Kickstarter Success!

I have been so busy making plans and getting ready to go to Austria and Switzerland I have not had a moment to blog about the success of my kickstarter project.
I am so thankful to everyone who pledged support to my project.  This is going to be an amazing trip that will inspire me for a very long time!

Dave Rainville of the Greenfield Recorder wrote a nice follow up article about the Residency and the kickstarter compaign.  I will post it if I can find it online.

This is Mallnitz, Austria where I will be living during my residency with the D. Fleiss East West Artists Foundation.  It is the kind of village that they call a "Pearl of the Alps."

Artist Spotlight on the Pagan Sphinx

This just came out yesterday!


Gina Duarte writer of the Pagan Sphinx writes:

“Please visit my blog, The Pagan Sphinx to read my post on Western Massachusetts artist and my friend Alicia Hunsicker. She is a woman of great artistic gifts and keen intellect.
I wish her well in her current fundraising efforts to attend a residency program she as invited to participate in. The residency is in Austria and will include a visit to CERN - The European Organization for Nuclear Research. What does the Higgs Boson Particle have to do with art? Read my article! Best luck, Alicia!”

Half Way There!

Thank you to all my Boundless Backers!
(and future ones too!)


I am a little over the half way mark on my kickstarter campaign for my project Boundless.
13 days left to be exact with an ending date of August 28th.

I am thrilled with the generous support I have received so far!
A big thank you for the special surprise donation I received from Rainer, Washington!

I still need to raise quite a bit more but I am hopeful that it will all work out. Please consider being a backer and getting a great reward in return. I am offering lots of custom made art especially for my backers, eye portraits, hand carved maple burl wands, workshops, and paintings etc.
Check it out…I bet there is something for you!


A successful Kickstarter campaign is usually the result of it being seen by many people, so even if you aren't interested in doing any of the pledges it would be great if you would share this link with friends and family, on facebook and any other social media you are involved with.

Thank you!  :o)

Pledges and Rewards

Besides original art created especially for my backers these are some of the rewards I am offering.
A lot of time and effort went into selecting them, and will also go into making them for this project.

The coasters recently sold out! I have added a few more sets and only one set is left at this moment.

I am trying to come up with an alternate reward for that pledge amount but I am not having any brilliant ideas….yet!



Please consider backing my project and joining me on this journey. Even the smallest pledge can make a world of difference.

Getting Stitched on the Farm



Leyden Glen sheep and neighborhood view photo by Kristen Nicholas

My neighbor Kristin who writes the blog Getting Stitched on the Farm

recently wrote a nice piece about me and the open studio sale that I did last weekend.

I want to thank her for the great post and extra support her followers have added to my kickstarter project: Boundless.

It’s wonderful to live in a neighborhood filled with artists, farms, and small business entrepreneurs. Kristin is not only a wonderful artist, illustrator, and knitwear designer. She also runs a farm with her husband Mark and just across the road is the Lamb shack!
We are big fans of Leyden Glen Lamb’s sweet sausage!

I have recently experimented with a traditional sheppard’s pie recipe by adding the lamb sausage and ground lamb together (instead of Hamburg) topping it with caramelized onions, and then adding the corn and mashed potatoes (I add cream cheese to them!) It has become a family favorite!

Open Studio Success and Stat Trends

This is a photo taken outside my studio door on Sunday, the day of my open studio. I have written an update about it on my kickstarter project page. Click on the link to read about the great day we had.




I also wanted to share with you this fun Stat feature that will keep you updated on the progress of my project: Boundless! Currently I am 31% funded with 18 days to go. Here is the stat page link on kicktraq.



Please consider backing my project and joining me on this journey. A small pledge can make a world of difference.

Open Studio Event This Sunday: Directions

Alicia Hunsicker:
Open Studio Event
40 Glen Road
Leyden, Ma.

Sunday August 5^th 10am – 4pm

DIRECTIONS:

1. From Interstate 91 exit 26Head east on Massachusetts 2A E toward Main St 0.8 mi

2. Turn left onto Conway St 1.5 mi

3. Continue onto Leyden Rd (Conway St. becomes Leyden Rd once you cross the bridge that goes over the highway)  3.0 mi

4. Continue onto Greenfield Rd (Leyden Rd becomes Greenfield Rd once you cross the town line)  2.0 mi

5. Turn right onto South School House Rd There will be an Open Studio sign posted at the turn.  0.7 mi

6. Turn right onto Glen Rd 0.2 mi

7. #40 is the second house on the right.A Blue A frame.

See you there rain or shine!

Kickstarter Launch! ~ Boundless: Artist Residency in Austria and Journey to CERN

After several weeks of non-stop work I am so excited to unveil my kickstarter campaign tonight! Boundless: An Artist Residency in Austria and Journey to CERN.  Please take a moment to check it out. I have created a wonderful variety of rewards for patrons who decide to back my project.

I hope you will find something you like!  

"It's a constant unfolding" ~Today's Greenfield Recorder Article

Above is today's Arts and Entertainment section of the Greenfield Recorder.

Trish Crapo a Leyden writer and photographer came to the studio last week to take photos and interview me about the Austria Residency.  This lovely article came out today.  I can't seem to find a link online so I took this photo of the paper. I will add the link in when I find it.

Other Studio News:

I have been pulling out work from the small storage area in my studio off and on all week to get ready for the Studio sale and I must say I have a lot to offer! 

Today the process was quickened as I had a surprise Pre-Sale studio visit from a regular collector.  I very happily sold two small works to go toward the Austria Residency Fund. I am that much closer now!
Lastly, my Kickstarter campain was approved!  Tomorrow I will do a last edit and get it launched! All and all a very good day!

Save the Date! Sunday, August 5th ~ Open House and Studio Sale

The D. Fleiss East West Artist’s Foundation has invited me to embark on a journey without borders and participate in an artist residency which includes a Symposia of Contemporary Art in Mallnitz, Austria this October.  From the healing waters of Austria to the particle collisions at CERN, this artist residency presents the opportunity to travel into new territory and create boundary-bending work that will intersect art, spirit, and science.

This is the first event planned to help raise travel funds for this residency. I must raise $4500. for travel costs by Sept. 1st.
 I hope you can make it!

 You are invited! 

Open House and Studio Sale

Sunday, August 5^th from 10 to 4 pm
Location: 40 Glen Rd. Leyden, MA

• Featuring small original paintings, drawings, and prints
  along with cards, magnets and other fun things priced between $5 and $50.
• Medium and Large works will also be available at affordable studio sale prices.
• New paintings in progress can be previewed.
  Raffle of original artwork.
• Refreshments will be served.

Private studio visits: Are also available by appointment for the months of July and August. To arrange a time that is convenient email mahunsicker@netzero.net

D. Fleiss East West Artist Residency in Mallnitz, Austria

Wonderful News!  I have been officially invited by the
D. Fleiss East West Artists Foundation
to an artist residency and Symposia of Contemporary Art in Mallnitz, Austria this October.

After almost a year of confinement because of my broken leg accident, I can’t tell you how excited I am about the possibility of going to this residency.  There are some challenges ahead of me. First of all I must continue to improve my physical strength and stamina to allow me to travel confidently and to enjoy the time I will have creating and exploring in the Alps and secondly I must fundraise for the travel costs.   

I am planning a few different events to reach my travel goal of $4400.

I will be doing a Kickstarter project with great rewards for donors who would like to contribute online, A raffle of an original painting, and an Open Studio and Sale with lots of great deals on paintings with a large selection of small works offered for a steal and for the first time to the public. I will announce the dates soon.

I hope that I can find the support I need to make this incredible opportunity happen. I have my work cut out for me!

Other Studio Updates

I am excited to have my studio back and renovated to enhance my productivity.  I have been painting every day and am looking forward to putting my studio practice back in high gear.   I have started some new explorations which will solidify into a working vocabulary soon and am also working on some grant proposals as well.

Artist, Joyce Conlon stopped into the studio for a visit recently.
She was the first to see the new painting in progress that I am working on.  We had a wonderful conversation about painting and process.  It was a brilliant reminder that all things come in good time….and we must be open to let the work unfold through the process of creating it and to have a little fun while doing it too!

Renewal

I have been working to repaint the studio and transform it into a better working space.  Surprisingly, since I am not normally a fan of white walls, I am very happy with the make over.  It is clean, fresh, and sparse.

 I took out a lot of the items I have collected over the years and kept only a small portion of them to put in the altar and business area of the studio.  The rest is a blank slate with areas to start new work and the ideas are pouring in!

These are some photos of the new paint combo along with my resident studio cat.  It’s very different from the old studio look… more sophisticated perhaps? I tried to stay neutral so that the space would not affect my color usage on my new work.

Parallel to my studio renewal is my physical renewal.  The on-going recovery from breaking my leg last year is going well and I am getting out a lot more and for longer periods of time. My first road trip was just this week to Mass MoCA and I will be venturing out to the Mutton and Mead festival this weekend.  I am thrilled to be moving forward again.  Additionally, I have received great news that I am the recipient of an Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Inc. Emergency Grant Award. 

Fresh Paint - New Space

This is an older photo of my studio. Its amazing to see that most of these paintings have found homes!

The reason I am posting it today is to say goodbye to my cream walls and indigo floor.  Over the next few days I will be repainting the walls a soft white and the floor a coffee brown.  I am looking forward to the fresh paint- new space feel that will be created.  Over the last few years I have realized that although I LOVE my floor this color, it has impacted my paintings by reflecting blue onto their surfaces causing me to over paint in the yellow spectrum. I am hoping that the brown floor will be neutral enough as to not affect my color usage.  I was looking at greys but shied away because of the bluish tints that can happen in them.
I will post some photos soon of the new space but remember if you would like to see it in person I am welcoming studio visits all month long.

My Open Studio this June Located in Scenic Leyden, MA

I have decided that I will be opening my scenic Leyden, MA studio up to the public for the month of June. It will be my first open studio since my accident last year. If you would like a studio visit please email me to arrange a time. I will also be picking a day or weekend to have an official opening where people can just stop in, hang out, have a snack and check out the work.

Also I am considering doing eye portraits again.....here is the link for details and to some of the ones I have done in the past.

http://www.aliciahunsicker.blogspot.com/p/eye-portraits.html

THE COASTER PROJECT, DESTINATION: THE WORLD 2012

Ten years ago TransCultural Exchange's launched one of the largest democratic, global art projects in the world: 'The Coaster Project, Destination: The World.'

Between March 9 and May 19, 2002, 99+ artists transcended geographical, political and cultural boundaries to stage 99+ exhibitions throughout the world. Afterwards, all 10,000+ art works were given away in the guise of "coasters" at bars, cafes and restaurants.

To celebrate, TransCultural Exchange will stage a 10th year anniversary exhibit and give-away of 'The Coaster Project, Destination: The World' at Toronto's '2012 Culture Works Festival

I have been having some fun with this project!  Here are a few examples of some of the coasters I have been making. I hope to do a few sets along with the one I will exhibit with the TCE and which will eventually be given away in Toronto.