Hello friends!!
As I've mentioned in recent posts, I'm having a solo show with Flock Gallery at Work Nest in Concord - the opening for which is tonight!!!
Light refreshments will be served from 5:30-7, but be warned: parking is limited, so carpool!
Poster by Flock Gallery NH
There was this one time, I think it was Autumn of 2012 perhaps... I was driving through Newburyport, MA with Sam Stambaugh and we were headed downtown on one of the town's main streets. We passed what looked like an old church or some other large, colonial building and as we passed it, I noticed, peripherally, a bunch of things laid to the curb – an end table, an old mirror, and what looked to be some large canvases. I must've exclaimed some sort of "Woah!" as I pulled a dangerous U-turn back towards the building, and Sam probably screamed something along the lines of "Are you trying to get us killed?!" Ignoring the remark, I park next to the discarded elements, and begin to handle the canvases. There were four of them, large and varying sizes but roughly 30"x40", stretched linen, primed with Matte Medium or Rabbit Skin Sizing.
Like, I was driving, and found four, perfectly hand stretched canvases discarded on the curb. And I felt that day, as I loaded the canvases into the hatchback of my Forester, that I'm supposed to be painting - I'm doing a good job.
A painting I did in undergrad on one of the Miracle Canvases hangs above my bed where Billie's hanging out.
The Incident of the Miraculous Canvases hasn't been the only time in my life where the Universe has seemingly said "Keep Going," there've been times where I've been given copper, old barn windows, window screens and other junk that happens to be vital elements to my creative practice and the work that I make. Now perhaps it's just me being a scavenger, being constantly on the look out, and keenly observing every junk pile I drive by, but sometimes it feels like more than that. It's one thing to successfully thrift some frames and refinish them to frame a show on a budget - sure, that's crafty, but it's another thing entirely to be killing time at a distant Good Will while you wait for your partner to be done at the walk-in next door and find bundles of stretcher bars for a dollar or two per pair...
or a 36" x 48" canvas for $10 in the same trip. That, to me, is a sign I'm doing the right thing. A reward for perseverance and the universe encouraging me to keep going.
_AKK
Happening right now is the opening reception for the Women's Caucus of Art - NH chapter - 20th anniversary show. As a member, I have two pieces up at the Kimball Jenkins Estate, where the reception is taking place!
If you are anywhere near Concord, please stop by and see my pieces alongside all the other members' works!
The Kimball Jenkins Estate is located at 266 N. Main St.
Detail of The House on Hazel Court, one of the pieces I have on display at the Carolyn Jenkins Gallery.
This morning I dropped off a total of ten pieces, most of which are my most recent work, at Flock Gallery's satellite space, Work Nest. These pieces will be on view for my latest show
Ali Keller: Don't Ask Me What I Really Mean.
The opening reception will take place on Thursday, October 29th from 5:30-7:00p.
Work Nest is located at 85 S. State St. in Concord, NH.
My pieces all set for delivery to Work Space.
Jess and I hung the whole show in less than an hour, and it looks pretty great! Here's a sneak peak of one view:
My work hanging at Work Space in Concord.
There will be more news as the opening approaches (Oct. 29th from 5:30-7)!
I make paintings with a lot of gesso, expired credit cards, and this particular nail.
Observed abstraction
Here's a quick pic of a still life set up I dreamed up. I woke up with this in my head, drew it out, and created it irl.
I've also started this painting that explores this idea/use of space.
The white shape is how I drew the white back drop of the above diorama when it was still just an idea, and now I'm working with shadows to allude to space.
Wish me luck!
_AKK
HELLO DEAR WORLD!
Today marks the launch of my very first internet store!
You can find it HERE!
I've long been longing for a way to sell my work in a fast, convenient way, but didn't like the idea of involving a third party website like etsy or saatchi (strange, I know, bc they actually get traffic over there, haha, oops!).
Anyway, as a special celebration, I'm inviting you all to use this promo code:
This will give you $50 off your order from now through the end of October. So please, browse around, tell your mom and your friends, and support artists who suffer this terrible affliction the rest of the world seems to honor as "creativity".
As always, thanks!
_AKK
*If you live locally, don't go through the shop as you'll be paying shipping for no reason! Please email me or shoot me a message about what pieces you'd like and it'll save both of us a UPS headache ;)
**If you don't see something you like, but know of a piece I've made that you're interested in, shoot me an email! My webshop has a 20 item limit, so lemme know and I'll switch things around so you can get to the piece you'd like!
Here's something I've been working with:
_AKK
Hello friends :)
A few updates here about some new developments. A few weeks back I was notified that I was chosen to be featured in Starry Night Programs' catalogue, Artists To Look Out For. The catalogue itself will be pushed out to SNP's mailing list and will also be available for purchase on Lulu and Amazon.
Also, we have some updates about the upcoming exhibit celebrating the WCA-New Hampshire's 20th Anniversary. I will have two pieces in the show (the same two to be displayed at Reclamation II), and they will be on display at The Carolyn Jenkins Gallery at the Kimball Jenkins Estate from October 5th – November 20th.
While exciting, this means that on November 21st, I will be picking up the two works from The gallery in Concord, and driving them straight to Nave Gallery in Somerville, MA.
Talk about #hustle.
In addition! I've been communication with the lovely ladies at FLOCK NH to try and organize a show sometime this fall at their satellite space at Work Nest in Concord, but it's still in its "idea phase," so more details on that to come.
_AKK
