Morgan Creek Art Fest, Harpersville, Alabama

I think that I need to invest in a laptop (APPLE, of course).
From the time I leave my 9 to 5 day job on Fridays, I'm engaged in my artwork in some form or fashion, until I return to the job on Monday mornings. My weekends always fly by (what is that saying about time passing quickly when you're having fun??) and I'm constantly jotting down tidbits of information, in real time, to use as points of reference when I find a moment to blog. Of course, I always misplace my notes and I mumble and grumble to myself when I finally settle in front of my home computer and realize that I have to rely on my memory (which ain't that great) to write. I truly believe that it'll all come back to me, if I stare at the monitor long enough. What a waste. But! If I have a laptop I'll be inspired to blog as my adventures unfold and I could even upload the pictures within a matter of minutes, right? (Pausing to laugh out loud.)

I exhibited my artwork at Morgan Creek Winery in Harpersville, AL yesterday. The weather was perfect, the grounds were impeccably landscaped and the setting was absolutely beautiful. Setup was between 8:30a and 10:30a. The event opened at 11a and closed at 6pm with a jazz concert following at 6:30pm. Sales were slow but I was okay with that. Sometimes, it's not always about sales. It's about meeting and greeting or explaining your art process to someone who is interested enough to inquire; taking short breaks to introduce yourself to new artists and sharing stories and laughs with artists and craftsmen who are no longer strangers but friends on the circuit. I met Jean and Jack Lincoln, jewelry designers, from Pell City. They're great friends of Penny Arnold, glass artist, who is a new acquaintance of mine. Last year, I blogged about taking a class with Penny at the Birmingham Museum of Art and she and I have developed a friendship since that time. Jack sits on the board of the St. Clair Council of the Arts and Penny is the newly elected President of the organization. I, also, met Jennifer from McCalla, AL who owns Tiny Hineys. Love, love, love her baby boutique clothes line! Bill Palmer furniture designer stopped by; a new face, new name. Fellow artists Becky Bolton Crisswell & Troy Crisswell, Art Bacon, Lonnie "The Sand Man" Holley, Donna Branch and others were in attendance. Artist John Sims & his lovely bride joined the crowd early afternoon. They strolled the vineyards, viewed the art then disappeared into the wine tasting hut. Laurel Mills, the coordinator of the art event, allowed each artist to select a bottle of wine to take home. A lovely gesture at the end of a long day. I selected Morgan Creek's Sweet Peach table wine.

Southern Roots 2008

On Monday evening, March 31st, the opening reception for SOUTHERN ROOTS 2008 was held.

SOUTHERN ROOTS is a Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Artists with Alabama ties. The exhibition is presented each year by The Academy of Fine Arts, Inc., (AFA). This current show marks the Nineteenth Annual event. This year, the Juror was Gail Andrews, R. Hugh Daniel Director of the Birmingham Museum of Art. I'm pleased to announce that I received a 1st Place Award for my linoleum block relief print "Like a Martin to its' Gourd" (which you can view here).

Unfortunately, the artwork which was selected for the exhibition is not available on the www. I hope that 'yall will take the time to go downtown Birmingham and see the art which will be available for viewing until May 2nd at the Birmingham Public Library, 2100 Park Place North, Birmingham. My BFF Donna Branch of Tara Glass Art Studio and my best bud, Bill Goudy, are exhibiting also.

Don't know why Julian Hazlett didn't submit his art tiles. His work is wonderful!! I meet Julian, albeit briefly, about 3 years ago as I was strolling thru the Loft District in Birmingham at the Sidewalk Art Festival. When I spotted his art tiles my eyes lit up; my soul squealed with delight! I saw striking black and white jewels which, at first glance, appeared to be wood engravings. I asked him a couple of questions about his technique and he didn't hesitate one bit to share information about resources available in the metro area. Okay, (cue the music) here's where I say, ". . .he had me at hello." I love his eyes. They're intense but friendly. You can't tell if he feels imprisoned by his own muse or if he's looking inside of you. Now . . . and here's the best part . . . fast forward to this year. I met my BFF (that's Donna) at a seminar about six weeks ago and guess who was sittin' there with her!?? Yep! Mr. Julian! There they were just a sittin' and a talkin' and a grinning and havin' a good old time. They've known each other for a while. Gosh, is this a small world or what???!!!!! I love how we're all connected to each other. . . Six Degrees of Separation, right? For those of you who don't know, six degrees of separation refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person he or she knows and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people he or she knows, then everyone is an average of six "steps" away from each person on Earth.

We're all connected to accomplish something good.