Ask for what you want: As part of my New Year’s resolutions for 2017, I wanted to have a solo exhibit. This year I’ve managed to be in two group shows and now, I have a small solo show on display at the Bexley Public Library. How did I get this show? I asked and was given the January 2018 slot; when the December plans fell through, my show went up early and will stay up until the end of January.
Hanging your own show: As you can see in the photo above, this show had well defined size limitations as it is presented in a glass and wood case approximately 10 feet wide and 6 feet high. The steps of getting the show up ran something like this: First I decided on my theme: “Creating Art with Wax” and I assembled my encaustic paintings, encaustic monotypes, and my recent oil and cold wax works. I hung paintings on fiberboard to get an idea of how to hang within the confines of the case structure (you could use thumbtacks or very small nails and encaustic can be heavy). My husband Roy designed a hanger system with wood and heavy matboard that, while allowing freedom of rotation for the paintings, would secure them firmly to the back wall. I moved to the living room floor and created layouts for each of my three sections (see the left photo below). The exact interior of case was still an unknown so we couldn’t be sure that painting “A” would be 6 inches down and 3inches over; I cut templates of construction paper that we taped to the back wall of the case (see the center photo below) to decide final positioning before we attached the hardware for hanging. My son Jack, a ceramic artist, helped Roy while I watched (I was just getting over some bug). Even with all the planning, it took almost three hours to hang the show.
Adding a little history: Since I was showing in a library, I wanted this show to be “educational.” For each painting technique I gave a brief history and described the use of fire (or not) in creating the art. I also included some of my tools and supplies in the case (see the right photo below). As I wrap up this blog I realize that the year has come to an end and it’s time for new resolutions. One of many is to redo my website. WARMEST WISHES FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS. See you in 2018!
