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Some Comments, Pics and Afterthoughts on My Solo Show

The E Word

I have touched with a sense of art some people – they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to that joy for an artist? — Mary Cassatt

It was such a great experience to spend so much of this year preparing for my first solo show, and then all too soon and before I felt ready, to have the work get hung, to party with friends old and new at the fantastic opening, to have more people stop by throughout the month to look at my body of work, and finally to reach the closing day with my artist talk, at which so many people I know well and really respect came to listen to me talk about my work. Actually, that was a little intimidating for someone who’s a bit of an introvert. 🙂

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My Artist Talk Went Well!

Artist Talk

Thanks to everyone who came out for my artist talk yesterday.  We had a great little crowd, and a wonderful discussion.  I sold another painting and a print yesterday, too!  But mostly, I really enjoyed talking to and with all those who came!

Thanks again to all for spending a gorgeous Sunday afternoon with me!

Photo courtesy of Clay Leben.

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Opening Reception for the The E Word

Opening Reception for the The E Word

Many thanks to everyone who made it out to the opening reception for my first solo show!  It was a great opening!

People started to arrive right on the dot, and before long, friends and art fans were arriving so quickly that I did not get to meet at least a couple of dozen guests (sorry!), nor talk to quite a few of my friends!  The good advice I got from another artist was indeed accurate: “Think of it like a wedding, you won’t be able to have a complete conversation with anybody, but they won’t mind.”  At least I hope no one minded!

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Reminder: Art Opening Tonight at Bay6 Gallery

"Julia's Garden" Oil on canvas 16" x 20" © 2009 Marilyn Fenn
“Julia’s Garden” Oil on canvas 16″ x 20″ © 2009 Marilyn Fenn

Solo show of over 40 of my recent paintings!

I hope to see you at my opening reception tonight – Saturday, October 10th, 7:00 – 10:00pm.

Food and drink will be provided, with music by The Treachery of Others.

Bay6 Gallery is located at:
5305 Bolm Rd., Unit 6
Austin TX
78721
Link
View Map

The show continues on weekends through November 1st.

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Getting Excited About My Solo Exhibit!

"Floating Islands" Oil on canvas Triptych, 36" x 12" © 2009 Marilyn Fenn
“Floating Islands” Oil on canvas Triptych, 36″ x 12″ © 2009 Marilyn Fenn

In eight days, I will be greeting friends and fans at my solo show at Bay6 Gallery in East Austin. I am really looking forward to that moment!

Getting ready for this has been an amazing process.  Doing all the necessary organizational stuff besides trying to paint every moment that I can for weeks and weeks and weeks, that is.

I sent out email invitations to most of the people I know; and Bay6 has also invited a large number of folks.  We’ve notified people via email, Facebook, Twitter, EventBrite, Eventful, and word-of-mouth, and we may be expecting a great turnout!  I picked up my beautifully printed postcards today from Tom at ipgprint.com; I will be mailing those tomorrow.  Plans are set for music, food, and drink, and we will start to hang the show next week.  I owe some responses to emails and blog commenters, which I will try to get to as soon as my mental energy rolls in that direction.

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The Challenge of Becoming a Non-Representational Painter

"State of Mind" Oil on Canvas 16" x 12" © 2009 Marilyn Fenn (work in progress)
“State of Mind” Oil on Canvas 16″ x 12″ © 2009 Marilyn Fenn (work in progress)

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. – Jonathan Swift

Abstraction is real, probably more real than nature. – Josef Albers

I am getting very excited about my upcoming solo show. I’m painting like mad, and I’m beginning to be very happy with some of the results. I think I may just have a future in this wonderful world of painting!

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The E Word: Recent Works by Marilyn Fenn

"Yellowstone" Oil on canvas 16" x 12" © 2009 Marilyn Fenn
“Yellowstone” Oil on canvas 16″ x 12″ © 2009 Marilyn Fenn

Solo show this October at Bay6 Gallery & Studios, Austin

My new exhibition, “The E Word,” explores life at different scales: from the elements of evolution to the essentials of our environment, and on to the endless reaches of space. Through the interplay and juxtaposition of the micro with the macro, I try to depict on canvas what nature could do in the world, but hasn’t gotten around to yet. There are always new combinations, and with them, new opportunities for capturing the kind of emergent qualities that animate the world; new ways of discovering parts whose sum creates a greater whole.

This wealth of possibilites lies in the inescapable fractal nature of the physical world: tiny crystals under a microscope resemble mountain ranges; neurons mirror nebulae; zoosphores echo supernovae.

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Color is the Thing for Me

"ZOUNDS!!!" Oil on canvas 6" x 6" © 2009 Marilyn Fenn
“ZOUNDS!!!” Oil on canvas 6″ x 6″ © 2009 Marilyn Fenn

I am getting very excited about my upcoming solo show.  I’m painting like a madman, and I’m beginning to be very happy with some of the results.

When I made arrangements months ago to do this show, I had no fear about showing my work, as I had just come off of a long period of intense and successful creation, and was (and still am) very happy with the work I had created.

But I was ready to move on to the next thing creatively, though I wasn’t sure what it was.

So I began this year by doing lots of tiny sketches and many small paintings, searching for a satisfying direction.  I attempted a few larger paintings, but they went awry.  At a workshop, I created some new work in encaustic, though in the end I wasn’t happy with most of them.  To date, I have completed about 70 pieces this year — which is a lot for me — though most of them are sketches and small paintings.

Then, finally, the realization that color is the “thing” for me, and as long as I’m true to that, I’m happy, and my work succeeds.  The other issues – the other elements that go into an abstract painting (shape, form, surface quality, etc.) I continue to think about and work on as well.