I had the pleasure of meeting my mentor this weekend, Donald Gialanella. First, I should mention that I’m a huge fan of his work. Now that I’ve met him, I’m also a huge fan of him as a human being. Creative Pinellas did an amazing job pairing me with my mentor. We are a fabulous match and I am so excited for what’s to come in the next few months!
Donald and I discussed the work I have in mind for the Creative Pinellas show in May. My goal is to complete a large scale art installation and a series of paintings. I certainly have a great deal of hard work ahead of me! To be honest I had modified my installation plan to ensure it would be finished on time, but I’m so glad Donald encouraged me to push harder and execute my original idea for the piece. Will the installation be done for the show in May? Heck yes. Do I know what the finished piece will look like? Ummmm, nope. : )
Here’s what I do know about the installation so far. It will be made with 2,511 seashells collected from our local beaches. The piece will illustrate a statistic involving keeping our water and beaches clean. I’ve chosen blues, teals, greens, and grays for the color palette. Currently the shell of choice is the Pennsylvania Lucine, chosen for its durability (they are super thick shells).
And so the installation journey begins! I will share updates along the way, including all the wonderful surprises and inevitable challenges that will crop up as I prepare for the show in May. I’ll also pop in with sneak peeks of paintings that are underway. For the next 5 months I’ll be covered in paint or sand, and that makes me ridiculously happy.
