Art and Exhibitionism and my very first Fridge Exhibition

ART and EXHIBITIONISM
Yes it is true, we visual artists still remember grade one and still look forward to any chance to "show and tell". Artists of all ages have an overwhelming need to exhibit their drawings, paintings and scribbles.
As budding artists, initially our first exhibitions were on the fridge. Vic recently proclaimed that he had his first sell out show at GALLERY WESTINGHOUSE at the tender age of 6. I, on the other hand, was a late bloomer and I had my first sell out show on the fridge at the ripe old age of  7. My first successful show was all due to my decision to dump the pathetic and pigmently challenged weak colours of the school supplied clay crayons and advance into glorious colour expressions with my first box of Laurentian pencil crayons. My favourite colour was the Peacock Blue!! Barbie's Expressions In Blue First Fridge Exhibition debuted March 11th, 1960.

FINDING YOUR VOICE
After those heady days of exhibiting on the fridge, I was ready for more radical display of my individual art expression. There was no holding me back. I, like many creative kids of my age, drew and painted on everything, my arms, my school binders, my cut off jeans, my runners, and most regrettably the white shirt of the boy who sat in front of me in grade 7.
 High school brought more surfaces to paint on. My first commercial and public art installation was in Calgary's hippest coffee house THE NEON CATERPILLAR. I was hired to paint a full impact 10x10 foot mural. I couldn't believe my luck... this was a thematic dream job for any artist... picture it...an Alice in Wonderland scene with Alice peeking over the edge of the mushroom as she talks to the giant smoking caterpillar. I worked day and night for 3 weeks before the coffee house opened.
Opening night, I was so thrilled to see my mural displayed under the black lights, Alice and the Caterpillar's neon paint jumped off the walls as every coffee drinking customer grooved to the late 60's  rock that seemed to rumble, boom and then pour out of every carefully placed surround sound stereo speaker.

COFFEE HOUSE HISTORY
It was a fabulous opportunity as a young artist to paint a mural in a public space. In fact, I was thinking Alice and the giant caterpillar would be there forever adding psychedelic ambience to everyone's lunch hour or coffee break. Some of the big events or projects in life need to be documented and I regret that I did not think to snap a picture of my finished neon Alice in Wonderland mural.
Two years later, as I was busy in art school learning new and less pyschedelic methods of painting, I heard that the coffee house had closed down and my mural was destoyed during the new owner's renovations. As a teen, this was my first lesson - not everything you create or build will be around forever.

MORE NEWS ..........................

THE GLOBE AND MAIL article
 I am happy to announce and very honoured that Tom Hawthorn from the Globe and Mail wrote an article about my Neighbourhood Series and the studio tour event. I have included a link to the article below.

Click this link below to read about my art in the The Globe and Mail newspaper article April 30th, 2012
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/in-a-city-too-often-swathed-in-grey-an-artist-of-the-sun/article2417371/

To view 3 of my painting images in the Globe and Mail photo gallery, please click on this link.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/gallery-the-paintings-of-barbara-weaver-bosson/article2417403/

NEW PAINTING IN PROGRESS
As noted and displayed in my recent April blog archive, I am currently working on my Inner Harbour painting---starring the Johnson Street BLUE Bridge, old town and the south view towards the legislature. I am always about the details, and my painting of this upper working harbour view also includes active tug boats, fishing boats, pleasure boats, rowers and kayakers.


OUR STUDIO TOUR thank you to all
Many thank you's go out to all of you who came to our studio tour exhibition April 28 and 29th. It was so good to see you all. Vic and I love and appreciate you and thank you for supporting our community art event. Our studio exhbitions are a rare opportunity to give you a peek at our studio working space, our prints, paintings and the new artworks Vic and I are currently working on. We look forward to seeing you again at our next art studio event.


NEW ART PRINT ON CANVAS

From my original painting titled Rooftops Moss and Howe

Rooftops Moss and Howe
Fine Art prints on canvas
 image size 12 x 17.5 inches

Rooftops Moss and Howe art prints on canvas
 Available unframed $195.
 framed $ 295. and up.