here we go again..

I've done some small shows this year, but I don't consider the season "on" until the first big outdoor show. We signed on for the Lilac Festival in Rochester to help fill a gap, making our start date a couple of weeks earlier than usual. Much to do Friday to get ready. Especially when you let things ride until the last day. Oh, I had reasons...

Anyway, we started the day with breakfast at Sweet_ness 7, a favorite funky coffee shop with really good food. Shared a breakfast burrito while we planned the day



Then it was off to the frame supply shop. I buy some supplies there, like cases of my book board, but now I was there for frame stuff because I just decided to do mixed media collage. Gotta follow the muse.

Now, I have no idea how to frame stuff. And I just that day figured out how to cut a mat on my mat cutter. (I was sooo excited) Plus, I want to "re-purpose" vintage frames, so I needed help to figure this out. I threw myself upon the mercy of the fine folks at New York Frame



Oh, what's the big deal you ask? Don't you just slide a thingy inside the frame and slide another thingy over the back and that's it? Oh, no, my sweet deluded blog reader. There are mats and backing boards and little sharp pointy whatits that you slam into the sides to hold them all together and 47 kinds of wire and paper for dust covers and a slew of options for adding a way to hang the thing, well... look:



...and those are just some of the little odds and ends.

So, we left there with an assortment of mat board and a bag full of hardware that we weren't sure how to use. But I was excited and optimistic.

Then it was off to gather our display stuff, assess the damage from last year, dust off the WInter cobwebs. Russell had repainted all the components for our walls and shelves and they were drying.




But our main concern was the canopy. Last year that old workhorse EZ-Up weathered 4 major wind and rain storms without a leak or a shudder. Then, last show of the year, she got caught on a weird twisty wind that ruined one of the arms. We had it welded in Oregon and it worked but then we sort of folded it up a bit when we were taking it down. So we set it up to see if it woud hold and it did. Phew!


But we are in the market for a "real" art canopy now.

Van loaded, new artwork framed, ready to go.

Oh! New artwork! Wanna see?





I like them and, better yet, I enjoy making them. I'm looking forward to getting better at it.

They combine my favorite things..paper and words. Simple songs.

Would the art show folks like them? Stay tuned....