Every Week is Shark Week in Chatham, Cape Cod!

I was really excited when Sally Munson of Munson Gallery (who has shown my work for around 8 years now) asked me if I would like to paint a shark for the Chatham Merchants Association's annual Sharks in the Park event.  This annual event benefits many of the wonderful things the Chatham Merchant's Association does to make Chatham a fun place to live and visit including supporting many local charities.  

I picked my "blank" shark up in April and immediately got excited. The blank shark was bigger and heavier than I had expected. The shape was awesome. I couldn't wait to start the project. The shape made it really fun to paint. The hard part was figuring out what to paint on the surface. I had three ideas so I knew I could paint at least two of them (one on each side...which was great for someone like me who has a hard time picking just one). I decided to paint some "test ideas" on paper because I wanted to make sure I didn't pick a design where a critical element didn't make it onto the shark because of the shark's shape. I cut out small sharks on paper (see trio in collage above) to test these ideas out.  After sanding my shark some and priming it with acrylic gesso I got to work painting the surface with acrylic paint. There was a liberty to painting on a surface that wasn't the typical square or rectangle...perhaps due to the unexpected results on where things would land (or not) within the contour of the shark.  

I think my shark with a different painting on each side would look great suspended in a high ceiling space between two rooms...you know, like between a kitchen and family room where you could see a different side from each room.   

A SIDE

The shark was completed and delivered under wraps (see picture above with blue painter's tape) to the Kate Gould Park in downtown Chatham on May 15. It was so fun seeing all of the interpretations by various artists. In early July, the sharks moved down the road to the front lawn of the Eldredge Public Library where they are currently on display.

B SIDE

Many of the sharks (including mine) are being auctioned off online here. Bidding ends August 14 at noon. If you can't make it to downtown Chatham this summer to see all the sharks,  check them out through the last link.

It's been a fun summer seeing so many friends posting pictures of themselves (or their kids) with my shark to my Facebook page.