Post Show Thoughts

The Gift Show has been over for a month and I'm just getting around to posting about the big event. The booth came together in a way that I was proud of. It was great to see old friends - buyers and exhibitors alike.
It's the best part of exhibiting. Those relationships are treasured.
The show was pretty good considering the weather and the continuing hell of an economy. We have some exciting new things in the works that I'll be posting about when and if they come to be.

Good things from the show: Michelle Allen's work continues to amaze me - it has the same energy Michelle does. And I got to purchase some special jewelry from Angie Olami - her inspired work always enchants me, as I sit here looking at my "amore angelico" ring. And now I'm off to sort, organize and stock new inventory so we can start shipping orders. This is the not fun part!

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?

Back in the Saddle, so to speak

Whew. Love the holidays/hate the holidays.

So much work, effort and time for a couple of days. We had a wonderful Christmas here and I am blessed with amazing children, grandchildren and sons-in-law. Really amazing.

Preparing for the holidays feels like a long underwater swim.On December
26th I rise to the surface and gulp big breaths of fresh air. Not that there's time to float and gaze at the sky. The Atlanta Gift Show opens too too soon and I am painting like a house on fire. (I love that cliche...)

Getting ready for market is far more involved than Christmas. There's the booth design, the new art to create, the catalog to update, the samples produced, order forms found, price lists created, blah blah blah.....

Anyway, the work is finally flowing. There's a theme and a look that I like. Finally. This season has been a struggle. I've spent so much of 2009 building a better structure for the business that there hasn't been much time for painting and creative time. Getting the flow back took more time than usual.

And I may be a bit slower than I used to be now that Miss Violet has taken up residence in the studio. She likes to sit on my lap and purr while I paint. Life doesn't get much better than that. The beautiful dog in my favorite imaginary chair is a preview of the new art for 2010. It's the image I like the best so far.

Loving the Open House

My very first Kathleen Taylor Studio Open House was a wonderful holiday experience. Not because we made so much money and sold so much art. Because we had two days of sharing and learning and laughing. My friend, Sandy Erickson Wright, loaded up her SUV with gorgeous cow and pear and Sandy art. My new friend, Bailey Jack,packed her mini-van with her amazing whimsical art and drove to my house from Cartersville, GA. Not close to my house, I'm just sayin'.

Once all the art was hung and arranged we had an irresistible holiday art show. Friends, family, kids, local artists and strangers came and bought and chatted. I loved every minute.


The very best part was spending hours with my artist friends. We talked nonstop for 2 days. Sharing techniques, challenges, issues and hardships. Laughed and connected. We agreed that no matter how difficult it is to make a living as an artist, we felt blessed to be able to do so. The best part of what I do is the human connection. The folks who tear up when they see "All Dogs Go to Heaven" because they just lost a beloved pet. The retailers who relate stories to me about customers who were touched by my painting. It is an unexpected bonus to the gift of being able to paint every day. Lucky me.

I am posting the line drawing I did for my new website that will never see the light of day due to tiling and templates and number of pixels.... I liked it so I am sharing. Happy Holidays!!

Holiday Open House!!

Art makes the perfect gift. And we have something....for everyone on your list.

See for yourself. Click here to see our ever-expanding line of prints on sale now. (Website under construction...MUCH more to come!)

Local ATL fans! Come and join us for our first Holiday Open House. Food. Drinks. And ART. Come and see my original art and retail line of wall art and notecards.

Free Kathleen Taylor stationery to any Facebook fans that come! Click here to become a fan of Kathleen Taylor Studio today. (Just in time for a freebie!)

Sandy Erickson Wright and Bailey Jack will also be sharing their beautiful art.

More details...

When: Saturday and Sunday --December, 5 & 6 from 10 am to 4 pm.

In addition to our Open House you can also visit the Clay Fetish Pottery Holiday Show and Sale. They're just up the road and their pottery is wonderful.

Where: 15825 Westbrook Rd Alpharetta GA 30004. Call for info 678 339 0960