Traffic jam

Oh the joys and headaches of getting ready for shows!

There are days I feel like these turtles, both coming and going!

Don't get me wrong, I love what I do.

I also love meeting all of you!

I already know about all the shows for fall and even some of the spots I'll be at those shows.

National Shrimp Festival~Double booth on end just like the past couple of years.(Look for the flags!)

Mattie Kelly~End booth, typically toward food trucks

Peter Anderson~Near Government street Market on Government street. (Near Dr Buntyns old office)

Three Rivers Covington Booth 433 Near Black Flower in between Gibson and Lockwood

So nice to know ahead of time to let collectors find me again!

I'm very excited for all the fall shows.

I am preparing hard for excellent presentations at all of them.

I endeavor for each show to have new works not seen at other shows.

This is why I paint so many paintings during the summer.

That, and I was created by my Creator to create!

Oh the joys of creating.

I get excited knowing there are collectors looking for more pieces, and new collectors finding exactly what they want and need to beautify their space.

I'm also happy with the new works and the way they are progressing.

The booths will be filled with beautiful art, lovingly created with the Holy Spirits help.

Each new series I have started have been the result of prayer and listening.

I was a very colorful painter, but after hearing numerous people say; 

"I don't know if that color would go on my wall"

I literally was in the back of my booth beating my head against the tent.

I begged ,"God tell me what to do, am I painting the wrong thing?"

I distinctly heard, "You're not wrong, just go neutral."

Neutral

I took pride in my colorful pieces.

I tried the neutral "sepias" on new shadowbox framed canvases.

They were very well received and I sold all of them.

I then pushed to have an entire booth wall full of them and they were also well received.

I was still painting color though, albeit a bit toned down.

Within a couple of years it was time to step up again.

"Okay God, What's next?"

The neutral pieces were selling well, but I knew it was time for a new challenge.

I had a really good National Shrimp Festival and went to Michaels to purchase 4x4 canvas.

To my surprise, the Shadowbox canvas I had been watching all year were on clearance!

I bought all 22 they had in stock.

I painted them, took them to Peter Anderson.

I sold half of them in a weekend.

I was on to the new thing, but now Michaels was not carrying them any more.

"Okay God, help us figure this out"

A few months later, I was at a show and my husband quietly said, "I think I figured out how to build them." I said "Good! I figured out how to stretch them."

We have been team building them for years now.

Chris has redesigned the canvases, giving me a wonderful challenge to paint with the offsets he builds.

So, shadowboxes, then offset shadowboxes.

After that, people kept asking for bigger works.

"How God can I do this without carrying a large canvas?"

The bigger pieces had to be easy to carry.

I figured out multiple canvas was the answer.

It enables us to carry a 3ft x 5ft piece in a single bag.

It's made of one 12x36, 2 12x24s, and 2 12x12s.

I sold the first two I painted at the first show I took them to in Florida.

The multi canvas pieces were begun before the photographers started doing it.

I now do even larger ones that require 2 custom built canvases to make it, it measures 40"x80"

It is a 16x40, 2 16x30s, 2 16x20s.

We've had a few years of multi canvas works and I'm still painting them.

"Okay God, What next?"

I went to Hobby Lobby to get canvas and here were these beautiful round 

wood pieces for making signs.

I instantly saw paintings on them.

They were on sale, so I bought a few.

They ended up being a great seller, but this year Hobby Lobby discontinued them much to my sadness.

Fortunately, I had a few left and have been able to locate some different style rounds in wood.

Enter this year.....

"Okay God, what next?"

I had a vision of the rounds with dimensional pieces added to them.

I took two to a spring show and sold one.

The other one didn't sell, but we kept asking people what they thought about them.

They loved them and so here we are.

I can't wait to see what God sends next!

Can you?

Traffic jam, Acrylic on wood, Dimensional 24 inch

Day 43 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025