Art166 - The Fine Art of Insomnia

~ Arts & Crafts Fair
San Antonio College Campus
11/20/06

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What the heck have I been doing?

Well, I haven't been away on a dream vacation, playfully swimming with dolphins and blissfully singing with whales.

I haven't won the lottery and been closeted for days with my savvy financial advisor/renowned architect/dream man, stuffing my face with Godiva chocolates and swigging Bollinger's Special Brut.

I haven't won a prestigious, if unexpected, award for my cutting edge, hi-tech digital art, resulting in my art selling like hotcakes, and me being interviewed (as the new "it" girl . . . um, woman) by Oprah and/or Barbara Walters.

What I have been doing, is working my tired fingers to the bone creating towering stacks of unique, new inventory (of the Art and the Craft varieties)! Hauling out this amazing glut of new and exciting inventory, I set up shop at one of the Art Fairs I'd registered for (I was shooting for three within a period of about three weeks) where I was pleasantly surprised with bearable weather, friendly, interested crowds, and, best of all, moderate to brisk sales throughout the day.

From the photos, above, you can see that I took along a few large-format, framed and matted pieces (yep, that's my handy 7-foot stepladder they're being displayed on, and yep, I spent a lot of my day trying to keep these pieces hanging at some semblance of level. That was, indeed, an exercise in futility, but it made a nice display all the same! I also added a few smaller, square, matted and framed pieces to that display.

On the table, I offered a box of 8"x10"s, individually sealed in nice, archival, clear bags with rigid mat backing. This was great for drawing shoppers in to chat and flip through the stack of cows, fractals, hearts, robots, and many other images -- some of which you've seen posted here!

I was really excited to offer, for the first time anywhere, two new products: Suncatchers -- fancifully shaped, heavy-gauge gold or silver-colored wire studded with brilliant pieces of clear and colored glass; and my new Glass Magnets! Not just any magnets, but big (up to 2" (5cmx5cm) chunks of sparkling, clear glass backed with original art by -- me!

Today, I'm rushing to get these items, plus ACEOs and more, photographed and posted for sale in my Etsy shop. I'll be back tomorrow with some close-up photos of a few of these pieces and to tell you a little more about them.

It's all very exciting! I'm on some kind of freakish, creative roll -- gotta go with it!

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Wacky Weather!

When I woke up this morning, at 5:15 a.m., the temperature was a warm and very humid 72 degrees (F). By 7:00 a.m., it had dropped to 36 degrees. Right now, it's down to 34 degrees.

I believe my unrestrained creative outpouring has somehow caused hell to actually freeze over!

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Special Shout-outs!

Thanks to Judy, Reynaldo, Kayla, Pam, and all the other great folks I met at San Antonio College who so generously and pleasantly gifted me with their time, attention, and unexpected help and fun. You guys contributed so much to my great day on the SAC campus!

Thanks, also, to my pals Nancy and Keith, without whom I would never even have heard about this opportunity. You prettied up my table and offered your support in every way. Feel free to pitch your tent across from mine, anytime!

As always, a special thanks to Neesie, my friend and sister, who is up for (most!) any challenge; who doesn't think twice about making sure I have what I need to survive day-to-day, and to further my career; and, who didn't blink at the thought of picking me and my ton of inventory (yes, even the ladder!) up at oh-dark-thirty a.m., bringing along my favorite breakfast (Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla and Twizzlers), then spending her entire day sitting with me and chatting up customers.

Thanks, Neesie!