We are speeding towards the Christmas Season! I don’t have to tell you that we are nearly at Thanksgiving and that put’s us a month away from Christmas. I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m on a bullet train to holidaytown…. Folks are readying their Naughty and Nice lists, Shopping lists, Christmas Card lists… and speaking of cards, I have a Holly Jolly Christmas card in the online shop.
They come in a package of six. Cards are 5×7 in size, blank inside, and the price is $25 with shipping included. Get a jump on those cards by ordering today by visiting the online store!
The Coffee Fairy is in the Shoppe
Look! It’s the Coffee Fairy! And you can find her in the Online Shoppe… She’s smiling and ready to serve… The coffee is a’pourin’… and the zing is about to kick in.
This is a laser print of an original collage on paper; it’s 8.5 inches by 11 inches, bagged in a plastic poly sleeve with backing board and is ready to frame. Retails for only $13, shipping included.
Weekend Launch & Hot Toddys
Saturday, November 10th is Launch Day. The Online Store will be up and ready for orders and just in time for the Holiday Season… So come by the store, check things out… and PLEASE, I would love feedback on your experience at the store. I want it to run as smoothly and as happily as is online-ably possible!
Hot Toddy Sunday at Sidestreet Arts…
If you are in the Portland, Oregon area, you have been officially invited to Hot Toddy Sunday at the gallery (140 SE 28th Ave) on Sunday, November 11th… where you’ll be treated to Bloody Marys… Ha! Kidding! Just checking to see if you were paying attention. You’ll be brunchin’ and munchin’ And day drinkin’ with rum! Come party with the artists… and it’s ALL FREE! Come see my Jazz Collages up close… and enjoy all the wonderful art of my fellow artists at Sidestreet Arts.
Online Store Launch & Good Press
News Flash! I will be officially launching the Online Store on Saturday, November 10th. Buttons, books, zines, greeting cards, magnets, original and reproduced art, will be available to purchase through Squareup… this means you can use a credit card to purchase items and they will be sent to you (prices on the website include shipping). Just in time for Christmas! You will be able to access the store from this website and also from Instagram. Follow the link to my Instagram account in the sidebar.
AND….
Christine Davis wrote a nice article about Sidestreet Arts (and us new members of the gallery) for OregonLive. You can read that here.
We also got a shout from the SouthEast Examiner in our own neck of the woods here in Portland…
Max Jacob & the Reception
I got to the gallery on Friday to find that “Max Jacob” was sold. This is a fine way to start the opening to your show. The reception for The New Member Spotlight Show was a success with many folks grazing the walls and the munchies. It was a successful evening all around.
Max Jacob was a friend of Pablo Picasso. Max first saw Picasso’s work at the successful 1901 Galeries Vollard showing in Paris, Picasso’s first exhibition of his work in the city. Max, a poet, was immediately smitten with the young artist, who had not yet reached fame and fortune. Max took Picasso under his wing, taught him French and introduced him to French literature. And like most of Picasso’s friends, Max was used and abandoned when in need after Picasso had achieved great wealth and fame. Max died in hospital after the Nazi’s abducted him from the abbey where he was staying. Picasso turned his back on Max, refusing to sign his name to a petition for Max’s release. I had such great sympathy for Max, and I was compelled to do his portrait in collage this past summer. Max is smiling, as he did often, and was a constant source of wit and humor for Picasso and his band of artists.
Upcoming Event: Because we like to party at Sidestreet Arts gallery, our next “to do” is on November 11th… it’ll be Hot Toddy Sunday. We’ll be serving a warm antidote to the incoming cold temps and wet weather. Don’t miss “the mulling” … where you can sip hot toddys while hobnobbing with the artists.
November Artings
November Art Goings On… Running up to the holidays… new e-store launch… art show and reception-ing!
There is so much going on at this very moment! Holy bananas! My head is spinning… and the holidays are coming! AAAAAA!
At Sidestreet Arts, the new show just opened … The New Member Spotlight Show features my latest Jazz mixed-media-collage pieces. There are 11 pieces of which over half are brand spankin’ new. I’m so pleased with the new work and they will be up until December 2nd (we extended it a whole week… just because). Don’t miss it!
The opening reception for said show is the First Friday in November from 6-9pm with all the wonderfully delish-y foods our gallery members prepare. (Judy’s making peanut butter cookies..mmm). Can’t make the opening? There’s another reception on the 11th… more on that in a future blog.
If you need to know more about Sidestreet Arts, there’s a link in the left-hand column under “Sites”
I’ve got new greeting cards at Sidestreet as well. Nice 5×7 reproductions of a few of the Jazz artworks in the show… and a few other designs as well. They are vibrant on the outside, blank on the inside.
And Speaking of new stuff… There is soon to be a store launch! I’m nearly done with preparing my online store! It will link from here and you’ll be able to order art, prints, cards, buttons, zines and more! Keep your eyes open on this here blog for the official announcement and launch date!
Whew! You made it to the bottom of the post… like I said, there’s a lot going on.
A Halloween Postcard
Meet this toady fellow who happens to have his spook on! I did a series of these Halloween toads for my Patreonic patrons. If you pledge at $10/mo., an art-postcard is sent to you every month, hand-made by me! This was the October postcard. (If you are interested in becoming a Patreon, click on the Patreon button in the sidebar… there are a variety of levels to pledge at, and different on-going thank you art-gifts as well!) 
Working Artist
Over the past several months, I’ve created quite a bit of artwork, much of which is available though Sidestreet Arts (SE Portland gallery). I’d like to “draw your attention” to matted original mixed-media works and collages for a mere $80. Did I mention that they are matted? All you need is a frame and boom, it’s on your wall. The above mixed media piece is called “The Fun Never Ends”.
These two collages are inspired by Portland; both include city maps and one has a woman in a raincoat.
There are many other pieces to choose from so why not drop by the gallery at 140 SE 28th Ave., Portland (Oregon).
This piece, simply called “Scrappy 1” is framed and wall-ready. As the title implies, the art was created with scraps of paper from various collage projects that were floating around on my desk. The sliced up paper seemed all mix together nicely. I added colored pencil and black ink to make it all cohesive.
Upcoming Show
Sidestreet Arts changes it’s Featured Gallery every month. For the month of November, I’ll have a third of the FG for to spotlight some new work. I have been working steadily on some new artwork to show in the New Member Spotlight Show. I have a total of nine collages, six of which are brand new. The larger works I’ve only shown once, and so they are mostly “slightly new”. 
My fellow new-members and I are a very diverse bunch. Gail is a printmaker whose muses include Victorian wallpapers and Portland flora and fauna. Kathleen is a very “earthy” jewelry artist whose work is rooted in nature (wink) and I’m… well, a tooner/abstract/mixed media/collage person. Whew. I think that perhaps my abstract mixed media works might have blended better for this show…they are more colorful, like Gail’s work… but that’s okay. Perhaps the complete “otherness” of our art is the show’s strength.
Show opens on October 31st and runs the entire month of November. Opening reception: December 2nd, 6-9pm.
Behind the Scenes
Cards and Postcards are underweigh… I have 2 scooter postcard designs to start (there will be more, of course). They are available at Sidestreet Arts (@ $2 each) to begin with and I will be expanding them into an upcoming online shop.
I have set up three greeting cards so far. The two “Jazz” cards correspond with my upcoming show at Sidestreet Arts. I will have brand new collages in “The New Member Spotlight Show” …all with a jazz theme. The cards are 5×7 and will retail for $4. Now that I have a template set up, I will add more cards to the rotation.
In regards to the e-commerce-ing… I am researching and weighing my options. There are 3 options that I am looking at: I have an Etsy shop I haven’t touched for some time; I have a Square account that offers an online mercantile; or I can put a simple shopping cart on this site. It’s no small decision and I am trying to decide which is best for me, my time, and my users. I live by the motto, “Keep is simple, Silly!”