“Arts in the Park” is always fun to do. The atmosphere is more relaxed than most shows and the show visitors are all so happy and kind. The weather was great and we enjoyed time with great friends during and after the show hours.

Here’s a video Casey (my husband) and I shot so you all can get a nice tour of my booth even if you couldn’t visit the show. It was posted on my Facebook fan page on Saturday.

We headed down to Richmond, Virginia Friday afternoon in preparation for Saturday and Sunday’s show. For our shows in Richmond, we always stay with our wonderful friend (owner of Bonnie Blue Rescue), Courtney. She’s my role model for how to be a great hostess. She always has a packed basket with goodies in our room, stocks the fridge with our favorites or leaves a bottle of wine for us with a lovely card if she can’t join us one of the evenings – how nice is that?

Traffic was horrible along I-95 South so the 2 hour trip took more like 4 hours and we had to cancel our plans to check out the Picasso exhibit at the Virginia Musueum of Fine Arts. Still, we had a lovely evening!

The weather was great all weekend, though I thought Sunday was going to be up in the 80’s and only brought a dress for that day… my layering of clothing made me really look like a starving artist.

{Trying to stay warm…}

What a difference a year makes! Last year at the same show, I had a borrowed tent and a metal rack that held most my art work… My print rack prevented people from coming into the booth and though I found my orange pashmina to be perfect as a table cloth, future jury members for other art shows didn’t.

{My booth the previous year. And though I cringe when I see it, it didn’t prevent customers
from purchasing my art. Go figure.}

Now my booth is much cleaner and more organized. It’s still a budget friendly option – around 2-3,000 dollars in total. Some spend much more than that to make it look even more like a traveling art gallery. I’m investing in a real table cloth next and may bring my studio indoor/outdoor rug this weekend for the Downtown Silver Spring Fine Arts Festival. Oh, and a booth sign.

{a cleaner look for 2011}

Here are a few more photos from the weekend.

{big storm was heading our way for most of the day Sunday but was a no-show in the end. Whew!}

{Only in America! Casey is enjoying a Double Corn Dog. A corn dog is a hot dog
coated in cornmeal batter and deep fried in oil. It was delicious!} 

{this sweet and larger than life Great Dane, named Bella, loved my art}

Today, I’m running between the studio and the office making new prints and updating inventory lists. Plus, I’m going to try and make some headway on a commissioned piece before picking up my aunt at the airport after her long flight from Sweden this afternoon! 🙂

Almost time for another newsletter! If you’d like monthly updates with a pop of color in your inbox, sign up today.