Collaboration

By now you may be wondering how the show went. Well--excellent, thank you very much. Furthermore our expectations were exceeded by ten fold. After barely surviving the summer intact, we came back with a ROAR!

And by we, I mean everyone involved, because, believe you me, I couldn't begin to do it by myself. It's all very much a team effort beginning with Bruce, without whom the display would not happen. Here's how things went on Friday afternoon. A late email kept Bruce at work longer than he would have liked, thus the set up began later than we both would have liked. Arriving home around 5, he stripped off his classy business clothes and went to work loading the Element to the rafters!

Driving over to Winter Park is pretty much a breeze, however we could not park our vehicles all that close. The beginning of the load out:

Many people were completely set up and secured by the time we arrived which probably made things a tad easier. Here's our space after unloading.

Sadly, it never did cool off one bit. I was getting a tad testy for a moment because I was so darn hot. I am completely over this heat, and even more so after the weekend, but more about that shortly. By the time the tent was all zipped up, we were both hot, hungry and tired. Looking at my watch I couldn't believe it was almost 9:00! After stopping for a quick bite to eat, we headed home, collapsing in bed almost as soon as we got in the door.  The above shot does show you how lovely the grass, and the whole park is, for that matter. Seriously, the nicest setting yet.

Leaving the house a little after 7:00 Saturday morning, I drove there not knowing what to expect from the day, although by now my nerves were completely under control. Raising the sides, setting up the table and displaying the price tags, I was ready for business before the 9:00 starting time. Soon thereafter Lisa arrived to be my bookkeeper. There's another part of the equation because without her I would have been sunk! She is an organizational queen and my ledger shows it! People started arriving soon with my first sale coming around 9:30. A small print, only $9.00, but they kept adding up as the day progressed. Here's how things looked:

All day long this the crowds looked like this:

And did I mention it was roasting? Well, it was! Awful heat, especially in our tent. By days end, 76 items left our booth.

Although I had a piece pulled for judging, I did not win any prize, which really doesn't surprise me. It was only today at the museum that I realized I did get an honorable mention ribbon. Bruce arrived Saturday evening after working much of the day with the sprinkler guys in the back yard to escort me to the party held at the Winter Park Historical Building:

The fellow in front of Bruce is a sculptor who won one of the prizes. They were a real nice couple from Miami; we had some fun chatting about the game scheduled for 8:00 between the Hurricanes and the Seminoles. By the time we arrived home I was what they call in the South--dog-tired.

Wondering how I would manage to stay up until the game was over, I settled in one of the thrones while Bruce fell asleep on the couch. Hurray for our team! Playing so well as to make me think it would be a miracle for the Hurricanes to come back, I felt confident enough to hit the sack. They didn't disappoint. I can still remember how big the rivalry was when Matthew went to FSU 17 years ago. The students would camp out for the weekend hoping to get tickets to the game.

Sunday morning was more of the same except for stopping by Roger's home on my way to the show. Another very large piece of the puzzle! Without Roger I would have nothing to display. Stepping onto his porch I expected to find five paper prints to replenish my supply of "Street Art"; I found two new canvases to replace the ones I sold on Saturday. Speaking with him on Saturday evening after the party I told him I was too tired to make a decision. He made it for me, and am I glad he did. Once at my booth I re-arranged the walls a bit making room for the replacements. Lisa arrived shortly after 9:00 to resume her duties. In this photograph she is sitting at the ready for any buyers:

Lo and behold, they came and came and came. Smarties, business cards, and prints were flying out of there. Adding a little whimsy to the day, this young man arrived:

How funny is this? My first attempt at a trip-tych, which sadly, did not sell. It may be just too dramatic. I say sadly because it is very hard to hang, but as you can see Mr. Bruce was up to the task.

Bruce arrived, Lisa left, and the packing up began in earnest. The heat never abated, sapping what little strength remained in this old body. Although I helped with the tear down, by the time I arrived home I was spent. You've already deduced that darling Bruce did all the unloading haven't you? Tijuana Flats for dinner and bed soon thereafter.  Oh yeah, I neglected to mention that Sunday's sales totaled 61. All in all, we sold 16 canvases, which is astonishing.

I want to thank my faithful readers for their encouragment--I know you are out there somewhere. As well, I am extending my gratitude to: Carlos, Amanda, Matthew, Katie, Amy, Maria, Jomarys, Albert, Cynthia, Susan, Thomas, Michele, William, Karen, Cody, Douglas, Jacki, Lindsay, Jeffrey, James, Kristina, Brooke, Melvin, Tesenia, Dana, Mario, Katayoun, Heidi, Ryan, Jay, Frederik, Damon, Jodie, Chris, Evelyn, Karen, Megan, Alissa, Charles, and Leslie. Those are just my credit card buyers! Plus my dear brother Pat and his wonderful wife Ruth came to not only visit, but Ruth always insists on buying gifts. She's too good to me.

So, if you've ever wondered what it's like to do a major art festival, now you know the nitty gritty, much of it not nearly as romantic as it looks from the sidewalk. :)

Tomorrow I'll tell you a little detective story with a happy ending.