On November 20th, I went to Bart (1205 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, Fl) to see Christie Miga‘s Nostalgiart show opening. As Christie said, “I have created a small, yet completely rad spray paint show based on my favorite things as a child of the 80’s: He-man, Mario Bros., Jem, Garbage Pail Kids, etc. It’s been a few months since my last art show because I needed a little break from the deep thoughts and underlying meanings of my last show. So, I decided to just have fun and create art that simply makes me happy and for no other reason than that.”

Bart is a small bar that has vintage arcade video games from the 80s and 90s. I got there before the place filled up ordered a beer and started sketching. Christie and Evan Miga showed up shortly after and sat on the couch beside me as they finished up the food they had ordered from the food truck outside. Christie had what looked like a cake box but it was full of Christmas ornaments Christie had painted. AS friends and patrons filled the room, the couple mingled. One lady at the bar asked me if she could look inside the box beside me. I guess she thought I was in charge. I said it was fine and she looked through picking out several ornaments she might like to buy. I pointed out Evan to her and she approached him to complete the sale.

Evan has just recently gotten a dream job at Disney Imagineering. When I asked him about it, he sounded just like I did when I first started working at Disney Feature Animation. He is thrilled to be surrounded by so many amazing artists. Red dots started appearing under many of the paintings which were priced to sell. The paintings were fun and colorful with a powdery airbrushed feel. Many referred back to childhood animation shows but what attracted me was the bright patterns and colors achieved with stencils and occasional areas of hand painting. I’d love to see an entire car covered with these powdery abstractions. I mentioned the idea to Terry but she prefers the metallic grey surface that rolled off the showroom floor.

By the time my sketch was done, about half the pieces on the walls were sold and the room was packed and buzzing. Someone explained to me that this is the way you need to sell art in Orlando, by matching your work to the theme of a venue and offering it for cash that people might have in their wallet. Pop, fun and airy work seems to sell best in this theme park town. This show fit the bill and was a home run hit. Mark your calendar! The show is only up till the evening of December 23. Head over and check it out before the Holidays.

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