Going solo
 

Yep I am having my first solo show !

In the past year I took a break from portraits and I worked on still lifes with the purpose of having a small exhibition of my work in Italy ( I play it safe, on home grounds).
I first contacted a small gallery which was happy to show my work but in the end I decided to rent a bigger space and found this amazing old gallery in the heart of town (in piazza Margana, Rome) which was free exactly when I wanted. I will show about twenty still lifes and I just couldn't resist throwing in a few portraits. The show will openon the 22nd october and run for a week.

So, all the paintings are framed and already in Rome, here's the invitation for all of you, who knows, maybe....

Unfortunately, I can't go. But oh, wouldn't I love to return to the city of my birth to see your wonderful work! Ilaria, I wish you the very, very best with this show. I think you are going to get rave reviews (but don't forget to generate some publicity). Can you post some pictures of the reception?

Congratulations!!!!!
 

Ilaria, your work IS just beautiful and I would absolutely love to see all the paintings in your solo show! Are they on a special website? I am also working in the same direction as I want to do both portraits and fine art. I have a meeting with a gallery next week.

Ilaria -

Please be sure to post photos of your opening! congratulations -

Julie, Alex, I certainly will !

Carol, I removed the still life page from my website just to try and make people come and see with their own eyes, but I will reinstate it as soon as the show is finished. Best of luck with your appointment

Ilaria

Ilaria, this is such terrific news! I wish so much I could be there! I think your work is so strong - I predict you will have red 'sale' dots on everything. This is very exciting news!

Please, take lots and lots of photos and tell us about the opening when it happens!

I'm very happy for you. Congrats.

Ilaria,
good luck with the show, I'm sure that they'll love it. I do, and I often take a look at your home page to enjoy your light touch and fresh approach. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Hello Ilaria

Congratulations! I am so pleased everything worked out for you for this show. I wish I could get the Italy to see the show and see your work in person, and to meet you, but, sadly, I won't be able to come. I hope the show is a sell-out for you, and the beginning of lots more international exposure - you deserve it!

Ilaria,

I wish you wonderful success with the show and I will be waiting to see photos of the exhibit space as well.

Congratulations Ilaria! I wish I could see your show.

Congratulations, Ilaria, and good luck with your show. Would have been great to be there.

Thank you so much to all for your support, there are almost two months to go and I wonder how I am going to manage my excitement and my fear !
As we all know there is so much of ourselves in our work that it is a bit like hanging naked on the walls of the gallery.
I also must confess that I chose the date as it is my (cough)..ortiest birthday so if I don't sell I can still say it was a good party anyway :-)

Ilaria

You'll be a great success.
 

IIaria,
Congratulations! You have reached a new level, I hope you can enjoy the excitement these next two months of preparation and the opening, I know it will be a success and we all can't wait to hear how it goes!
Patty

Ilaria,
Allow me to include my congratulations on your forthcoming show. And a birthday celebration at that! Hope you do well ... I

Thank you Patty, fingers crossed.
Carlos come on , there is Easyjet...

Hi Ilaria

Congratulations on what I'm sure will be a great show - very best of luck and here's to lots of sales and a wonderful birthday!

I'm in Florence at the start of October - we were thinking of heading to Rome for a day or two as well... but is that too early - I couldnt see the dates?

All the best
MaryJane

Thank you very much, Mary Jane, unfortuantely it only opens on the 22nd, shame, it would have been nice to see you there...
Anyway october is such a good month to go to Italy, you'll have a great time

Ilaria

Ilaria, having the shakes before a opening is quite normal especially when I invest lot of effort for everything to be perfect. My biggest fear was 'will anyone come'. I'm talking about my first exhibit here in Bad Homburg. If you can imagine, cool on the outside but on the inside I had my bag of questions. I distributed and hand delivered hundreds of fliers. The day came and it was jammed packed. I did not have still lifes like you to sell rather it was a exhibit set up to introduce self and introduce the work I do. It was a three day thing a excellent experience and I landed a nice size commission. I am sure you will do better than I being that you have items that will sell. So, sales and commissions will be your reward. One more thing. Just in case you have not thought about it try to advertise at the near by hotels a day or so before the exhibit.

Wish you nothing but the best

Dear Ilaria,

I am so thrilled for you! What a gorgeous painting on the invitiation - it makes me want to see everything else:)

Keep us posted on details!

Mischa, thank you so much for your sympathy and suggestions, I will definetely do so, that area is very touristy.
Thank you Chris, I thought that having just a detail on the invitation would make people curious to come and see the whole !
Ilaria

Ilaria,

Last night was the big night, no? Hope everything went well at the opening...it coincided with another inauguration there was here which is why I remembered. I

Yes, may I chime in with Carlos and wish you grate success with this exhibition.

Ilaria, can't wait to see some photos of the opening, and to hear whether you sold anything yet, and what kind of reactions people had to your work.

Dear Carlos, Micha, Alex,
thank you so much for all your support and wishes. The opening was a success with more than 200 people, I sold half of the paintings on the evening and two more yesterday and this morning. I am on dial up connection until next week and always on a hurry, but I promise a full account as soon as I will be back in London
A super happy forty years old Ilaria

Big, big congratulations, Ilaria!! This couldn't be happening to a nicer person and a more deserving artist. What a wonderful feeling to sell so much work; be sure to raise prices now. I can't wait to see the photos, too.

Wow, congratulations on the sales! I'm hoping to see some photos soon--not to pressure you or anything.

Let me join in, congratulations! Your work is so fresh, it has been fun watching you getting better and better each year. Your success is well deserved.

With admiration
Patty

Congratulations, Ilaria, with the success.

You must feel good that it happens in your native country :) :) and right next to the pope :sunnysmil

I am so happy for you!

Pressure? Absolutely!!!

So, here I am, back and trying to assess the whole event.
Response was very good, with many visitors and tourists.
The gallery was one of those special places that Italy has, and it showcased my work gracefully.
Considering what a lousy seller I am, unable and unwilling to put that tiny little pressure to turn a maybe into a yes, sales were also excellent and I now have a long waiting list for portraits: I finally managed to secure a few interesting adults commissions which I hope will enrich my portfolio.
Apart from its result, the show was also an important step for me, a way of looking at my work and also leave some of it behind and start afresh.

Many thanks to all of you!
Ilaria

Ilaria!

I am (viridian) green with envy!! What a beautiful venue for a show. And from what I see in the fotos, such beautiful pieces! I wish I could have seen them in person.
Congratulations for your success and your new load of work.
When you land back on earth, I

That's wonderful news, Ilaria! I'm so happy for you!

Dear Ilaria,

Congratulations!!!! I sure wish I could have been present to see your premier solo show. You are among my favorite painters. I am so happy for you with all the well deserved recognition and sales!

I suppose some of your shown works are on your web site, but could you give us some close ups of your favorites and some of the sales? We need a perpetual virtual tour so your week long show will extend for some length of time for us to better absorb and appreciate.

Kudos!

Garth

Ilaria, it's great to hear that your show was such a wonderful success. It's nice that you posted photos of the gallery , the setting is really ideal for show casing art work. You are going to be one busy leady this upcoming year! Good for you!

Muchas gracias Carlos, and Julie, Garth, Enzie!
What a week it was! Garth, all the portraits in the show were previewed on the forum, and this tells it all about how important this place is for me, but I can post a painting which is somehow related to portraiture.
This is called "Ranuccio" after the boy in the postcard. It is a detail from a portrait by Titian, Ranuccio Farnese. I was trying somehow to link the two parts of my work, while paying hommage to such a master.
Ilaria
PS Carlos, I hope you haven't copyrighted viridian with envy, may I please use it from now on?

What a beautiful setting for your amazing artwork! Congrats all around for the show and the sales. You've worked hard for this and it shows.

Jean

Ilaria, I am so happy for you and I am not at all surprised that all these wonderful things - gallery sales and portrait commissions - are happening for you at the same time! Your paintings are so strong and fresh, I'm glad to see that your fans are indeed world-wide.

You passion for life is infectious and it shows in your art. I am SO happy that this show was a huge and well-deserved success!

Bravo!!!
 

Your work and your show serve to lift us all up. Thanks for sharing it with us. I would love to see more. (I especially love and admire :thumbsup: your brushwork!)

Ilaria, congratulations on a very successful show! It is all such wonderful news. I can't imagine a more appealing space--historic and cleanly modern--in which to view your work and have a festive opening reception. You deserve every one of your sales and commissions, and hopefully more will follow. I'd love to see more of the work. Thanks for posting the still life, Your greys are luscious and silvery and your brushstrokes are right-on. Speaking of greens, I'm envious of your leaves.