Corn Hill

Corn Hill Poster 2013
Original Painting was 24x24
Oil on Map Covered Canvas   |   Rochester, NY
Collection of Corn Hill Association

Growing up in Rochester, you learn to pack in as much fun as you can during the nice weather months.  The spring/summer season is chock full of festivals and activities every weekend starting with the Lilac festival in the spring.  Each festival has a different feel, and for fine art, the Corn Hill Art Festival has always been the one to attend.  Full of quality work and talented artists and artisans.  

As many of you already know, I began showing my work about a year ago.  It started at the Members show at the Phoenix Village art center, and then the Emerging artist tent in Manayunk...but the very first outdoor festival with my own booth was at Corn Hill last year (2012).  

This was our first attempt at putting up our old EZ up tent...they say one person can assemble it in about 5 minutes by themselves...[cough, cough]  We managed to do it in just under 2 hours.  

This was our first booth setup and display.  Elementary indeed!  :)

Although it is a very elementary attempt at a display, it warms my hear to see it.  If you could only imagine the excitement racing through us at the time.  It was our very first show, in our very own tent...at Corn Hill!  We hung all of the paintings with wire from the tent frame.  Every time the wind would blow everything in the tent swayed back and forth.  A few times, even passers by would help us hunker down the work when a gust would come.  

A week before the show, my dad had called and said that he saw the Corn Hill Poster for 2012 in the Democrat and Chronicle.  He said that I should submit for it next year.  Honestly, I was totally overwhelmed with the idea of just showing at this venue, that it didn't really cross my mind again.   Early on this year I received an email out of the blue with an invitation to submit a concept for the poster.  [insert happy dance].  I went to work...I had some images of the area that I had collected on previous trips to Rochester, but I was missing something.  I contacted several friends and family members from Rochester and they were ready to help.  Within a few weeks, I had several dozen photos of the Corn Hill area to help develop the concept for the piece.       

The theme happened organically.  As I was working on my composition and thumbnail sketches I noticed that I kept touching on three elements over and over again - Community, History, and Urban Life.  So, I had my theme.   Everything fell into place from there.  

History - the focal point is an old historic house that was formally the residence of an artist - how appropriate.  I didn't even find that out until I had settled on that image and I was researching.          

Community - the image is painting on a canvas covered by a map of the streets of the Corn Hill Neighborhood.  Additionally, in the mid ground, you can see newer town homes of the residents of Corn Hill.  

Urban life - in this composite, I chose to weave the iconic Rochester skyline into the background. 

Close up of the map in the background.

One evening in April, I was in my studio with my sister and Eric and the email came in that my concept was selected.  Hopping and jumping up and down ensued with small bursts of quiet squeals [the boys were sleeping so I couldn't get too rowdy].  It was such an exciting moment.  And here we are today.  

Last week was the unveiling in Rochester.  

To my friends and family, I just want to say thank you so much for supporting me and my dream to pursue my art.  I am honored and humbled that an organization such a Corn Hill would select my work to represent them and in turn become part of their rich and wonderful history.  

Manayunk Bridge

"Manayunk Bridge"
24x30
Oil on Canvas

Here is an update on "Manayunk Bridge". I finished it up last night - however, there are a few little tweaks that I still need to make. The editing process seems to doddle along. It is such a rarity to sign a painting and then just leave it be. The more I stare, the more I hear it calling for a little adjustment here, and a little nudge there. That's ok though. You can certainly get the idea of what the finished piece will look like.

I've got the upcoming Corn Hill Arts Festival next weekend. I will be bringing all of my large originals and prints that I had made up. I will also be bringing along some of my smaller originals. (11x14s, 8x10s and 5x7s) - they seemed to be quite popular at the Manayunk festival.

As for selling the large originals, at first I was hesitant because I have been really focused on preparing for my solo show. I've been asking the patrons who purchase if they would mind lending the artworks back to me for a month during my solo show in 2013...so far, everyone has agreed.

Our cousin, Matthias Finke, who is an amazing photographer, will be showing at the festival as well. He has an extra tent that he was going to lend us - but it didn't have any sides. He warned us that if it rained we'd be in trouble. We checked on craigslist and found a decent deal on a once used festival tent. [Gulp] So we went ahead and purchased it.

It's a little scary and a little awesome all at once.  One thing that I am starting to finally get is that I just need to make the art that fills me up. I can't help but go back to the Dori reference on Owen's favorite movie - Finding Nemo...."just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming". I have more to say on that particular topic, but will save it for another day - as I have so much eff'n work to do. :)


***Manayunk Bridge Purchase info - Dibs were called on this (unfinished at the time) painting by a couple at the Manayunk Art Festival....so I promised that I would give them first pick. I will post updated availability if things change