Gateway to the Delta

This arts and crafts festival is in Charleston, MS.  I traveled there just to visit on Oct. 15, 2016.  The weather was clear and the roads were good.  I wanted to do something different rather than the same festivals I have been attending in my area.  So I drove the 100-plus miles in perfect weather.  The old town is small, but there was a good sized crowd even early in the day.  There were over 20 booths of crafts, photos, some paintings.  Also the event had singing scheduled, but I did not stay for it.  The area has some famous people born there, with large murals of them on buildings.  It was an enjoyable event and I did buy a few things.  This was a contrast compared to the event I entered with my paintings at Noxapater, MS a few weeks ago, which was for sales but did not sell.  Sometimes it is best just to visit and check locations out before trying to enter. 

Free Exhibit Event: Bartlett, TN

Spent a few days in this east Memphis suburb with some of my paintings.  The show was in St. Elisabeth Episcopal Church.  I drove up on Thursday early in June and the show was on Friday.  It was raining, but I did sell one small painting, Egyptian Princess.  I was surprised at how well I handled the traffic and the interstate highways and all.  The crowd was small, but the people were all pleasant.  Perhaps next year they will have the event on a Saturday.  Best of luck to them. 

Pinelandia Art Gallery

This past Saturday I placed four paintings in this gallery in Philadelphia, MS.  It is on Main Street.  This new gallery is in a spacious building with excellent lighting.  It is about a 90-minute drive from my house, and thankfully the weather was good.  I spent all day in town there, after submitting the paintings, driving around and sitting in the library, etc.  The party Saturday night had a good crowd.  I had to leave before it was in full blast with the musicians and food, but I got some of it.  I will return mid-May to get my paintings after this show.  Maybe something good will come of it. 

Beehive Marketplace

On Friday I attended the Beehive Marketplace in Kosciusko, MS.  The good part of the day included a wonderful old Presbyterian church where we displayed our wares.  I carried about 28 paintings and sold two.  It is amazing, really, that when you carry paintings out to sell, you think you know which ones will sell.  Then some of the others, that you just added to the stack, are the ones that sell.  You never can foretell.  In fact, the ones that sold were not my newest ones, but ones that had been admired by customers for years but never sold until now.  So I was happy.  The less-good part of the day was the torrential rain driving home in the dark for ninety minutes.  I was worried and exhausted but I got home safely.  No more out of town shows this year.  On the other hand, I will be in my Miss. Artists Guild show in December at Spectacles. 

Carroll County Festivals

Today I visited two festivals, one in Carrollton, MS and one in North Carrollton.  There were about twenty-five festival booths of arts and crafts and food.  The day trip is about two hours' drive north of my house.  It was a heritage festival, with several historic buildings from the early 1800's.  I took several photos of the town.  Lunch was street food.  Enjoyable change from my usual autumn trips. 

Big Black River Arts Festival

Mid-September I entered this event in West, MS.  Getting up and driving out at 4 a.m. is all right when the weather is clear and dry.  I had about twenty paintings in boxes.  Luckily my space was under a shed, so there was some covering.  I was happy to sell four paintings: one each of oil, acrylic, ink, watercolor.  The largest was a 16"x20" clayboard acrylic of horses in a pasture.  Smaller ones were of cows, an autumn tree, and an ink fancy letter.  Now I have been invited to an event in Kosciusko in November, which I may enter.  It was a happy day in September for me. 

Old School Art Festival

Last weekend I traveled to enter this festival in Carthage, MS.  It was held in the closed school that was built in 1938 and closed in early '80's.  This town is a busy one, with many successful businesses, and some fine houses off the main highway.  I do happen to know some people in the area.  So I entered about 18 paintings in the indoor show, and I was happy to sell one.  It was an acrylic unframed painting of a barn.  I did not know the customer, so much the better.  Actually the people I know in the area did not really appear.  So what.  Maybe I will return to this show someday, but probably not next year.  Now I am deciding on what events to attend for the autumn season.