Doubledecker weekend a success!

Pear Varieties.....set of three......6x8......$175

Beyond Sight and Sound and Touch.........16x20........$375

These are some more of the paintings I did to get ready for Double Decker. The tree is one of those that you just have to see in person. It has that rare quality that I see in other people's paintings sometimes, in that it sort of glows. I am analyzing the steps I took to see if I can produce the effect again, but suffice it to say the real thing is WAY better than the photo.

The Pears are part of a set that are done on 1 1/2" gallery wrap canvases that are 6x8. On a canvas that small the sides are a big deal. On these I painted the sides black and white squares. They look so great hanging in a group.

The show this weekend was a success. As far as I know, every other artist that I talked to had a great show. It was my best one so far for me so I am happy. I sold 7 paintings and 17 prints. And yes it was a long day. But Dacia and Shaun (my daughter and her boyfriend) came with us and made the load much lighter.

Next I am off to Kentucky to keep the girls while son & DIL go to the Derby. I would much rather watch my sweeties than a bunch of horses, let me tell you!

Oxford, MS....Doubledecker Art Festival

Ajax Diner....24x30.......$700

Square Books......24x30.......$700

"Courthouse".........24x30.........$700

I know that there are those who read my blog that have absolutely no interest in paintings of Oxford, MS. But then there are others for whom it is the "center of the universe". But for me, well, this weekend it WILL be the center of my universe.

I will be participating in the Doubledecker Festival this Saturday. It has been a grueling week trying to get everything ready to go. People sometimes ask me "how long does it take you to do a painting?" Well, this week I have worked all week from get up to fall down and have not picked up a paintbrush. It's about more than just the actual moment you put the paint on the canvas.

This festival is different from others that I do. It is a one-day festival.

That means that you get there as the sun comes up (or before) and you roll your tent in on a dolly. You rush to set it up so that you will have somewhere to put your stuff when that tiny window of opportunity opens and you get to pull your vehicle within sight of your booth.

Because, you see, there are 100 other artists doing the same thing in a very small area. There is not room for everyone's vehicles. So you have to take turns. It's not always convenient or smooth or fun.

Then you have to take your paintings and try to arrange them as attractively as possible in the 10x10 space you are given. No small trick there. They are stacked in boxes today in my dining room and they seem to entirely fill the space.

So this process normally takes me about 4 hours. This Saturday they say that I can start setting up at 7:45 AM and have to be done by the time the festival starts at 10 AM. You do the math.

Then the festival itself starts. It is so much fun, but so exhausting! Non-stop talking, smiling and schmoozing. You meet a lot of great people... a few wackos...and a few rude folks who take pictures of your work without even asking. Hopefully you make a few sales, which involve thinking, figuring tax, etc.

Then the end of the day comes and you have to break it all down and pack it all up. Another normally 2 or 3 hour process. I see people around me that do it faster, but for the life of me I can't seem to master it yet. But it's something I aspire to.

So by the end of the day let's just say your are not feeling like a glamorous artist. Why do you do it? you may ask. Well, when you hang your art in a gallery or in your foyer to dry like I do...you don't get any feedback. It is so interesting to hear what people have to say about your work. Granted, you mostly hear the positive stuff, because if they have something nasty to say, they normally wait till they are out of earshot to say it. But it is sometimes the shot in the arm that you need to keep you going when you are wondering if you are in the right profession.

I sure wouldn't trade it. (But ask me again about 9 PM this Saturday night!)

Wine Bottle and Wine Art....

Corks....10x20....oil.....200(sold)

Lively Line-up.....24x20....oil......$450(sold)




My latest adventure involved attending a Wine Festival in Shreveport. Mike couldn't go so Dacia, my daughter, was my able and willing partner for the event. We went over Thursday for the elegant and special wine dinner. It was very nice and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. They auctioned off my painting that they had purchased from me...a painting of a bowl of corks. It was the image they used for all of the promotional materials for the whole event. The couple that placed the highest bid were celebrating their anniversary. I personalize it for them and we just had a great evening.


On Friday we set everything up for the Wine Tasting on Saturday afternoon. I had brought paintings just pertaining to wine and food. I signed the giclees that they had made to sell at the Saturday event. They had invited us to an informal event Friday night that was attended by some of the board members and committee members of the event. We had a great time there, too, and ended up bonding with some of the board members.


On Saturday we manned the booth at the Wine Tasting and just had a really good time. Sales were good, we met some really nice people, and we got to try some really great wines. The food was delicious, the weather was great....it couldn't have been a more perfect weekend.



The people that were in charge of the entire thing were SO nice! They have invited me back for the Red River Revel in October. It is a week long art festival that sounds like it is just fabulous. I will be attending the first half of the week, because the Shrimp Festival is the second half. It will make for an interesting week, let me tell you! I will have to break down my booth and pack up in Shreveport on Tues. night at 9PM and then go directly to Gulf Shores and set up there on Wednesday afternoon. I will probably not make any coherent sentences for a couple of days at the Shrimp Festival!!! But the SF was so much fun last year that I didn't want to NOT enter. So there you have it.

I'm Still Here!

These are the latest pictures of our little "bunnies". They are cute as can be. I miss them terribly but hopefully will get to see them before too long. Everyone say a prayer for little Kayleigh, please. They found out this week that she has a little gastro situation...nothing too serious, but it makes for a pretty rough time trying to feed her. She should grow out of it in a few months, so say a prayer for her mom and dad, too, in the meantime.

My sweet sister-in-law, Karen, wrote me yesterday and asked where my blog entries were. I promise I HAVE been working. I will try to start getting back in the habit of photo-ing and posting again.

We came back from Kentucky from being gone a month, then left for Las Vegas a few days later. We were there a week (won a little of their money) and then I had to feverishly paint to get ready for a wine festival in Shreveport. Big fun! I will post my wine photos and tell about it tomorrow.

I am now in the process of getting paintings painted, framed, wired etc. for an art show in Oxford, MS. It's called Doubledecker and it's a really nice event.

Anyway, thanks to those who were wondering about me, especially Karen.

And for the "news you can use" I want to leave you with this quote I came across yesterday....Think of it anytime you are feeling under-appreciated or taken for granted...

"Even after all this time the sun never says

to the earth "you owe me".

Look what happens with a love like that,

It lights the whole sky."

----HAFIZ (Persian poet of the 1300's)