Photos from "Cinema Verite" at JoAnne Artman Gallery

This past Thursday was my opening at JoAnne Artman Gallery in Laguna Beach. It was an early start as my husband and I woke up at 4am that day in order to start driving by 5am and make it to the opening. Okay, so we didn't really have to leave so early, but I wanted to get there by noon, stop by the gallery before the opening to see if any wax needed "touching up" or polishing, and check into our hotel.

The trip down there went surprisingly pretty quick (only 6 hours!) as we listened to "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain on the drive down. It was a good book to listen to because I could zone in and out and still be entertained without feeling like I missed something. Most books on MP3 I have a hard time following since the stories are pretty linear. You zone out for a second and you miss an important part, and since it's not like actually reading a book, where you can turn back the page and reread it, you zone out and miss a part, well you're just screwed. Good luck "rewinding" and finding the part you missed. This book, if you haven't read it, was more like little vignettes, which made it perfect for a long drive south. Of course, now after listening to this book, we think twice about where we eat and on what day of the week we go out to dinner...

We made it to the gallery just before noon, and was greeted very warmly by JoAnne. She showed us around the gallery (which is made up of three good sized rooms, not including the back room or storage room). The front room is where my work was hung and the show looked good. I was pretty excited. Some of the paintings did have a few flaws that I wanted to repair, so I got out my blow torch and went to work. I had forgotten my mask that I use so that I don't inhale the propane from the torch (my face is pretty close to the torch since I am examining the wax pretty closely) and perhaps it was that, or my lack of food (I had eaten 5 hours ago and was missing lunch), but suddenly, I didn't feel so well. I managed to sit down before I started to black out for a few seconds. I sat for a few minutes and got back up, only to have it happen again. We decided that it was time for me to stop using the torch and get some food, before heading to the hotel to rest, perhaps even take a nap. I didn't want to be "that girl" and pass out during my own art reception!

Lunch was had and a nap was taken. I still felt a little "weird in my head" (okay, insert all the jokes you want about my being already "weird in the head" here) but I was doing pretty well for someone who blacked out earlier. I was going to make it through the night.

The reception went well. There was a live band to entertain everyone in the front room, next to my art, where they played covers of rock classics. People flowed in and out steadily, asking questions about the art, looking around. It was a great two hours of art viewing and chatting with the crowd. The ladies at the gallery did a wonderful job! The show will run until the end of November so if you are in town, stop by!

Installation shot...

More installation shots....

People starting to come into the gallery.

My husband!

My little brother, John, drove an hour to come to my reception. Love that kid!

Photograph by Brooke Shaden, which were all in the second room.

Another shot of Brooke Shaden's work in the second room of the gallery.

Brooke Shaden (left) with Erin and Taylor, the lovely ladies of JoAnne Artman Gallery.

JoAnne Artman watching the band.