As promised here are a few photos taken at my Opening at Leonardo Gallery on Aug 23rd. Forgive me if things look a bit spread out. I still haven’t figured out how to place photos where I want them within this blog.

This first one shows me with the Gallery Director Zoya Balija and assistants Sarah & Elena.

As you can see we had a pretty good turnout.

One of several collectors who came from Michigan for the show.

And another of several who came from Windsor.

Believe it or not, it takes about 6 months to get ready for an exhibition and Alan Barnes Fine Art is right on the ball. They’ve asked me to send them 4 - 6 small paintings to explore framing options for my exhibition in March 2009. They also asked for a CD of high resolution images to begin planning the catalog.

This is my first shipment to them in Dallas, so most of the day was spent working with my Customs Broker to get documents in order for a Canada / US crossing. The amount of paperwork involved always amazes me. Some artists I know, do it themselves, but I’d rather pay an expert to make sure there are no glitches. I’d hate to see my paintings held in some warehouse because the documents weren’t up to snuff.

My paintings are packed and the box is ready to go. Customs just phoned to say it will take a few days to review and approve the documents. Realistically with Labor Day this weekend, the box probably won’t be shipped until Wednesday.

After all the excitement of the past month, my brain feels full of cobwebs. It’s sometimes hard to shift from my public mode to the solitude of the studio again.

In addition to doing some studio cleaning, I also like to look at my photo  reference file to get re-inspired.

During my recent vacation, I took a whole bunch of photos of the wake at the bow of the ferry from Prince Edward Island. This is just one of them.

My gallery opening on Saturday was so much fun. I’m still coming down from Cloud 9. It was like being a celebrity or something.

Friends and collectors came from Michigan, Windsor and Toronto and everyone had a great time. Leonardo Gallery served wine and soft drinks along with sushi and a cheese tray and one of my closest friends took pictures for me. Just as soon as I get them, I’ll post a few.

My paintings were hung beautifully which really pleased me. The comments on my work were overwhelming which always inspires me to go back into the studio. Several people seemed seriously interested in buying one of my paintings and wanted to go back at a quieter time to look at it again. With the economy the way it is, I do hope something sells.

This is the half page ad my gallery placed in MAG Art magazine to promote my show. I know the print is too small to read here. It simply states …..

SHIRLEY WILLIAMS

“Colorscapes”     August 23 - September 20, 2008

Reception August 23    2 - 5pm

LEONARDO GALLERY 133 Avenue Rd, Toronto

If you’re reading this and you’re near Toronto on Saturday, stop by and see the show !

It’s crunch time now with the opening to my Solo show only 2 days away. I’m getting quite excited.

Yesterday it was time to deliver my paintings for the show. I loaded my van to the gills with 19 large and mid-size canvases, my laptop and an overnight bag. I then drove the 375 km (about 250 miles) from Windsor to Toronto for my 4:00 meeting with Leonardo Galleries.

We unpacked the van and spent about an hour moving the paintings around the gallery to get a preliminary idea of where each piece might look best. They will be hanging the show today and tomorrow.

They already had 13 smaller pieces which were featured in a Group Exhibition earlier this summer. This Solo show will feature a total of 32 canvases, most of which were painted in 2007 and 2008. It will be really interesting to see them all hanging together for the first time.

After our meeting, my stepdaughter and I met for a glass of wine and some great Thai food. I stayed overnight with her in Toronto and drove back to Windsor today.

Just got back from Dallas Friday evening. What a great trip. My husband and I were treated like royalty by our hosts Christine and Eric Brauss, both prominent art patrons in Dallas.

It was Eric Brauss who passed my portfolio on to Alan Barnes Fine Art. My first meeting with Alan was a real pleasure. He is a transplanted Englishman and very unstuffy. We hit it off right away and had a real meeting of the minds.

When I was in my teens, my father was in the Canadian military and we spent a total of 6 years living in Europe traveling to all the museums on weekends. Now, living right on the border of Canada and Michigan, I feel like a cross between an American and a European. Alan has that same sort of “international” viewpoint.

We spent about 3 hours talking about my work, my inspirations and our mutual philosophies about art. It was one of those first meetings where you could go on talking for days.

Alan offered me a Solo Exhibition for March 2009. He’ll be printing a full-color catalog and wants about 30 paintings for the show so the art will need to be ready and photographed long before March.

Just as soon as my Exhibition Opening at Leonardo Galleries this weekend is behind me, it will be back into the studio to paint…… paint……paint.

I’ve been up to my ears with last minute deadlines, emails and press releases for my exhibition. Everything seems to come in waves of activity for me for some reason. This one is a tsunami.

At 7:00 pm I’m flying out of Detroit to Dallas, Texas until Friday. A few weeks ago the owner of a very prominent gallery there phoned me out of the blue. To my surprise, a friend / collector had given him my portfolio. After a few back and forth emails, I’m on my way south to meet with him. He sounds enthusiastic and I’m always interested in new opportunities for representation.

We’ll see what transpires and I’ll fill you in when I return.

Whew !! My invitations are done and mailed !

I spent all weekend organizing my contact list and addressing invitation postcards for my upcoming Solo Exhibition and the Opening Reception on August 23.

The weather was gorgeous, so I went to the studio and opened the large garage door to let the breeze and sunshine in while I addressed cards. With the music playing it was actually very pleasant.

On Saturday, my doctor and her husband came by for a few hours, looking at art for her recently expanded office. They both found quite a few paintings they loved and I was thrilled when they decided to buy several.

• a triptych of 3 canvases measuring 12″ x 12″ each, (12″ x 36″ overall) “Blue Colorscapes”

• a diptych of 2 canvases measuring 20″ x 16″ each, (20″ x 32″ overall) “Blue & Red Colorscape”

• a matted piece on paper measuring 40″ x 32″ which was from an older series

UPS just delivered my exhibition invitations from Leonardo Galleries in Toronto. I had 500 printed for my own use along with 100 of the brochures they designed for the show.

Most of this weekend will be taken up with sorting through my mailing list  and addressing postcards.

This is a solo exhibition which runs from August 23rd to September 30th, 2008. Last February, I won a National Portfolio Competition and this body of canvas paintings is being featured. The Opening Reception will be on August 23rd from 2 - 5pm at 133 Avenue Road, Toronto and everyone is invited. I’m hoping for a good turnout.

It’s always very exciting to have a show, but it always makes me more than a bit nervous. What if no one comes ??? Mustn’t let myself think about that !