IM2BZ2P

I have this memory from childhood that, for some reason, stuck with me all these years. My mom and I (I think I'm about 7) are going through the McDonald's drive through and we see this nice Mercedes in the parking lot with the license plate "IM2BZ2P". (Apparently not 2bz for a Big Mac...)Lately I sure know how this Mc-lovin' driver feels. I have been blogger-neglectful, and I do apologize. My life has been a crazy whirlwind of late, and admittedly, I love it. I just returned from a business trip North Carolina last week. I received a very nice commission from my top client, with the promise of 2-3 more paintings when this big one is finished. I am very excited about this big 4 1/2' x 9' painting, my biggest canvas yet. I am also madly painting for the opening Friday night. I do hope you'll come. http://www.vlasicstudio.com/3on3 Looks like we will have a huge turnout. There's an air of celebration, as this will be my last independent show, (I've signed with Walker Fine Art here in Denver) so come enjoy all the frivolity. I look forward to seeing you,

-M

A cautionary tale...get it in writing, and never assume.

Today's blog is a cautionary tale. Get it in writing! Always. No matter how nice a person is, no matter who referred the person to you. Get it in writing. Fortunately, nothing serious was lost as a result of this encounter except damage to my reputation, and well, a bruised ego. Here's the story. I sometimes curate art for various local businesses, such as coffee shops and restaurants. A man who owns a restaurant was referred to me by a former client, and I agreed to schedule artists for 2-month shows for his nice little restaurant in Cherry Creek North, a very affluent area here in Denver. At this point, I made 2 major mistakes. I did not get a contract. Nothing in writing, just a verbal agreement that I would be supplying art for his restaurant. So I set to work scheduling artists to hang, working hard to get great artists that were right for the place and convince them this was a great venue. I was very lucky to schedule some really terrific artists to hang and have the schedule filled for the next 8 months. This is where my second mistake comes in. I assumed that people know artists have to be scheduled in advance. Usually way in advance, a year or more. Here's the kicker. Not even a month into this, the restaurant owner informs me that he has found an artist that he is commissioning to do permanent art for his restaurant, (envision my jaw hitting the floor,) something he had never mentioned to me as a possibility. He says he had no idea artists are scheduled in advance, and that he thought this was a month-to-month deal. Now I am left to contact the artists and cancel their hangings, the ones I worked so hard to get, in the process looking bad to the artists, whom I would not be surprised if they never wanted to do business with me again (hence the damaged reputation and bruised ego). So, fine people, take this to heart. ALWAYS get it in writing, and NEVER assume people know anything about what you do. Explain explain explain, and still, put it in writing.

Stuff. Or, the Joys of Moving...

I call on my Jewish ancestors to provide the best word to describe how I'm feeling this morning. Oi. Overwhelmed by the daunting task of moving. Seems the more I pack the more I have to pack. Stuff, one little load at a time, packed into the scrounged cardboard boxes,(mostly scavenged from the dumpsters behind the Tattered Cover book store & assorted liqueur stores) heaved into the car and driven 5 minutes down the road to it's new home, hefted back out of the car, up the stairs, and dropped upon the floor with a heavy sigh. This process repeated again and again. I think I know how Sisyphus felt. The worst of it is all the art supplies. Messy paints, large ungainly canvases, slippery brushes, books, papers, stacks of stuff stuff stuff. Makes me question my vocation, just a bit. Didn't I swear the last time that I would never ever move again until I could afford professional movers? Such silly dreams of sitting back on the leopard-print chaise, an ice cold sweet tea in my hand, "Put that box over there...No no! That lamp goes upstairs!" Alas, the dream is not to be, so I pack on, filling more and more boxes with more and more stuff. Why isn't my boyfriend helping you ask? Well, he is knee-deep in his own moving hell, cleaning and packing his own stuff to make room for my stuff. Neither of us had any idea just how much stuff we have. Now we are ready to hurl most of that stuff over the nearest cliff. And still remain all the little time-sucking sundry tasks, change of address, dealing with the phone company, the cable company, etc., etc. I have to keep asking, "why am I doing this again?" Well I am giving up boisterous apartment living for a lovely quiet house, and saving rent money, yes, but ultimately we are suffering the indignities of moving for love. And that, above all, keeps me filling the endless boxes full of endless stuff, and schlepping, schlepping, schlepping. Oi.

Media is good...

It's a cold, snowy Sunday here in Denver. Even the dogs didn't want to go out. Just finished updating my website. Now if I can get off this damn computer, I'll get back to painting. Almost done with "Caley VIII". You can see it on the webcam on my website (www.vlasicstudio.com).

My buddy Chris Parente with Channel 2 news came and did 2 live shots from First Friday on the 3rd, featuring my friends Anthony Camera and Brianna Martray. There is a bit with your truly in it towards the end of the first shot (there are 2 parts). Here is the address: www.2thedeuce.com/news/parente just go to the section that says "Chris Parente goes to first Friday". I'll be doing a painting or 2 of Chris for the upcoming shows. He's a great model and a great guy. What a sweety...

There is an article on me and my art in the UK's "Skin Deep" magazine this month...hits the US stands on April 7th. There is a piece on my at www.denversyntax.com as well, the Spring issue. I'm now on Twitter under "vlasicstudio", and blogging here (as you know if you are reading this). You can also find me on Facebook and myspace. Can you say "multiple web presence"??

12 Inches...

It's snowing today. Really snowing. Because I manage the apartment complex where I live, I have to do the shoveling. Today, that's a whole lotta shoveling. 3 times. 3 story building, 2 sets of stairs, a big driveway, and the sidewalk. Big heavy wet snow. I'm pooped. There's a picture out the studio window below. Haven't gotten much painting done today. It's been shovel, recover. Shovel, recover, shovel, walk dogs, recover. Even the dogs didn't want to be out today. Now, just to add to the misery, I'm going to start on my taxes.

There's a first time for everything...

OK, so here it is. My very first blog. It's the morning of March 24. I just celebrated my 41st birthday on the 18th, and am in the last stages of recovery from a nasty flu. I've been rather restless lately, don't know why. Making it hard to concentrate on my work. I have two shows coming up, one at Space Gallery in June and then the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in July. I'm behind. I need to be painting all day everyday to make this happen, so this restlessness isn't helping any. Can't seem to stay in my seat, and distractions are plenty. Gotta focus! I love working at home, but it's so very easy to procrastinate. The dishes need to be done, the dogs need to be walked, really need to go to the gym, I should get the laundry done, etc. etc. This is my biggest obstacle. I call it Practical Procrastination. So much easier to justify the activity if it is a useful one. I try to play little games with myself, like, "OK, if I sit here and work for an hour, then I'll take a break and vacuum." "I'll reward myself with a coffee if I get this section finished..." You get the idea. Doesn't always work. I need to develop more self-discipline. But right now, I've gotta walk the dogs...