Artist Jimmy Reagan - A Year in Review

Many days I think to myself life is a roller coaster. As everyone in my family knows, I am NOT a fan of roller coasters. I like routine and predicability. I've always thought that roller coasters are not predictable. But, really they are. When on a roller coaster, you have two choices: one to tense up and scream in fear of the next drop or two - relax and move with flow of the wild ride. Over the last three years, we've been on a family roller coaster with family illnesses, career success, significant behavior challenges with Jimmy and then his wonderful success as an artist. I think that 2017 has taught me to learn to enjoy the ride and stop fighting the things that are not in my control. Peace and happiness can be found in the strangest places when you're open to the experience.

We struggled this last year with Jimmy's behavior and health. His compulsion seemed to be on steroid. He spent many nights up in search of food. While eating more food then anyone in the household by a factor of 10, he continued to lose weight. Jimmy has Mast Cell disease an balance is so often illusive. We found out that Jimmy's hemoglobin and ferritin levels were excessively low. Due to Jimmy's allergic and GI conditions, oral iron meds are a challenge. We tried dietary changes and made limited progress. After much discussion and trials, we started IV iron infusions at the U of MN a few weeks ago. We are seeing improvements with both behavior and weight. Time will tell if this is a "fix" or something else.

As an artist, Jimmy has created some fantastic pieces in the last year. He has strayed away from his pastels. Clearly, less interested in them in favor of painting and sculpture. He is a fan of the palette knife and box cutter. Painting large formate paintings and carving on large foam boards. He is also creating acrylic mono-prints - carving on foam, painting and printing on paper.

Here is Jimmy's year in review: He had several paintings shipped to New York for exhibition in January. Beginning early in the year, we began prepping for our experience at DEBUT at Mall of America where we had both Jimmy's artwork and merchandise line available for sale from May 12 to September 10th, 2017. We donated a percentage of sales to the Ann Connelly Memorial Fund at the U of MN Masonic Cancer Center.

June was a huge month for us. June of 2017 was amazing as Jimmy was part of a group exhibition at bG Gallery in Santa Monica, CA. The Capital Group from Los Angeles also sponsored a Private Client event with six of Jimmy's works featured. Jimmy didn't make the trip to California as he doesn't want to fly these days. He was well represented by his family and many old and new friends in Los Angeles.

Also in June, Jimmy opened a solo show at The Grand Center for the Arts in New Ulm, Minnesota. https://www.thegrandnewulm.com/ Twenty-seven of Jimmy's pieces were on exhibition from June 2nd through July 31st. Here is a link to a news paper article. http://www.nujournal.com/news/local-news/2017/06/09/a-unique-eye-for-art/

Jimmy was at the opening of his show in New Ulm. Here he is with a lovely vase of flowers from the Gallery for the opening.....his painting "Italian Coast" on the vase...how cool is that!

We had strong sales at DEBUT and met many new people connected with the store and the Mall of America. Several wonderful opportunities arose from the experience. One such fabulous opportunity came from The Purpose Awards at the Streamys. https://www.streamys.org/ Jimmy was selected as their first featured artist for the awards show. Jimmy created a painting titled "Girl from Italia" for the awards show. The painting was featured on the cover of the program with a lovely bio about Jimmy in it. Here is a link to more information - https://www.thepurposeawards.com/copy-of-dick-clark-productions-and-

Geena Davis was one of the award recipients. Geena has been a favorite actor of Jimmy's. He wrote her a note and I had the great opportunity to deliver it to her and speak with her for about 45 minutes. I told her that he know thousands of movie lines. Her eyes perked up and she said does he ever say " Be afraid, be very afraid." My son, Patrick was with me as representatives for Jimmy. We looked at each other and said...ALL THE TIME! She was thrilled. She said it's her most famous line and no one knows she said it....except Jimmy Reagan!

Jimmy's solo show opened at the United Theological Seminary on September 18th. This was a huge exhibition! Seventy-five pieces in a wide variety of mediums - pastels, painting, 3D sculpture, Foam carvings and mono-prints. We were so proud of this show. Kevyn Burger wrote a beautful piece about Jimmy in the Star Tribune - http://www.startribune.com/mendota-heights-artist-with-autism-makes-his-mark-on-the-world/455876563/#1 Jimmy's artwork became part of the curriculum for the seminary. They hosted a wonderful panel discussion with an outsider art expert. Here is a link to the discussion - http://blog.unitedseminary.edu/video-from-conversations-with-jimmy

Supporting those that support us. The U of MN Masonic Children's Hospital hosts an event called FashionFest. It is a celebrity and professional fashion show and sale with a percentage of sales being donated to the children's hospital. This is a wonderful event! Jimmy's fashion was on the runway and he was able to attend. We have met many new friend at this event throughout the years. A favorite Through Jimmy's Eyes team member is Ron Johnson. He's a former MN Gopher and NFL football player. He is a KFAN sports talk radio host, host of the PJ Fleck show and is a Vikings Game Day analyst for FOX 9. Ron came to us a year ago after seeing Jimmy's bow ties. Ron has worn them for Vikings game day twice in 2017. We are so grateful for our friendship with Ron!

Through DEBUT at Mall of America, we were introduced to Erick DeLeon, the brand manager from Martin Patrick 3 in Minneapolis. This is a 17,000 square foot men's lifestyle store. It is a glorious place to shop. Jimmy's mens line is available for sale at Martin Patrick 3. They launched Jimmy's men's line at their holiday party on December 7th. Along with his mens line, they featured Jimmy's artwork - 27 pieces....was an incredible evening!

How lucky is Jimmy! Artful Living Magazine has a lovely piece on Jimmy titled: Inside the Artist Studio:Jimmy Reagan. I'm often asked how Jimmy works. This piece in Artful Living Magazine will give you insight into his process. https://artfullivingmagazine.com/inside-the-artists-studio-jimmy-reagan/

January 10th through the 14th, 2018, Jimmy will have eight pieces of artwork at the LA Art Show in Los Angeles. He is being represented by bG Gallery in Santa Monica. 70,000 people will walk through the doors of this HUGE art show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This is a modern and contemporary art exhibition. I will be in LA for the opening on the 10th hoping to meet some new friends and fans of Jimmy's work. www.laartshow.com

So, as you can see....this has been a wild year with many good things happening. I'm learning to go with the flow and walk through the doors that open for us. I trust the path....or have learned to.

Our website is www.throughjimmyseyes.com

If you are so inclined, stop in and thank our partners for their kindness, expertise and vision:
Sunfish Cellars - www.sunfishcellars.com
bg Gallery - http://www.santamonica.bgartdealings.com/
Martin Patrick 3 - www.martinpatrick3.com
Artful Living Magazine - https://artfullivingmagazine.com/
Lotus Jewelry and Gifts - https://www.facebook.com/lotusjewelryandgifts/
The Goat - https://www.facebook.com/The-Goat-353141642308/
The Grand Center for the Arts -https://www.thegrandnewulm.com/gift-shop/
Hunt and Gather - http://www.huntandgatherantiques.com/
The Purple Tree - https://thepurpletree.org/
Skipping Rocks - https://www.facebook.com/Skipping-Rocks-307310149704393/
Ohana Construction - http://ohanamn.com/
Butter Bakery Cafe - http://butterbakerycafe.com/