Charleston

I finally arrived with my painting all in one piece  to the Robert Lange Studios in Charleston. This was where the International Guild of Realism's 9th annual exhibition was to be shown. It was way past the deadline and most of the works were already in place but space was kindly reserved for my piece and it was a great relief to leave it. Like leaving my baby at kindergarten for the first time.

Me with my painting Morning Mist

I was just in time to keep the lunch date I had made with a dear Facebook friend with whom I had been corresponding for years but never met in person. She drove for 3 hours to meet me in Charleston! We had a couple of hours together before she took the long trip home.
This would be the first of many wonderful meetings in the US with facebook friends and colleagues from across the world. Don't scorn or laugh at Facebook! without it I, for one, would never have contact with the amount of friends I have today.

From The American Art Collector magazine

A cocktail party was arranged for participating artists and guests on the roof of a prestigious hotel with a beautiful view. Here I finally got to meet other artists whose work I had seen and been admiring for years.

Participating artists on the tour of Charleston

Next afternoon we were all taken by traditional river boat around Charleston harbour. On board we attended a seminar in which artist Camille Engel told us a lot about the importance of artist branding. Also an art collector told us about what he looks for at an exhibition and a few wise words about pricing. Then while we ate a southern barbecue dinner we could listen to the sound of a blues band playing on the upper deck.
The following day we went on a walking tour of Charleston with visits to the amazing number of top notch galleries there. We were guided around and told about the history of the old town by art docent Alison Massari.
Then finally the grand opening of the exhibition took place with well over 500 art patrons and guests. I was very honoured to have my painting among the few that were represented on the official invitation.
Read more about the event and show here: http://www.realismguild.com/CurrentExhibitions.html
and here:http://www.robertlangestudios.com/9th-annual-realism-show-2/

Opening night. Not many galleries have a swing for three in the exhibition area