Wow! Where to begin. As a wise man once said; at the beginning I suppose.
The first real memory that comes to mind for the year that is soon to be behind us, is my wild ride down the Olympic Bobsled track in Lake Placid. This is not to be confused with the pseudo Bobseld ride that tourists pay $35.00 to take from the halfway point and reach maybe 30-35 miles per hour. No this was the real deal. I was attending the BODYN Challenge an annual fund raiser for the US Bobsled team organized by retired NASCAR legend Geoff Bodine.
I was there in attendance wearing my photojournalist hat to cover the event for the Guard Times Magazine. It just so happened that the brakeman for Todd Bodine, yes that Todd Bodine. (NASCAR Truck Series Champion Driver, brother of Geoff) was unable to make it for Friday’s qualifying runs. Drivers, brakemen and sleds are paired by weight so as to make all sleds essentially the same weight for this gravity driven event. It turns out that I was the only 200 pound guy in eye sight and was summarily pressed into service.
I cannot begin to explain the noise, the vibration, the agony and the thrill. It was an experience never to be forgotten. 80 miles per hour with your back side about 2 inches off the ice! I made the run twice with Mr. Bodine, but was happy to return to my photojournalist duties on race day. The brakeman I had stood in for showed up. Wow! I can still feel the rush!
April brought unusually warm weather so I took my Harley to Old Forge for an overnight with Debe before she attended the week long Doug Dawson Pastel Workshop at the Arts Center. It was a great ride and turned out to be only long ride of the year.
In May we launched our web store and although it is still a work in progress we saw almost immediate results. No, it hasn’t made us rich, and I doubt it will. It has however, expanded our market considerably and is one more tool for us to grow our business and survive these difficult economic times.
Over the summer I was discovered and subsequently interviewed by Nina Alvarez for Artspan. The interview also was picked up by Philthy Conversations with Artists a Philadelphia based on-line art magazine. This interview launched my blog following into another stratosphere and continues to draw new readers. Thanks Nina!
We celebrated the first birthday of our beautiful granddaughter Kaitlyn in August. She is the daughter we always wanted but could not have. Think we spoil her much?
The end of summer brought us an unexpected surprise. Mary Pierce, our friend and fill-in helper at the gallery had her move to Seattle delayed a bit, so she encouraged us to take a vacation while she was still available.
In a matter of days we were on our way to Nova Scotia. A brief stop in Vermont to visit family along the way and we were off on a fantastic adventure. Nova Scotia had long been a place I had wanted to visit, having seen pictures and having relatives recount their trips.
It was a long drive as we opted to drive the whole way and not take the ferry. I’m glad we did, but I will plan to take the ferry next time. Nova Scotia was everything and more than we hoped. The natural beauty of the landscape and the quaint fishing villages around every bend in the road make it difficult to get anywhere, as I found myself stopping to take pictures all too frequently. The trip was overall very inexpensive with gasoline for the car far and away the biggest expense. We traveled right when gas prices had peaked and we were paying over $4.50 a gallon and over $5.00 once over the Canadian border. Eating out of our cooler and staying in inexpensive motels and hostels kept the rest of the trip quite inexpensive. Debe spent several days painting on the beach while I took literally hundreds of photographs. We fell in love with the unspoiled beauty of Nova Scotia and are already planning another trip to see Cape Breton and the Bay of Fundy which we never made it to this year.
The third annual Art In The Square fell victim to heavy rain, holding down attendance, but still enjoyed by those who braved the weather. Several artists made some very nice sales.
In December I installed my sculpture “Organica”, a steel modernist piece in front of the Central Square Public Library. The project was funded by a grant from the New York State Council for the Arts.
Despite the down turn in the nations economy Abbott’s Lake Country Studio enjoyed exceptional sales during our Christmas season as we began our 24th year in business.
2009 of course remains a mystery, but we are confident that we will continue on, in spite of the negativity constantly spewed from the evening news about how bad things are.
My friend and fellow artist Chuck Laman said recently, “there are some people who will always do well, no matter what shape the economy is in, and some people who do not, even when things are good. It’s a matter of attitude and determination”. I have always believed this, but now have adopted this as my mantra for 2009.
Debe is busy working on paintings for the Northeast National Pastel Exhibition and an image to be used for the post card for this summer’s Tug Hill Conservation Painters Show. We are also planning a show of our work together in our gallery, something we have never done.
I am working on a series of sepia tone photographs of the Tug Hill region and have several sculpture projects planned. I have been talking with the Parish Public Library about a sculpture for their building and hope to put something in place for a major work for the new Arts Center in Old Forge.
We are also very excited to have our son, Kevin II get involved in the gallery this year. He will be doing much of the building renovation and adding in rustic frames and furniture. He is also interested in getting involved in working with me on some large scale sculptures that we plan to install on the grounds.
Thanks to all of our friends and patrons who have supported us in the past. Stay tuned 2009 promises to be the best yet!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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