The Final Show

Tomorrow is the day of my big show and special one-time sale at the Old Colorado City History Center, Friday, Aug. 7, 5-8 p.m. I took all of my paintings and drawings to the center to set up on Tuesday.


As I look at this photo of the entrance to the center I immediately see I need some posters out there, but because of my lack of foresight and planning it's now too late to make anything of any size. I'll see what I can do tomorrow (famous last words) to at least put up some signs. I have printed and distributed several hundred flyers, all in color, but nothing big.
Setting up this exhibit has been all-consuming. When I first started on Tuesday I used the history center's big 8' square heavy display that was designed to be kept erect by two 18" panels on each end which turned opposite 90 degree directions. But when I had two pictures on it, held by "invisible" plastic line, the entire display simply fell over with a tremendous crash, totally shattering one frame and glass (but not hurting the picture, which I reframed that evening). A few people were inside the center viewing the history exhibits and volunteering help. Luckily no one got mooshed (colloquial term for smashed flat).
So I rushed to Bruno's Rentals and managed to put up another 8' x 10' display by the next day.


Hanging the pictures on that metal frame on both sides of black drapes was not easy, they wouldn't hang straight and I finally had to string extra plastic lines horizontally to help hold the pictures steady. At least the lighting isn't too bad, with a good spotlight to shine on the front display.


As I look at this photo I see I've got to clean that display up by removing those two silly signs with arrows, as well as that flyer display. The back side of the draped display panel is problematical, but I don't see what more I can do to make it look better. I'm embarrassed by how sloppy this all appears. Two pictures are on tripods and lack good light.


I did add one more painting, a picture of Sacred Heart Church I found in my cellar, showing the effect of the terrrific lightning blast in a 1995 summer storm, which threw the east cupola and cross into the middle of Colorado Ave.


I finally got over there in October to make an illustration of how it still looked, and while I was there a latino family was having a celebration. They even posed for me. I only saved this picture because it was my first effort to make a rendering in oil, it's another picture I'm very eager to get rid of.
I'll let you know how the show and sale goes.