August 23, 2014

Hub

Well, i'm counting down to a short week until the Big Labor Day Extravaganza known as yART - a two day art show in Bethany Beach.  It's been a number of years (at least 5) since my last outdoor show, and to say I'm a little anxious might be a bit of an understatement.

It's not that I am really anxious, it's just that i don't want to forget anything!  You know the feeling -- going on vacation and forgetting your clothes, arriving at work still wearing your bunny slippers, forgetting where you've parked when you have three half-gallons of icecream in the cart.

My anxiety is not about the big things -- canopy, screens, art.  It's the Little Things, that proverbial 10% of your work that takes 90% of your time.  Do I have pens?  receipts?  lunch?

To digress a moment, we have a resident puka, Hub.  For those of you not in-the-know, pukas, also known as pukkas, are alternate-reality beings who can slip in and out of our dimension, easy-as-pie.  Sometimes known for their mischievous qualities, they find shiny things, like marbles, keys, coins, jewelry, to be Very Attractive.  Let's just say, if you find your keys misplaced, an earring suddenly gone from where you left it, or if you have lost one or more of your marbles, you probably, in all likelihood, have a puka.

The most famous puka, Puck of A Midsummer Night's Dream, is who we think of first.  But not all pukas are as human-friendly as Puck.  They respond favorably to milk, sweets and respect.  I'm not sure about chocolate, but what is there to not like about chocolate?

Anyway, we have a puka.  And, Hub is partially responsible for my anxiety.  I mean, what would he find so appealing about a caulk gun?  A roll of velcro?  A receipt book?  Suffice it to say, after asking nicely (many times) and gifts of marbles, I have successfully negotiated an exchange.  Caulk gun?  Check.  Velcro?  Check.  Receipt book?  Double-check.

I shudder to think what other found items he has, squirrelled away on the shelves of his room, that I have not yet missed.  But, it is very important for me to stay on his good side.  So, i'll leave him some cream in a saucer tonight, before I go to bed.  And possibly a cookie.

And, by the way,  I do really have copious lists of things to find and do, before next Friday.  But, I hope to see YOU on Saturday or Sunday!!

August 18, 2014

yART is coming!

Yes, it's been a while since I last posted.  There is news!  The annual yART (yard + art) show will be held from 9-3 on Saturday and Sunday, August 30 and 31, at 33258 Kent Avenue in Bethany Beach (it's just South of the Library).  I couldn't download the flyer, but it is a great opportunity to see local fine artists who create works in glass, oil, photography, acrylics (that's ME!), jewelry, soapworks, metalcraft, clothing and other fine arts.

I will be showing my birdhouses and new work in flowers, abstract seascapes,and figurative paintings.  I'll also have giclee prints, notecards and a few other neat things for sale.  And, this show has taken a lot of work to get together.  You know, spending time in the studio, creating, mixing, collaging, is where I get my energy recharged.  The ability to simply BE in space, allowing the mind to play with "what if?" is exhilarating.

Unfortunately, I can't really say the same thing about the labor in getting ready for a show.  Lists, lists, lists.  Do I have this?  Is everything priced?  Are things bagged?  Do I have bags?  Do I have receipts?  Pens?  Change?  Lunch?  On, and On, and On.  Luckily, most of the paintings were done by mid-June.  It's the other 10 percent that's taking so much time!  That, and changing my mind (which a lady is allowed to do!  As often as necessary!).

the yART show is important to me for three reasons:  first, it's an opportunity for me to see old friends who know the value and JOY of creating; second, I was invited.  Yep!  this show is by invitation-only for the artists, and I was INVITED!  (What an ego-boost THAT is!)  And, third, tho' not necessarily third in a priority sense, the Chinese auction will benefit the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company.

Those of us who live full-time in resort communities know how important it is to have a strong Fire Company, especially during the major resort season.  And the fact that they are a Volunteer Company, adds to the drama.  They pay the same amount for a fire truck, a breathing apparatus, an ax, as do the bigger companies in the cities, where tax monies are available to support their expenses.  Our Volunteer companies face a bigger challenge -- they do not have the same access to greater government funding, and the members all have other jobs and careers that they willing set aside to answer the call.  These men and women are SUPER.  They care.  It doesn't matter if you live here or are passing through.  They come when called.