My tent in the morning before other artists had shown upThis past weekend started off early Friday morning with 30% chance of rain all day.  The plan was to drive to Midway, KY to set-up for Francisco’s Farm Art Festival.  The show was moved back to Midway College’s campus this year, which is where it was held originally.  This was going to be my first year participating, and while I was excited, there are also so many unknowns when setting up at a show for the first time.  I was one of the first artists to arrive and was warmly welcomed.  I set-up quite quickly, and the rain held off.  By noon, I was enjoying a nice lunch at one of the local places on Main Street.  That was when the day shifted.  I got a call from a friend who is also an artist and was informed that a “freakish gust of wind” came and blew my tent and weights and everything with it.  I quickly paid and made my way back to campus, which was thankfully only a half mile away.  By the time I showed up, volunteers and other artists had collected all my display and things and piled it all under my tent roof, which was no longer part of my tent, to keep it all dry from the now lightly falling rain.  I calmly checked everything underneath the canvas-my product was safe and only one piece of display was destroyed.  My tent poles were another story.  Two corner poles were completely bent so that the tent would not work.  One of the volunteers called in a campus maintenance man.  This guy was incredible!  He took my poles down to the college tool shop.  He and a bunch of other guys tried bending the pole back using a vice.  When it broke, he still refused to give up.  “Oh, we can probably just rebuild it…we are use to finding ways to fixing all these old buildings here.  For example, the boiler downstairs is older than me, and I’m 68,” he said with a big smile.  He was right-they were able to rebuild my poles and make it so that my tent could stand again.  I was so appreciative and told him that they were magicians who had magically made my tent work.  He laughed and said they were engineers.  They are magicians to me.  Of all the places for wind to mess up my poles, it happened on a college campus where there were willing guys and tools to fix it.  I kept thinking how lucky it all was considering what had happened.  Throughout all of it, the volunteers were attentive and helpful, making sure I was ok on all levels.  I was incredibly taken care of.  Once the tent was standing upright with walls and a roof once again, I began re-doing my display.  I hung the curtains with a whisper in the back of my mind “begin again.”  This is a phrase that I’ve heard from a local yoga teacher.  As I slowly and carefully re-did everything that I had just done that morning, it was like a mantra in my mind—“begin again”.  I recalled how when I first showed up one of the volunteers commented, “Props to you for not being stressed out by this…”  I have learned that stressing out and being upset is not particularly helpful.  To be honest, I was too focused on trying to think of a solution to get stressed out.  It was more in the aftermath of it as I reflected on how my day had shifted completely out of my control that I thought “just begin again”.  There was no need for upset or frustration…just be gentle with yourself in the midst of the shifting and the re-doing…just begin again.  

A big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who were so awesome all weekend long-- and a really, really big THANK YOU to the magician maintance men of Midway College who helped my tent to stand again :)

Because of the excitement on Friday, I was interviewed and made a brief appearance in this article about the show.

Spring finally came!!  I feel like we can take a collective sigh of relief that we all survived the long winter.  I don’t mind being a bit of a hermit and going into deep internal work mode for a few solitary months, but I do miss the sunshine and all the bright colors that come with this time of year.  For me, spring means jumping into outdoor art festivals, which I officially kicked off a couple of weeks ago.  It was the most fabulous beginning of the season at Cherokee Triangle Art Fair in Louisville with gorgeous weather and winning an honorable mention award.  There was something incredible redemptive about this for me.  I love that show—the location, the ease, the friendly people.  However, I’ve had a few hard times with it.  A couple of years ago, my tent was literally mangled by a storm that came through, and last year, I wasn’t even able to make it as my car overheated on the way out of town.  I cannot fully express my gratitude as I drove my new, reliable car to the show this year with my sturdy tent in tow.  I do not take these things lightly as you can see I have gone without.  Doing so has deepened my appreciation.   I’m looking forward to several fun shows coming up and a couple of bookbinding workshops this summer.   Hope to see you around!

My first outside show of the year was at the 4 Bridges Art Festival in Chattanooga, TN.  I fell in love with that place--the people were so friendly, there were local businesses everywhere, and fun art was all over.  I had just enough extra time to fit in some tasty restaurants and check out some cute, new boutiques. I stayed at a hostel, Crashpad, and was able to walk to and from the show.  It was all so fabulous!

In preparation for the Berea Craft Festival, I joined Tara Bellando at WKYT.  It was on July 4th for a short interview about the festival.  I said it there, and I'll say it again...Indian Fort Theater is one of my favorite venues.  It is such a beautiful wooded area and feels enchanting with all the high quality artists that participate in this festival.  Some of my favorite artists are there, and it really feels like we are all a family getting back together. 

This year, the weather vacilated between clear skies and sunny to torrential downpours.  It went back and forth every day throughout the show.  One of my booth neighbors luckily had a shovel so I was able to dig a trench and divert the rivers that wanted to pass through my booth.  I felt like a little kid playing in the mud.  We also have had such a drought that we needed the rain.  During one of the rain storms, Josie (of Mayapple Creations) and I grabbed hula hoops and danced around in it.  Sometimes, it helps to just go ahead and embrace the inevitable. 

Oh, I also finally got a new chair and am so excited that I simply must show you.

Another artist, Steve, gave my a labyrinth that he made.  He had seen my labyrinth logo at a gallery show we did together and was inspired to do the design.  I love that he shared it with me!

On the road again...

I've spent alot of time on the road these past few weeks with all these shows back to back.  It's so fabulous when the days are sunny and gorgeous.  It makes driving long distance so much easier.   I landed this past weekend in Columbus, OH at the Easton Art Affair.  They had these nifty signs for each of us to put on the front of our booths.

One of my favorite things about this particular show was my booth neighbors.  On one side, I had Jamie who does really fun, quirky drawings of animals.  You can check them out here.  On the other side, I had Erika and Clayton who made gorgeous rock wall hangings, sculptures, and water fountains.  See them here.  Erika supplied me with food throughout the weekend, including these beautiful cherries.  It was the perfect start to a Saturday morning!

This trip was special in that I got to stay with Jennifer of Gallery Girl.  We met at a show last year via another artist and immediately took to each other.  Jennifer is fun and light-hearted, and her paintings demonstrate it.  Take a look at them here.  They are so whimsical and cheery--just like her.  Staying with her was a delight!

Oh, and I got to meet her friend, Debbie who was just lovely.  I would love to kick back some more with both of these ladies.

"Here it is: Are you still standing? The answer is, Yes! (And no adverbs like "barely" are allowed here). If you are still standing, ragged flags or no, you are able. Thus, you have passed the bar. And even raised it."  -Clarissa Pinkole Estes

All day Sunday, I kept thinking “S.S. or Still Standing”.  Clarissa Pinkola Estes references this frequently throughout her stories of pushing through difficult circumstances.  I was at my first art show of the season this past weekend.  For those of you who have done or do outside shows, you understand that one of the biggest stressors is weather.  There was potential for scattered storms throughout the weekend, and I had mentally prepared to deal with rain.  The days during the show ended up being beautiful and sunny.  However, a couple huge storms rolled through Saturday night with lots of rain, wind, and hail.  I arrived Sunday morning to a tent that had been wrestled to the ground by water that had accumulated on the roof.  The tent frame was mangled and broken in several places.   At first, I was sure I would have to pack my things up and go home.  It was beyond repair, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it work by myself.  That is when the first wave of support showed up.  Several of my artist neighbors came to help me get the water out and devise a way to make it work for the day.  We ended up using extra poles I had with me and, quite literally, zip-tied and ducked taped it together.  We made it work and, thankfully, there weren’t any high winds.  The tent stayed standing for the day.  I felt so cared for and appreciative of everyone.  Numerous artists and volunteers at the fair stopped by throughout the stay to check on me and make sure I was ok.  I kept thinking how it was the best case scenario considering what happened.  My tent frame was broken.  Yes.  And yet, all of my product had been safely stored away in plastic bins, none of my display was damaged, and even the tops of my table cloths were dry enough to use for the day.  Incredible. 

The next concern was getting another tent.  I knew I needed a more stable one and, ideally, one that I would not have to be worried about leaking.  Paper products and water do not mix well, and it’s always unnerving when it rains even a little bit.  I also knew that the kind of tent I wanted was more than I can currently afford.  On Monday, I began to contact folks in the artist community to see if anyone knew of a used tent for sale.  The Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen replied with an artist’s information.  Thankfully, the tent was still available when I called.  That is when I realized that the universe was conspiring in my favor.  I drove down to Corbin through the gorgeous hills of southern KY to meet Ora Alsip.  He is a photographer and takes has gorgeous photos of rural communities and settings.  He showed me a photo of a moon bow, which I had never heard of before.  He said the best time to see one is the night before the full moon if the weather is clear.  It was not only a pleasure to meet him and his wife, but he took time to teach me how to set-up the tent and showed me the easiest way to do so.  What had seemed like a mess the day before turned around into a beautiful experience.  I am now the proud owner of a stable, water-proof tent and am so very thankful to Ora and to the artist community for being so caring and supportive.

Some of what did not get damaged