From Dim-Sum to DC.

So, being in the car with my brother for four and a half hours wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Michael was nice enough to sleep for most of the ride so I was alone with my thoughts and the beautiful scenic views that New Jersey, Delaware and Baltimore have to offer. 

::crickets::

We woke up early this morning so that I would be able to spend more time in the city before we left for DC.  We ended up back in Chinatown for a Dim-Sum breakfast.  The restaurant we had intended on going to was closed for repairs, but we found another amazing Dim-Sum up the street.  The food was wonderful, and I loved the ritualistic feeling of the way the meal was presented. 

Mandatory photo....and then we were off. 

Photo courtesy of Michael. That's me in front of the Statue of Liberty. What do you mean you can't see it? It's right there...in the middle...that little vertical line. There you go. See? That's me in front of the Statue of Liberty. 

I'm not sure why I'm smiling...Michael and I hopped out on the side of the Jersey Turnpike to take this gem. After this adventure I decided it was okay to take the photos from the car if it meant not being killed. 

We arrived in DC at my sister's Georgetown apartment around 5:30.  There is something really wonderful about DC in the early evening, the pace slows down a bit as people relax after their commute home.  I'm happy knowing I will be staying put in DC for a few days before the longest leg of the trip to Charlotte!

Up Next : Bea visits her childhood home, Eastern Market and the Cherry Blossom Festival! (ETA: Eh, doesn't matter) 

Related Posts: 

And We're Off! 

So Long Ma! So Long Pa! 

So Long Ma! So Long Pa!

Leaving Portsmouth RI. That sign I'm pointing to says "Georgia or Bust" and it's with me for the long haul  (courtesy of my co-workers.)

I left Portsmouth RI this morning with New York City as my destination.  I had to alter my original route a bit in order to avoid some extreme flooding along 95 South. It ended up being pretty nice, my detour brought me through Westerly, RI which holds a special place in my heart. My family spends a good chunk of our summer in a beach cottage there, a tradition dating back to the 1940's! The drive was pretty uneventful, my Michael Jackson tape made its first (but no where near its last) appearance, and I continued my French Lessons. Mon pere l'homme d'affair!! La boisson et bon!! L'apartment est comfortable!! 


Anyways, I have a goal on this trip to take a photo of every "Welcome!" sign as I enter each state.  Connecticut was easy since there was a drive off right after the sign (apparently I'm not the only tourist who has been through Connecticut.)

(see the Subaru? Isn't she a beaut!?)

Easy! The one in New York, however, was not quite as simple. Well, it was pretty simple, just intimidating pulling off to the side of a four lane highway. 

I did got a honk of encouragement from a eighteen wheeler though! I'm also taking these photos with my cellphone and sending them to an online project my friend has begun. I made it to NYC fine and found my way to my brother Michael's apartment. I'm pretty proud of my driving in the city, I even yelled at a couple of jay-walkers. After parking, the first order of business was to go and get some lunch: Pho! It was really Pho-king good! (Sorry, had to.) After that we walked all around Chinatown and into Little Italy.  The trees are blooming and the streets are crowded with people, a really wonderful time to walk around the city. 

On the way home we passed the New Museum (it was too nice outside to go in.) An installation on the side of the building pretty much sums up how I'm feeling about this trip right now:

Up next: Bea heads to her native D.C. (Wish me luck, I'll be driving with my brother for four and a half hours.) ETA 5:00

And we're off!

When I received the good news in December, I didn't think April would ever come, but here she is and today officially marks the beginning of my Hambidge Center Adventure. I'm glad you're along for the ride!

Last night was spent packing. Lots of packing. Clothing wasn't an issue, it was the pastels. Hundreds and hundreds of pastels. Spread all about my studio.  Everywhere. And I wanted to bring them all. About two hours was spent sorting through pastels and packaging them up into tidy little color coordinated packages. 

See all those pastels? Yea. So many pastels.  

After that task, gathering all of my papers, paints, brushes, tapes, lighting and folding tables was a breeze. It also was pretty breezy outside....and POURING. For those of you who live in the Northeast you know what Mama Nat has been up to lately...and it ain't pretty. Packing a car in this weather? Not fun.  On a positive note, everything fit into my trusty Subaru, with a little bit of room to spare! After a wonderful (wonderful, wonderful) "bon voyage" party thrown by my co-workers (thanks guys...seriously) I was on my way! 

The first leg of the trip has brought me to Rhode Island, the land of my parents. It was a short trip but a happy one, finally knowing I was on my way to my version of heaven.  I listened to music and began listening to my "Instant Immersion" French lessons. I took a lot of French in grade and high school, and would like to get a bit better at it. So, here I am folks, sitting on my parents couch blogging away and at the beginning of what is sure to be a great adventure. 

Up next: Bea goes to New York City! (ETA 1:00)

Thanks for listening. 

North Shore Art*Throb Article!

Dear Friends,

North Shore Art*Throb has published an article about my curatorial project This Collective Pull on their website. North Shore Art*Throb is a wonderful online publication that focuses on the arts and artists of the North Shore, a similar mission to This Collective Pull ! North Shore Art*Throb first learned of This Collective Pull, which I collaborate on with Julie O'Boyle, last June when they interviewed me in my studio. They are a great asset to the North Shore Arts community and I hope you will take a moment to visit their site. You can read the article about our project here.

I've got Georgia on my mind!

The state, not the country.

Today, March 7th, means that I will officially be an artist in residence at the Hambidge Center in EXACTLY ONE MONTH! I applied to the Hambidge Center at the end of last year in hopes that the residency decision making gods would shine in my favor. Since finding out that my application was accepted I have been excited...but now that it is so darn close I am not excited anymore...I am SO excited. Got that? SO excited. I will be taking a leave of absence from my job and hugging my friends goodbye on March 31st. The residency doesn't begin until April 6th but I have a few stops planned along the way and want to give myself a good amount of time to get down there.

First stop, New York City my friends! I love my brother, but I love him most when he moves somewhere cool and I get to go visit. He is currently living in the village and I will be making the trip down to stay with him in his wonderful, cozy (small) studio apartment and eating lots and lots of Vietnamese sandwiches. I'd like to see the Whitney Biennial, but if the weather is really nice a stroll through Chinatown is in my future. I won't be in the NYC for too long because I will be scooping Michael into the Subaru and driving down to my birth city of Washington, DC.** I can't wait to visit with my sister Katharine (currently a med student) and my dear friend who left Massachusetts behind for a wonderful internshipturnedfulltimejob opportunity. As always, a walk past my childhood home and a visit to Eastern Market are the two mandatory stops on this leg of the trip.

After a few days in DC I will say "so long" to my siblings and begin my journey to Charlotte, North Carolina. I made a wonderful friend while at the Vermont Studio Center, and when I knew I was going to Georgia, I pretty much knew I would be visiting her in Charlotte too! After Charlotte I will swing through Asheville, NC to visit another friend and check out the galleries. From there I will make the one and a half hour ride to my cabin/studio in the woods! I will be posting regularly while in Georgia, despite the lack of Internet connection in any of the studios (available in the main building.) So please follow and stay updated!

Thanks for listening, and be sure to click that first link, it's a gem.

** A few people have asked me if they could join me on this adventure, and I have told all of them (even Dad...sorry!) that this is a solo expedition. When I am in the car for long periods of time, I pretty much go all "Jung" on myself and access my life situation. I figure travelling alone will be a really good way to reflect on how I will be spending my time in Georgia. HOWEVER, when Michael asked if he could hop on board for the trip to DC I said yes, it is rare that all three of us (Michael, Katherine and I ) are together and I really love the bizarre conversations that happen when we are.

Ten drawings + sheet of paper = One wild ride.

Hi Friends,

It was pretty counter intuitive, but for the past month or so, I remembered to take a photograph every time I was at a stopping point with a drawing. It is really interesting to see the progression of a drawing because it allows me to reflect on the process a bit more, and after the fact. Sometimes I think I should stop working on something but I am having such a good time, it's hard to. Anyway, I'd love to hear feedback. A teacher once told me I needed to figure out when to stop...I believe she may be right. It's always a wild time wrangling these drawings into something I can live with, and that my friends is what it's all about.

Enjoy!

I'd love to hear what your favorite "phase" of the drawing is. Did I just do ten drawings on one surface? Or could the final product not exist without all of the other drawings underneath to support it? Magical mystery.

This Collective Pull : A Mass Collaboration Opening Reception!

Thank you to all of you who attended the opening reception for This Collective Pull : A Mass Collaboration! We had a wonderful turnout at the reception and received a lot of great feedback, and made a lot of new friends. The work looked great in the space, and I have been back a few times since to see the show sans-crowd and to show the exhibit to a few who were un-able to make the opening. While hanging the show it was really wonderful to see the connections between pieces that I didn't see while Julie and I were sorting through the submissions. We also began to see connections that the pieces made with the actual gallery space. I am so pleased to see the growth of this curatorial project from the first installation (and the second!) Below are a few photos from the evening, with more to follow!

Julie and I (after a glass of wine and making a weird face) in front of a collaborative piece between Bradford Rusick and Allie Hornak, and an altered book by Anthony Montouri.

I will be posting a more thorough documentation of the exhibit soon. The work will be up until February 28th. If you would like to view the exhibit please contact me at this.collective.pull@gmail.com to set up an appointment! More photos to come!

All photographs in this post are copyright Julie O'Boyle