CHRIS ARVIDSON

words and art
 

Due to unforseen circumstances with the gallery space, I've had to cancel this year's ekphrastic show, scheduled for May. Stay tuned for the next ekphrastic adventure. You know I'll figure out something :)

I've got a piece in the January show at Charlotte Art League. Come out and see my ekphrasitc work "It's Never Just Black and White."

Thene there's Charlotte Writers Club worksbop on Saturday the 13th, and another on Saturday the 20th for Charlotte Lit.

Just now I hit the SEND button on my manuscript for "Nobody Cares What You Think" my first full-length book of poetry, coming not-soon from Finishing Line Press. Pub date is January 10, 2025; presales will start in September. Now, it's really time to start the holidays!

Busy times at Charlotte Art Leaguel... good thing I've been doing some new paintings I'm really pleased with. I'll have a "little" in the Miniatures show opening Friday, Nov 8. Then in December, opening December 8, I'm managing CAL's "Renters Only" show. It's an exhibit featuring the art of studio and wall renters at the League. I'll have two paintings in the Renters Only show as well, including this one, which is oil on board, 11x14". It's titled Arcadia Marsh #5. I hope to get something into the juried Winter Show in December as well. I did several small Fall scenes in Michigan last week when I was there - the color was glorius. So stay tuned for those. 

I'm managing an exhibit at Charlotte Art League for December/January, and another ekphrastic show for May. Hard to believe it, but they are both herding cats and requiring attention, timelines, etc. already!  

The December/January show is called Renter Only and will feature those of us renting wall or studio space at the CAL. We're going to spin things for the holidays by offering instant sales, so lookers can choose hoiday gifts and take them home on the spot, rather than wait until the end of show.

The ekphrastic show for May 2024 is "1+1 = 3" and it will be juried with prizes. I'll be doing a couple of workshops locally in January to get people geared up for it. Stay tuned for more info on that. I'll be hunting people down to participate :). 

Coming off the tail end of pnumonia, I trudged up Pompey's Knob to attend Tablerock Writers at Wildacres again this year. It's hard to call it a workshop frankly. Our poetry leader, the inimitable Phillip Shabazz, doesn't give "homework" while we're there -- he calls it "homefun" and that rings perfectly. You'll not find a better collection of good, solid writers and readers to help move your work along. I wrote some new stuff, workshopped some that I brought, and just generally had an ideal writerly break in a setting ideally suited. 

Wildacres is a happy place for me, and I think for everyone. The only complaint anyone ever has is with the matresses. Ah. Well, it's always something, right? Me, I slept fine with windows open and in a room with a happy roomate who was zonked out enough to not be disturbed by the last vestiges of my sick. 

All hail Tablerock and The Free State of Shabazz. 

It's almost time for Table Rock Writers Workshop at Wildacres. One of my favorite places in the world, Wildacres, hosts Gerogann Eubanks and Donna Campbell's perfect storm of setting, support, and wonderful writers and musicians -- Table Rock Writers. It is an exquisite combination of hard work and yuck-it-up fun. I don't think there's a better anything like it. I have already been thinking and scheming for the last month doing elaborate preparation, figuring out important shit like, which pens, which notebooks, what reading material, do I bring any art supplies, etc. This year might be a bit more tricky for me though because I've managed to contract pnumonia, so I've been down for the count the last couple of weeks. But, a doctor visit today confirms there's no reason I can't go, I just may have to cool my jets some, ditch hiking, and maybe inject some naps into the schedule. WILDACRES OR BUST!

This Charlotte weather is really, really messing with me. I took this photo last night from my balcony in uptown Charlotte. The sunset set these buildings on fire, with the dark sky behind them. It pretty much represents how I feel in this ongoing hotbox of a place.

I had a delightful chat about writing and art and making stuff, with fellow Goucher Gother, Tandy Culpepper this week. You can see/hear it here:https://youtu.be/pgJbcNQ9EbI

The beauty of these kind of things is, you can tell me to shut up, advance the vid, or do anything you want! Tandy is a fab interviewer with decades of experience, so it was a great experience for me. Check it out.