MOXIE: the success and the aftermath

So the evening of November 20th was the most fun I've had since putting myself out there as an artist. It was bigger and better than I could have ever imagined. 

The whole evening began around 5:00pm when James and I packed up the truck with all my party-goodies.  Mallisa and I met up at the Grocery, a local family-owned restaurant/bar that I frequent (that's an understatement). They were the gracious donors of two full party-trays of delicious food and enough Sweet Water and Blue Moon to keep customers and friends happy! We packed those, and some dinner for us, up in the truck and headed a block down the street over to Sarrah's Salon, where all of our work had been on display since Sunday. Nailing up the last pieces and hanging up all of our prints, Mallisa and I popped the champagne and began our evening. 

Me, with Dr. No and "Food for Other Fish", part of my ten-piece "Surf Rock" series.

Within the span of two hours, Mallisa and I had two full waves of people, from close friends and family, to customers and connoisseurs curious as to what was going on. I was so fortunate to have so many friends supporting my art. What I unfortunately didn't get to enjoy out of the evening was the band, who we hired to play an acoustic set. Mississippi Shakedown is a fantastic two-piece rock band hailing from Hattiesburg, and they just so happen to be wonderful people who support art and community here on the Gulf Coast!

A literal PACKED HOUSE; this is about wave no. 2 of people enjoying MOXIE!

 

It was so wonderful to have so many people come out specifically to see what Mallissa and I had been up to these last few months. Everything went off without a hitch.    

All the tireless hours spent in the studio, bent over a canvas or the drafting board, were worth it. All the worries were thrown out the window. All the anxieties were over. The response and feedback I received from everyone was fantastic. We put on a great show. 

So now what?

Now I begin my foray into the world of art and business. I just launched my online store via SquareUp.com and I've begun collecting orders for prints. I had over-sold my prints at the show, so I got myself new inventory and get to go right back to the drawing-board. I've got commissions to do and orders to fill. I'll be hanging up in other galleries and restaurants in town, with hopes to sell my pieces to observers and build a client base. It's pretty amazing to be able to contact and make face-time with people who enjoy, not just art, but the artist community we have here on the Coast.

 

I have to thank a long list of people here: Sarrah, for allowing Mallisa and I to hang our art in her salon and help put on the show and help us sell our pieces; Nick at Ivey's framing for coming up with combinations of frames and mats when I was completely clueless; Clark at Shaugnessy Printing for all of the prints and posters Mallisa and I tacked up; Rachel at the Grocery for putting together food and beer for our event; my in-laws for bringing the cake and the wine and the biggest thanks of all goes to this beautiful human pictured with me here, Mallisa. Her talent goes above and beyond her art. She has taught me so much about this whole experience and whenever I was feeling any doubt, she helped me laugh it off. She is fantastic!

Mallisa and I, the creators of MOXIE