Hand-built clay sculpture, Serenity, by Tammy Vitale of Tam’s Originals
If I had been alltogether last night, and remembered my camera, I could share with you today the great party and opening I had at Hoopla Traders last night. Many thanks to Dhyana for driving!
Unfortunately, I wasn’t alltogether and the camera stayed at home resting. Dhyana and I, however, joined Hoopla owners Laurie and Denise and their staff, Mark and Robyn, and their clients – too many to remember names – for a grand gala of an evening. By 8:45 there was no space to move in the shop, and the folks who were there were there to browse and buy.
What an eclectic gathering of people! For the first time in my life I understand why people would want to live on capitol hill. One couple who bought my clay collage, Healed, had won the Governor’s Cup (sailing) 5 times in a row. So of course they know St. Mary’s County across the Patuxent River from Calvert County where I live. And they also "got" the art. The gentleman said it was "full of stories." Since my goal in creating art is to make a space between viewer and viewed and keep the space open enough to change as the viewer changes, I couldn’t have received higher praise.
Then there was C and her husband who are totally unforgetable. C is all enthusiasm and spirit and she and husband wound up with 2 totems (clay collages) and a tile and an eye on a 3rd. They stayed and visited for hours. It’s always fun to get to know your clients! While the collages were similar in that they incorporated "love notes" – and no I don’t have a picture of either because they just don’t photograph well, sorry – each was destined for a different spot: one in DC, one in West Virginia.
The weather was perfect – July in DC is never this mild but we are continuing on from a mild June and it was comfortable to sit out front of Hoopla in great wood chairs and visit with passers-by and one another while enjoying the whimsical garden sculptures of flamingos and pelican (who left for a new home before the night was over).
Robyn hung all the work and made it look as good as ever I have seen my work look. Lights and juxtaposition were excellent and I want her to come hang every show I put up from here on out. Mark is a wonderful and witty host and the food and wine flowed all evening long. Even if there weren’t great jewelry (Kim Reyes), clothes, cards, purses, furniture (comfortable furniture! – try it before you buy it) and more, the food and fun would be worth trying some 2nd Saturday. So those of you who are local, do think about marking your calendars and going down to 8th Street SE for a gran ole’ time.
Many thanks to everyone, but especially to Laurie and Denise who gave me this opportunity!
Thought for the Day: "Ours is a culture that tells us ‘bigger is always beter’ and that ‘more’ is better too. As artists, big is not always better and more is sometimes less. As artists, when we overdiversify, we also grow diffused. …committing to help others, we may under commit to ourselves…We cannot chronically and repeatedly make up the shortfalls of our colleagues without exhausting ourselves an dour resources….as humans we are finite. We do tire,… Julia Cameron, Walking in this World: The Practical Art of Creativity
