I was going to write a story about duck hunting this season. As much as I would like to, I don't really have one. I had a couple of nice mornings out in the marsh catching up with some good buddies on the ESVA. We watched a handful of ducks in our camo gear, we drank hot coffee in Grandpappy's old stanley thermos and held shotguns, but we were not doing a whole lot of shooting. We managed to shoot only one goose. As a consolation, my buddy Scott Hubbard invited me to a pheasant shoot at the end of duck season, and I got to shoot a few birds and put something in the freezer. Although it was a disappointing duck season, it is still hunting, not shooting, an off year is par for the course.
Come the end of duck season it was time to get to work. I had to prepare for my first actual show (a couple photo images in college doesn't really count) at the Audubon Gallery in Charleston, SC in conjunction with the Southeastern Wildlife Expo (SEWE). It was a co-show, my father has been doing a show this same weekend for the past 8 years or so. Burton, whom I met while i was in college, owns the gallery. Over the past 11 years our entire families have become friends- it's quite incredible how many relationships exist between the McNairs and the Gallery. Even little Holmes can be seen toting a copy of The Tidemarsh Guide! I have exhibited a few pieces there in the past, but since I am carving full time, he asked me to be part of the show officially. I'll be honest when I say that at first I was intimidated trying to image the whole show at once. Burton was pretty chill about the whole thing and just told me to make what I like, do good work, and the rest would sort itself out. Once I forgot about having my name up in lights on King Street (ok, maybe thats a bit of an overstatement) I decided to just make some great, interesting and new pieces of work.
It was about 3 weeks before the show - at the end of the poor duck season , when it began to feel like crunch time. Once I got rolling, I quickly noticed that I was improving and learning as one often does with an increased focus. It was probably the most focused I have been on a single entity in my life, and it was fun. Many late nights were spent in the shop with the heater and tunes cranked up with the idea that this would all be worth it when it was showtime, rather than trying to get the paint to dry the night before. Well, there still might have been a little bit of that, but it was mostly just the finishing touches.
As a result of planning ahead, I did not have to hang my decoys out the window on the way down to get them to dry. It is important to have two hands on the wheel. I got into town on Tuesday where I met up with my brother Colin, and the folks from Copley Fine Arts who were already in town setting up for their auction. I ran around town on Wednesday for Copley and then went down to see Burton at the Audubon Gallery to drop off my decoys for the show. Thursday was spent working a 13 hour shift for Copley. Mostly I worked the phones, bidding for people who could not make it to the Auction. It can be a bit stressful, but mostly it is fun being part of the action, executing bids that sometimes top your yearly income! The show was a good success overall, with a few record prices, and lots of interest in the fishing equipment at the end. This auction ended with a bang, where most end with a whimper.
By this time it already felt like the weekend, but it was actually just beginning. Now, it was time for my show debut. Again, a little nervous, you never know how you will be received. There are usually plenty of people that will like your work, but at the end of the day, you need to sell some stuff. My jitters were mixed with excitement, because I was happy with my work going into it and I had Burton ,whom I trust very much, to represent me. I got a call Thursday night before the show from Burton to tell me that I was already nearly sold out. Very well did I sleep Thursday night.
Friday was the gallery opening. It was quite well attended with hors d'oeuvres (pretty sure I spelled that wrong, I studied spanish) and beverages. If you didn't come, you should have been there, you can come next year. Make your reservations in advance (double check those reservations, more on that later). There were some great guests, customers old and new, family (Grandpa, 92, came down from Conn.) and friends. By the end of the evening, I had just one decoy left to sell. With a little luck we got a table across the street, and Papa took us out for a nice Italian meal.
On Saturday, Colin, Becca and myself hopped on the bikes to meet for breakfast at a hip little place with Mr. C. John Sullivan and his friend Peggy. The place is called Two Boroughs Larder, go there, just wear your hippest clothes and get there early for some rockin' food. Now, near the end our our breakfast Colin got a phone call. It was from the hotel. Long story short, we thought we had another day in the hotel. We did not. Colin forgot to check the rez, and it was SEWE weekend, and we were not going to get another room. Luckily our friends Carl and Allison have a new big house, invited us to stay, and were going to the same party in Mt Pleasant!
Burton has an Annual game dinner party at his house. It is awesome. Menu items included Sewansecott oysters and clams from the ESVA. Gordy Allen brought sandhill cranes from Saskatchewan. Burton had shot a bear and made chili. Brad brought more duck. Carl brought fish, but there was so much food that I don't think it got cooked.
Does this sound like a long week? Well it's not over. After saying our goodbyes it was off to Saxapahaw, NC (near Chapel Hill) to see my old buddy Nat and his girlfriend Sophie. After a Chef Nat dinner our hosts took us out to see The New Pornographers at a local venue. Great show, felt like the end of coming of age movie for me with the closing scene being more late night food around the stove with Nat.
Come morning, it was definitely time to get back home. A winter storm was brewing, and after Colin managed to have us ousted from the hotel, I really needed a shower, sleep, and a day off. We made it back through the snow and our little house was still here, warm and quiet.
I took off the morning and was back out in the shop by the afternoon. Burton sold the last piece the Wednesday after the show.
Now, back to square one, pleased with the show and the sales, but only as good as what comes next.