large or small?

So I played with the tulips. Wallowing in their beauty. They seeped into my soul and brought the winter to an end for me.

Being an Artist allows me to create my own reality, my own season, my own vision of how I view the normal. It brings comfort to my soul.

Wall Art - Yellow Tulips by the Artist, Mary Ahern

Costco Tulips dancing in my living room in the winter sunlight.

Being an Artist allows me to create my own reality, my own season, my own vision of how I view the normal. It brings comfort to my soul.

 

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Pink Floral Prints to Help Komen Breast Cancer Research

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Buy either of these Designer Prints and

I will donate 20% of the Sale to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

I promise!

Kansas Peonies or Bleeding Heart – Designer Prints

Purchase either one of these Designer Prints in any size and I will donate 20% of the sale to Breast Cancer Research. Guaranteed!

Kansas Peonies by the artist, Mary Ahern. Art print available in various sizes on canvas, fine art paper, metal or acrylic.

Kansas Peonies. Designer Print ©Mary Ahern. Art prints available in various sizes on canvas, fine art paper, metal or acrylic in my Art Shop

 

Bleeding Heart by the artist, Mary Ahern. Art print available in various sizes on canvas, fine art paper, metal or acrylic.

Bleeding Heart. ©Mary Ahern. Art print available in various sizes on canvas, fine art paper, metal or acrylic.

Why I am making this offer.

First of all, I have too many girlfriends who have been afflicted by this disease. Neither age nor healthy lifestyle choices seem to have deterred this onslaught.

I am angry and disgusted!

Why these two flowers?

As I traveled to various states doing Fine Arts Festivals over the years, I realized that an unusual number of women were buying these pretty pink flower prints for themselves, their sisters, mothers or girlfriends. During conversations, I began to be aware of how many of my Pink Botanical Prints were being given as gifts to women struggling with Breast Cancer.

I decided to do something about it.

I will donate 20% of the profits from the Sale of either of these two Floral Prints to the Komen foundation to go towards research to help find a cure for this dreaded disease.


When I returned to the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival a year after my previous visit, a customer stopped by my booth to tell me that she had bought a large framed Kansas Peony piece from me the previous year and that she had hung it opposite her bed so it would be the first thing she saw each  morning during her challenging year.
I was so moved by this. I was proud to support her in her struggle.

Order either of these prints in whatever size you choose from me directly and I promise to make the appropriate donation to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.

Visit my eCommerce Shop to make your purchase.

Wikipedia Information About The Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation gives so much help and supportive information to women at their most vulnerable time!

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is an organization supporting breast cancer research. Since its inception in 1982, Komen has raised over $1 billion for research, education and health services, making it the largest breast cancer charity in the US. Komen has more than 75,000 volunteers nationwide — 122 affiliates in the United States (47 of 50 states) and 3 in other countries.

Susan Goodman Komen was a woman from Peoria, Illinois who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33 and died three years later, in 1980. Komen’s younger sister, Nancy Goodman Brinker, feeling that Susan’s outcome might have been better if patients knew more about cancer and its treatment, and remembering a promise to her sister that she would find a way to speed up breast cancer research, founded The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in Komen’s memory in 1982. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the organization, it changed its name to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, created a new logo, and adopted the explicit mission “to end breast cancer forever”.

This information initially supplied by Wikipedia.org c.2013

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Frans Hals Daylilies With Rudbeckia

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In my late summer garden this dramatic combination of colors occurs when the daylillies bloom amongst the rudbeckia. The cultivar name is Frans Hals daylily so how could I not fall in love with it given my Dutch heritage. The rudbeckia is the classic variety named Rudbeckia fulgida and multiplies happily in this garden setting.

I composed this painting in a classical pyramidal style for the daylilies then using the receding rudbeckia to open the space towards the background of trees and shrubs serving as a horizontal and vertical balance.

Frans Hals Daylilies with Rudbeckia

Frans Hals Daylilies with Rudbeckia 24×36″ Mixed Media on Canvas.

Contact the Artist, Mary Ahern for questions regarding the availability of this painting.

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Choosing a New Car for an Artist and Gardener

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I finally bit the bullet and bought a new car to replace my 1996 Nissan Pathfinder with 200,010 miles on it. I called her my gardening car since I could pack so many plants in her. She also carried my Art to many, many Art Festivals over the years. By giving her up I felt almost the same sense of mourning as I did when I lost 4 trees in my woodland garden to Hurricane Sandy. This car had carried my Art and me safely throughout six states worth of Art Festivals

 

Nissan Pathfinder for an Artist's car

1996 Nissan Pathfinder pulling my trailer filled with Art to one of many Art Festivals

But it was time. The rust, the rattles, the pervading sense of being stranded somewhere if the trusty ‘ole car decided to bite the bullet. It was very hard to find the right replacement vehicle. I took tape measuring to all the dealerships in search of the perfect match. To my dismay I discovered that all the SUV’s have been pumped up on steroids since I was last in the market. Too many rows of seats and driving around in a McMansion didn’t hold appeal for me.

After much searching I finally choose a RAV4 by Toyota. It fit the dimensions of my large paintings but wasn’t too over sized for day to day driving. So I’ve downsized slightly in order to have a fully flat surface for transporting plants & Art. The back seat is a bench style while most of the larger ones have bucket style seats.

Oh, and I was able to get it in green. Not a color offered very frequently anymore. One of the things that was a big pleasant surprise since I hadn’t had a new car in decades, was all the new technology built into cars nowadays. The new toys helped with the sorrowful transition I felt on abandoning my old friend.

My RAV4 holding and entire Art Exhibition of 32 Paintings.

My RAV4 holding an entire Art Exhibition of 32 Paintings.

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Preparing Prints For an Art Show

Here is a video which I originally created in July of 2013 of how I prepare prints for display and sale at outdoor art festivals .

I took these video clips in my studio as I prepared for the Northport Art in the Park hosted by the Northport Arts Coalition.

I used a Canon Power Shot SD3500 IS Digital ELPH, holding it in one hand and demonstrating with the other. I used the audio from the camera which is muffled at times since I put my finger over the microphone. I originally started with 18 minutes of video clips and brought it down to about 4:15.

I edited in iMovie with the end credits created in Photoshop.

Fun little project which I wish I’d given myself more time to perfect but there are always choices to be made. Time being the one thing I can’t seem to stretch.

You can see this and other video on my YouTube Channel: youtube.com/user/MaryAhernArtist

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Huntington Arts Council – Auction on Main

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Rose Montage by the Artist, Mary Ahern

Rose Montage has 5 individual digital paintings of Roses. Framed size is 8 x 39.5″

This is the month for the annual silent art auction fundraiser in support of the Huntington Arts Council’s exhibition program at the Main Street Petite Gallery and Art-trium Gallery in Melville.

November 9 – November 30, 2012
9-5PM

Huntington Arts Council Petite Gallery
213 Main St.
Huntington NY 11743

Contact: Florence Dallari, Asst. Dir. 631-271-8423
Huntington Arts Council Website: http://www.huntingtonarts.org

This year I’ve donated my White Rose Montage to this worthy fund-raiser.

I designed this long 8″ x 39″ montage for all the folks who tell me they can’t buy my work since they don’t have anymore wall space. This piece fits nicely between windows or as an accent piece at the edge of a wall. It has 5 individual digital paintings of roses for all those rosarian collectors out there.

The holidays are coming and you can do two nice things for the price of one. Bid on this piece to help support the Huntington Arts Council and then give it as a gift to one of your special friends.

It will last longer than a bouquet of flowers.

 

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Some Steps When Curating & Designing an Art Show

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Curating an Art Show takes many steps and stages. The process begins with the organization sponsoring the event. They are responsible for setting the dates and timetables of the show, the selection of Artists and in this case, establishing and maintaining a cooperative working relationship with the owners of the hosting venue.

The organization that is sponsoring the Art Show decides if they are hosting a One-Person Art Show or a Group Exhibit and where the venue will be held. This information is included in their prospectus.

For the Art Show I’m having from August 28 through October 9th, 2012, I downloaded the prospectus from the Northport Arts Coalition (aka NAC) website here. Most organizations now offer their applications & information online.

In this case, I applied for a One-Person Show to be held over a 6-7 week period at the Wine Cellar on Main in downtown Northport NY. I was notified of my acceptance and given about a one-month lead time to prepare for the showing.

Normally the lead time for an opportunity for a large show like this is quite a bit longer but I was pleased with the opportunity to show my work so I quickly accepted their offer.

A view of my studio while staging for the Art Show

Depending on the organization the curating of the actual show is done either by a designated person within that group or the individual Artists whom they’ve selected for a show.

Since I have decades of experience managing and curating my own and other events I have a particular method of working. In another post, I discussed how I started planning & curating my show. Curating in the sense I wrote about is the decision making process of how the show will look and what work I have available to show.

I usually have various paintings of mine in multiple group shows over a wide variety of time slots & locations so I keep comprehensive records of where my Art Work is allocated at any given time & where the work is scheduled to be shown.

I also know what work is in the process of being created & when the work will be available for the next showing.

Curating is many things. These include finding the venues, selecting the Artists, designing the show itself and creating and executing the marketing campaign.

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Strategies for Planning & Curating my Own Art Show

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So I applied and was accepted for a one-person Fine Art Show at the new Wine Cellar on Main in Northport NY from August 28 through October 8th, 2012. The acceptance email was the fun part & then the stress factor hit me within moments.

Yikes. I’m a curator now.

What paintings would I show? How many pieces of Art? What size paintings would look right. How would I stage the show hanging? And since it was such short notice, (one-month) how quickly could I pull this whole show together efficiently & still enjoy life?

Here’s what I did.

Site survey of the Wine Cellar on Main with my friend Greg Oleanik’s show in place.

Side wall of Greg Oleanik’s show at the Wine Cellar on Main

I took my point & shoot camera, pencil, paper & a sturdy metal measuring tape & scouted out the available show space. Luckily, my friend Greg Oleanik currently had a show hanging there so I was able to take snapshots of all his work hanging in place.

Mock-up of what size paintings I will need for my upcoming Art Show

Side wall mock-up for my Art Show planning

I measured the height & widths of all the available spaces within the room, keeping them sequentially numbered along with photos of each space.  I spoke with the proprietor, Lindsay Ostrander & we discussed the fact that she had installed a hanging system with rails & rods so that I wouldn’t need to put nails in her walls. This info I took back to my studio & headed for the computer.

I imported the photos into Photoshop. I created a panorama of the interior hanging space with photos of Greg’s show. Then I made a mock-up of the walls & created placeholders for the different sizes of my own Artwork since I know what sizes of Art I generally work in.

With this in place I was able to count how many and what sizes of paintings I would need to have available to put into the Art Show.

I felt calmer already. Next step was planning on how much creating was ahead of me & what I could possibly hope to accomplish in such a short span of time while also leaving me time to publicize the show. I wanted to make sure I left enough time to share the news about the show with family, friends, and with all my past, present & future customers.

 

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Northport Arts Coalition Hosts Art in the Park Featuring the Artist, Mary Ahern

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NAC’s ‘Art in the Park’ set for July 14, 2012

by Elise Pearlman in The Observer, Northport’s Community Weekly Newspaper 86th Year, No. 9

 

The Northport Observer cover story of Northport Art in the Park featuring Mary Ahern the Artist.

The Observer article written by Elise Pearlman announcing the Northport Art in the Park featuring the Artist, Mary Ahern.

There’ll be art, music, dance, poetry and plenty of it when the Northport Arts Coalition hosts their ‘Saturday Art in the Park’ Festival on July 14 from 10am to 5pm. The free family-friendly extravaganza takes place in Northport Village Park rain or shine and all are welcome to attend.

This joyous celebration of the arts in all their diversity has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception, said NAC community liaison Lauren Paige who is overseeing the event.

The day promises to be a veritable paradise for art lovers. According to Ms. Paige, 25 artists will be displaying fine art, photographs, jewelry, crafts, books and more, and some are coming from across the tri-state area.

“I enjoy hosting artists from Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey as well as local artists who have been coming back year after year,” Ms. Paige said.

Longtime Asharoken resident and artist Marge Kawaller is coordinating the art portion of the festival. She said that NAC is extraordinarily proud of the line-up.

Northport resident Mary Ahern will exhibit her large-scale fine art digital mixed media paintings which resonate with eye-catching detail. Inspired by her own lush garden, Ms. Ahern showcases the colorful pageantry of flowers as well as fruit. Her oversized portraits of seashells enable viewers to “enjoy the feel of the seashore all year long,” Elise Pearlman.

 

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Meet the Artist, Mary Ahern at the Northport ArtWalk

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The Northport ArtWalk is a Free self-guided walking tour of the many galleries, studios and eclectic gallery-for-a-day venues centered around and along Northport’s picturesque Harbor and Main Street. Northport, NY is located on the North Shore of Long Island about 40 miles east of midtown Manhattan between the towns of Huntington and Smithtown.

The ArtWalk is one of the best ways for visitors to enjoy Northport’s bustling and diverse art community by bringing visitors to view the art of established and emerging Artists.

The festive atmosphere of Northport will be punctuated by musical performances; live artistic demonstrations and street decorations as town visitors peruse the art in restaurants, antique shops, boutiques and cafes that are part of this historic village.

Blue Hydrangeas in Delft Blue Pot

Blue Hydrangeas in Delft Blue Pot. Digital & Traditional Mixed Media Painting

I will be showing my Fine Art at Bodyscape Pilates located at 54 Woodbine Ave, Northport NY 11768.

There will be a mixture of Traditional Watercolor paintings, Drawings, and my Digital Mixed Media Paintings for you to choose from. All my work will be for sale. Something for everyone!

Pick up your self-guided maps at Copenhagen Bakery just a few hundred feet away on Woodbine Ave.

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