My Adams Morgan Day experience.

Rania and I each set up to sell our art during the Adams Morgan Day festival yesterday. I have only set up at a few other festivals before... and that was ten years ago. She has never done this before.

Needless to say we were rather nervous.

We have been working tirelessly for the past few weeks getting things ready. I created a series of smaller pieces, and polished up a few of my concrete disks.

Rania created an awe-inspiring workshop in our dining room and living room and studio in order to complete a lot of her very ambitious ideas. Which, our course, she did.


We packed up our car on Saturday and cautiously drove it 30 blocks to our house, parked it in our driveway/patio and covered it with a tarp.


All night i was wary of some alley denizens toying with the stuff on the roof i dreamed of the car disappearing or being stolen with all of our stuff inside. Generally is very bad practice to leave ANYTHING in your car in our hood. Still, there was no way in hell I was going to pack it up in the morning. We had to be there by 7, and we are not morning people.


We woke up at 5:15 ish to get going. I downed about 750 cups of coffee and a sip of water.

We arrived and started to set up. We were met by our friend and assistant for the morning, the fabulous Beth Baldwin. Thank you Beth!

Another friend, Tom helped us out putting up signs and various finishing up stuff. He also did a coffee run to bring my total up to 750 1/2 since I shared it with rania.

It took just over an hour for me to get my walls up and pieces hung.

I met Avner Ofer, the organizer for the artists. He did a bang up job.

People started trickling by as they were walking their dogs or jogging or going to get the Sunday paper.

Rania sold a painting before the event even started!

Thousands of people walked by. Hundreds came into my booth. Scores asked about my work, picked up my card, signed my mailing list, and many bought my work.

I met a number of people I have only know through blogging. Stop, blog and Roll, Rebuilding Place, Alexandra Silverthorne, Scott Brooks, Amanda Hirsh uhh.. Anyone else?
I met a couple that reads my Bloomingdale Blog and live just a couple of blocks from me.


many other bloggers came by, but I already knew them.


A number of friends were set up too.

The wonderful painter Dana Elyn whose work I love, but don't yet own.
The AMAZINGLY prolific Matt Sesow
The Washington Glass Studio guys, whom of course, I think are great.
A former Art Monday chick, and cool silkscreen producing Kristina Bilonick.

I was set up next to a new friend Moira, the Bookish Lady. I quite liked her image transfer pieces.

All in all it was a very energy packed day ( 750.5 cups of coffee not withstanding....) i had tons of fun, it was a freaking beautiful beautiful day. I hope to do more shows like this.

Th reactions to my work were generally very positive. People seemed to enjoy my titles quite a bit and i received some alternative interpretations of my work. In one instance a woman walking by glanced at my work and actually SCOFFED very loudly. Another woman in a very codescending and loud voice said," Well, thats interesting".

Definitely the most amusing negative critics i've had.




Thank to everyone that came out, and special thanks to all of you that bought my work!