We had such a great experience this year, as usual, but this year was especially noteworthy because I received an award of merit in painting! What a huge honor and surprise!

Getting ready for LeMoyne Chain of Parks art festival really is a family affair. It takes weeks of planning and preparation. My husband, Todd, builds all my wood canvases and works side by side with me during the show. Leading up to the show, Evelyn, my two year old daughter, likes to be ‘busy’  painting beside me on her easel. She also “advises” me on what to paint. She picked phlox blooms for me from our yard and even found the purple paint in my studio!  She chooses birds from her picture books. She comments on my paintings, “It’s so pretty Mommy!” or “It’s so cute!”  She will certainly be running around at the show and checking out the children’s tent!

I have a tradition at the show of seeking out an artist I’ve never met before and exchanging artwork. I have a necklace, a hand-woven shawl, a painting, a metal sculpture, and a mixed-media piece. I treasure these pieces. They are a reminder of what was happening in my life and work as an artist at the time.

My first year, the necklace was a gift from my husband. He saw me eyeing it during the show. He was so proud of my sales and all the effort I had put into it that he surprised me with it. The second year, I was newly pregnant with Evelyn. Towards the end of the first day, I wanted something cozy to wrap up in and found the most comfortable shawl made by a woman named Anne who happened to have a husband named Todd! The following year, Evelyn was four months old and came to the show part of the time so I could hold her and show her off. I was delirious from lack of sleep but still managed to pick out the cutest metal peacock! Last year I found an amazing high gloss painting that is a perfect fit for our home. This year I found a new necklace called Vintage Boho made by Quincie Hamby and I love it!