Partially Packed for Friday Night |
It
is Labor Day Weekend, which means Art in the Park. This is my one art
show for the year. The one time when I drag out my 10x10 pop-up tent and
struggle to remember how I’m supposed to suspend my improvised hanging system.
Ashuelot River Falls in the Rain |
It is a long chore that is followed by hours of sitting while the
multitudes wander in and out passing judgement on my work and, happily,
occasionally buying some of it.
It
is also the time when, instead of writing my blog, I am stuck In my tent.
So, this week, you get a short article about the being stuck in my
tent.
Aaron, My most loyal student |
The
annual Keene Art in the Park is organized by the Monadnock Area Artists
Association and attracts a remarkably varied collection of artists from
throughout New England. Nearly 90 artists showcase a broad range of
genre, including, oil, water color and pencil fine art, as well as
sculpture, and fabric art. There was even some nice photography
scattered about.
I
have been participating in Art in the Park for years, primarily to show my work
to my neighbors, but I also get enough sales to make the
weekend financially worthwhile.
Hanging the Art : Elegant System ? |
The
set-up is always a chore. The Easy-Up pop-up tent is a marvel of
engineering. It really does pop up quickly, creating the standard 10 x 10
enclosure. The difficult part is setting up the hanging racks that I have
created from metal shelving attached vertically to wood strips. It isn’t
elegant but it was a lot less expensive than most of the fancy display systems.
Saturday, Beautiful and Busy |
Everything Under Cover |
Over
the years I have been undeservedly luck with excellent early autumn weather.
It has generally been seasonably warm and sunny, and, most importantly,
no rain. That is until this year. Saturday was beautifully sunny
and cool, but on Sunday my luck finally ran out.
Excitement of the Show |
Hurricane Harvey, which
hammered the Texas coast, had lost most of its fury, but enough remained to
anoint us with bands of rain on Sunday. Happily the wind was gone and we
were able to pull much of my work under the pop-up. Surprisingly a few
people actually came out to view the art, but much of Sunday was spent
commiserating with the other poor artists as we huddled in our little tents.
Sunday, Rain and Solitude |
Damp Oak Leaves on the Tent |
Despite
the rain, it was a successful weekend and, perhaps most importantly, I was able
to get my pictures home without significant water damage. It will take
awhile to dry out the tent before I pack it away for another year.
And
tomorrow I will be hanging a show at Brewbakers coffee shop in downtown Keene.
The “Showing the Work” never ends. And don't forget the Fall Foliage Workshop coming up October 13th -15th. There are still a couple of spots left.
Jeffrey Newcomer
603-363-8338
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