2013 Mini Show at the Art Bar

Posted on November 2, 2013 in Blog Post, Exhibitions, News

2013 Mini Show at the Art Bar

2013 Mini Show at the Art Bar – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Mini Show at the Art Bar - Milwaukee, WI

They really pack the walls with art for this show. For each open space, a painting has sold.

Last night the Mini show opened at the Art Bar. I got there later than I intended, around 8pm, by which time many pieces had already sold. Each year over the holidays, the owner Don puts on a miniature show that includes anything 8″ or smaller along its longest edge, and $100 or less. The bar gets hundreds of pieces for this show each year, and they typically sell a lot of artwork, especially on opening night. There’s always a lot of excitement, as buyers can simply grab the one they like and the label on the wall and take it up to the bar to buy it outright. They even wrap the work in kraft paper for you while you wait.

 

Mini Show at the Art Bar - Milwaukee, WIThis year I entered 7 paintings, all but one of which were portraits. None of mine had sold before I left, but I was only there for an hour or so. I’ve participated in this show for the past couple of years, and I usually sell more than half of what I put in. We’ll see in January. Last year I sold a portrait of Charles Darwin, and a portrait of Fidel Castro, of all people, which I did not expect. I think I’ve been in 6-7 shows there now. It’s nice to see the crowd’s reaction to the work.

 

Mini Show at the Art Bar - Milwaukee, WI

On the wall near the door is the One Week Painting. The Art Bar allows an artist to paint over that image each week. The artist gets some acrylic paints and a scaffold (and a bar tab), and goes to work. Each week a new painting.

The opening of this show is usually packed, and last night was no exception, especially early in the evening. People come from Shorewood, Mequon, Cedarburg, and other cities around Milwaukee. It’s gotten quite a reputation for creative work.

The thing I like most about this venue, although you really can’t see it in this show as there is just so much work on the walls, is the amount of time and deliberation that Don takes in hanging and lighting the work he displays. The walls are colored, and well lit, and he has a knack for arranging different-sized works in a way that is quite appealing. Despite all the other visual distractions that accompany any bar, the work is really the center of attention.
 

Mini Show at the Art Bar - Milwaukee, WI

 

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