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From the Painter's Standpoint,

What Is Involved in Putting Together an Exhibition?

A well-done exhibition looks so simple: Hang ten paintings and bam, you're done. But I suspect a lot more goes into it than that. What's involved?

  Sidney Oliver

Putting together an art exhibition involves an intense mental and physical process for the painter. An exhibition just opened of my work at the Gay Street Gallery in Washington, VA, which gives me a splendid opportunity to lead you through the process.

Gay Street Gallery, co-owned by Kevin Adams and Jay Brown, is situated in an 1836 building that "is believed to be one of the oldest, continually operated mercantile buildings in the Commonwealth of Virginia." Kevin's studio is adjacent to the gallery and Jay's law office is above.

When Kevin phoned to ask if I would participate, I knew I had plenty of time to get a show together, but I was unsure about how I would focus my efforts. I had just come up with an idea a week or two before about an exhibition idea concentrating on the 12 acres on which I live. I am in the middle of a hayfield that sits on a knoll with views of sunrises, sunsets, large hills, flowers, wild animals, and various forms of vegetation. The show could involve any type of media I'm accustomed to using, but the subject matter would be only what I can see from the 12 acres. I still haven't discarded this idea, but I realized this idea wouldn't be applicable for this show.

I easily settled on my passion of Celebrating the Medium and going all out with oil paint applied on my preferred substrate of Ampersand's Gessobord as well as the occasional canvas. Not being restricted regarding subject matter was freeing and I tried to let loose whatever came out of my imagination after first capturing the subject realistically. Some paintings ended up being more realistic. Other paintings were taken on the realistic path only to veer to the semi-abstract when I felt the urge to do so. Having no limits seems to work well for me as I have an aversion to feeling confined.

Unlike most painters, I don't produce my best work when I put off getting ready for a show. I think, plan, paint, and frame in advance of the show. I know how miserable I feel and how bad my work turns out if I do everything at the last minute. I enjoy the computer, the clerical, and the photographical aspect of what is needed in the business of selling art and that is a huge asset in building a show. Two aspects I detest are naming and pricing the paintings, but those things have to be done. I grit my teeth and forge ahead.

Notice the fact that a frame does not detract from the painting. This is a floater or float frame. The emphasis is on the painting.

Framing is a major issue and I'm fortunate in having a framer with a superb eye. Also, she is apprenticing as a conservator and is always eager to learn more. Sherrie Shamburg of Studio Frame Shop in Warrenton, VA, has suffered through enough of my idiosyncracies to deserve a medal. She gets my pieces out in a timely manner and didn't complain when I switched to framing most of my pieces using floater frames. These frames tend to emphasize the work rather than the total decorative package.

After painting, framing, and gathering my paintings, I needed to decide which ones to include in the show. I wasn't given a number because the number would depend on the size and allowed space. I chose 20 paintings, most of them large to medium. I didn't include small paintings because I prefer to save them for the Fall Art Tour. My studio space is wonderful, but it has limited wall space. Smaller paintings are easy to display in the studio because I can use screens and old shutters. Having the opportunity to show my work in a gallery designated with perfect light and plenty of wall space is a dream and it beats the heck out of the cluttered studio look.

I already had photographs of each piece I decided to take, so I slipped them in the placeholders I use in Apple's Pages.

I hand-labeled each photograph with the painting title. I also provided a separate sheet with the title, dimensions, and price.

I placed a removable label with the title on the back of each painting. The photographs above are good for cross referencing.

I lined up all of the paintings in the hall of my studio and waited a day or two for the delivery date.

A major issue I had was that every painting would fit in a car, except for one large 4X4 foot painting. The solution: my small pickup truck.

I only had a little over a mile to travel. Here I am, wearing my apron, sitting on a flimsy chair, and holding on for dear life as we are about to take off.

I swear, I thought the truck was going 50, but the speedometer said 25 mph. I could handle only 7 seconds of this as I was about to topple over.

A very short video of the truck carrying the painting on Washington, VA's Gay Street. A friend was at work across the street and took this video.

The hand-off to Kevin.

Paintings delivered and lined up against the wall. I left after this and left the hanging to Kevin and Jay, who did a fantastic job of figuring out what went where.

With Kevin Adams-It's showtime and the Gay Street Gallery Opening Reception. Kevin's work is featured on the left.

Above and below, some random shots from the opening.

From beginning to end, it's fun to put together one of these things. The painter knows that the show is not about the painter. It's all about the work. My goal is to remove myself from the equation.  The look on the boy's face above is a delight to behold as is this excerpt from an email sent to me after viewing the show, I "was blown away by what I saw. Your work is absolutely amazing--totally captivating and compelling."

I'll take it and I'll always...

Enjoy the process!

   Ruthie Windsor-Mann

This post is part of a series of Q & As between Ruthie Windsor-Mann and Sidney Oliver. 

We invite the reader to join in with other questions in the comments section. This needs to be interactive in order to work.

All photographs are by Ruthie Windsor-Mann unless otherwise credited.

Copyright 2019 Ruthie Windsor-Mann All Rights Reserved