Last chance to see it!

In case you are in the Youngstown, Ohio area, you can catch an exhibit of my etchings at The Butler Institute of American Art. This show contains about forty of my etchings. It is an honor for me to have an exhibit of my work here. The Butler is the oldest art museum in the United States that features the work of American artists. Not often would I guarantee your satisfaction, but in this instance, I would. The galleries contain work by the famous (and not so famous) American artists from all eras.

It was necessary for me to frame all of the etchings that were included in the exhibit...a somewhat daunting task when you consider the amount of presentation work that I need to do in order to simply keep my art business going. Anna King was then working as my apprentice. She was simply amazing. She did all of the framing for this exhibit. During the months that she worked in my studio she became, in a sense, and extension of my brain. My studio is more organized now, and because of that, I am undoubtedly a better person!

In mid January, I delivered the framed work to the Butler. Denis Conley, who owns the Denis Conley Gallery in nearby Akron, allowed me to stay at his home. We went to the Diamond Grille (which is an institution in Akron). Denis is passionate about Italy and things Italian. In 2003, he organized an exhibit of my work at Galleria Ferrari in the city of Ferrara. He did all of the work. I simply had to show up for the opening. He sings opera. He has training as a singer. He stood up spontaneously by the bar at the Diamond Grille and sang an excerpt from an Italian opera's aria. It was memorable.

Having delivered the work to the Butler, I made the return trip, driving back to Wisconsin. On January 25th there was an opening of my exhibit in the Butler's Mesaros Gallery. This time, I traveled by air, flying into the Akron airport and once again staying with Denis Conley, and indulging in his kind hospitality. Throngs of people were at the Butler on the 25th. There was a regional art competition that was opening on that day. Lou Zona, the director invited me to this exhibit, where I invited the attendees to "come down and see my etchings". The Mesaros Gallery, by the way, is on the lower level of the museum.

My exhibit was scheduled to close on March 1st. The dates were extended. It will be hanging in the museum until April 19th. If you have not been to the Butler before, now is your chance.