Finishing a piece under pressure...

Tomorrow my show will be exactly 2 weeks away and even though I’ve been working very hard and most of the big stuff has been taken care of, there’s still a ton of work that needs to be done. There are just a lot of things that you simply cannot do upfront and these last two weeks are crucial, especially when it comes to the marketing. Well in the midst of all that I’m trying to finish ‘Vancouver’,  a piece that simply has to be finished before the show. 

I absolutely love this whole process of organizing a solo show, even though it’s been a huge challenge. I really like having a goal to work towards and generally I thrive under pressure. Painting under pressure however is a completely different story. It takes a whole lot of discipline and mental strength to focus on the painting and to not get distracted by that looming deadline and all the little things that still need doing. This makes the painting process a lot more draining then usual. 

Yesterday I spent the day in my studio working on Vancouver, the painting is progressing nicely and I’ve moved into the final stages of the creation process. Usually I paint until my husband gets home and then I’ll retire from my studio for the day and focus on making dinner and spending some quality time with my husband. Most of the time that works perfectly fine, yesterday however, I had ‘painting brain’ as I like to call it. I had so much trouble taking myself away from the painting and focussing on anything else. While I was making dinner I went back into my studio 3 or 4 times just to sit with the painting and observe it to see where it needed work. I did learn a lot about the painting while sitting there. But it also made me realize how completely drained I felt.

My mind is a funny place, at first it doesn’t allow me to focus on my painting because of all the other stuff that’s ‘in the way’ and then it doesn’t allow me to let it go so I can relax at the end of the day. This all has to do with the looming deadline of my show, finishing ‘Vancouver’ happens to be one of the most important items on my seemingly endless to-do list. With every single thing I do I’m in a constant ‘battle’ with my own mind. It keeps telling me that there are so many other things that need doing as well and shouldn’t I be doing any of the other ones first? Of course not! I’m still the boss of me, no matter what my mind has to say about it!

Vancouver will be finished in time and there will be an end to my endless to-do list. Come April 13th I’ll be as ready as I’ll ever be. You are all invited to come over and see the fruits of my labour at the Mile End gallery in Montreal; 5345 Ave. Du Parc, from April 13-23. See you there?

The ups and downs of organizing a Solo Show

About six month ago I decided to rent a gallery space in downtown Montreal to organize my first Solo Show. I’ve been busy with the preparations ever since and now the opening of my show is only 3 weeks away! 

To be honest, overall I’ve been pretty calm and everything seems to be going pretty smoothy. My promotional materials are ready, the press release has been written and translated, I’ve decided on the pieces that are going to be in the show and how they are going to be displayed and I’ve even finished my price list. Now there’s still tons of stuff to do, I’ve got this to do list that keeps getting longer instead of shorter. Some things just can’t be done in advance. 

Having the date of the show scheduled at least 6 months in advance has been absolutely necessary for a proper show preparation. Especially since this is my first time. It takes time to do proper marketing and there are just so many little things that keep coming up. But all in all this has all been a very positive experience, especially because it gives you a proper goal to work towards. As an artist, especially when you work alone a lot, you often lack a real deadline. Most of the time you’re just creating without a real goal. Organizing a show is a wonderful way to push yourself and to work towards something, I have experienced it as very stimulating. 

Now off course it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. The biggest downside of all this organizing would be the lack of time in the studio. About half my time goes towards work behind the computer, meetings about my show and other prep work. Especially the last couple of weeks now that the show’s really getting close. I still have one more piece to finish for my show and I’ve basically made peace with the idea that I’ll not be able to work on anything till after the show. Hopefully this will not be the case because I’ve tons of ideas that need to come out. But then again, if there’s prep work that needs to be done I’ll not be able to paint anyways, that’s just how my mind works. I’d rather finish something and scratch it off the list then let it sit till the last moment. even if it’s something small and insignificant. I do have this really cool idea for this extended project which might even result in it’s own show but for now that’s still brewing away in my head.

This week I’ll at least be able to spend some time in the studio. ‘Vancouver’ has had time to dry so now it’s time to transfer the pieces to the wood panel and start the final stage of the painting. Let’s hope I’ll also be able to scratch some of the thing off my to do list, it would be nice if I could actually make it shorter instead of longer in these last weeks before the show. My show will run from April 13-23 at the Mile End Gallery on Avenue du Parc in Montreal, visit my site (www.denisebuismanpilger.com) for more information. Wish me luck!