Upon the start of the Surreal Salon exhibit at the Baton Rouge Gallery Center for Contemporary Art, my painting “Complacent” has sold. The exhibit will be up through the 28th of January, so if you haven’t seen this piece in person, now is your last chance. It’s fairly large- 48″ across by 24″ high, so there’s a lot that can’t be captured in a jpeg on the internet. This painting was an image that came to me, but I sketched it out and waited to use it later when the time was right. It fit perfectly with the social commentary series I was working on at that time.
Also of note, Robin Miller’s recent article in The Advocate (the Baton Rouge, LA newspaper) about the Surreal Salon. My painting was also featured with the article, so I was happy to find that out as well. You can read it under the Press Section of my website at http://www.amyguidry.com/press.html.
I’m happy to say that two of my paintings have sold over the past week. That’s one thing about holiday shopping that I don’t mind. It goes without saying, but art is an original and personal gift, so I’m always delighted when someone wants to give one of my creations to their loved ones. That said, my painting, “Evolving” is now going to make someone’s Christmas merry. If you are unfamiliar, “Evolving” is from my New Realm series, which you can view in its entirety at www.AmyGuidry.com.
"Food or Pet? How Do You Decide?" by Amy Guidry
And if you read my blog often, you will be more than familiar with this painting- “Food or Pet? How Do You Decide?” This piece is currently in the “Feast” exhibition at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin (you may recall me mentioning it…). It sold just the other day, though it may or may not be a gift. Could be a gift to one’s self… This painting comes from my social commentary series, which is also on my website.
So with that said, I’m off to take care of my own holiday errands. (And get some new photos of my next painting…so be sure to check back.)
"Boarfish" by Amy Guidry; From the New Realm series. (C) Amy Guidry 2009
I’ve recently sold another painting from my New Realm series. This one is titled “Boarfish” and was recently on exhibit at Galerie Lafayette in Lafayette, LA. I wanted to spotlight this character from a larger piece I had done titled “Acceptance.” BTW, “Acceptance” is now at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, TX, so if you’re in the area, you should stop by to see it in person. It’s definitely a conversation starter to say the least. And since many people ask, here’s something educational for you (see, you can actually LEARN things on my blog…you’ll thank me later when this comes up on Jeopardy). According to Wikipedia, Boarfish is the common name of two unrelated groups of fishes: All fish of the family Caproidae are called boarfish. Some fish of the family Pentacerotidae are called boarfish. For the record, I knew nothing of this when I came up with my paintings, I just like boars and fish a lot. So I combined the two to create a friendly “beast” for my surreal fairytale. And if you’d like to see more of this series, be sure to visit my website at www.AmyGuidry.com
A little while back I had posted my painting of “Maggie,” a portrait commission I had finished. I had yet to paint Maggie’s sister, Sadie, since we (the clients and I) were still deciding on photos. And another portrait commission had popped up in-between. Sooo, I’ve finally finished “Sadie!” This little girl has the most amazing eyes. The photo here does not do the painting justice, but trust me, those kid’s eyes are out of this world. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but both Sadie and Maggie have pink jackets on in their paintings. Or maybe it’s just that I gravitated towards pink and chose those?? Anyway, I will get both paintings on my website soon. So check back later! www.AmyGuidry.com
From the Alice in Wonderland series. Copyright Amy Guidry 2009
Well, it’s sold! I sold the last remaining painting from my Alice in Wonderland series, “The Search for the White Rabbit.” This was the largest of the series at 12″ x 12″ and featured Alice with the White Rabbit as well as a bunch of imposters. This was also entirely acrylic on canvas whereas the smaller pieces in the series were acrylic and ink on canvas. It was fun while it lasted, but I am working on a whole new body of work. It’s rather time-consuming (and as we all know, I don’t have much to spare as it is), but I’m very excited to about this work. And I’ll be posting it, too. Soon! In the meantime, you can view more of my work at www.AmyGuidry.com.
Whenever I agree to do a show, or a commission, or a press release, or all of the above, it doesn’t seem overwhelming at the time. And perhaps it’s because I agree to do all of these things in a short span of time that makes it overwhelming at times. I really don’t know when to stop, though, because I’m one of those people that is always going. You know the ones. I’m going even if I’m sick. I don’t have time for germs! I’ve got paintings to finish and treadmills to run on. You get the picture. It’s just hard for me to sit still.
So maybe this helps to explain why my posts have been on hiatus recently. A small hiatus, but still, a hiatus. I’m just now catching up on things. So aside from wrapping up one show, then getting into another show (No Dead Artists), and gearing up for my next solo show (October is right around the corner!), I’ve also finished another commission piece. This is an 11″ x 14″ painting of “Isaac.” I’ve actually done two paintings of Issac, but don’t have any photos to share of the second one yet. I’ll get there eventually… Anyway, I may have to remove some work from my website before I add any of these new pieces because it’s getting to be a bit full. However, you can still see more of my work at www.AmyGuidry.com. Or in person at Galerie Lafayette next month!
If you’ve been following along, you probably know by now that I had an opening last weekend. I’m sure many of my blog readers were not in the vicinity of Hammond, LA… what are the odds, really? So, I’ve posted just a few photos from the show. (You can see more where that came from in my Events section on my website, so here’s the link: www.AmyGuidry.com/events.html.) There were a lot of people in attendance, especially since the opening was held during “Hot August Night,” which is an annual art & music festival. My painting, “Cocoon,” sold during opening night. The show received a highly positive response from those in attendance. I ran out of business cards before the night was over! Note to self: bring a backup stash of cards in a ziplock bag and cram into teeny tiny purse.
So if you haven’t seen the show and are in Louisiana, you can still check out my work! My New Realm series is on display at the Oak Street Gallery in Hammond, LA at 111 North Oak St. (go figure). And for a virtual show experience, go to my website at www.AmyGuidry.com.
“Cocoon” by Amy Guidry- SOLD
Amy Guidry with her painting, “Introspective”
New Realm Solo Exhibition at Oak Street Gallery, Hammond, LA
Installation view of New Realm exhibition
From the New Realm series. Copyright Amy Guidry 2009
Whew! I’ve been busy… sorry for the delayed posting. As you may already know, I have a show coming up at the Oak Street Gallery in Hammond, LA this month. That entailed a trip with a U-Haul to get all of my work over there. Lots of big canvases that wouldn’t fit in my Jeep. In addition to my usual painting, I also did a portrait commission and my hand is starting to feel it! But I think the results paid off, so that makes it a little easier to endure. This is a painting of “Maggie”- I’ve met her before but I’m sure she doesn’t remember that. Anyway, I got a little crazy with the background and took on something much bigger than I anticipated. I do like the way the bricks turned out, though. No pain, no gain, right? Is that applicable here? I also played with the color scheme a little for an almost monochromatic feel. She was already wearing pink but I toned down the hot pink-ness in her shirt and applied more pinks and peaches to the bricks. Oh, and it’s an 11″ x 14″ acrylic on canvas!
I will be painting Maggie’s sister soon, so I will post that once I have it finished. In the meantime, check out my website for some more news in my Press section! http://www.AmyGuidry.com
“Beginning” by Amy Guidry; From the New Realm series; SOLD; Copyright Amy Guidry 2009
For those of you planning on attending a local exhibition of my work (I tried to schedule more local shows this year for a change!), I have one coming up this summer! I will be showing at the Oak Street Gallery in Hammond, Louisiana this August. It will be a solo exhibition and will be up for the entire month. The opening reception will be August 21st, which is in conjunction with “Hot August Night.” “Hot August Night” is an annual event featuring wine tasting, art exhibits, live music, shopping and fine dining in Historic Downtown Hammond, LA. So if you are in the area, you can plan on a full itinerary for the evening!
The opening will be held from 6-9pm, while the festival itself is until 10 pm. I will be in attendance at the opening, so feel free to stop by and meet me in person!* There will be many paintings that have never been previously exhibited. All work is from my New Realm series, and will also feature the 5″ x 5″ series.
And if you won’t be able to travel, you can also check out my work online at www.AmyGuidry.com.
I get asked to donate my artwork fairly often. And this topic has been broached with me before in the art marketing class that I have conducted. So I thought it might be helpful to offer some insight into donations. First, you won’t be able to do them all- and please don’t feel bad about it. I get letters and emails requesting my work, sometimes several in one month. If I donated to all of them, I’d be out of paintings. And a girl’s gotta eat, so I have to have something left to sell. Next, you should decide who you’d like to help. Some charities hold the same art auction every year, so if it’s one that you would like to help on a continual basis, you can go ahead and plan on that and mark your calendar for it in the upcoming year(s). Or, you may like to alternate who you help and plan on donating to a different charity next go round just to even out the playing field a bit.
When deciding on who you would like to donate to, there are a few things to take into consideration. What does your donation do for this charity, organization, etc.? What will you be supporting? Does this follow your personal beliefs? What type of venue will hold the event? Who are the other participating artists? Would you be honored to have your work seen in such an event and amongst the other artists’ work? What kind of publicity will you gain from this experience? Will your donation conflict with another obligation, be it an exhibit, juried show, etc.?
I know this is a lot to consider and may even sound selfish, but the truth is, there’s much more to consider when donating your art than just simply writing a check to support a cause. This is about more than just money because it also involves time and labor- lots of it. You’re an artist, you know that it wasn’t easy to create this piece you’re about to give away. It took time, supplies, energy, creativity, willpower, and probably involved a personal sacrifice ranging anywhere from sleep to your family. So yes, you should consider what you get out of this. And if you decide that you can’t part with your work for whatever reason, but would truly like to help, simply write a check for this organization, charity, etc. You’ll directly help them without feeling guilty. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with just stating the truth- “I’d love to help, but I have [fill in other obligation here] and won’t be able to. But please add me to your mailing list, I’d love to donate next year.”
Thoughts? Questions? Let me know, either here or at www.AmyGuidry.com!
