Exhibit at The Riveter
August 1st, 2018 marks the opening of The Riveter Marina del Rey, the second of two (female-built) community and coworking spaces in the Los Angeles area. Their locations are growing quickly throughout the US (they're already in Seattle and West Los Angeles) and I'm thrilled to be a part of such a thriving force in the business world. This date also marks the first time I'm exhibiting my art in nearly 10 years!
So let's rewind to about a month ago...After being discovered on Instagram, I was contacted by a team member at The Riveter about an opportunity to display my work in one of their brand new locations. How could I possibly say no? I jumped at the opportunity and knew I had to give it my all. I knew I had to throw all of my insecurities out the window because it was a time for people - real live people haha - to see my work. It's one thing to show your art to your parents, or your friends and family, and even social media, but to display it for the world to see is kind of scary. BUT, I knew it was time. I knew it was my time, so I got to work!
I worked with Jessica from The Riveter to curate the pieces to have on display, placed and order for my prints and had them shipped to my apartment right away. I definitely underestimated the size of the shipping boxes, but once I was able to crack them open and see my art ready for display, I was overcome with joy *ahhh!* It was all happening! I surgically unwrapped each print (10 in total), spread them out all over my apartment, and meticulously inspected each one to make sure they were perfect...And they were! Since these are fine art giclee prints, I decided, for some, to add some layers of acrylic paint, to give them a little more texture. This was probably the most nerve-racking part - trying not to mess up or smudge anything! I worked all night until I got them just right!
At this point, it's around July 17th, all of my prints are wrapped back up and ready to go! If you know me, you know that I will never wait until the last minute to do something - I'm always prepared and stay organized. However, because I got everything together so quickly, I had about two weeks of high anxiety, hoping I (or my boyfriend) wouldn't bump into or ding the prints as they lined the narrow hallway in my apartment. Cut to yesterday, July 30th (install day), all the of the prints had remained in tact *woo*, ready for me to load into the car.
The install couldn't have gone better! Jessica and I got the prints up in no time! Seeing my work up on the walls was a really big moment for me. I put so much of myself into this exhibition and to see it all come together is such an amazing feeling. I feel the most joy knowing that people can see my work, they can experience my work, and they can react to it. At the very least, I hope it puts smiles on people's faces because at this moment, I could't be happier :)
I hope everyone gets a chance to stop by The Riveter in Marina del Rey, to not only check out my work, but also see the space. It's beautiful and the staff is so friendly! It's such an inviting space to work and be creative. If you are unable to see my work in person, click the button below to view the collection online.
