READY, SET, GO!

I'm almost to the finish line for the Gift Show. Now if I can just do a snow dance that will keep it from snowing in Atlanta Thursday night. It never ever snows and sticks to the ground here. Never. But the night before the Show opens the prediction is for 1 - 2" of snow that's not going to melt immediately. We had rain dances and rain prayer vigils during the drought. I may be the only Atlantan praying for the snow to move to another city.

About the pictures posted: I used roofing paper/tar paper for the floor in my booth. It's cheap, sturdy and in keeping with my black and white theme. It looked too plain after I taped it down, so I took a white paint pen to it. Drawing on it was the most fun part of setting up. I'll post pictures of the finished space as soon as I can.

New Art!

"LOOK FOR THE HAPPY"
A sneak preview of a new favorite - I love the color and design and of course, the message.

TO MARKET TO MARKET (to buy a fat pig?)

My little tin roofed cottage is home to much pre-market frenzy and planning.
The new art is painted and loved by me. Props and booth materials are piled in the car and at the door. Labels are printed, lists are written/crossed off and I can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Now I just need a good night's sleep so I can set up tomorrow with lots of energy and good cheer.

Atlanta residents are lucky if they exhibit at the Atlanta International Gift Show. We can set up on Monday when no one is around, the aisles are not crammed with drayage, packing materials and stressed out exhibitors. It's quiet at the Mart and I can get it all done before the chaos begins. Sweet. (The process is akin to staging a Broadway show - out of a big old mess comes beautiful magical theater....)

As usual I love all the new images - kind of like the way I feel about my children. Can't pick a favorite. And that's as it should be. So much thought, feeling, time and work goes into each painting.

When they're all finished and signed I take them to the printer to be scanned. That way they can be reproduced in any format I choose. Tonight I was there with my 7 new babies. As each one showed up on the computer screen I thought of any number of changes I wanted to make/add/subtract to the image. Am I the only one who can never let go? Always tweaking and re-imagining. I wear myself out with that stuff.

I am excited about showing the new art and seeing my friends and buyers. It's like Old Home Week at camp. I'm looking forward to a new year that isn't all about the ecomony. Art was one of the first categories to feel the recession and I hope it's not the last to come back. Who doesn't need a little visual sunshine in their lives?