The artist's reception for my solo show at Something Special went great this weekend! Saturday morning there was a flurry of activity as Kiersten and I packed up all of the pictures, tools, and show cards, and headed to the gallery to begin hanging the show. Hanging went quickly, and while we were working, the Something Special folks were busy cooking up all of the yummy appetizers for the evening. They took care of the details for the setting - florals, candles, music - and were the hosts, and we got all of the artwork hung, tags and cards. We had enough time to head back home and catch a bit of a rest before getting changed and coming back for the reception's opening at 5 pm. There was a great turnout! Thanks so much to everyone who supported the show - members of the Colored Pencil Society DC115, the Wyoming Valley Art League, Lizza's Studios, friends and family, and everyone at Something Special (the food, by the way, was fantastic, and the show set up was wonderfully warm and inviting). DC115 sent a beautiful floral arrangement for the show - blue flowers which went so well with the pieces. I even sold a piece during the opening - "Curve". I was able to snap some pictures before everyone came in (below), although I was too busy to actually snap any during. Kiersten's family snapped plenty during, though, so I should have some to post in Part 2.

Thanks again to everyone who came out to support me on the opening night!

Kiersten and I drove to Bristol, RI this weekend for the CPSA DC112 Regional Show. Because it was a 6 hour drive to get there, we decided to make it a fun road trip, stopping overnight midway in New Haven, CT. New Haven is the home of Yale, and was bustling with nightlife and great places to eat. We ventured to the Union League Cafe on Chapel Street, and had an excellent meal with a decadent desert. The next day we arrived in Bristol, and had a sunny waterside lunch at Thames Waterside restaurant, watching the sailboats glide across the water.

A short walk to Gallery 297 brought us to the artist's reception. There I met a bunch of artists I've talked with on Scribbletalk, and whose artwork I admire. We posed for a group photo. Below are: Gary Ruuska, me, Cynthia Brunk, Nicole Caulfield, Christine Hebert.

Afterwards there was a group dinner at Quido's along the water, then we parted ways and Kiersten and I ventured a drive through Colt State Park, which was beautiful. A half-hour drive later, we were at our posh hotel in Providence. As an aside, I'd like to point out that Providence's street design most likely was the work of a madman. I needed to go into "aggressive driving mode" to make it to the hotel, thwarted by one-way streets and lanes of traffic with no street markings or organization. We did have quite a view from the 14th floor of the Westin, however, looking out over the state capitol.