Friday was the opening reception at all locations of ArtWalk 2008 in Sandpoint, ID. More than one person confirmed what I already knew - that I had the best location. You can see from the picture above that Taylor-Parker Motor Company does indeed have a very visible place in which to display art. The street running in front of it is one way, and everyone traveling north on Hwy 95 into Sandpoint has to drive right past those windows. Initially, I was a little concerned about direct sun, but I was assured that by this time of year, the sun is too high in the sky to hit the wall directly. All that natural light shows the quilts off wonderfully.
I had such a fun time standing with my quilts, watching people's reactions, overhearing comments, accepting direct feedback and answering questions. I must admit it was a bit nerve racking watching so many people pause to touch them. Unlike quilt shows, there's no "white glove" angels or signs requesting to keep your hands off. One husband even grabbed the corner of one quilt and pulled it back to find the label - then explained his wife was a quilter and he knew all about looking for information on the back. But apparently not about keeping your hands off! No matter, I took it as a compliment and assured several guilty-looking apologetic people that it's natural to want to touch something so tactile.
That hallway where my quilts hang is very narrow, so it was a bit of a trick for people to view them while others were trying to pass through. As some walked quickly by, the larger quilts waved away from the wall in the movement of air stirred up with their passing. Boy, was I glad I puttied those dowels to the pushpins!
The Papier Mache people were so much fun as was their art. They were at the opposite end of the hall from me, but they kept wandering down and engaging me in conversation. Here is what part of their display looked like from outside.
Their work definitely drew people inside who then proceeded down the hallway to view my work.
It was a little lonely down on my end of the hallway at times, but these fellows kept me company. I believe this is called "Singin' the Blues between the Lines." It was my favorite piece. I loved it when one of the Papier Mache people led a lady dressed in a zebra-striped shirt down to view it. It took her a minute to get it - that art was imitating life & vise versa - but once she did, she agreed to have her picture taken with it.
The 3-dimension aspect of this piece isn't readily evident from the straight-on picture. Here you can see how the heads stick out fully from the base.
Their art took many forms. For my Wisconsin friends, note the cows, done much like the zebras.
There were many pieces that took human form - some of the work reminded me of soft sculpture doll art. But there were abstract pieces as well.
This could not have been a better kick-off to summer - it was such a warm lovely evening. The streets were full of art (and wine) lovers. Pend d'Orielle Winery across from us was a favorite stop.
And this is Timber Stand Gallery kitty-corner from my venue. People obviously were enjoying being out and about and connecting with friends while viewing a wide variety of local art. It was all supposed to be over by 8:00 p.m. but the revelers refused to go home!
I had such a fun time standing with my quilts, watching people's reactions, overhearing comments, accepting direct feedback and answering questions. I must admit it was a bit nerve racking watching so many people pause to touch them. Unlike quilt shows, there's no "white glove" angels or signs requesting to keep your hands off. One husband even grabbed the corner of one quilt and pulled it back to find the label - then explained his wife was a quilter and he knew all about looking for information on the back. But apparently not about keeping your hands off! No matter, I took it as a compliment and assured several guilty-looking apologetic people that it's natural to want to touch something so tactile.
That hallway where my quilts hang is very narrow, so it was a bit of a trick for people to view them while others were trying to pass through. As some walked quickly by, the larger quilts waved away from the wall in the movement of air stirred up with their passing. Boy, was I glad I puttied those dowels to the pushpins!
The Papier Mache people were so much fun as was their art. They were at the opposite end of the hall from me, but they kept wandering down and engaging me in conversation. Here is what part of their display looked like from outside.
Their work definitely drew people inside who then proceeded down the hallway to view my work.
It was a little lonely down on my end of the hallway at times, but these fellows kept me company. I believe this is called "Singin' the Blues between the Lines." It was my favorite piece. I loved it when one of the Papier Mache people led a lady dressed in a zebra-striped shirt down to view it. It took her a minute to get it - that art was imitating life & vise versa - but once she did, she agreed to have her picture taken with it.
The 3-dimension aspect of this piece isn't readily evident from the straight-on picture. Here you can see how the heads stick out fully from the base.
Their art took many forms. For my Wisconsin friends, note the cows, done much like the zebras.
There were many pieces that took human form - some of the work reminded me of soft sculpture doll art. But there were abstract pieces as well.
This could not have been a better kick-off to summer - it was such a warm lovely evening. The streets were full of art (and wine) lovers. Pend d'Orielle Winery across from us was a favorite stop.
And this is Timber Stand Gallery kitty-corner from my venue. People obviously were enjoying being out and about and connecting with friends while viewing a wide variety of local art. It was all supposed to be over by 8:00 p.m. but the revelers refused to go home!
3 comments:
Thank you for mentioning us. It was truly a fun evening and I think the crowds were larger this year than last. Now we just have to figure out how we can do this all the time in Sandpoint.
Sincerely,
Jim Quinn
Timber Stand Gallery
It does look like you had a good spot. If they wanted to see them from a distance at least they could look through the glass and then come in for a really close look.
John, wouldn't that be great? All art all the time...we should be so lucky.
Wanda, yes, I liked the fact that people could get the effect of "backing up" by going outside, and I noticed some people did just that.
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