05 Jun WEST is Over. Summer is Here. Art Heads to Colorado!
Happy Texture Tuesday! School’s out, WEST is over, and summer’s here!! Hallalujah!! While Austin is hitting triple digits far too soon, I finally went to Barton Springs Pool last week, and that, my friends, officially kicks off summer for me.
I dont know if you followed our #BIGPurge on Facebook, but spring was jam packed. My husband, David, and I got rid of two storage units and held a huge Estate Sale (with the help of 6 amazing friends! Have to say Austinites are so kind and helpful.) and then turned around and did the WEST Austin Studio Tour. And I even made it up to Dallas for Design Week (more on that in next blog post)!
I know, crazy, right? And during all of this we’ve had back to back Airbnb guests, at The Collier Guest Room, which is a good thing cause we lowered our rate considerably for May and June.
But hey, every time a new curve ball comes our way, my hubs and say to each other “At least we don’t have the storage units anymore!”. It felt great to get rid of 34 years of “stuff”!!! Even the sofas we sit on. We’re downsizing big time, but NO we are NOT moving!
Then for 2 weekends our home was filled with such beautiful artwork – paintings from 3 painters, a sculptor, a photographer, and of course pillows – it was wonderful!! (The only downside to no more storage is we don’t have anywhere to store inventory, so please make an appointment with our studio. We’ve got some gorgeous pillows for you!!!)
The 7th Annual WEST Austin Studio Tour by Big Medium was a HUGE success and I was so honored to participate for the second year with 5 amazing “Guest Artists”:
If you dont know much about WEST, you can learn all about it and catch up by reading interviews of all artists (including moi!) right HERE. And HERE. And HERE. And if you missed it, please visit the artists’ websites because they have beautiful work for sale and all of the artists, including me at Deborah Main Designs, accept commission work.
The interviews reveal a lot about an artist. It’s cool, even for me as an artist, to learn what inspires other artists and how they got started. As humans, we all have stories to share. What’s your story? Feel free to share in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
At the end of this post you’ll see a few photos and a link to our Facebook page where we have a photo album 2018 WEST Tour with tons of photos.
I really want to take a moment though and thank all who came out for your support of local artists. We create art for a reason, not just for ourselves, although that’s a big part of it, but for you. We had over 100 attendees each weekend and everyone was so gracious, thanking us for opening our home and studio.
Home studio tours are a fantastic way to see art, meet the artist, and ask questions. It’s much more informal than an art gallery and all of us had some amazing conversations with the people who stopped by. Sometimes whole families would come, or people would ride their bikes.
I, and a local advocacy group I’m involved in, even held a #millionsmissing MEAction Awareness Day on the front lawn, Saturday, May 12th. You’ll be hearing bits and pieces about this throughout the year, as it is part of my story and I’ve held it back too long. Art heals and I hope to begin to share my story with you throughout the year. This was a first big step for me. My shoes, of course, are the leopard heels! (If you want to learn more about this debilitating disease watch award-wining film “UnRest” on Netflix.)
I’m excited to share that this Thursday kicks off the 3rd Art Exhibtion for which my work was selected. IMAGINE in Feb, WEST in May, and now my first out of Cental Texas exhibition at 3 Square Art. Thanks to friend and fellow artist, Irmgard Geul, who came down from Oklahoma to show her work at my studio during WEST, encouraged me to apply. I’m so glad I did!
Although I can’t be there, two of my pieces will and I’ll share a little bit more about those in a brief blog post on Thursday.
Oh, one more thing about this Thursday. I will be on a Facebook LIVE “Design Showcase LIVE Interview with Deborah Main” inside my studio sharing more about how I got started and peeks of projects I’m working on. So please check tune in 11:00 CST Thursday, May 7th.
Enjoy a few photos from the WEST Austin Studio Tour below. For more fun images, head over to our Facebook Photo Album “2018 WEST Tour”.
Many thanks to our “Guest Artists”, it was an honor to exhibit with you, and to all those who took time out of your day to get out in the Austin community and support your local artists .
One more thing! There’s always something I forget to tell you. If you live in Silicon Valley, THIS Saturday is the time to go see some beautiful Modern Homes during the Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour. Use code DMAIN2018 at checkout when you buy your tix. (Note: You might notice that founder of the Tours, James Leasure, exhibited his photography in our studio during WEST.)
Till next time, when I share more about the Colorado Art Exhibition, Dallas Design Week and exciting events to attend at Dallas Market starting June 20th, start enjoying your summer and take a little time off. I know my husband and I are planning our travels for the summer, so stay tuned. Wishing all of you a fabulous June to kick off your summer. XO, PG
P.S. This is not a sponsored post. All images except a few by Denise Jaunsem are by me or Big Medium; opinions are my own. If you’re not following me on Instagram, please check out my NEW Insta account focused solely on my textile pillow art @deborahmainpillows. Our studio Insta is @deborahmaindesigns. Thank you for reading my blog!
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