Make up your mind!

I had an experience yesterday that illustrates so much in life. I had lunch at a restaurant called the Firkin and Crown, the English Pub name and decor were front and center but then things turned.

The place was filled with TV screens like a big sports bar, there was loud hard rock playing from the speakers and then the menu came. It had everything from pot pies and bangers and mash to quesadillas, hummus, hamburgers and stir fry! This was a place that really couldn't make up its mind what it was, who it's customer was or what to do with its self.

I have had this same experience with artists. They present to a gallery or jury for a show and present everything they have done in every medium and every style. This is a sure way to not achieve success. You have to pick something and stick with it, to do otherwise is just confusing your audience. You need consistency.

Let me be clear that artists should always experiment and reach for new ideas, use new mediums and try new things. But the path to success (selling your art) is to present consistency
in your art. Do research before you present to the gallery, show or exhibit, know what they expect. If a gallery sells only watercolors they aren't interested in your oil paintings. If they sell only contemporary work your landscapes and still life subjects probably aren't going to be a good fit. You have to make up your mind! Stick with it, find your niche and work it!

In life your path may have many choices and you can try to juggle all those choices hoping to be a great success but never have time, energy or focus to achieve a successful goal because you are split in too many directions. Make up your mind! Pick a path and follow it! Work it!

We won't be going back to the restaurant because we were just uncomfortable. Too much confusion and not a place we fit. We will stick to the English pub that serves pub food and plays Irish music, it a longer drive but we like it there.

Never give up your pencil

We are slaves to technology. But nature and mans errors will always bring us to heel and remind us that we may have to go backward to stay even.

The astronauts learned this when first in space. Pens wouldn't write in space, so the answer became the old fashioned pencil which worked just fine. When sent to repair faulty equipment on the moon, despite lots of practice and specially made tools, they ended up using their Swiss Army knives to get the job done.

When the volcano in Iceland and the tragedy of 9/11 stopped air travel we had to revert to trains and buses to get where we needed or wanted to go. We have discovered that human hair can help soak up the oil spills.

Now our television is going to be disrupted by satellites crashing into each other. What will we do without our television? Do you even own a radio? I only have one in my car. I wonder how we will deal without instant news, no 24/7/365 updates on our games, celebrities, finances and tragedies.

I am keeping my pencil handy, even though I will have my iphone on my belt.

Florida and a great Art Show

We recently visited Naples Fl. A lovely place full of "mature" tourists, many mid westerners, some great art and good galleries and some delicious seafood.

We rented a house for a couple of weeks so we could just relax and enjoy the area. We took lots of day trips and spent lots of time just exploring. Our two big nature adventures were to the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and the Everglades National Park.



At Corkscrew we walked a wooden raised trail and saw some great birds and got acquainted with the new and unique vegetation of the area. Banyan trees, air plants growing in the trees, ferns and other cool stuff. You could easily spot the wildlife by watching for the jam of people with big cameras and huge long lenses. While we were watching a lovely blue heron two of them got in to a loud argument about which lens to use and scared the bird away. Very funny.

I did some research about the best way to see Everglades by calling the National Park and asking questions about air boats and tours. Their answer is don't take an air boat, they scare the wild life and trample the vegetation. They are loud and except for the "thrill" of going fast through a swamp don't really let you see the Everglades. We opted instead for a boat tour that went out into the barrier islands. We got to see new islands in the making with Mangrove trees digging their roots into piles of shells and trapped sand. They grow slowly until the link with other islands getting bigger and bigger over time.



Then we drove to a pull out and walked a bit to get our gator photo. As we were driving along we actually saw several groups of gators and some cood birds but there was no way to pull off the narrow road and couldn't stop because of traffic.



The ranger station at Everglades is pretty sad. It was obviously damaged int he hurricanes of the last few years and is a simple 2 story building on stilts and wrapped in Tyvek.
The displays look mostly hand made with photos and posters in a room about 20 feet square. Some interesting information but obviously they are challenged for dollars to do better.

Most of the civilization and population in the very southern part of Florida has happened since the 1960's. Prior to that there were few roads, few people and tons of wildlife. We visited this cool old general store that was also the postoffice. In the old days (1950's) the owner would go get the mail by canoe and use a shell horn to announce the arrival of the days mail. They have turned the place into a museum, very cool, but they don't allow photos inside.



There are lots of good galleries in Naples. There is a wonderful Naples Art Museum that is combined with a philharmonic palace that will knock your socks off. They present all kinds of entertainment, all top notch. We also went to the Naples National Art Fair.

The Naples Art Fair is one of the best we have ever seen but WOW, 285 artists and thousand and thousands of people. You could hardly move and I can't imagine how the artists got much sold with so many people around.

Now to the food. You just can beat that part of the country for fresh seafood. Our favorite restaurant turned out to be right down the street from our rental house. Randy's Fishmarket Resturant. They have a long wait and don't take reservations but it is well worth the wait. We bought some, "OH MY GOD Shrimp" to grill and home too. YUM.

We plan to visit Naples again because there is always more to see and do.

Winter Adventures

It's winter in Georgia and all the leaves are gone. The trees are bare, storing up their energy for what should be a magnificent spring. It continues to rain and even snow. Unusual weather for the deep South.

To get some sun and visit family and friends we recently visited Scottsdale AZ and the Celebration of Fine Art. It's the 20th anniversary of this unique show. I am still awed by the talented artists who continue to grow and develop new and exciting work each year. Visitors say it is the best show yet and I have to agree. They have had some serious weather this year that took our our neighbors and friends tents at Russo and Steele. We have Jake Potje to thank for keeping our tents secure, grounded and dry! Here he is securing one of our many rain gutters.


We had a great time with my daughter and granddaughters. I just love teenagers. They are so full of introspection and energy and whirling around trying to find out what to do with it all. A time of great promise and opportunity. They are both great kids who are enjoying life. My daughter is keeping up amazingly well. I know I did that too but it seems like centuries ago. Aah, youth!

I am looking for opportunities to get involved here in Ga and have checked out many different places some in the arts some not. I think I may have hit on the opportunity for me. It is called The Hudgens Center for the Arts. I am meeting with their director this week to see if we are a match. The Hudgens just announced a competition for Georgia artists with a top prize of $50,000.00! They seem to have solid financial support and are doing some great things in education and exhibition both. Looks like a great organization.

My customer service rant and praise for the moment:
Praise for Amazon Kindle who responded to me within hours when I had a problem with a book.
Disgust for gallery minders who play computer games and surf the net while live warm bodies are in their galleries.
AAA disgust for home warrenty companies. I have yet to find one that will actually pay for stuff that breaks!

More adventures to come, a trip to Florida and the Everglades coming up.

We Broke the Drought and the 20th anniversary

In moving to Georgia we were faced again with severe water restrictions because of the drought conditions. I hired a landscaper to run drip irrigation lines (a process foreign to this area) to all the major plants and trees since sprinklers were outlawed. Then the rain began. It has now been one of the wettest years on record. The lakes are full, the streams are flooded and many roads and bridges have been wiped out during the big rains. So, we broke the drought.

Next we are off to Scottsdale to help celebrate the big 20th anniversary party for the Celebration of Fine Art. It is going to be a huge event. So far we have over 200 RSVP's and still growing. It is amazing looking back over the 20 years and remembering all the great artists that have participated in the show and all the loyal customers who have supported the artists and our efforts.
We are grateful for all of it. I can't wait to see the new art work and to meet the new artists.

In case you haven't seen it pick up the January issue of American Art Collector. The Celebration is well represented. It shows the breadth of the work created by the artists who participate in the Celebration.

As soon as I figure out my "new" photo image software that has magically and mysteriously appeared in my computer I will post on our last adventure to Chattanooga TN.

Highlands North Carolina

A trip to the mountains of North Carolina. The small town of Highlands is up winding mountain roads, no way around that, you get to slow down and enjoy the views. This town is the Souths equivalent of Carmel, CA or Aspen Co. It is charming and the city planners have held firm with the edict of no chain stores. Everything is small boutiques or galleries. It is filled with flowers and happy shop owners who greeted everyone with smiles and conversation. There were lots of license plates from Georgia, Florida and Tennessee as well as the Carolinas. The visitors mostly have summer homes or rent cabins for months at a time. The temperature is balmy and afternoon rain showers are the norm.

Highlands has wonderful restaurants. We are Italian and Continental and fish and beef yum!
We are breakfast at the pharmacy which has a great soda fountain and reminded us of our old days in Scottsdale, AZ when Lutz pharmacy had a small cafe and home made pie to die for.

In addition to several very nice galleries, they also have a wonderful brand new art center called The Bascom. They have exhibition space, classromms, a seperate huge ceramics studio and an additional building that holds the kilns. The building is wood from an old barn in Pennsylvania. They even have a covered bridge.
Here are some additional photos of the town, the ponds and the beautiful area. Plan a visit we sure enjoyed it.

On the left is Bucks Cafe our favorite coffee and breakfast stop.
On the right is charming Main Street shops, early in the morning before the crowds of shoppers arrive.
There is a lovely botanical trail and information center around this group of natural lakes filled with lily pads in bloom. We saw orchids so tiny you could hardly find them, lizards basking in the sun and lots of beautiful birds. Highlands is definitely a place we will be going back to.

Just because I wander doesn't mean I'm lost!

This beautiful landscape is on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. This was the last stop on our last wandering. Beautiful country!

We began our journey by following the North Georgia Arts Tour. We drove up US 23 and began our trip in Dillard, GA then to Clayton, Lakemont and Tallulah Falls and then to Toccoa all small towns in north Georgia. They do this twice a year and it is a great time to see all the galleries who all have working artists there. We saw wood working, painters and even basket makers using Kudzu . We had lunch at the Dillard House. Like most things Southern this is still in the family and began the tradition in 1820 as farmers and providers of traditional Southern hospitality.

The have a lodge and very famous restaurant where you eat family style. The term "groaning board" covers the event. They bring everything to the table and you serve yourself what you want. The cheerful waitress says, "Now if you want more you just holler."
I think this photo of my husband Tom and the lunch spread will let you see why this place if famous.

Yes, all this food was just for the two of us. No, we didn't eat it all but made a good dent.



Tallulah Falls was an interesting stop. The Tallulah Falls School, which still operates today as a private school, was begun by Mary Ann Lipscomb a member of the Georgia Women's Federation Club. It was originally founded to provide the mountain children with education since there was no school in the area. The organization still operates the school, a gift shop and now a beautiful hotel called The Lodge at Tallulah Falls. It is the best lodging in this area, brand new and beautifully decorated by the Women's Federation.

Our next stop was in Greenville, South Carolina. What a wonderful town, filled with art and an beautiful downtown, arts district and river walk area. Our first visit was the Greenville County Museum of Art. They currently have a great show called Art & Artists of South Carolina which included both historic and contemporary art. The highlight for me, however, was the collection of Andrew Wyeth. They have a great body of his work and it was delightful to see them up close and in such a wonderful museum. The entire town was a surprise and beautiful. Their river walk area (they have a real river and water fall running through the city) has been developed into a charming area with lots of restaurants, loft housing, art galleries and boutique shops. We strolled both sides of the river and enjoyed watching the ducks and the kids enjoy the water. This is a view of the pedestrian suspension bridge over the river.


Then on to Salisbury, North Carolina to visit our artist friends Whitney Peckman and Syed Ahmad. They and their neighbors have restored an historic building in downtown which they call the East Square Artworks. The town of Salisbury is making great efforts to preserve and protect the historic buildings and homes in the community by creating various historic districts. This includes the downtown where Whitney and Syed have converted an old bakery to galleries, work space and loft housing. Salisbury has a historic preservation commission that even has buildings for sale. It is a great place for art and artists and a growing beautiful community.

Whitney and Syed fed us, entertained us and gave us a great tour of the area including the Waterworks Visual Art Center where Whitney currently has a show of her beautiful paintings.

They will also exhibit their work at the 20th annual Celebration of Fine Art and we will see them there in Scottsdale Arizona during the winter.


After Salisbury we drove to Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville is filled with galleries and artist colonies. This beautiful mountain setting provides a home to many artists in various
media. The tradition of crafts is very strong in this part of the country and many of these artists have taken the craft to fine art. One of the places that you must stop is the Southern Highlands Craft Guild shop on the Blue Ridge Parkway where they also have a Folk Art Center.

We shopped and enjoyed the art and crafts and watched an artist making psalteries (pronounced without the P). It is a musical instrument that has a lovely lyrical tone. I almost bought one just for the sound. The artist, Rick Long, showed me how to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star " and allowed anyone could play a psalterie. It looks easy and sound great but I still am not sure I could get past the first song.



There are simply too many galleries in Asheville to record them all. It is like a multi day feast for art addicts. I will mention one special gallery and a couple of fabulous artists. There are two very famous places in Asheville. One is the Biltmore Estates and the other is the Grove Park Inn.

Next to the Grove Park Inn is the Grovewood Gallery a gallery of fine art crafts, sculpture, furniture and more. Among the art displayed their was a wonderful desk. It is called an Aaron Burr desk and was made by artist Barry Tribble. When closed the desk will look like a table with a beautifully inlaid top. When open half the top folds back and the sides open to reveal a desk with drawers and a chair! The inlaid wood veneers contain many colors and textures which have been influenced by the ancient art of marquetry.



The second gallery was the Haen Gallery where the owner chatted with us and told us all about the artist who's paintings had me spell bound. His name is Lynn Boggess. He is a plein air landscape painter who lives in West Virginia. His paintings are amazing. He has a special portable studio that he hauls with him into the wilds so he can paint in any weather. It is shown on his web site (click the link on his name) and it is amazing. The spontaneity shows in all his work, even the biggest canvases which he does right on the spot, no studio work for this guy. He is brilliant.

It was a fabulous trip filled with art and covering 3 states. You can do that in the South in a matter of hours. Asheville is only about 4 hours away from us. I am sure we will be going back again.

The Customer Service Rant for the month:
You know from reading my blog that I am adamant about customer service in galleries and this trip we had mostly great experiences with people talking to us about the art and artists. There was only one really startling bad moment. We were in in an Asheville gallery and I was studying a huge painting ($10,000 price tag) that had all sorts of hidden detail. The sales gal came from behind me and said, "Excuse me would you move please we (an artist and herself) need to see these frame choices." She then plops a small painting with different frame corners on the couch in front of this big painting and proceeds to discuss the frame choices with this guy, ignoring me completely. Amazing!