I was surfing on Craigslist for any good deals on furniture for my studio and ran across this round table that has a door in the center where you can store things. I thought it would make a great altar/meditation table. So I went to Billerica today and bought it for $30. It was a bit smaller than what I imagined but fits the space I have for it perfectly and stores the stuff I needed it to store. Now just to update the altar for Mabon. Lol. I haven’t updated it since Beltane. I just haven’t been feeling the energy to work on my spirituality.
Category Archives: Travel
A Celebration of Material Exhibition Recap
The Dick Blicks Reception was a lot of fun! Everyone was super friendly and nice and again everyone seemed really interested in my artwork and how it was produced. Its’ always fun to talk about. There was some rumors at the end that Jennifer Wood a Boston Art Dealer was looking into my work, she even said my “Flowers” (the one in the middle) was exquisite! A nice end to a long and frustrating day!
Tomorrow, I head to Dover, NH to pick up the photography supplies. I couldn’t move in my studio today because the main floors were wet and we couldn’t get in at all. So disappointing and frustrating. So it may not happen until end of September after my travels. Maybe we can fit it in before hand… hm.
Darkroom Supplies
Friday evening I am going up to Dover, NH to pick up a darkroom listing. All of this for $75!! I couldn’t believe my luck when I found this and that it was still available – I’m hoping the enlarger works.. if it doesn’t all of that minus the enlarger is still a good deal. It’s a trip, but if it’ll save me a boat load of money then it’ll be worth it. So stoaked for this.
Today, I went and picked up my studio key! FINALLY we can move in and set things up. Excited about that. My dad and I are planning on making the trip to Beverly on Thursday to move some of the stuff in after I drop off my prints for the “A Celebrations of Materials” exhibition in Boston, MA. Then we will make a trip back to Dick Blicks for the reception.
Exhibition Trek Recap
For more Photos see this post!
For my exhibition trip up to Montreal, I chose to use Airbnb since we didn’t need much space. I definitely recommend Christophe and Nath on Airbnb. The price was right, the location was convenient and little did we know that the neighborhood that we stayed in was an artist neighborhood which added to the ambiance of our trip. The studio apartment was very well kept and in good condition.
Below are some highlights and lowlights of each exhibition and some photos!
Highlights – Montreal
– Finding out before we left that my artwork was featured on the poster for the event!
– Finding out that Le Plateau Mont Royal neighborhood is an artist neighorhood, the neighborhood we stayed in!
– Dinner at M!STO Restaurant on Thursday – I had mixed green salad, Medaglioni with rosé sauce, molten chocolate cake – very good!
– The Gala at the Montreal Center D’art for my exhibition
– The table I ate dinner at was very nice and then later; the table next to mine got a bit drunk and adopted me. One of the men at the table was hitting on me and kept saying how attractive I was and also was commenting on my dress and how much he liked the print – he was drunk and so it didn’t matter.
– Having people think that I worked at the Montreal Center because I dressed so well!
Lowlights – Montreal
– SO DAMN HOT ; too hot to do much of anything
– the windows and door to our accommodations weren’t that great.
– I walked to the Gala via the metro through a thunderstorm. Socks got wet so blisters started to develop later on during the trip 🙁
Overall the Montreal Gala diner was what I expected and better than I expected at the same time. The only critique I had was that to encourage the guests to talk to each other more some how (without the alcohol) and to have the black and white photography separate from each other. Some people confused mine withe someone elses because it was below the eye level.
Highlights – Pomfret
– Having people seek me out and ask me questions about my artwork, being genuinely interested in the process, etc
– One of the attendees at the Pomfret exhibit asked me for my autograph and picture. The piece of paper that I signed was a print out of my profile page from the Global Art League website which sponsored the Montreal exhibit – which meant I was googled!
– really good guacamole, cocktails, and deserts!
Lowlights – Pomfret
– Nothing too terrible happened, we just sat at the border from Montreal for a .5 hr so we lost a lot of time.
– by 7 rolled around I was so exhausted and achey I had to keep sitting down. I don’t wear heals all that often, so when I would stand up my legs would just ACHE.
In the end, I think I enjoyed the social atmosphere better at the Pomfret exhibit, but I enjoyed the experience of having a reception and artwork at the Montreal Center. I just wish it wasn’t so hot, but its’ either a heat wave, or tons of snow in Montreal!
Studio Findings #4
So I was only able to fit in two tables it turned out because the legs turned out a lot bigger than expected. It was a nightmare trying to get to the place though and I won’t go into details… and the people weren’t very nice about me only able to take two. I know I originally said all, you never know when it comes to furniture and there was just a lot of miscommunication and frustration…but I finally got workspace! At least one table should fit in the darkroom I’ll be using it for.
This concludes my search for furniture for now. I have gotten everything I need and now I have to go get my art supplies.
Shopping Rounds
Since my family has bought their retirement/beach home a few years ago, my mom and I have officially built a shopping routine. There are a few stores that I just -have- to stop by before I leave because the merchandise is almost always different and then there are the few that I go for my spiritual supplies.
First up is the Earth House. This is a hippie, vintage metaphysical store. Its a great pitstop to buy basic supplies for your ritual needs. For example, my mom and I made a pitstop yesterday because my co-worker was looking for Frankincense and Myrah incense. They have tarot cards, candles, scents, gemstones and crystals, and many other cool things! Can be a bit pricey though depending on what you’re looking for. Some of their other gifty things can be a bit pricey, but not so much of the ritual tools.
Next up is Buddha Beads. I 
absolutely love this store because their prices are pretty decent! I just picked up a really old address book that I’m going to repurpose into a ritual book or sketch book. It’s a 11×17 and has a marble cover and what I liked about it was that the information can be organized alphabetically by using the letters for the addresses. This place is part metaphysical too. If you need selenite it will be there, or a a hindu statue, or chakra jewelry, incense, buddha heads, rough amethyst slabs, singing bowls, you name it. I like the feel of this store better than Earth House though.
The next store that I always find good things at is a thrift store called Local Colour Boutique. My mom and I went in here to look for an orange clutch for my reception gala in Montreal next week but unfortunately 
came out empty handed. The clothing that is picked out is chic enough and I love how the owner displays the clothing by color (well d’oh!) It’s really eye catching. Haven’t found anything yet at this store, we always seem to go in there looking for something specific and end up not finding, I haven’t actually looking around here! Might try that next time.
Finally, the last thrift store I love is St. Joan of Arc. It run by the catholics of St. Joan of Arc church. The prices here are fantastic and the selection is great. The last time I was here I bought cute purple purse as seen in the picture to below. I have found a few good vintage dresses there too, unfortunately not in my size. There were also a few shoes that I liked.
Well there you have it! There are a few other shops we stop at but they aren’t as likeable in my opinion. They tend to be a bit of a hit or miss in terms of pricing and selection – they are Shop For A Song and Hope Chest in Orleans. I had found an awesome painted moon, sun and planet plate at Hope Chest but it was too expensive. Although I did find a sweater there the first or second time I went that I wear a lot. The weekend after Mother’s Day my mom found a candle shade that matched her hydrangea wine glasses that I gave her for Mother’s Day.
Studio Findings #3
I’ve been trying real hard to not spend a whole lot of money on furniture for my studio. Several reasons… A) I may move out before my lease is up…. B) The money spent on furniture can go into my rent and art supplies. This pick-up is labeled number 3 because last Friday I went into Burlington to pick up some storage shelving for my studio as well and a few weeks before that my mom and I went into Cambridge awhile ago and got a tall black bookshelf for it.
I’ve been on the lookout since then for a desk – something that was large enough that I wouldn’t need another one… I finally succeeded! I’ll have to have my dad help put it together, but since it was free, that was one hassle I didn’t mind. A lot of the desks that people tend to throw out are the solid wood kind, which is good for longevity, but for my needs something that is more modern like the one I got was fine. On Sunday when I was looking at work when it was slow, I found a listing that had THREE tables of the exact kind that I wanted, but someone beat me to it 🙁 so sad. I shall prevail! Hehe 🙂
Celebrations Gallery and Shoppes
Celebrations Gallery and Shoppes
I mentioned this on facebook but realized that I didn’t blog about it. My artwork has been accepted into an exhibition in Pomfret, CT called “Illumination” curated by the Celebrations Gallery and Shoppes. The reception will be on July 20th – the same day I come home from Montreal… from 5-8pm. It is only an hour away from Boston! The exhibition runs from July 20th – September 1st!
Thrifting
My mom and I went Thrifting today and I bought a jewelry bag, a purple purse and a white and gold necklace. 🙂
Recap: Reception in NYC at the Empire Hotel
My art reception at the Empire Hotel was a great experience. I am not one for bar scenes but to be in NYC because I was showcasing my artwork was pretty cool. We left Boston at 9 am from South Station and arrived in NYC around 2:30pm left NYC at 10:30 pm and arrived in Boston at 3:30 am and went to bed at 4:30 am :P. We took a cab over to the Hotel and Lincoln Square. Dropped off my artwork at the Hotel and hung out around Lincoln Center until I met up with the art director. The actual event was from 6:30-9:30pm. This event gave me a goal to work towards in my career, traveling to different places to exhibit my artwork.