Thankful for artists, art lovers and the artist's life in San Antonio

Those of you who've received my newsletter over the years are likely wondering what happened?! After coming to expect regular posts of freshly finished paintings and works in progress and news of workshops and art-related travel... suddenly seven weeks with no posting. Well! I'll try to describe my recent transition/transformation and follow with a promise to stay much better in touch.

Rice, 11x14 oil
On September 1st I became the owner of Nueva Street Gallery in La Villita, San Antonio's Historic Arts Village by the Riverwalk. I went from owning a tiny gallery with my own work and the work of three other artists, to a gallery with now 20 artists' work in addition to my own. The thrill of the new space (s-p-a-c-e!) comes with the responsibility to represent some really terrific artists the very best I can. I'm in a voracious learning mode and frankly working my fanny off: picture me in the midst of running the gallery (ringing up sales, packing and shipping, hanging artwork, talking with visitors, cleaning, running errands, receiving new art from the artists, writing checks and paying bills) with a long schedule of portrait commissions whose due dates are fast approaching.... are you seeing a whirlwind with a paintbrush? That's me!
And I'm thankful for all of it.

Kim, 20x16 oil.

I love the gallery and the artists and their amazing work and I LOVE meeting the visitors who wander in during their vacations or on a break from the conference they're attending. You already know I love painting, so all this adds up to a special kind of heaven. A heaven where I'm not getting a lot of sleep just now, but heaven just the same.

My last post announced our opening celebration party October 2nd. We had somewhere between 200 and 300 guests... and I had been worried no one would come! It was a fun night with wonderful music, tasty refreshments, good friends, artists and art.

My online painting broadcasts have been less regular lately, adding a long live model session on a Saturday from the gallery:

Nazir (in progress) 28x22, oil
and subtracting a couple of Wednesday nights. I've completed several commissions and even worked on a couple of paintings "for me." (I'll show you soon...)

Through this whole process, from the "just dreaming out loud" stage this spring, to the reality today, I've had the help of my very close friend, Ugur Kilic.

(Pronunciaton lesson: Oor Kuhlutch. My font won't allow it, but the "g" should have a line over it, making it silent, and the "c" should have a small hook under it, making it a "ch" sound. Her name means Good Luck, or Good Fortune in Turkish. So true.) Ugur helped through packing, moving, inventory making, accounting, errand running, furniture and fixture buying, rearranging everything, creating the artists' bios that hang with each artist's work, greeting and talking with the visitors, helping them complete their purchases, packing and shipping and driving packages to FedEx.... in other words, she's been invaluable and amazing and has worked her fanny off, too. I'm deeply thankful. Ugur is a terrific graphic designer and photographer who shows her fine art photography and mixed media work at Nueva Street Gallery.

For all of the doom and gloom you hear these days about the economy and how tough things are for artists now, we're doing great. Artists are making beautiful things and we're helping to put them into the hands and lives of people who recognize the value and beauty and life-enhancing properties of original art.

I promise to post sooner next time and hope you'll stay in touch, too!

Thankful for your interest and good wishes,

Susan