Artist Date – Portsmouth NH

It was accidental, really. We drove to Portsmouth to have lunch with my son. But the day was so perfect for walking and window-shopping that we stayed longer than we had intended. And so it was that I found the Enormous Tiny Art Show ii at Nahcotta in Portsmouth. The word ‘tiny’ was what first caught my attention – I’ve always had a soft spot for miniatures. Clusters of small works filled the gallery walls (Nahcotta is both a venue for art display as well as a store with contemporary and interesting home/gift goods), grouped by artist. Every piece was small (probably no bigger than 8″x8″) and all were intriguing. Imagine my surprise when I recognized the work of two flickr’ers whose work I follow: bird in the beehive and marisa & creative thursday.

When Nahcotta’s owner asked if she could answer any questions, my exuberance runneth over and I couldn’t help but tell her that I ‘knew’ two of the artists through their online presence. We got to talking, comparing notes of internet interest, and she told me about decor8. Doesn’t this look like fun to explore?

I chuckled over the humorous collage of Gordon Carlisle (click here to see his pieces in the Enormous Tiny Art Show) and marveled over so many others’ work.

The capper to this fabulous afternoon was a spell spent browsing at Riverrun Books. What a beautiful book store! In the spirit of the artist date, and in support of my fellow creatives not to mention independent booksellers, I indulged in two new novels. And then, before heading out of town we stopped for a coffee at Popover’s and grabbed an Omega Food Bar from the Portsmouth Health Food Store. … A great day of inspiration and creative restoration.