Well..it was a stormy night and it was the Opening Night of the 2016 Olympics in Rio. So, I didn’t expect too many guests to show up for Opening Night of Studio III Art Group’s exhibit at my gallery. I was completely wrong! Many devoted followers and supporters of Mark, Larry and Jim came out for a great night of art and conversations!
It was a lovely evening! I am SO excited about this show! These three men are amazing artists. They’ve been doing faux work for decades and it shows in their canvas work too. They took some classes from me and have been adding glass embellishments to their work. I hope that everyone can come to my gallery to see their work, because it’s a great example of how these guys took my technique and really made it their own.
Their work does not resemble mine at all, but the glass is still there! That’s what I aim for when I teach. I want people to learn what I do, but then to take it and find their own style, their own voice etc. They really pulled it off and I am so impressed!
On a very sad note tho, I have to share what I learned just before the show opened. One of the trio was diagnosed with terminal cancer last week. It’s was a bittersweet evening knowing this heavy weight was looming in the distance. They will receive 100% of the sale of their work while it hangs in my gallery.
Please keep them in your prayers. Please support them by buying as much art as possible too! Their work will hang in my gallery for the month of August, and then it will go to Taste Tapas and Wine Bar in downtown Fort Walton Beach for the month of September.
Here’s the letter I got from Mark after the event…I am so grateful.
Dear Mary,
I have been formulating what I wanted to say to you all day. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Jim shared his exchange of messages with you from today. I don’t know what to say except that your love, your kindness, and your generosity are overwhelming. We are blessed to have some great friends in our lives and you are most certainly one of them.Thanks so much for last night. I have dreamed of my first gallery opening since I was 8 (if I haven’t told you that story let me know). You, and your staff, made that dream come true! It was in fact more than I dreamed it would be. In a way, I am glad it rained. The amount of love and support I felt last night was almost too much for me. Had the weather not kept them in, the few more people I expected may have had me in tears.The comment you made about wishing you could share our show with your students meant the world to us all. We have tried very hard to incorporate your techniques into our work, without feeling like we were attempting to emulate your style. Your recognition of that was a great compliment.
Thanks so much for sharing your techniques, for giving us back our creative spark, and for being a true inspiration!
Sincerely,
Mark
Visit their GoFundMe.com Campaign Here: https://www.gofundme.com/2jfj3tcc
