Exposed @ Miami Art Basel Week

The business of art is really funny. It seems as though the more successful you are at selling, the less you are seen as a serious artist.

It's an old paradigm that the true artist is in it for the process, for the connection to the more spiritual message, and would never stoop to the crassness of market transactions. But I digress... I am still digesting Miami Basel Art Week. It was lovely to experience the fairs and see all the artworks and catch up with old friends. I did this year a little different though. This year I went for exposure. #Lifeisart #Miamiartcommunity #Spectrumartfair #Miamiartist #paintingperformance #workinprogress

I set up an easel in a crowded corner of a crowded art tent. Paintings and sculptures hung and spun around me as I attempted to paint a night-highway scene from a photograph I had taken the night before. Working in the middle of crowds, I often lost track of the time, and "surfaced" feeling as if suddenly caught in my nightgown in someones living room, during a raucous party. Making conversation seemed an effort, so I mostly laughed and asked questions. Adults seemed to have glazed over eyes. The children were the ones who stayed focused the longest.

They had good questions and I became a teacher (again).

Here are some shots of the progression of the painting:

Art Fusion

Miami prepares for Art Basel and it starts tonight with lots of "hoopla"! It is a time of circus-like parties, tents, bubbly drinks and old friends wanting to sleep on the couch. Every evening there are two or three enticing invitations and still we must ignore all the brunches, lunches and performances that happen while we are at our day job. To be an artist in Miami and stay home is either an act of defiance or delusional (I have done both)... but it is impossible to ignore the opportunities that all this art and all these art lovers bring into our town for one week. There is so much to see, to listen to, to feel and experience. It's an art fusion happening. The air literally flickers with idea sparks.

 Even the buildings along south beach swish and sway to the music.

 Lights at dusk dress a champagne landscape. Miami never looked better!

detail from one of my embroidered paintings

Our ears are on the pulse, and we hope to be inspired. The trick is to not go broke and to get as many free or discounted passes as possible. On Saturday as part of [Art Fusion] from 1-5pm I will be Live Painting in booth 101 in the Spectrum fair, near midtown. If you need a pass, shoot me an email (tillystudio@aol.com)

Meter maid

Because I love pushing pigment over anything, I am thrilled to have been invited to spray paint a Miami Dade Authority owned parking meter in Wynwood, the funky and vivacious arts district of Miami! The theme was "Perseverance" and I took inspiration from Hurricane Irma and the embroidery I did through out the ordeal last September.

The event was sponsored and organized by BEEFREE MEDIA. I was so happy to do my first total spray paint project. It was cool to put the fears and worries that were so pervasive when Hurricane Irma was looming across all of Florida, into an image of love and protection, and onto a machine that measures out Time into small increments. 

Look for the meter on North Miami Avenue and near 28th Street. Seven other artists were also invited to paint meters.#mpacommunity #delvs102 #mutavision #courtneyeinhorn #lardzan #hermesberrio #arts_elidea

by Hermes Barrio who taught me somethings about spray caps!

Elidea working on her international collage of "perseverance" symbols

Enthusiasm reigned

delvos102 and her message about saving the Oceans

Hurricane art

Michael at work

embroidery in process

the clean up

portrait of a chainsaw

Respect the nature

Aftermath in Miami

#hurricaneirma #cleanup

riverfront property

celebratory toast

us in a little rowboat

says it all...

lawn debris...

refugee from weather

#hurricaneirma

Shelves empty of cans and water before storm

plants all moved safely indoors, windows taped

eating after power goes out

my car!!!!

living for two days in the dark

Hurrican Irma: where imagination was worse than reality

We survived the massive Category 5 hurricane barreling on top of the state of Florida! Living in the "toe of the sock" I opted not to evacuate. I imagined being stuck in the car on a highway while the storms raged around me to be a worse fate than hunkering down at a friends solid concrete ranch home, a little inland from my apartment block.

 

All is well..

We are cleaning up debris. 

Thanks for your concern.