MaineCourse

This Month's Artist

Adam Kibbe




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For 2-1/2 hours I dodged caffeine-hungry patrons and their holiday-high children, twisting picture wire, measuring placements, and patiently waiting for all-clear moments at the condiment bar to hang above and near it. Over 3 years ago, my wife had walked into our local Starbucks and without my knowledge signed me up for their wall-display-of-the-month program. Yes, a three-year waiting list, AND I was bumped from the lucrative October slot I'd been given originally for post-spending-frenzy January. But here I was, on New Year's Eve, finally hanging 7 of my photographs. In public.

Choosing, printing and framing them had been a saga in and of itself, but never mind that now. The immediate experience was a strange nervousness about actually finally facing them out to the public, combined with the almost-chaos of holiday java-addicts at their daily dealings with their pusher. Since my arrival that morning, I'd kept the pieces wrapped or leaned face against a wall while I signed agreements and measured and prepped. But soon enough, the first one was going up, and leaving it face to the wall at that point would be entirely too much false modesty. No one laughed. No one cheered either, but my ice was boken. Two up, then three. Skip the pricing and "artist's statement" 8x10's -- those come last. Hectic, pregnant moments.

I got a couple of quick compliments, even spoke at length with a couple who wanted to know about where they were all taken, which lapsed into a discussion of cogent specs on digital cameras. One man enthusiastically praised my show before it was even up, thinking me last month's artist, but it WAS nice to know people would go out of their way to comment, since, truth be told, most were walking past without much of a glance.

So now it's done. Three years in chronic fits of effort and anticipation, and I feel a strange limbo as I ponder why I acquiesced to my wife's enthusiasm for this public display of affectation. Favored images on which I've labored so long are now in another realm entirely, well past private hobby amateurism and into The World. It IS exciting, in a self-induced-fifteen-minutes-of-fame kinda way. Odd that it feels so odd, though.

If you get a chance, please stop by (next to Shaw's on Rt. 20). The Guys will likely schedule one of their regular coffee klatches there some fine weekend day. But I'm dying for somebody besides me and Tricia to tell me what they actually look like.............

Anyone who reads the blog should see Adam's exhibit at the Sudbury Starbucks. The little picture does not begin to do it justice; the photographs vibrate on the walls. Check it out.

Posted by fan.

I kept looking for the "view really, really larger image..." link--finding none, guess I'll have to go to said establishment to really, really see!

Terrific Adam -- yes it is a bit of a rush to out private doings...

Posted by smiling.

And it is more that a bit of a rush to see a friend’s art work ogled and awed by Sally and Wilbert Q public as they sweeten their espresso.

Photographs I’ve always thought were good, now hung in public, courageously framed, and artfully arranged, suddenly need their own gallery on Newbury St. .

All right, their is fib in the above paragraph. I’ve never thought much of Minutiae, but hung with the rest it has been reborn on that wall.

Posted by michael.

The little picture is such a tease. I can't wait to make the trek down to see the real things!

Posted by Admirer.

Looks great; wish I lived closer to go see!

Posted by CoffeeBoy.

The bare trees and snow is the one I can see the best and I love it. A Zen landscape with nothing superfluous. Congratulations! Do more. La senora vieja.

Posted by Helen.

The closeup is just enough to be tantalizing.
Alas and Alack. That particular Starbucks is a bit out of the way for me--like 400 mi? (But I'd be glad to hang them in one of our local Starbucks any time you want.)

Posted by rakkity.

Adam,
I ventured to Starbucks today for my usual Chai tea and I saw your pictures. I loved the small one on the far left with the random indentations in the snow and the sticks. The shadows in the photo with the trees were intriguing. Lovely.

Posted by Caroline R.

Just came home from Starbucks where I was so enthralled looking at your photos I was getting dirty looks from those whose way I was in, namely, people who take sugar in their coffee. They are gorgeous Adam. In Between (if I am remembering correctly) and Red are my favorites. I'm glad you got a month with a lot of days in it to show off your work.

Posted by caroliner'smom.

Posted by Michael at January 1, 2005 12:55 PM