Cliff's Art Show

Hello Friends. 

As many of you know, I've been working as an artist in Raleigh, North Carolina for the past nine years. Over the course of those years I've toiled away in my little two-bedroom apartment making and refining my artwork. This, of course, is the best part. Creating the work. It's been an interesting, wildly enjoyable and sometimes difficult process that's resulted in an enormous amount of finished pieces that I've been eager to display publicly for a good long while. What you may not know... is that I finally have an opportunity to do just that.

I've recently accepted a two month residency at The Pink Building, an art studio here in Raleigh and I'm working toward my first solo show set to debut on September 22nd of this year. Frankly, I'm exhilarated (and perhaps a bit nervous) at the prospect of displaying my work. It's been a long time coming. 

Let me tell you what I have in mind for the show. I intend to display roughly twenty-two pieces of artwork plus a small installation of sorts. It isn't sprawling. But it isn't small either. And the real difficulty lies not in creating enough work for the show but, rather, properly and professionally presenting the work that's created.

I'll elaborate. The medium in which I work could best be described as digital collage. All the finished works are Giclee prints... which simply means the artwork is printed on archival paper with archival inks. This prevents any deterioration over time and it looks great too. The problem the prints present is quite simple. You can't just hang them on a wall. I've spent a great deal of time investigating alternative techniques to present the work and, of course, I've read quite a bit and consulted many professional working artists. The conclusion everone seems to come up with is the same.
The prints absolutely must be framed. Frames are necessary. 

So, this is really why I need your help. Framing is costly. As I mentioned, I have twenty-two pieces to display... two of which are quite large (roughly 4.5 x 5 feet). The most reasonable estimates to frame my work come to roughly $5000. An amount I simply cannot afford on my own in the short time between now and the start of my show. Furthermore, much of the work still needs to be printed. Which is no small expense in and of itself. To complicate matters further, eveything must be delivered to the framer on or before August 29th in order for them to have enough time to complete the frames. Which really means I need the necessary amount around August 20th. I know... I'm up against a rapidly approaching deadline.

The real crux of my dilemma is this: The upcoming show marks the beginning of what I hope to be a promising, creative and fruitful career as a professional artist. I've been working toward this goal for years. It's why I went to school. It's why I make the work. I want people, all of you, to see it. I believe the presentation of the art is quite often as important as the art itself. I have a very specific vision for how my work should be displayed and I'm deeply concerned with putting the most professional foot forward. Afterall, It's artwork... where image is quite literally everything. 

What I'm asking for is your support and patronage in order to take the next necessary step as an artist. So many of you have known me for quite some time and I'm sure you're well aware of how much this means to me. This show is something I hope to share with you all because, ultimately, you're all a part of it. The artwork certainly wasnt created in a vacuum. Each of you has made some indelible contribution already whether you know it or not.