Paint Eastport Day

It has been a long day, but all went well for our annual Paint Eastport Day. There was so much to do that I spent only a few hours actually painting. The rest of the time was a blurr of activity involving many trips between the gallery and the Art Center with various supplies. There are a few chores that only I can do because others have such a fear of electronic devices. Everything that involved the computer, the printer, or the credit card machine fell to me. I have no hesitation when it comes to unplugging things and plugging them in elsewhere. This seems to strike terror in the hearts of most of our members, so I was kept busy pressing keys and buttons, hooking things up and unhooking them again.

We were pretty well orgainized this year compared to times past, especially where the reception was concerned. The food and drink for the gala is a monumental task and usually ends up being handled in a very slip-shod way. No one has really been in charge and it's only with last minute individual effort and a lot of luck that we've managed to get it together. This year, one person was in charge of the refreshments and what a difference it made. Instead of chaos, there was calm. The table was loaded with contributions that Judy had solicited and made sure were delivered as promised. She made a lot of the food herself, arranged for plenty of soft drinks and wine...........it was an amazing display of organization. A lot of the hysteria that ordinarily characterizes the Paint Eastport Day auction was thus eliminated. All of her work kept her from painting, but it was certainly time well spent and appreciated by all. The only disgruntled person was David O, who was the master of ceremonies. The requested microphone failed to appear and he had to yell over the din to keep things in order with the bidding and the distribution of the purchases. When I finally found the person responsible and she set out to rectify the problem, he claimed it was too late--his voice was already over-strained.

The auction was very well attended, as it always is, and all the paintings were bought. My offering, which I forgot to photograph even though I had my camera, was a small downtown scene including the Tides Institute and The Commons. The man who bought it sought me out and spent some time talking about the painting. He is a lawyer from Bangor and also bought Lisa's work.

Karen came and stayed with me for two nights, though we didn't get a chance to visit as much as I would have liked. She hasn't been to Eastport since last Paint Eastport Day, but she came for the portrait workshop I taught on Thursday and Friday and then to contribute to the auction. The workshop went well as I recall. It seems to have gotten lost in all the activity. I had five or six students and they all did well and had fun. We went out to eat at the end of the second day and a good time was had by all, including me.

It has been an exhausting week, but with it comes the knowledge that life will smooth out now. My duties at the gallery will become less demanding and less frequent until eventually they will pretty much disappear for the winter, or perhaps for good, if I'm not president again next year.