Blistering Valentines


Survived the nuthouse that was the Auction with little incident. I love the fact that the gallery was dressed up like a high school dance; with decorations from the dollar store and hearts with glitter and those little puffy heart stickers that leave a mess when you pry them from the wall. I also have little hope for our youth of today; consider the effort that went into making this auction work. First, GM started gathering donations and bothering local businesses in November to make this work. Over a hundred businesses donated/helped in some way so there was a good chunk of money involved. Second, there were over five hundred guests at this auction. People who have the money to bid on art. This isn't some pot -luck gathering so why is it that only the GM and I were dressed in nice clothes? and all the other volunteers looked like vagrants off the street corner? I shake my head at young people.
So all in all it wasn't bad. We had mad food offerings from a lot of restaurants so not only did we have things like salad, spaghetti and bread we had things like prosciutto/brie on toasted french bread, brandy laced desserts and wine (no worries I sampled all of them).
I had meant to participate in the raffle but got too busy and it's a sad thing; some of the prizes were freaking sweet. One free soup a month for a YEAR at a high end soup restaurant, free massages, pedicures, gift certificates and some prizes where I get the feeling that the business just rumaged through their lost and found box and donated whatever they found. I mean seriously? Who's going to want a lousy baseball cap and a t-shirt and sweatshirt that's XXX large?
It was a lot of fun to see people have a good time bidding on local artists (myself included) and the noise was crazy. The echoes inside the gallery were fierce. I was a 'runner' meaning that when a piece sold I was the person who got to pick it up and run it to the back table to be paid for and picked up by the owner. I am also super, super pleased to say that one of the pieces I entered not only had four bids on it but sold for seventy-five bucks. weee, I'm an artist!
Only a few minor incidents with GM. Towards the end of the auction some of the higher end (quality?) pieces had sold (art done by professors at the school/art by famous local artists) and one particular piece that was ceramic and an oil painting combined had sold and one of the student volunteers went over to take it from the wall. Seeing how I was present when the artist secured it to the gallery wall I knew that the top part of the frame was actually detachable and needed to be handled very carefully so I offered to trade art pieces to hold while we carried it to the table but GM, in fine form, fairly screeched (again) NO!!!!!
Someday I'll work for someone who doesn't think screeching at people is the proper way to get things done. And, haha, there's nothing I could say or do because we were in a crowded room and we were short on time and screeching back at her (as satisfying as that would be) wouuuuldn't quite be a proper thing to do. With the Director and Curator of the gallery watching. and the dean of the art department. and about two hundred people watching.
So the night passed pretty quickly and I figured out that my heels were not made for running as I have a spetacular blister on my little toe now. Ah, that was last Friday.

Yesterday we have a new exhibit that includes a lot of machinary so it's my job now to make sure people don't lift the mini-laptop that's part of the display. and I get to eat leftover muffins. and hear all about the screw ups of GM's doomed relationship. 20 year old boys aren't marriage material but I'll let her figure that out. anybody who complains that much about the shortcomings of their boyfriend doesn't really want to be in the relationship. Got my hours figured out for the next couple of weeks and Monday and Fridays now, I don't work which means I have a nice long weekend. Parents are leaving on the first of March to visit brother but will detail the meaning of this later. For now I am loving the sunny warm weather and I have plenty of art projects to do and even possibly will have a gallery (very small gallery located at a tea house) to display upcoming show. If I can get enough things done. Here's to a week that will pass quickly. I hope.