[Leica] Big and Little Birds at Lut Boutique, Vancouver

[cummer at netvigator.com (H&E Cummer)]

Hi Luggers,
About a year ago my daughter Jennifer who owns Lut Boutique on Main Street 
in Vancouver suggested that I could be one of her visiting artists. She 
shows local artists on the walls of her clothing store and sells their work 
as part of community building. I said sure - without taking into 
consideration the amount of work that would be involved. We settled on "Big 
Birds and Little Birds of Pender Island" as a theme and I spent the summer 
adding to my collection of Eagle (big birds) and Hummingbird (little birds) 
photos. We chose twelve pictures - six eagles and six hummingbirds. Jenny 
insisted on at least one hummingbird silhouette picture (which I wouldn't 
have chosen) and was more interested in colours than in the clarity of each 
photo. I ordered 100 matts for 5X7 photos to fit in 8X10 frames, together 
with backing and an cellophane envelop for each matt to present the photo. I 
also ordered 25 matts for 8 X 10 photos to fit 11 X 14 frames. Then I went 
around to the picture frame store and ordered up frames and matts to hold 
18X24 prints and set to work getting everything printed. I used the local 
London Drugs photo service and after establishing rapport with the senior 
printer, I got excellent prints with only one set that had to be done a 
second time. It was a lot more work that I had anticipated but it also was 
very satisfying. Several of my photo friends from the Leica Group at Zen 
cafe came to the opening, old diplomatic friends came and I also met a lot 
of Jennifer's regular young customers who had a lot of opinions about what 
they liked and didn't like about the bird photos. The guys mostly liked the 
eagles and my landing eagle picture was the favourite. Ladies mostly liked 
the hummingbirds - including the silhouette one that I didn't want to 
include - and were mostly interested in colour rather than texture or 
picture clarity. The show is up until the end of December - in time for 
Christmas sales - and I have already been requested by Jenny to order more 
matts to make sure there is sufficient inventory for the Christmas season.
Interestingly I expected the cheaper 5X7s to sell the best but in fact the 
8X10s were better sellers so I need to adjust the mix. At the end of it all 
I have a newly found respect for the people who prepare and mount any art 
show.

Here are the pictures:

Me as the great white hunter with the old Leica 400 Telyt

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/LutShow/HCTelyt.jpg.html>

http://tinyurl.com/n8f823t

The invitation card to the show:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/LutShow/BigLittleBirds.jpg.html>

http://tinyurl.com/pl27hfy

Lots of photographer friends came to the opening and took pictures, of 
course,

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/LutShow/ChrisTuulikki.jpg.html>

http://tinyurl.com/mt7cuqq

Jennifer's friends brought their baby to the show:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/LutShow/AmyBabeEs.jpg.html>

http://tinyurl.com/n42f4zm

Others brought their dog:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/LutShow/JennCathDog.jpg.html>

http://tinyurl.com/ltzxglf

Several leicas and one nikon film rangefinder were in evidence:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/LutShow/PatTomDavid.jpg.html>

http://tinyurl.com/mdsl6cz

The pictures on the wall;

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/LutShow/ShowWall1.jpg.html>

http://tinyurl.com/og3t9ng

Another view of the hanging pictures:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/LutShow/ShowWall.jpg.html>

http://tinyurl.com/pejw3tu

Esther and me with two admirers - the disputed hummingbird silhouette 
picture is on the wall behind us:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/LutShow/Show1.jpg.html>

http://tinyurl.com/n4qk276

If you are in Vancouver visiting please do go to see the show which is on 
until the end of December.
Lut Boutique 4219 Main Street at 26th Avenue.

Please look large,
C&C always welcome
Howard