Heave Ho

A client popped in the other day to see some of Andrea Rosenberg's large works on paper. I was running solo, so I had to lift them out of the stacks by myself. These suckers are heavy. Typically a client will offer a little assistance when they see that something is awkward or heavy, but this time I was on my own. I think I pulled a bicep. Anyway, I always love it when people pop in off the street and we get to start dragging things out. It's so nice to revisit works that have been shelved for awhile.

Gallery talk

Artist Darryl Lauster recently gave a talk before his amazing show, Americana, closed last Saturday. It was a thin crowd, but an important one with well respected critics and curators in attendance. Darryl, who teaches 3-d design and art history (whoot whoot!) at UTA, said that speaking before a small crowd was actually more difficult than speaking for a large group. When there's a crowd, he just slips into lecture mode and rolls. No nerves were apparent, however, as Darryl gave an incredibly thought provoking lecture about truth, fiction, history, and memory.

Hello, Operator?

We had a lovely home improvement recently at the gallery. Both Barry and I got new phones! They are ergonomically better suited to actually stay on your shoulder, and they effectively rest on the receiver when you try to hang up. Added bonus: there's a contrast button on the caller i.d. Now that it's as bright as ever I can make informed decisions on which calls to answer. Truthfully, I answer all of them, but sometimes I use funny voices.

Wrapped and Wready

I've been wrapping lots of art for shipping lately. This used to be one of my least favorite things to do because I was so slow and scattered. I've gotten pretty good at it over the years, and I now take pride in my tightly taped edges and neat bubble corners. Barry has taught me that every little detail is important, and I certainly raise an eyebrow when artwork arrives looking like it was wrapped by a family of squirrels.

High School

On Friday, I had a group of about 45 Plano ISD students come view the show. Usually when high schoolers visit in large groups they just tromp around and chat with each other. This time the students were really looking at the work. I watched them circle Darryl Lauster's sculptures and even... gasp... read the info! I did, however, make 50 copies of the checklist and not a single kid picked one up. Good thing we recycle!

It's the Little Things

The installation for our current show was especially fun not just because we painted the space to mimic a museum aesthetic and further flesh out the artist's vision for the exhibition, but because we got new spackle too! This stuff goes on pink, dries white, and weighs about 29 pounds in 6 fluid ounces. Maybe not quite that, but it is pretty thick. We are also showcasing our newest artist, Terrell James, in the back room with a small installation of her newest work.
Her paintings have already generated a lot of interest, so we're awfully excited.

One Is the Loneliest Number

After much hustling earlier this week to get Barry on his way to Marfa, I find myself here once again all by myself. Allison V. Smith is having a solo exhibition at the Thunderbird Hotel tonight, so we had to send out invitations, put together a list of works and labels, create an info book on the artist, and figure out what else Barry needed to bring with him. In the meantime, I'm trying to work out packages for consultants, organize an art delivery to New York, send out invitations for our upcoming exhibition and take down our current show. I'm glad it's busy because I'm terribly sad that I had to stay behind for midterms instead of work/play in Marfa with the gang.