So excited for my opening tonight. Stopped by the store yesterday and it looks great.

Along with all of the new paintings, I am introducing my two newest coaster sets: Seafood and Nautical.

I am totally in love with the seafood set!

Join us tonight from 5 - 8 PM at Mimi
19 Central Street, Manchester, MA

To preview what’s available visit the Mimi Website

This spring has been a really busy one. I can’t say that I totally mind all of the rain we’ve had in the last two weeks. It certainly makes it easier to be inside working! I’ve spent the last two weeks painting like crazy, getting ready for my next show which is opening next Thursday, the 24th.

Below are the first four paintings I did, with a more “nautical shell” coaster set in mind.

These were really fun as it’s been quite awhile since I’ve done some new shells. After these, I knew that I wanted to stick to the nautical look instead of getting incredibly beachy. Being April, I found it hard to go out and find the shots that I really needed to paint. There were some boats in the water, but not many, and none of them had their sails up. Luckily, I have a collection of photos from past summers, which is where I found the next two.

I LOVE this one!

Last summer on the 4th of July, Andy and I went down to the Salem Willows for a bit. When we went out onto the dock, there was our favorite little harbor cruise boat, Mahi Mahi, with a GIANT American flag on top. I loved the way it looked on the colorful little boat against a gorgeous blue sky. It ended up being really fun to paint. I haven’t ever really painted a boat, so this was a fun way to start.

Our neighbors have a boat, and last summer, for the first time since moving here 8 years ago, Andy and I got to explore the shoreline from the ocean side. It was so great to get close to all of the little islands we’ve been staring at and wondering about for so many years. I loved this light house on bakers island and took a ton of photos, knowing that I would paint it at some point.

After a few weeks of painting ocean scenes, I decided it was time to add in the requested birds.  Below are some of my new guys. I focused more on ocean birds but there will be a couple of songbirds in this show as well.

Now for my favorite piece in the show…
I have always wanted to paint fish. Not fish underwater, but fish as food. I’ve had the idea of putting together a “seafood” coaster set for a couple of years but just haven’t found the time to finish the last two paintings. Lucky for me, while we were in VT, I got the opportunity to photograph the most beautiful brook trout, fresh from the water while their colors were brilliant. I couldn’t wait to come home to paint them!

Since getting this painting done, I went on to finish the 4th and last seafood image for my set. Clams and mussels. I’m so excited to reveal my newest coaster sets, along with 8 other brand new paintings not shown here.

The paintings will spend the summer at Mimi, which is located in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. As the paintings sell, I will be replacing them with new ones. It will be a fun show to watch morph throughout the summer. It will also be great for me to just be able to paint, and not have to worry about running the actual show.

The Opening Reception is:

THURSDAY, MAY 24TH .  5 - 8 PM
Mimi is located at 19 Central Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea

Don’t forget to “Like” Mimi and artbyalyssa on facebook, so you are always up to date on the latest info.

Save the dates for the following Summer Craft Fairs!

Marblehead Festival of Arts
June 30th & July 1 (my first 2 day fair!)

Wenham Museum Summer Fair
August 25th

Birds 2012 has been fantastic. Porter Mill was the absolute perfect place to celebrate 5 years. It’s sad to see it come down, but also exciting knowing that there’s always the next show. The crowd at the opening reception was overwhelming. Everyone who made it out, I can’t thank you enough. The weather was awful that night, but I hope once you got in, the room was filled with enough warmth and excitement to make it all worth it.

There are lots of fun albums from the opening on facebook, check them out!

PHOTOBOOTH

OPENING RECEPTION

SET UP

I’ve been busy preparing for the Closing reception all week. It is this:

SATURDAY, MARCH 31ST  . 4 - 7 PM

I’m starting to get really excited. It should be a repeat of the opening only with (hopefully) better weather and a refreshed non-sleep deprived artist!

I’ve been creating more products to fill the holes from sales throughout the month, along with a few never before seen items…

prints of the paintings that have sold and exclusive Birds 2012 magnet sets!

You can still place an order for a Birds 2012 poster, just send me an email: artbyalyssa@gmail.com. They can also be ordered on Saturday.

This wall will again, start out completely filled…come by and have fun watching the revealing of the birds underneath as these popular prints get selected by their new owners.

Plus, of course…tons of yummy snacks and

I’m too tired to think, BUT I’m so excited for tomorrow. Without saying much, here is a quick peek into what’s in store for tomorrow night’s opening.

Above, is the poster I designed for the show. It is 18 x 24”, printed on glossy paper, signed and dated. $60 framed, $40 unframed. While there is only one at the show, they are available by order with a speedy turnaround time.

Below, are some before pictures of this amazing gallery space:

and here’s a a little preview:

Ooooooo what’s around that corner???

I’ve never had a space with so much room to stand back and see my work. It’s been so interesting, I hope everyone else enjoys it just as much as I have. Plus…there might just be an entire wing transformed into a little shop…and what’s a great shop without great bags???

Don’t miss it! Snow or no snow, I will be there!

Tomorrow night, March 1st, 6-9 PM at the Gallery at Porter Mill.

It’s about to be crunch time. Opened my planner yesterday to find that when I flipped to next week it was my final full spread before the week of my show. WHAT?! How has this happened already? I’ve got to say I have A LOT to do…but somehow it always gets done.

Things are certainly coming together. I’ve spent a lot of my time focusing on the art and not worrying so much about all of my products. So now my studio is starting to fill with the clutter of product making.

As much as I would love to get all of these cans done by the end of the weekend, I’m pretty sure they will take me the rest of my two weeks. I NEED to figure out a faster way to make them!

My newest product to make it’s debut on March 1st: Mini magnet sets!  Ten 1” button magnets packed into a cute little tin container. The three bird themes available are: woodland, summer and winter.

The paintings are starting to pile up! I don’t normally reveal my paintings in full until after the opening, but I think this is dark enough to make an exception.

More “bits” have been added to the “bits and pieces” album. Check them out here.

Don’t miss the opening on March 1st! 6 - 9 pm at Porter Mill, 95 Rantoul Street in Beverly.

I CANNOT believe I’ve been painting birds for 5 years now! It doesn’t even feel like I’ve been out of college for that long. I am an such an exciting spot in my career. After completing my first year of being out on my own running a business, I can start 2012 with so much more confidence. The first year was definitely scary in the beginning, but it went by so fast and I did so much, it was over before I knew it. It wasn’t until I sat down last week to work on my taxes that I really looked back on it as a whole. Who would have ever thought that a years worth of receipts would double as a journal in showing me just how many events and projects I worked on? It actually made doing my taxes (SLIGHTLY) enjoyable.

Besides the daunting tax project, I have done nothing but work on this year’s bird show. After 2 months straight of craft fairs, the build up of inspiration to paint came flooding out of me immediately following the holidays. Without the constant worry of leaving my job to pursue my art haunting me as it did last year, I have been able to focus all of my energy into my newest collection of work. I can’t believe the difference this has made. I do not have as many pieces as I normally do by now, but I feel like the ones that I have are much more developed then in the past.

Coming into the month of February, it is really time to start nailing down the details of this event I am planning. I couldn’t be more excited for my location this year. The Gallery at Porter Mill, at 95 Rantoul Street in Beverly, is located on the first floor of an old factory building that is now the home to more than 30 artist studios. As soon as I walk through the doors I feel the inspirational energy that fills the building. What place could be better to host my biggest show to date? With celebration details still in the works, the opening reception is:

THURSDAY, MARCH 1st from 6 to 9 PM

There will of course be great refreshments as always and hopefully some new surprises.

The show will run through the month of March, and this year I will be hosting a closing reception as well. So if you can’t make it to the opening, join us on Saturday, March 31st from 4 to 7 pm…but I can’t promise there will be a lot left :o).

HOURS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH ARE AS FOLLOWS:

THURSDAY-SATURDAY 11-2, WITH EVENING HOURS ON THURSDAYS 5-7

additional appointments can be made by emailing me at artbyalyssa@gmail.com. I live so close, last minute appointments shouldn’t be a problem.

Now for the fun part…if you go to my facebook page and look for the album titled: “Bits and Pieces, preview of Birds 2012” you will be able to see cropped images of the paintings that I have done so far. You can see the full paintings on March 1st, but why not have a small peek beforehand? I add new “bits” to the album as my paintings dry, so make sure to “like” my page in order to be updated on new ones.

Here are a few examples:

So…I think I’m at about 6 events down and 5 to go. This week is one of my busiest with three events right in a row. I’ve had mostly really great shows, until this last weekend where I had $850.00 worth of inventory “misplaced.” I’ve honestly never run into such an unorganized event. I should have gone with my gut instinct last Wednesday when I was completely freaked out about leaving all of my products. So between trying to get that figured out and trying to replace my inventory by tomorrow, it’s been a rough couple of days.

I’m trying to get excited for the rest of my upcoming shows, as three out of the 5 are going to be over before I can blink! This coming Saturday from 9 to 3, I will be at the Winthrop Elementary School show, which I have done for 3 years now. I always enjoy that show since it’s most of the same customers as I had when I worked at Scribe. I think it should be even more fun this year since I never get to see them anymore.

Thursday night I will be at Hayfields which is in the former location of Scribe in Hamilton. Really looking forward to this as it’s a night event from 6 to 9, and will be more like a “girls night out.”

The third show I have this week is tomorrow at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester. I’m not sure why I just described all of these shows in the opposite order of when they take place?? I think I have way too many things going on in my brain right now and it’s probably about time I get back to making more products…

Below are photos from some of the shows I have done so far:

For the full album, check out my facebook page.

A Shore Thing, in Newburyport, is always the best place to display my work. It’s just so pretty in there!

My first “fair” was at Centerville elementary on November 12th. I didn’t realize the table was going to be so big and I was embarrassed that my table cloth wasn’t even close to covering the sides…

So since my Wellesley fair was the following weekend, I quickly learned how to sew, and created a more professional table cover out of bird fabric that I’ve used in past bird shows. I was super excited about it. I also noticed at Centerville that there were vendors that had these awesome rolling carts to get their products in. Thankfully, I decided I just had to have one, and got one two days before Wellesley. It’s a good thing because I NEVER would have been able to get all of my products in without it!

The Wellesley Marketplace was one of the best experiences for me. I had a wonderful neighbor, Maureen, who makes the most AMAZING caramel and fudge sauces called Sassy Sauces, which I highly recommend!

She gave me so much information on what it’s like to attend the shows in Boston and other areas that I’ve never tried out. I feel so much more inspired and excited to start trying bigger shows now.

In that same weekend, I also was a part of the Wenham Museum Sleigh Bell show, which I participate in every year. Cynthia Novotny runs it and does a great job keeping everything so organized. After the disaster I just went through this past weekend, I appreciate Cynthia so much more than I ever have before.

Overall, in the month of November, I have met some of the nicest people. Your fellow vendors are all trying to do the same thing you are and it’s so nice to be able to trade information and hear how their shows have been going. In the end, we all make totally different things and it’s so nice to be able to enjoy each others company without feeling competitive. Whether you are both super excited because it’s a really great show or you just need someone to roll your eyes with because it’s a slow day, it’s important to enjoy that connection.

What a great afternoon to kick off the start of my very full holiday schedule! I had many visitors, and it was so fun helping them do their holiday shopping. It definitely got me into the spirit of the upcoming season. My day started out with 3 new fans who came from 4 hours away, up near bar harbor, Maine. I couldn’t believe it! It was so fun to talk with them as they shopped around my studio and kitchen. It was such an honor that they had traveled so far, I think that even if nobody else had shown up, I would have still called it a successful day.

I also got to visit with some regulars from my old job at Scribe, which was fantastic as I never get to see them anymore. Overall it was one of my favorite events so far and I will definitely be doing it again next year.

Next on my list of events this week are:

Meet the artist night at A Shore Thing in Newburyport, MA

This Thursday the 10th, from 6 - 9 PM

A Shore Thing is one of my favorite shops! They have such a wonderful collection of new and old ocean themed items, tons of local art and some of the most beautiful displays around. The owners are so talented and the store is such a friendly place. Stop by Thursday night to check it out

Saturday, the 12th from 10 - 3 you will be able to find me at the

Holiday Craft Market at Centerville Elementary School

17 Hull Street, Beverly MA.

I participated in this fair last November and I have to say I could not have been more happy with the way that it was run. The two women who take the time out of their lives to put this on do a fantastic job! They find really great vendors and advertise everywhere. I could not believe the turn out. Craft fairs take so much preparation and commitment. As an artist, I really appreciate all of the people who make them happen for us.

Below are some photos from Saturday. To see the full album check out my artbyalyssa facebook page.

Below are just some of the limited edition items that will be available on Saturday. Once they’re gone that’s it!

Two different sized gift tag/ornaments:

Fun glittered boxes:

artbyalyssa picture frames:

The best day to shop artbyalyssa is now only 6 days away! Take advantage of many one day only deals, while catching a glimpse of products that are rarely seen and won’t be joining me at the holiday fairs.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH . NOON - 6 . ON THE 3RD FLOOR OF 17 KNOWLTON STREET IN DOWNTOWN BEVERLY

COASTERS: BUY ONE GET ONE HALF OFF

ORNAMENTS: BUY 2 GET ONE FREE!

MAGNETS: $5 EACH OR 4 FOR $15 (buy 3 get one free)