Happy New Year!

In the gallery/studio today, yes, on a holiday, to get the January show up and the gallery ready for tomorrow's opening reception. The First Friday reception will be open from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. The show will be up for the entire month of January.

Our January featured artist, Nick Harmon, is showcasing 8 new pieces including the entry way floor, and an amazing 7 piece backlit acrylic series that's sure to please.

Nick Harmon is owner of FHAB Concepts, and developer of Fresco Harmony, recently he decided to take a tour of newer galleries affiliated with the AABA (Albuquerque Arts Business Association) to show art and pollinate networks. Not only does he create, original media fine art, he also creates innovative patented wall and floor surface applications.

In conjunction with the opening at Chroma Gallery, we were privileged to be able to finish a section of floor in the gallery in his patented technique. This floor system is not a stain, it's a coating, and it's 100% original, and green. Both the wall and floor concepts were accepted into the International Green Ideas Show in Oct where they were a hit. The artwork is where Nick researches new ideas for other, more practical, applications, ie, counter tops, tiles made from moisture resistant hardy backer, transparent window coverings, glass block and more.

The floor before
My contribution, the drawing of the spiral
The spiral template
Nick getting started
The finished spiral, come on down to see the whole floor!

Need Something to do Tonight?

....Then come by Chroma Studios and Gallery for our "Feathers and Flowers" Show. This is our first show as a member of the Albuquerque Arts Crawl. We are excited about our new gallery which expands Chroma Studios into a downstairs space with easy access for everyone. We have plenty of free parking! Come by and have a peek into the working studios of our artists and see the featured work of Chroma founders, Josephine Brionez de Flores and Paula Manning-Lewis, along with the work of our studio artists.

When: Tonight! 5-8:30pm. Show runs through October 31st. We will also be open for the two weekends of Balloon Fiesta, Thursday - Sunday from 12 - 6 pm.

Where: Chroma Studios and Gallery, 1606 Central Ave SE, Suites 102 & 201, Albuquerque, NM

Chroma Studios and Gallery First Friday Opening

We are very excited about our upcoming opening! The new gallery and classroom space are amazing! If you are local, please come visit us!

When: Friday, October 3rd, 2008 5 - 8 p.m.
Opens October 3rd and runs through Oct. 31st. We will also be open for the two weekends of Balloon Fiesta, Thurs. thru Sun. from 12-6pm.

Where: Chroma Studios and Gallery, 1606 Central Ave SE, Suite 102 & 201, Albuquerque, NM

What: Chroma Studios and Gallery Art Opening - Feathers and Flowers

Chroma Studios is happy to present the opening of our new gallery and classroom
space. We have expanded since our grand opening in June to include a gallery
and classroom downstairs. This First Friday, our new gallery will feature the
work of Chroma co-founders Paula Manning-Lewis and Josephine Brionez de Flores.
We will also have live guitar music by Chroma artist Aaron Lewis, who has
recently released a new cd Space Travel. Our upstairs gallery will include the work of our studio
artists Barak Naggan, Sarah Rose, Caroline Blaker, Chris Schelling, Kirk McGee,
Terry Hansen, and vashti b. Plus guest artists, Susan See, Diane Reitz and Michael Gallegos.

Hope to see you there!

Paula Manning-Lewis :)

Factory on 5th and other thoughts

Tonight is the First Friday show at the Factory on 5th. I am almost ready in the studio, busy printing business cards and rehanging art on the walls.

My latest news regarding the Factory is starting in January I will no longer have my studio here. My two older sons have moved out of the house and it makes no sense to keep paying rent for an outside studio when we have two empty rooms at home.

In some ways I'm happy about the move, I will be able to work anytime of the day, I won't have to commute anymore which will save us money on gas, and we will save the money paid on rent.

In other ways I'm not happy about the move, I will miss the artist friends I've made at the Factory, I will no longer have a "place of business".

At the same time, there will no longer be the distraction of the dramas that occur when more than 5 artists are working in the same building. One of the problems I've always had with the Factory is that the ceilings are open so there is no real sense of privacy. Everyone knows each other's business. Music has to be low so it doesn't bother the other artists.

Some people don't have my sense of courtesy, so there is always someone else's music blasting over mine. I like to blast my music while I paint too, but I feel bad about annoying other people. I won't have to worry about that anymore.

Two Show Openings this week!

First Friday at the Factory is this Friday from 6-11pm. The Factory is located at 1715 5th Street in Albuquerque.

Saturday I will be at an opening in Gallup at the House of Lyndon, 227 Coal in downtown Gallup, from 6-9pm.

Also, I have been cleaning out my original drawer in my flat file and found a bunch of paintings that I listed in my Etsy shop. Clearance prices on most of these paintings. Lots of smaller sizes, watercolors, aceos, etc. Check out my Etsy shop to see what I have!

First Friday at the Factory on 5th; Tonight!

To all those who live here in the Albuquerque area, come down to the Factory on 5th tonight for our November First Friday show!

6 -11pm at 1715 5th Street

Over 20 artists will be showing with lots of free refreshments and entertainment by my wonderful husband, Aaron Lewis, on guitar!

Hope to see you there!

I will get back to posting more photos on my next post! :)

First Friday, October

Tomorrow is First Friday(Arts Crawl) at the Factory on 5th. Come on down from 6 to 11 pm to see my studio, new work and the work of over 14 other artists. Free Parking, refreshments and guitar music played by my husband, Aaron Lewis.

Factory on 5th
1715 5th Street
Albuquerque, NM

Hope to see you there!

In the Studio

After a well needed break, I'm back in the studio today. Spent most of the day working on a large painting I started a couple months ago. I had been stuck on it but finally had that moment of AHA when I knew exactly where it would go next. I love it when that happens! I will try to take a progress photo tomorrow. I have been itching to get back to painting! I did some painting out at the Fair, but nothing big. I plan on doing more big paintings in the near future.

This week is First Friday at the Factory on 5th! I only have three more days to get my studio cleaned up and art hung! Yikes!! I'm working on getting all my art hung, old and new, in my studio. Brought in several older works that I had at the house. A few landscapes, a few portraits. Thought it would be interesting for people to see where I came from before painting my spiral abstracts. I don't think I've posted a photo of my studio since I moved in, so I'll try to get that done too, once I have everything hung.

Hope everyone is having as wonderful a day as I am! Smile, it will make you happy!! :)

First Friday Tonight!

I've been so busy lately, I forgot to post something about the First Friday event tonight! It will be at the Factory on 5th, just north of downtown Albuquerque. My studio will be open and Aaron will be playing guitar. There are 16 other artists involved as well. Hours are 6-11pm tonight.

In other news, I will be at the opening of a group show at House of Lyndon gallery in Gallup, NM on Thursday, August 9th from 6-9pm. I'm working on finishing up a new large painting for this show. This is a great gallery with several awesome artists showing, including gallery owner and artist, Lyndon Tsosie.

Handpainted Frames for Daily Journal Paintings

Here are some of the pictures I promised recently. I took the newly framed paintings out to the art market this past weekend and got a great response on them. I even sold one! The rest are available in my Etsy shop for a limited time. They will also be hanging this Friday at the First Friday event at Factory on 5th.

Bold as Love with handpainted frame

Elated with handpainted frame

Spokes of the Sun Framed

Fire with handpainted frame

Daylight Savings with handpainted frame

Upcoming shows and GREAT news!

I cannot believe how busy I have been lately! I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted here! The next two weekends I have two shows coming up.

Tijeras Art Market

This weekend I will be at the Tijeras Art Market, Saturday and Sunday, from 8am - 5pm. This will be my first time there and I'm really looking forward to it! The market space is nice and shady with permanent shade structures. The location is the East Mountain area just outside Albuquerque, off I-40 in the village of Tijeras. The market is located behind the Just Imagine Gallery and coffee shop.

Next Friday, July 6th, is my first, First Friday event at my new studio. The Factory on 5th is located just north of downtown Albuquerque on 5th street, between Aspen and Haines streets. My husband will be playing guitar as entertainment for the event.

So, if you are local or even if you are just visiting Albuquerque, I'd love to see you out at one of these events!

Now for the good, no GREAT, news! I mentioned back in May that I had some exciting news to share. Well, the news is official now! I have sold out of all my Paula Beck prints! All my black and white portrait and pottery prints that I have been threatening to bonfire for years are gone! This is a huge accomplishment for me as there were 7,000 prints left! I sold them all to one person in the Chicago area who plans to sell them as a fundraiser for a school/church. So, that is what I've been most busy with in the past month or so. I have always signed and numbered the prints as I needed them, so I have spent the past few weeks signing them all and getting them packed and shipped. Now they are gone for good! No more reminders of my past life!