I''m MELTING, MELTING! But painting anyway...

Well, it is time to be selling Halloween and Fall items while painting Christmas items (and I am doing some for Kwanzaa and Hannukah as well).  But it is hot enough to roast a turkey just by leaving it in a closed car.  Maybe even  just wrapped in foil in the driveway!  Difficult to get all holiday cheery when you are melting from the heat.

But starving artists must persevere...

I am super stoked about having one of my paintings in the 54th Annual River Road Show--a national juried exhibition put on by the Art Guild of Louisiana.  The reception is a four hour drive from here.  That means renting a car since my a/c is balky.  I have no wish to arrive at the State Archives Gallery having a heatstroke.  The road trip through the state will be nice, though, giving me a chance to snap a lot of scenic photos to paint from later.

And I just finished doing some lettering in an entry foyer.  The word Lasata is a Native American word meaning "place of peace".  The clients are moving into their new home and making it into  a unique and lovely residence, and I was so happy to be a part of it!

Hope everyone is staying out of the heat and looking forward to cooler times.  Hey, post pictures or comments--tell me what YOU are painting!  Or drop me an email -- betsylevels@gmail.com --if you have something you want painted.  I paint canvases of course, but will paint on anything that doesn't run away!

Holiday frenzy sets in

 Here we go!  Back-to-school sales abound, it is 104 degrees in the shade, and our thoughts turn to...snowmen????

I love holidays.  I love to paint decor for every holiday that comes along.  But in this heat, it is hard to get excited about Christmas.  Plus, this time of year, art and craft shows are ramping up.  I, of course, am up to my eyeballs in painted pumpkins, witches, and ghosts, even though it is only August.  There is not going to be a lot of "spare time" to paint for the next few months. 

And I am kicking myself for not having kept that New Year's resolution to paint a box of Christmas ornaments a week.  I just can't get into the groove for snowy items when we are under heat advisories daily (this is, after all, Louisiana). 

It looks like I will have to just knuckle down, set the thermostat lower, and dig in to that pile of ornaments though, in between rounds of loading and unloading a river of orange, purple, and black every weekend! 

Here is a shot of my space at the Mall St. Vincent market--a new opportunity the mall is starting for artists and artisans and other vendors.  

I had a lot of items, but it was a two-day event so I figured it was worth a little extra setup time.

I am quite pleased with the wood display risers I got for free.  They give me some visual interest and allow me room to arrange items better.  Heavy to transport but they stabilize the two tables as well.  

See y'all at the vendor fairs!