Bless me, Father.

28 new paintings and counting. I can't quite figure out if that's one finished piece per day or what. Math was never ever my strong suit. However, I feel like I've made a big dent in my goal of 50 new and glorious images for Folk Fest. The best part is that I'm not in any way tired of painting. In fact, it's all I want to do.

I feel like Hansel and Gretel - well, more like Gretel - following the path of bread crumbs to a special place. One painting leads to another, to a series, to a new idea or technique. My own personal workshop. The paintings and process are the teacher.

I still hate the part where I have to measure/inventory/price/photograph each piece. Time consuming,boring and necessary. Painting all day feels luxuriously self indulgent. Fortunately, I get to sell the paintings which eliminates the self indulgence guilt. This is guilt that comes from a '50s Catholic childhood where anything that felt good required confession and penance.

"Bless me, Father, for I have painted..."

Folk Fest 2010

Despite the smothering/sweltering summer heat of Atlanta, I am painting every day. In a nice air conditioned space. Trying to build an inventory of paintings that I can be proud of.

When did the world get so hot? I grew up in a time without air conditioning and don't ever remember wanting to stay indoors to avoid the heat. Now I hesitate to open the front door unless absolutely necessary. A wall of 95+ degrees and hideous humidity slaps me in the face. Gardening is no fun and my deep shady front porch no longer invites me to sit and linger. So I get my run/walk/exercise in as early as possible and spend the rest of the day painting.

I am getting a body of work together for the famous Slotin Folk Fest in August.
That's August 20-22nd at the North Georgia Trade Center - you can check it out at www.slotinfolkart.com.

Folk Fest is a show I make sure to see every year. I leave in awe of the creativity on exhibit. I have a million ideas, inspiration and a sense of how lucky I am to be able to paint and draw.

Now that I'm an exhibitor, I have no idea how many paintings are too much, just enough or constitute an embarrassing shortage. I'll be sharing a booth with the wise and talented artist, Lou Sparks Smith. We both have dreamed of exhibiting at this show. The quality of the exhibitors and the buyers who come from all over the country make Folk Fest a must-see for serious folk artists/collectors. I am really looking forward to the opportunity. In the meantime, there is probably no pile of paintings big enough to give me a sense of security.

The new image at the top is entitled "Mother Hen". The look of concern on her face is most likely a reflection of my current state of mind.