The most common question at my solo show was...

On April 15 my solo show opened at Gallery 825.  I gotta tell ya, opening day was completely energizing and exhausting and it went by just like that.  

Friends came from near and far (and far I mean Ottawa, Canada and Sarasota, Florida) to celebrate with me.  There's nothing more important than showing up for friends and traveling across the country to be there in person really leaves an impression on a girl!  As a thank you I did bring freshly baked cookies.  Listen, I know how to be a good friend, too! 

There were three other solo shows and those artists brought in their cohorts to feast their eyes on four installations which made for a pretty festive atmosphere.  Did I mention there were cookies?

The most common question I heard was, "Where do you get the televisions and radios that you use in your work?"  My standard answer was Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Garage Sales and my favorite "garbage picking".  

After answering this same question over and over, I started to elaborate a little bit, sharing stories of going to creepy abandoned homes listed on Craigslist.  With one, the guy was a no-show but there was so much crap on the front lawn I did find one of those vintage glasses where the couple goes nude when you add cold water.  So it wasn't a complete loss.  I once went to an estate sale of a deceased old man whose garage was filled with semi-restored TVs and radios.

Turns out there are a lot of old men who spend their twilight years fixing these old relics hoping to bring them back to life.

They can't bear to let them go while they're alive.  Then they pass and the executors have no idea what to do with it all. Sad.  My most recent acquisitions came from a 100-year-old man who owned an antique store.  He passed and the executor of his estate had a weekend to liquidate all the contents because the building it was housed in had sold.

Everything was $5 and my inner hoarder was DYING.  These console radios are gorgeous pieces of hand-crafted work made with high-quality hardwoods.  I filled my pickup truck to the top and couldn't take anymore.  I shared the listing with Facebook vintage TV groups but there's no way my share made a dent in that inventory.  It kills me to think it all went into the landfill.  I once made the mistake of sharing my work with a Vintage TV collector's Facebook group.  One guy was sending me threatening private messages.  TV restoration guys aren't generally very happy about vintage sets that are converted into houses for cats, bars, fish tanks... or art.  Hey, we can't save them all.  That being said, if you've got a lead on a vintage appliance, let me know!

Meanwhile, if you missed the opening, don't worry!  As long as you're reading this before May 19, 2023, there's still time to see it.  Get in touch with me or Gallery 825 to make an appointment.