Making 50 (yes, 50) unique pieces of art was no easy task.
After being selected as one of the 9 artists representing The Arts and Science Council of Charlotte in this year's Community Supported Art Program, I was elated beyond words. What an honor! And what better company to be surround by than the other, 8 selected, madly talented artists?
To break it down, this program is simply fantastic. Nine regional and local artists are selected through a juried process. These artists get a commission from the ASC to make 50 pieces of art. Only 50 shares go on sale. These 50 shareholders buy shares for 9 pieces of original art from these selected artist. Pretty cool, right?
Upon applying, I proposed to the jurors that I would create pieces of art--all different, all nature-inspired, all hand-printed. I would hand-dyed the papers, hand-print them with my stylized bold graphic prints, sign them, and then float mount them so that they would be ready to hang. The topper (drumroll please) was that each piece would be wrapped in hand-printed wrapping paper with a hand-written, hand-printed card with a corresponding hand-printed envelope. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?
I finished the prints in record time. Did I really? I'm the biggest procrastinator around! Now, onto the framing. This proved to be rather tedious as there were precise measurements and cuts involved. This took me the span of three weekends to completely frame all 50 piece. Note--I wish I never be a framer in my second life.
I then bought the largest roll of paper I could find. I took it home and rolled it out, spanning the width of my entire house. I hand-printed 7 yards (which I learned while wrapping, was not quite enough. Oops). I let that dry over night and then began wrapping each piece, tying ribbon around each package, securing it with a card. The presentation was gorgeous and couldn't be beat.
But the most gratifying part of the entire process was to see all 50 shareholders unwrap my piece of artwork at the kickoff event at Birdsong Brewery. Most unwrapped the packages with so much care and attention and treated the paper as if it were art. And to see their faces when opening their original Liz Saintsing was incredible beyond words. I got to speak with a lot of the art enthusiasts about my process, inspiration, and creativity. I also got to meet the other 8 artists selected and enjoyed some stories along with some great, locally brewed beer.
So, a huge thank you to the ASC, the 50 art enthusiasts, and the 8 other artists represented. Without people like you, my art would not be possible.
