A Month of Firsts

Sometimes a month develops a theme without you realizing it. Looking back at May, mine seemed to be a series of firsts.

It started in Provincetown with the opening of Ali Gray Gallery. Many of you know that Stewart Clifford gave me my first opportunity to show my work in Provincetown. When he sold the gallery to Ali Gray, I was hopeful about what the next chapter might bring.

Ali opened the doors on May 8, and the gallery was packed. What struck me most was how many faces I didn’t recognize. There were new conversations, new connections, and a lot of genuine curiosity about the work. Several early sales made it an especially encouraging way to begin the season.

New Collectors purchased Mosaic Tide I

A few days later, I headed to Reston, Virginia, for my first Tephra ICA Art Festival.

Every new festival teaches me something. This one included my first corner booth and my first time raising my tent to eight feet. I continue to maintain that outdoor art festivals are a young person’s sport — and I’m officially a senior.

Fortunately, my friends Gary and Ricia were there to help with setup and breakdown, which made an enormous difference. A couple of sales made the trip financially worthwhile, but these shows are about more than sales. Each one gives me another opportunity to see how the work connects with people in a completely different setting.

Ricia and Gary are salt of the earth people

Then came an unexpected phone call.

I had been waitlisted for the June Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show in Philadelphia when I got the call: a space had opened up. Did I want it?

Of course I did.

And somewhere in the middle of all of this was Newton Open Studios, one of the friendliest events on my calendar. I’ve participated for years, and it has always been as much about reconnecting with people as exhibiting the work. I inevitably see someone I haven’t seen in ages, catch up on their life, and occasionally sell some art along the way.

After Rittenhouse, I’m looking forward to something decidedly less glamorous: getting back into the studio.

There’s new work to make for my August solo exhibition at Ali Gray Gallery in Provincetown, and a busy fall will be here before I know it.

As I’ve been joking with friends lately, I’m going to keep doing this as long as I can still lift a tent.