And Done!

I finished the work for my show yesterday. I feel good about what I've made, especially considering I didn't have much time and faced new challenges. Being in a different studio and not having all one's tools is difficult to deal with at first. I had to find the tools I needed which meant borrowing things and visiting others' studios to use tools. Not having the kind of access to materials I am accustomed to in the U.S. was tricky, too. (It's so easy to just call up Rio Grande and order something for 2nd day delivery on short notice.) I had to figure out where to get everything and took the bus all over the city. I also had to adjust to my new home in a foreign country, also tricky, to say the least. Looking back I think it was good that I took the first month to settle in and get set-up, look around, and think. I needed that time to find and develop my ideas. I also got generous help from some wonderful new friends. Then with very few distractions I was able to make a piece a day for three weeks straight, keeping a regular schedule of 9:30am-6pm Monday through Friday. I like routine and this one definitely helped me to stay focused. Now I have three collections. One is based on daily observations in my new home, another is about using maps and the walks I took, and the third is about the ruff. There are 24 pieces altogether.

Even with the work done there is still much to do. I'm happy I have a few weeks before the show opens so I can give my attention to these things, all of which are very important for pulling off something like this show. Here's my list:

title the pieces

price each piece

measure each piece

take photographs

write a more in depth artist statement

prepare lecture

decide on the display 

promote the show and send invitations

Today I will measure, title and price. Tomorrow I will take pictures. 

I have posted lots of process images on Flickr...I hope you will take a look. I will post pictures of the other series soon.

Thanks for reading.