It's The Little Things...(Small Wonders Opening, 6/8 @ ODAS!)

It's time we all acknowledged the truth: Things that are awesome, are made awesom-er when they are small.
To convince you of this Scientific Fact*, I present to you exhibits A through E:

Exhibit A: Candy

Good.**

BETTER. (Look- fun is in it's name)

Exhibit B: Octopi

Beautiful, and slightly terrifying 

Beautiful and SO WEE.
BETTER.

Exhibit C: Antipasto plates

Normal size: A delicious and savory way to begin a meal

Tiny Size: inedible, but completely adorable.
BETTER.

Exhibit C: Even things that are already small are better when they're smaller

You can hold it in your hands!

YOU CAN HOLD 30 OF THEM IN YOUR IN YOUR HANDS
WAY BETTER.

Exhibit D: Art

What a big and impressive piece of art!

Smaller, but SO MUCH BETTER!

The really great news is that if you are a fan of small art (and with all the above evidence you'd be foolish not to be) you'll have a chance to check out over 100 miniature (no larger than 12"x 12"x 12")  paintings, drawings, sculptures, even fiber art at Open Door's Small Wonders, opening this Saturday, June 8th, from 5p to 7p.

But wait! There's more!

Small Wonders is a collaborative exhibition featuring artists from Open Door Art Studio and Cincinnati’s Visionaries and Voices. The show will be up through July, but with Father's Day, Graduation gifts and Happy 'It's No Longer Ohio Winter!' celebrations coming up, these wonderful and affordable works of are will be flying off the walls. Plus our openings have great snacks. 

Please join us for this big night of small works!  

*disclaimer: not real science
**All pictures, except for the last one, belong to someone else and have been linked to where I found them.
They are used purely for fun and hilarity, not for profit.

Mother's Day is Coming- Are You Ready?

Ah, Mother's Day- The day to celebrate mother's, maternal bonds, the influence of motherhood in society, and all the ladies who've raised or help raise new humans into functional adults. It's the one day out of the year to show your mother (or mothering person) just how grateful you are for them, the one day on which we pause to say thank-you for everything they've done for us. It's also in two days, so if you haven't gotten an appropriately awesome gift for that awesome person, you'd better get moving. No pressure.

Whistler's Mother. Tell me this lady doesn't look like she deserves more than just a scented candle?

Good news! Just in time for this crazy important holiday, Open Door Art Studio is having a BIG SPRING FLING SALE, this Saturday, May 11 from 12pm to 5pm

"But Cat, are you sure I'll be able to find the right gift for my mother?

Yes. Yes I am.*

And to prove it, below are just a few of the literally hundreds of pieces of art we have for sale, any of which would make excellent Mother's Day Gifts:

Old School Vacuum, Rex Lynch

Okay, so everyone knows; don't get your mom/wife/significant other who cleans up your messes a tool with which to clean said messes. But an amazing, original watercolor drawing of an Old School Vacuum? Totally cool.

Splat, Marty Freireich 

Speaking of cleaning up messes, here's a Splat so beautiful your mother won't want to clean it up!**

And Baby Makes Three, Margaret Stromire

Don't have time to get a family portrait taken? No worries, get your mom a family portrait- With Elephants!

Linda Carter as Wonder Woman, Jenny DeBrier

Taking a messy, loud ball of emotions and impulses and transforming it into a functioning adult? If that's not a superpower I don't know what is. Celebrate your mother's inner Super Heroine with this lovely painting. 

Rosy Disposition, Linda Hoffman

Flowers are always a safe bet, but you know what doesn't last forever? Flowers. You know what does? Paintings of flowers. You tell me which one makes a better gift.

Cutie Koala, Carolyn Morgan

And if by some chance your mom doesn't like superheroes, flowers, non-objective paintings or elephants, there's no way she won't love a koala. They're scientifically proven to be the Outback's cutest animal***

So there you have it! Just a tiny sample of the amazing work we have available. Double plus bonus: Every work of art is one-of-a-kind (so no worries about a copy-cat sibling getting her the same thing) and directly benefits our artists and the studio.

Your mother would be proud.

*Full disclosure- I am not a mother, but I've been someone's kid for most of my life and feel like I've got a pretty good idea of what makes a successful Mother's Day gifting experience.

**(Which is good. Because it's a painting. And permanent.) 

***this is not real science. But it is true. 

Thanks Columbus!

A huge, huge thank you to everyone who stopped by the Wallace's booth this past Friday, Saturday or Sunday! Wallace sold a ton of work, but even more importantly had a great time. More than once he was heard to say things like "I really like this place!" and "I don't ever wanna leave".

If you missed him, or if you just want to say hi again, don't forget- this Saturday, June 9th from 5 to 7 is the opening reception for Figurative Language, featuring Wallace, John Emanuele and Charles Porter.

Holy Cow! Wallace Peck at the Columbus Arts Festival

Ah summer!
The trees are starting to fill out, flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, popsicles are in abundance-
Doesn't it just feel like there should be some awesome, three day long event where one could enjoy the arts scene in Columbus outside in the fresh air, perhaps take in the beauty of the Riverfront?

Good news!

You can do JUST THAT at the 2012 Columbus Arts Festival, June 1, 2 and 3!
(Huzzah!)

Does it get any better than this?

It totally does. This year, Open Door Artist, Wallace Peck was chosen by the festival to be featured as one of their emerging artists! We at Open Door are so proud of Wallace and can't wait for the rest of Columbus to get to know this amazing artist. Stop by booth M106 and say 'Hi!'

In the meantime, check out the wonderful episode of ArtZine made by WOSU's Cindy Gaillard highlighting Wallace.

Pictures From 'the Other Side'

A huge thank-you to everyone who came to the opening of 'Art From the Other Side; Work From a Movement Without a Name'! Whether you were there physically or just in spirit, we appreciate the support. If you weren't able to come, no worries! The show will be up in the main branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library until Feb. 19.

(That's right, you can visit the library AND see some fantastic art- Who could ask for anything more?)

Art from the Other Side: Work from a Movement Without a Name @ the Carnegie Gallery

Open Door Art Studio is proud to present:

"Art from the Other Side: Work from a Movement Without a Name".

Lady in Waiting, by Doug Gantt

• What: Exhibition of artwork from over forty local visionary artists who create at Open Door Art Studio.


• When: Exhibition runs from January 12 to February 19. Opening Reception is January 12th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm


• Where: Carnegie Gallery, Columbus Main Library- 96 South Grant Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215-4781


• Why: To celebrate and share exceptional artwork!

"Art from the Other Side" includes a truly remarkable body of work from artists who cannot easily be defined by a particular movement. We hope that viewers are moved emotionally by the raw and earnest offerings of this wonderful selection of artists.