Balancing act with a commission

River's Edge

Whew..............the commission (diptych, each panel 40"x 30") is completed and installed. My client lives in St. Augustine and wanted something watery with palms and lots of lime and fushia. She has an eclectic and casual beach home filled with paintings and a great appreciation for artists and their need for independence.

She had just purchased a piece from me, "Trapped by the Venus", on right, and was completely captivated by the texture, color, and surface of encaustic.

So doing a piece, in encaustic, for her was going to be a pleasure.

Except everytime I have a commission, I also seem to get Myrtle.................... who shows up with her taunts and criticisms and wisecracks. She sits on my shoulder and tries her best at undermining my work. I guess my personality just invites her, and maybe she makes me paint better, I don't know. She jeers, I talk back, we carry on till she fades away and my voice takes over, and then the painting and I talk. I always tell Myrtle that I have lived by the saying "perseverance furthers" and that she's wasting her breath.

So maybe others struggle too when commissions come there way - to keep to their vision AND create a piece that the client will love. And maybe someday I'll learn to love Myrtle too - for the way she pushes me to do my best.

SHOW: "Contemplation & Collaboration"

Opening night at the Melrose Gallery for Contemplation & Collaboration, Oct 5, 2007. Paintings by Mary Jane Volkmann and Kathleen Wobie:

We finally got the rain, rain, rain that northern Florida has been so desperate for. In fact, it rained, rained, rained on opening day and all evening so our turnout was small but enthusiastic. I'd like to thank all the people who came out in support of our show and thank all the members of Melrose Bay Gallery for offering us the exhibit and helping us with all that goes on in such a production.

Here's a photo of Mary Jane and I before the opening began. These are her beautiful landscape paintings behind us and my butterfly inspired encaustics on the left.

The gallery is open Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and all day Sunday.

We will have a closing party from 1-4 on Saturday, October 27. Hopefully the Florida-Georgia game will be scheduled for that evening and not afternoon.

photos of Two in Transformation

Here are the photos that go along with the last post.

(I'm still learning how to do this program)

Two in Transformation show photos

Thursday, Sept 19 Randy and I worked all day to set up "Two in Transformation" so that the show would be ready in conjunction with a private party that evening: WUFT and "Gardening in a Minute" were celebrating their one year anniversary. It was a lovely evening and I came to appreciate the efforts of WUFT and their programs in a new way. The show will be up thru Oct, 07 - Monday - Friday, 9-5.