CHILD'S PLAY

The sweet, tense moment of concentrated attention as the child explores...this is something the artist, too, recognizes.  Curiosity is such an essential ingredient to the creative process and children seem to have it in abundance.  To play with the eyes and mind of a child is to know the freedom of artistic exploration.  To me, this is what art is all about.  Without it...well, something is definitely lost.  With it...the chase is on!

Going for the rainbow

SUMMER BEGINNINGS

Beginnings

Beginning the summer's Sawdust Art Festival is a bit like the beginning of a mixed media piece. There is an idea, a concept, perhaps.  Some excitement and anticipation exists.  Then, some trial and error.  And, ultimately, the finished piece.  
We are now at the beginning of the festival period of 66 days.  I am recalling from all the previous years the things I love about this process that are so much like the creating itself. In just the one day I have been there the enjoyment of the visitors has been engaging and gratifying--a real boost to offset things like lights not working or not feeling quite "there" yet.
These opportunities to share and swap stories and revisit past times with old and new friends are unmatched.  The "finished piece" of the festival season seems far away on this Sunday morning, but it will be here all too soon.  In the meantime, the moments are here to explore, experience and enjoy. Curious to see how it goes, I lean into the joy of it all!

READY OR NOT...

Not quite ready yet...but there is still some time...and some heat (Oh, my!)  Preview Night at the Sawdust Art Festival is tomorrow.  It is hard to believe, but all will be ready "enough."  Official opening for the summer-long festival is Friday, June 24th.  It is the 50th anniversary and should be quite a hoot with all the celebrations and events planned. 
I have some "new look" work and of course the birds and Little Whimsies. Also going to have a "treasure chest" of older work to move out at greatly reduced prices.  And lots more!!!!! 
I will be teaching some evening classes so watch for posting of those and other events.
Here we go!!

FLYING

Boy!  Time is really flying by now. The summer's art festival season is so close I can almost smell it (Oh!  That's just the sawdust I dumped into my booth this morning that is cleaning to my still unchanged clothing :))
My booth is painted.  Sawdust in (as mentioned.) Art work matted, framed and wired or placed in a plastic sleeve, labeled, boxed, and ready to take.  Art cards printed, assembled and put in their individual sleeves. Signage almost half finished. Display pieces gathered, cleaned, repainted as needed. Postcards ordered (and reordered after first batch wrong.) Little Whimsies nearly completed and display figured out.  Birds freshened and ready to go. Sales book, Square, pens, etc. all gathered together.  Bags ordered...and reordered when wrong size arrived. And believe it or not, there is still much to do.  Wow!  Looking forward to a great festival season. Stay posted for more of the fun. I think I'll take a breath now.

SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD

This fun little guy caught my attention as he landed atop this light post. As with all the birds these spring mornings he was making quite the racket.  I was reminded of a friend who calls her design studio Laughing Raven Design. I figure my studio name would be Giggling Crow Design.  They DO so make me giggle.

Summer festival preparations are in full swing now and yet the daily morning walks with their many bird sightings keep me in the happy, giggling place from which I seem to create best.

Looking forward to June 21st Preview Party at the Sawdust Art Festival, though right now I feel far from ready for that date just a mere two weeks away.

Guess I had better get back to it, eh?

Perched above it all

DREAM...DREAM...DREAM

I'm beginning to think that the drifting and dreaming while driving to and from Santa Barbara placed me in a mesmerized state from which I have not yet freed myself. The piece posted here that I am currently at work on even has me thinking of sitting under trees and daydreaming the hours away.  Not sure what this is all about--the gray days, the overwhelming amount of work yet to do to mount the summer's art festival, sheer laziness, spring fever, what???
Onward I drift...readying for a workshop on the 12th (Is it already June?) and then on to summer!Life could certainly be much worse, right?