{"id":580,"date":"2009-11-18T15:27:00","date_gmt":"2009-11-18T15:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.johnokeefe.net\/blog\/?p=580"},"modified":"2023-02-15T23:32:22","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T23:32:22","slug":"2009-art-show-and-sale-at-cheshire-nursery-by-cheshire-art-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.johnokeefe.net\/blog\/2009\/11\/18\/2009-art-show-and-sale-at-cheshire-nursery-by-cheshire-art-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Art Show & Sale at Cheshire Nursery by Cheshire Art League (2009)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Art
Cheshire Nursery,
Cheshire, Connecticut<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

After the good time I had at the Ives Farm fundraiser<\/a>, I was ready for another local event. I signed up for the Art Show & Sale at Cheshire Nursery<\/a> by Cheshire Art League<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Show Drop-Off (11-18-2009) – Art Show & Sale at Cheshire Nursery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The artwork dropoff was scheduled for the day before the show was open to the public. Here is a picture of my simple setup. Nothing is fancy; only five of my smaller paintings are nicely displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Art
John O’Keefe Jr. at his display wall.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Opening Reception (11-19-2009) – Art Show & Sale at Cheshire Nursery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the opening reception. My friend Joan Shackford took the following pictures of the event.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Art
Dale Spaner<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Art
Ron Gagliardi and Karla Koch<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"John<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"John<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"John<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Concluding Thoughts (…and Cheshire Nursery plug)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Art Show & Sale at Cheshire Nursery by Cheshire Art League was another lovely experience. My wife and I have bought many plants for our garden through the Cheshire Nursery. They have even specially ordered plants we researched. Here is a photo of some plants from the Chesire Nursery.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Cheshire<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Cheshire<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

One More “Provocative” Comment about the Art Scene<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I want to discuss another feeling I had during this Art Show & Sale at Cheshire Nursery by Cheshire Art League. Some might consider doing an art show at a local “garden shop” detrimental to their “artistic resume.” I don’t hold that view.<\/strong> I’ve been around the bigger, more reputable galleries and art associations, and there is a definite attitude shift among patrons between the two that I’m uncomfortable with. I can only be blunt about my observations in terms I relate to upper-class versus middle\/lower-class mentality. Please don’t hate me for saying that because I get both perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do I have a bias? Yes! I’m not in the upper class and have never been there. I find that middle\/lower-class folks are more personal and easy-going, and upper-class folks are more egotistical, snobby, and worried about the financial aspect of art collecting. (I’m not saying all rich people are this way… but there is a noticeable percentage in my experience.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once, I debated with the owner of an upper-class galley about reproduction giclee prints I was offering on my website. Partway through the exhibition, we argued about me selling giclee reproductions of my paintings. Their client didn’t want to buy one of my original paintings because the idea that a “copy” of the painting existed elsewhere in the world was a deal breaker. I was shocked that someone could demand I not let other people also have access to my art, albeit in a reproduction form at a much cheaper price than an original painting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, the client bought the original painting because it was beautiful<\/strong>, and I genuinely appreciate them for that, but the experience left me with a bad feeling. I saw a significant attitude shift between people with money and people just getting by. The view of art between the two was obvious, an “investment” and prestige versus something beautiful you want to hang on a wall and look at. This is my honest observation and opinion. This experience changed my feelings about pursuing the “big league” art scene as hard as I had been.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After the good time I had at the Ives Farm fundraiser, I was ready for another local event. I signed up for the Art Show & Sale at Cheshire Nursery by Cheshire Art League. Show Drop-Off (11-18-2009) – Art Show … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[188,40,187,124,86,190,189],"yoast_head":"\nArt Show & Sale at Cheshire Nursery by Cheshire Art League (2009)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I was ready for another local event. 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While I am comfortable working in most mediums, I specialize in landscape oil painting, similar to the famous Hudson River School and Victorian-era artists. ART IN MY EARLY LIFE Like every other artist, I have loved viewing and creating art for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always drew with pencils, colored pencils, watercolors, and just about every medium I could get my hands on. I received formal art training during my primary school years. When attending elementary school, I received specialized training at the Paier College of Art in New Haven, Connecticut. The first formal recognition of my artistic ability happened in elementary school when I won an award, placing me in the top five of a statewide student art competition. During my middle school years, I was invited to attend college-level art classes one day a week at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Also, during this time, I studied watercolor painting with Connecticut artist Kathy Singer. However, my most beloved art teacher was my Aunt Ann Fucich, who instilled in me a love of art when I was a small child. John O'Keefe posing with a drawing outside of the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York, when he was seven years old Outside the Museum of Natural History (NYC) at 7 Years Old. (My Aunt Ann Fucich took pictures) My love for art led me to seek a career in mechanical drafting. As new technologies emerged, I advanced to more sophisticated 3D CAD modeling systems, new product development, and, eventually, project management. Throughout the years, I completed many university courses and job-specific training to advance my mechanical design\/engineering career. Even though my work was very technical, an artistic element was involved in designing new products and the associated documentation processes. My love for creating art did not stop at drawing and painting. As a teenager, I started pursuing musical skills. My first love is the guitar, and I ran a small recording studio out of my home for a time while also playing guitar in a few bands. The computer soon became another outlet for creating art. With my computer skills and 3D modeling experience, I began to develop a sophisticated DC-9-41 add-on cockpit package for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The project focused on the Scandinavian Airline Service (SAS) DC-9 airplane OY-KGR. There was extensive programming and many computer-generated renderings and image files assembled in real-time when the game was running, giving the person playing the experience of sitting in a real DC-9 cockpit. A RENEWED LOVE OF ART In 2007 my wife, Jennifer, rekindled my zeal for drawing and painting. Her encouragement and support motivated me to create O'Keefe Arts and take up oil painting as a professional artist. Jennifer also enjoys creating art, and we are working together to promote the business and my paintings because of our shared love of art. I sell original works, accept commission work to create custom landscape paintings, and offer a variety of high-quality pigment prints, i.e., Giclee, reproductions of my artwork. (Websites: www.okeefe-arts.com and www.johnokeefe.net) John and Jennifer O'Keefe outside of the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York, when he was thirty-seven years old Outside the Museum of Natural History (NYC) at 37 Years Old. My paintings have been well received in the art community, allowing my works to be displayed in prestigious exhibitions and art shows. In my home state of Connecticut, the Lyme Art Gallery, Mystic Arts Center, Cate Charles Gallery, and the Mill House Gallery have exhibited my artwork. My paintings have won awards, and I have been a featured artist in a group exhibition at the Lyme Art Association's \\\"17th Annual Associate Artists Exhibit\\\". In April of 2009, I was elected onto the board of directors of the Cheshire Art League in Cheshire, Connecticut, and I created and managed the league's website until the fall of 2011. Organizations that I belong to are Oil Painters of America, Lyme Art Association, The Salmagundi Club of New York City, Mystic Arts Association, Cheshire Art League (until 2011), and Landscape Artists International. In 2012, Jennifer and I created Painting Frames Plus, where people can purchase high-quality reproduction painting frames. 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While I am comfortable working in most mediums, I specialize in landscape oil painting, similar to the famous Hudson River School and Victorian-era artists. ART IN MY EARLY LIFE Like every other artist, I have loved viewing and creating art for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always drew with pencils, colored pencils, watercolors, and just about every medium I could get my hands on. I received formal art training during my primary school years. When attending elementary school, I received specialized training at the Paier College of Art in New Haven, Connecticut. The first formal recognition of my artistic ability happened in elementary school when I won an award, placing me in the top five of a statewide student art competition. During my middle school years, I was invited to attend college-level art classes one day a week at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Also, during this time, I studied watercolor painting with Connecticut artist Kathy Singer. However, my most beloved art teacher was my Aunt Ann Fucich, who instilled in me a love of art when I was a small child. John O'Keefe posing with a drawing outside of the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York, when he was seven years old Outside the Museum of Natural History (NYC) at 7 Years Old. (My Aunt Ann Fucich took pictures) My love for art led me to seek a career in mechanical drafting. As new technologies emerged, I advanced to more sophisticated 3D CAD modeling systems, new product development, and, eventually, project management. Throughout the years, I completed many university courses and job-specific training to advance my mechanical design\/engineering career. Even though my work was very technical, an artistic element was involved in designing new products and the associated documentation processes. My love for creating art did not stop at drawing and painting. As a teenager, I started pursuing musical skills. My first love is the guitar, and I ran a small recording studio out of my home for a time while also playing guitar in a few bands. The computer soon became another outlet for creating art. With my computer skills and 3D modeling experience, I began to develop a sophisticated DC-9-41 add-on cockpit package for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The project focused on the Scandinavian Airline Service (SAS) DC-9 airplane OY-KGR. There was extensive programming and many computer-generated renderings and image files assembled in real-time when the game was running, giving the person playing the experience of sitting in a real DC-9 cockpit. A RENEWED LOVE OF ART In 2007 my wife, Jennifer, rekindled my zeal for drawing and painting. Her encouragement and support motivated me to create O'Keefe Arts and take up oil painting as a professional artist. Jennifer also enjoys creating art, and we are working together to promote the business and my paintings because of our shared love of art. I sell original works, accept commission work to create custom landscape paintings, and offer a variety of high-quality pigment prints, i.e., Giclee, reproductions of my artwork. (Websites: www.okeefe-arts.com and www.johnokeefe.net) John and Jennifer O'Keefe outside of the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York, when he was thirty-seven years old Outside the Museum of Natural History (NYC) at 37 Years Old. My paintings have been well received in the art community, allowing my works to be displayed in prestigious exhibitions and art shows. In my home state of Connecticut, the Lyme Art Gallery, Mystic Arts Center, Cate Charles Gallery, and the Mill House Gallery have exhibited my artwork. My paintings have won awards, and I have been a featured artist in a group exhibition at the Lyme Art Association's \"17th Annual Associate Artists Exhibit\". In April of 2009, I was elected onto the board of directors of the Cheshire Art League in Cheshire, Connecticut, and I created and managed the league's website until the fall of 2011. Organizations that I belong to are Oil Painters of America, Lyme Art Association, The Salmagundi Club of New York City, Mystic Arts Association, Cheshire Art League (until 2011), and Landscape Artists International. In 2012, Jennifer and I created Painting Frames Plus, where people can purchase high-quality reproduction painting frames. 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