Bicyclistic

There will be an exhibition of my paintings at the Irish Blog Awards taking place in Belfast at the Europa Hotel on Saturday, March 19, 2011.

I can’t tell you yet how many paintings will be there because I’m still painting them, as is my way, and whatever is finished on Friday will go to Belfast. Like last year I may, in the tradition of blogging, exhibit some paintings in progress.

Because I’m travelling up on the Friday I will make a concerted effort to have the paintings up for viewing hours in advance of the main event. Depending on the hotel’s own arrangements this may not be possible, but more importantly I myself may not be organized enough - at the events in Cork in 2009, and Galway in 2010 I didn’t manage it until very late. I will try though.

According to the the Awards MC Rick O’Shea, the doors for the main event are open at 7pm with kickoff being at 8.15pm.

If you want to say hello I’ll be sporting a lot of greying hair on my head and face, and come the start of the event I’ll be debuting a newly commissioned woollen jumper. I’ll probably be hanging out near the paintings but the bar will be an influence.

If it’s your first time at the awards I urge you to seek people out and say hello and make yourself known. It can all seem a bit of an in-crowd if you don’t know who people are. When I first attended in 2008 I had never met a single one of the 400 individuals in that room in Dublin - until the night before - but thanks to people saying hello I now know dozens.

For me the awards are a casual framework for celebrating blogging rather than a competitive event where you feel entitled or robbed. The other informal events sprouting up around the awards make for a great day and atmosphere all weekend. See Sabrina Dent for a list of other IBA related events taking place.

Back when I used to dream I thought I might once organize an art walk, of the sketching/drawing variety rather than viewing kind, along the same lines of the photowalk - for the morning/afternoon of the awards - but reality has reminded me that I will be consumed with sorting out my paintings.

Paintings exhibited will be for sale - unless I bring one from my own collection. After the awards I’ll make them available to my mailing list first (join it there in the sidebar) and then to everybody via here on Bicyclistic and twitter etc.

For details of where exactly in the hotel the paintings are on display and whether there will be a pre-show, you can follow me on twitter where I’ll report the progress of the paintings display, and indeed of their completion prior to display.

If you’re going to Belfast maybe I’ll see you there. Apologies if I’m quiet - I get nervous when exhibiting paintings (see my account of IBA 2010). Enjoy the weekend!