Working Vacation...

Art In The Garden, June 13
Was on vacation from my "real" job last week. I was probably busier than I normally am when I'm working! Had two shows on consecutive weekends, a two day and a one day, and another one day this Saturday! Whew! Even though I have to really push myself to have enough stock on hand, it is a life I think I'd love if I didn't have to have an outside job!



One of the artists I refer to - if you ever run across this guy, please check out his work! He is, by far, the best in his field (I own one of his pieces, would have more if I had more wall space!)
The most interesting part of it is meeting all the other artists and craftspeople and getting to know some of them. It's fun to share stories and find out the opinions of the more experienced show circuit folks, the ones who actually make a living at what they do! How cool. I haven't quite convinced my husband to go to med school and become a brain surgeon so I can quit and have my art career full time! Have to keep working on that...



And of course, can't forget my customers! I have realized that as a rule, people in general either "get" what I do and love it, or have no idea why I would make these stupid cement things! I have determined that maybe 20% of a crowd of people love my work, and out of those, maybe half will purchase something. It is not for everyone, and, as I whined about before, there are not a lot of gardeners (or artists) in my area. I'm sure things would be much different in some other area of the country. So, while I have a lot of organizers of craft shows approach me, I don't participate in a lot of those -they have to have high attendance numbers to find enough of that 20% who are MY people!

"Art In The Garden"

Here's my booth at the Old West End Festival last weekend

This Saturday, June 13, is another event we will be participating in. "Art In The Garden" will be on the premises of Garden Delights (5723 N Main St.), in Sylvania, Ohio, 10AM to 4PM. This benefits The American Cancer Society's "Relay For Life", which I am glad about, since my husband is a cancer survivor. Speaking of him, Saturday is also our 28th wedding anniversary! What a way to celebrate! Hope we see you there!

...Those Shoes!

I cannot wear pretty shoes. Without going into a lot of detail, between bunions and my bones in my feet not really aligned like they should be, I never could wear high heels or anything without a lot of support to them. Since I began participating in art/craft festivals, I tried several types of shoes that were touted to be comfortable, but after standing 10-12 hours, (usually on concrete!), none of them could keep up, and my feet and legs ached for 2-3 days afterwards! Even some walking shoes don't make it. I still wanted something pretty or "artsy" though. So I found a lot of websites dedicated to "customizing your kicks", and here is my solution : paint!

Got many (positive) comments. They're still a work in progress - I think the blue may be changed to green, and the paint flaked some on the bends, so there will be some tweaks, but I'm happy with my first attempt!

The Old West End Festival and Art Fair* June 6-7

This is the first time I have participated in this event, and I am looking forward to it (with some nervousness, as I always do with anything "new to me"!). This will be the maiden voyage of our new canopy (don't know if I like that analogy; I don't want it flying or floating anywhere!), but we will set up the evening before, so that will give us time to work out the kinks!

Description of The Old West End Festival: "On the first weekend in June, residents of the Old West End hold their Spring Festival, which features food, entertainment, tours of historic homes, an art fair, and spontaneous garage sales. Citizen involvement in the Old West End is high, and this is reflected by its many neighborhood organizations."

Location: Robinwood/Bancroft/Collingwood/Monroe -Toledo
Hours are from 10 AM to 5 PM, both days.