My first private gallery show was a Group Exhibition by Cate Charles Gallery in Stonington, Connecticut. In late 2008 I contacted the owner, Kimberly Charles, about showing my paintings in her Gallery. She had me bring down my collection for a short meeting and interview. She liked my work and said she would be pleased to include me in one of her upcoming group exhibits.

Group Exhibition – Opening Reception (12-5-2008)

Kimberly related the positive feedback she has received about my work from other artists and visitors at the Gallery. She expressed that “good things are heading [my] way” and that “[my] work is unique and carries a lot of emotion and feeling.” Very encouraging words!

Kimberly Charles scheduled the opening reception to coincide with a popular Stonington event, First Fridays. First Fridays is an event started by the local shops running along the main street in town. On the First Friday of each month, the shops remain open late into the evening. On this night, December 5th, 2008, so many people attended that it was difficult to walk around at times. There was a constant stream of people visiting the Gallery to view the exhibit.

First Fridays in Stonington, Connecticut – Walking the Town

First Fridays is an event that is supported by most of the local Stonington businesses on the First Friday of each month. All participating shops remain open late into the evening, and as you can see in the below pictures, they draw quite a crowd. At one point we estimated about a thousand people were walking the streets and the police had to restrict vehicle traffic because of the large groups.

First Fridays in Stonington, Connecticut – Artist Russ Kramer

My family took some time to walk through town and visit a few shops participating in First Fridays. We found a narrow alley with a sign indicating that more shops were at the other end.

When we came to the end of the alley, we found the gallery and studio of Russ Kramer. WOW!!! Russ paints incredible maritime scenes. We talked about our transitions from secular work to full-time painting – Russ made the transition in 2002, and I more recently in 2007. We discussed offering high-quality reproductions, and I was encouraged about my efforts in this area after hearing Russ relate some of his experiences with the proofing process and working closely with a reproduction supplier. It was lovely meeting such an accomplished artist.

Russ Kramer is one of the leading maritime artists of our time.
(Behind Russ and I, to the left is one of Russ’s recent paintings)

Learn more about Russ Kramer at: www.russkramer.com

Update – Sold ‘River Through the Adirondacks’

I am pleased to announce that I sold my first larger painting, ‘River Through the Adirondacks.’ While I was sad to see it go, I was thrilled to have one of my larger pieces hanging in someone’s home. This Group Exhibition by Cate Charles Gallery was another great experience.