Aileen’s Summer to Fall 2017 Art Update

[aileen imperatrice]

I’m catching up on 4 months of updates – this includes July, August, September and October.  Much of this was due to my prep time, actual surgeries on July 25th (my own kidney donation surgery and my husband receiving a kidney transplant), hospital stay and then the long recovery. So in an effort to regain some normalcy with my life again, here goes:

It’s been a little slow getting back into the swing of things; a very frustrating reality.  In my mind, I’m exactly the way I was the day of the surgery.  I had been working out 2 hours a day to be in top shape and had several plans in motion for my art career.  And then the surgery and recovery happened.  I missed out on 3 different art opportunities in Los Angeles because I didn’t have the strength yet to submit art or create new art ready in time for the submission deadlines.  And one solo show that would have happened in Fresno in August also suffered; at first we rescheduled, but then it was cancelled by the venue.

In the meantime however, positive things have happened.  Early July, while my solo show at the Betty Rodriguez Library was winding down, I delivered an art piece to a dear friend in Los Angeles that housed it for me and then delivered it for the LAAA Anniversary Art Auction. I wasn’t able to attend the reception that took place on July 29^th, since I had just been released from the hospital and was still staying in SF for another week. When the show ended, she then generously retrieved it for me and kept it at her home again until I was able to make the trip to Los Angeles and pick it up on the last day of September.  On the same July 29^th day, another friend of mine in Fresno picked up a different art piece from my home and delivered it with hers to the “Self Portraits” show at KJWL Gallery for August.  I didn’t get the chance to see the show in person that month, but several friends were so thoughtful to share photos of my art in the show.  Then my wonderful Fresno friend again retrieved my art and brought it back to my house. As soon as Tony and I arrived back in Fresno from our extended recovery stay in San Francisco (UCSF wanted us to stay nearby for at least the first week after being released from the hospital - following the already 4 days in the hospital from our surgery date) we were pretty much bed ridden.  Except for the required walking on a treadmill (made available to us by another generous friend and delivered by more friends to our home) for a while each day, we didn’t get to leave our house unless it was doctor related until the last Sunday of August, when our friends drove us to attend our friends’ concert, where we just sat.

September arrived and while we were still mostly relegated to our home recovery, we could start to venture out a little.  We had to be very picky for Tony’s compromised immunity issues and both of our tiredness.  I was able to deliver my own artwork to the Fresno Fairgrounds in the middle of September, Yay! And besides our regular trips to UCSF, Tony’s local doctors, and my own local physician, we were able to drive ourselves to Los Angeles on September 30^th so that I could participate in a valuable Artist Portfolio Review at my home gallery in West Hollywood, the Los Angeles Art Association/Gallery 825.  I presented my work to 3 different art industry professionals who gave me advice and with whom I will continue contact. Traveling to LA that day also gave me that chance I mentioned earlier to retrieve my art piece from my friend, as well as attend an Opening Reception for a show at another gallery I’ve shown, Studio C Gallery in the Santa Fe Art Colony in Downtown LA.

*Now here we are in October and I have art in 2 different locations.  My 3 art pieces “Latina

Curves/(un)intentional disintegration”, “holding together” and “3^rd Time’s a Charm” (which won an

Honorable Mention) are still on display and for sale at The Big Fresno Fair in the Fine Arts Bldg. until the

fair ends on Sunday, October 15^th 1121 S. Chance Ave., Fresno, CA 93702 Open: 11am M-F, 10am

Sat/Sun  Close: 11pm Sun-Thurs, Midnight Fri/Sat. Then beginning today, October 12^th, my art piece

“Where do we go from here?” will be part of the Dia de los Muertos exhibit “Tributo” at Arte Americas,

Fresno, continuing through November 25th.  Arte Americas is located at 1630 Van Ness Ave., Fresno, CA

93721 (559) 266-2623 Hours: Thurs/Sat 11-5, Fri 11-3, Sun 1-5.

I invite you to see my work at these places. *

Where will my art be after these 2 shows close?  I’m not sure.  But I will keep on trying to show and sell my work.  I am always honored to be asked to show my art in every venue I do and I appreciate all the individuals who make that happen.  As I begin again working on new art in my studio, I look forward to other opportunities.  

I invite you to visit my Artist Member Page with the LAAA/Gallery 825 here:  

https://www.laaa.org/aileen-imperatrice

or you can see my art and find out what I’m doing through my website: www.aileenimperatrice.com 

as well as through regular postings on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/aileenri 

Meanwhile, I continue my work to sell my art, (which helps me pay bills, purchase supplies and to be able to attend art events in LA).   

ALL my art works are FOR SALE.

Please feel free to ask me about any of my work if you are interested.

And remember, I am always willing to work out payments with you.

 

I also continue to Thank each and every one of my friends, colleagues and acquaintances who have been unbelievably generous with their support whether it is financial, time offered, rides, help in any way through all of our surgery and ongoing recovery.  We really could not have done it without you.

 

Thanks for reading,

Aileen