Sometimes life creates the perfect storm. Sometimes the perfect storm can be stressful too, but the craziness usually pays off in the end. For me, I thrive being up to my head in busy! If my month has not already been hectic enough--between closing in a fabulous 80s musical and opening as the lead in the Ken Ludwig comedy "Shakespeare in Hollywood" at the Albuquerque Little Theatre on September 25--I'm also madly preparing for my very own art show and reception on September 18 at the Desert Intarsia Gallery as part of the Downtown Albuquerque ArtsCrawl.
Desert Intarsia Gallery,located at 317 Gold Avenue will feature a variety of my pieces, including some very large masks. You may have already seen one of them hanging in the gallery's window! Please feel free to stop by between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to say hello, meet other art lovers, and buy some funky and unusual masks from the alternative universe that I have created.
"Paul Niemi brings his unique perspective on mask-making and a twist on traditional folk art to the gallery. "For as long as I can remember, I have had a fascination with faces, masks, and folk art," he says. A transplant from New York City, Niemi is drawn to bright and beautiful colors and is influenced by the mythology of indigenous art. Working in wire screen and paper maché, Niemi creates a world of characters who exist in an alternative universe where anything is possible."
Watch a preview in which I talk about what influences my art the most:
