3 Ribbons

We have a tradition in our family when it comes to the fair. If I've entered a painting or something in the creative arts competition we head straight for those buildings after arriving at the fair. Kent and Annie, if she's with us, will go ahead of me to see whether I've won a ribbon or not. I'm always a bit hesitant to just rush in and look, so he does it for me....lol. Well, I can tell by the look on his face when he rounds the corner whether I've won a ribbon. So he comes up to me and says. "Oh, you'll like this one!" and I have to guess whether it's a blue, red or other color. Yesterday it happened to be red. Last year I hadn't won anything in fine arts so this was a nice surprise. I have a hard time sharing sometimes, because I don't want to appear boastful. There are so many talented artists out there, and winning a ribbon is most often subject to the judge's taste. This year, my piece happened to appeal to the judge. The blue ribbon piece was an incredibly detailed colored pencil drawing of desert mesas and the red sands of southern Utah.

So far I've not been able to get a blue ribbon at the fine arts competition so as we meandered over to the creative arts building Kent asked me what I thought I would have to do to get one or even better, a best of show. Well, as we entered the building he ran ahead again, and came back with a huge grin on his face. He says, "You're not going to believe this one!" Much to my surprise and delight I had both a blue and a best of show on my Jingle Bells Santa. Whoohoo! Why do I do this? Compete for ribbons? It's fun for one, and of course it's nice to get recognized for the progress I've made in my art. It also keeps me on my toes, and I look at it as a way of getting exposure. My husband asks me months in advance what I'm doing for the fair each year, so it's a family thing as well. How lucky I am to have such a loving and supportive husband.

To show you what a trooper he is, Kent stayed with me for 6 hours while I demonstrated my sculpting techniques to passing fair goers.

He made sure I was fed, had plenty of cool water to drink, and sat there and chatted with me when there was a lull in the crowds. I loved the look on the children's faces as they watched, and what was fascinating was that the 10 year old boys seemed to be the most interested. I had a lot of inquiries about classes so I will be looking into teaching some. Logistics will be interesting as I will have to travel to teach, but I know it will be fun as I've done it before and it's so rewarding to see the look of joy on a new sculptor's face when they finish a piece. I'm also going to be working with someone online to teach online classes so I will keep you posted.
If you are looking for a way to get good exposure, and meet new people, buyers and collectors, or perhaps students, look into your state or county fair.

Utah State Fair Here I Come!! WIP Done

It's always a great feeling when you can pull a piece out of trouble and then finish it. I changed the lettering on this painting with my husband's help as a consultant. We discussed several font options using photoshop to do mock ups. What a great way to use Photoshop! Then I had to try my hand at painting the lettering we chose. After some prayer and several deep breaths..lol, I tackled the lettering where I surprised even myself! So I will sign and seal this painting, then it is ready to go.

My dilemma now is to decide which sculpted piece I will enter in the creative arts competition of the fair. My husband's first choice is this Santa

I wonder though if this one might be better?

What do you think? I will probably go with the Santa, but I would love some feedback on this! Thanks in advance! Don't forget to get signed up for our AHA Studios Marketplace giveaway and then visit the other give away blogs for more chances to win! Scroll down to the opening announcement for more details. Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Getting Excited about the Fair!

This is actually a tease as this is NOT the painting I'm entering in the fair this year. I have a special fruit painting in mind, and hopefully will be able to finish it tomorrow, or at least get most of it done. This is part of my inspiration though as I painted this years ago and it now resides in one of my collectors homes. I searched in my photobucket account for this photo because I like the lettering and want to use a similar style for my new painting but alas, I couldn't find it. Luckily for me, even though I've made many changes to my website over the years, the photos I've shared are archived there, so whaalaa! I found the photo and now I can continue with my newest creation. I love that I can consult with my husband on my art ventures and he will come up with really great ideas, so stay tuned, I will share with you soon the idea he had, and hopefully it will all pull together.
Just a reminder to scroll down to our AHA Studios Marketplace opening announcement and get your name in the hat for the giveaways I have, then follow the trail to our other give away participants. You can win more than one prize if you are lucky!

Utah State Fair Here I Come!!

My hubby and I were just talking about this September's schedule. Yes I know, we are way ahead of the game, but my hubby likes to plan ahead. He asked me about Peach Days in Brigham city, which I had said would be fun to go to. I love peaches don't you?? Well, wouldn't you know it, Cathy from the Utah State Fair called me to confirm my being a working artist in the Creative Arts building the first Saturday of the Fair, September 11th. I will be there from 2-8 pm sculpting on gourds, with several to share hopefully. I'm so excited! What great exposure for me, and a good opportunity to show others what can be done with gourds. I've been told by gallery owners to not share how I do what I do, but hey, someone will come along and see my creations and try to copy them anyway. This happens a lot in Utah, but their style will be different and I have the advantage of more experience. I hope what I do will inspire someone to try something new. Sooooo, unless we get up really early to run to Brigham City, we will have to pass on Peach Days this year. Perhaps next year. Utah has so many fun things to do, such as the Greek Festival, which will be the same weekend we will be at the fair. The food is to die for, and the dancers are fabulous. So Utah State Fair, here I come! I hope to see some of you there!

He's a Winner!

He's a winner! We spotted him with a blue ribbon at the Utah State Fair and would have taken a photo but there were so many other entries there we couldn't separate him out. I'm excited though!

It's Utah State Fair Time!

Autumn Time Santa is my entry for Decorative arts this year.


And just barely making it into the trunk is my painting for Fine Arts.

I forgot to take a photo before I put it into the trunk, but a raw version can be seen on my other blog as a side photo. I did some touching up and so it's hopefully acceptable. My dear husband has been so patient with all this. I never seem to be able to get ahead so I'm rush, rush, rushing to get stuff finished and the house is all upside down still from the flood. We can't put it all back together anyway as the carpet needs to be cleaned again, the odor didn't come out. So I'm glad these are done as when we get back from Oregon this weekend I will need to get the house right side up again. Life is good! :-)