October 13th, 2020
The car was too small. Well, more accurately: too short. See, in the Mullin family, we are tall people. And hitting our heads on the roof of the van got old pretty quick. After three years of delivering artwork in our Sprinter, it was time to upgrade to the full-height model. Bonus? We can now move even larger artwork.
Getting the van to Park City? That took a little longer than the decision to buy it.
My husband Matt flew into New York and drive out the van that very day to Cape Cod, where he and a friend began their four day trip back to Park City. On the East Coast they dipped their toes in the ocean and gorged on fresh seafood, after visiting a sculpture by Richard Taylor (above and below) which has been perfectly placed on its compound. When the pool house has its own address, you know the house is amazing. My husband is a Realtor and has seen his share of incredible homes — but he put this one at the top of his list.
Driving into New York City, they enjoyed the City lights and made their way to Brooklyn, to the studio of Hunt Slonem. Home of the famous Bunny Wall, exuberant paintings and sculptures — and more than 50 caged birds. Matt and his friend enjoyed a photo shoot of this incredible space, and picked up 20 new works of art for the gallery. Thank you to the Slonem team for staying late to meet them!
From Brooklyn, the team drove straight through the night to make it to the studio of Richard Taylor, where they picked up an additional 15 sculptures for the gallery. Taylor has been working on some incredible, large-scaled works (see below) and a new edition of LED sculptures that can be lit up at night. We look forward to sharing them all with you and in the meantime the available works can be viewed on our website.
Late in the trip, I got a call from Matt: “Doesn’t Alison Rash live in Nebraska? We are driving right through there, you should call her and ask her if she has anything for you.” What a great idea! I quickly got in touch with her and arranged for six new paintings to be added to the van’s load. She had everything wrapped up and ready to go and our long-haul drivers had a quick chance for a socially distanced chat with Rash’s husband Bryan — who happens to also be Matt’s friend from college.
On the road again, both men worked in sharing the driving shifts, so that they could both manage their own careers and take phone calls with clients. Right before they pulled into the state of Utah, Matt Flint met the (now professional level) art delivery men at the Little American hotel to deliver three new paintings. What a whirlwind! Definitely not enough sleep, too many road snacks, and lots of good catch up time for these two long-time friends delivered a stunning group of new artwork for the gallery.
After a good night’s sleep back in Park City, we carefully unloaded the van before the gallery opened, unwrapping each piece with care and beginning the long process of data entry and registration. So many beautiful, artful works to open. So much tape and plastic wrap and foam corners and bubble warp (whew!).
And, yes, it’s just like Christmas.
Introducing Gallery MAR Carmel North
Michael Kessler: New Works
Our Artists' Guide to Santa Barbara