Art166 - The Fine Art of Insomnia

~ A collage of Digital Art
images currently on exhibit
at "Timo's Coffeehouse" in
San Antonio, Texas
(click on image for larger view)

All images available at "Art166.etsy.com"
or Art166.com.

* * * *

"The BIG PROJECT" - Revealed!

Today's Guest Blogger is Neesie, W. J.'s sister and best friend

It was a sultry Thursday afternoon. W. J. had been readying a piece of art for donation to the San Antonio Advertising Federation's art auction. We had some time before the event so decided to stop at Timo's Coffeehouse. Timo's serves coffees, teas, a variety of delicious sandwiches, soups, salads and light lunches and dinners, and some of the yummiest desserts (all home-made) you'll ever eat! It's a favorite spot for business people, college students and professors and neighborhood regulars, and is getting busier all the time with positive write-ups in Texas Monthly and local papers. And Tim Guillen ("Timo"), the proprietor, is one of the hardest working people I've ever seen. He, and his partner, Peter Calpagno are consummate professionals at customer service, and are super-nice! (We didn't know any of this at the time, but boy, do we know it now!)

W. J. said hi to Tim and found that he was, indeed, interested in displaying art. She asked him if he'd like to see her work, he said yes, and she, magically, produced two small portfolios (which just happened to be in her bag!)

The rest, as they say, is history! W. J. directed him to her website, Art166.com, he selected some favorite pieces (liked them ALL), and the more they talked, the bigger the exhibit got! Plans are for W. J. to be the "artist in residence" at Timo's and have rotating exhibits. How cool is that!?

ANYWAY - W. J. got busy. Very busy. I'll skip the details of all that, but you can imagine what it took to single-handedly put an exhibit together -- choosing and ordering the prints, cutting mats, framing, hanging, printing flyers, sending invitations, etc.

In Timo's main dining room there are two slat walls, one of which now holds five "Abstraction" pieces. On the other wall hangs a selection of seven "Yesterday's Trees" -- all 16"x20". At the cash register area is a group of four "You are Here" road shots (Timo's "travel wall"), and in the bar area are four more 16"x20" abstract pieces and seven pieces from W. J.'s "Small Works" Etsy Shop. Whew!

All leading up to "An Evening of Digital Dreams" which we celebrated with a reception on the evening of Saturday, August 19th. What an evening it was! Guests included local business people, university professors, other artists (including our Etsy-pal, Nancy), some of Timo's regulars, inspirational author Ralph Ransom, and family and friends. Believe me, it was SPECTACULAR. The "Wow" factor was high and the buzz is starting!

Our evening's photographer ran into some technical difficulties, but W. J. and I stopped by Timo's a few days ago (during the lunch rush!) to grab a few photos. See more of "The BIG PROJECT" at W. J.'s Flickr site, here.

I've got to run. This guest blogging was a blast! Now, I'm turning it back to W. J. to post in the blog.

~ ~ ~ ~

W. J. says:

Hi, guys! I'm ba-ackkkk!

Let's hear a round of applause for Neesie, today's "Guest Blogger!"

*W. J. pauses, waiting patiently for clapping and cheering to wane . . .*

I'd like to, very publicly, thank Neesie for her unflagging support throughout this entire process. Without her generous financial and emotional backup, this "Big Project" would still be 'just another good idea'.

Thank you, Neesie. I couldn't have done it without you.

Big thanks, also, to my sister, Sharon, for unexpectedly showing up at my house with an armload of frames (and my favorite Red Twizzlers) -- just when I needed them!

To our very own blog-pal, Lynette Clay -- you were with me on this from start to finish. Thanks for your friendship and encouragement!

Last, but certainly not least, many thanks to Tim Guillen ("Timo") for graciously trusting a virtual stranger with your time, space, and clientele. I'll try never to give you reason to look up at your walls and say, "Oh, no! What was I thinking?!?!"

Timo's Coffeehouse
2021-1 San Pedro
San Antonio, TX

That's it for today, guys! I'll be back Thursday with a "regular" post. You were all part of this "Big Project" in some way, and I appreciate, very much, having my "Peeps" along for the ride.

Have an amazing day!