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.   

Trip to Tunica

This month I took sixteen paintings to the Crooked Letter Art Gallery in Tunica, MS.  It is south of the casino area below Memphis.  The weather had cleared up, and my drive of four-plus hours was safe.  I did get lost a few times hunting for the motel, however.  The town has historic buildings on its Main Street, including the Hollywood Cafe, where I ate lunch one day.  The trip was very pleasant and a welcome change from my office temp spring.  The crops are beginning to grow up, and one can see long vistas of space along the roads.  In two months or so I will return there. 

Ridgeland Renaissance Arts Festival

Today I visited this arts festival which is held every spring in the shopping area a few miles from my house.  It is located on I-55 north of Jackson, MS.  It had dozens of booths of fine paintings and crafts.  My favorites were the ink/oil wash paintings, the metallic sculptures, and the glass wall art.  There were many booths of jewelry and some other crafts, plus many booths of paintings.  Most of the artists were from out of town, out of state.  It was interesting to see so many styles of painting, in particular. 

Travel Local

This month, since it is not yet spring, I have visited an art show in nearby Jackson.  The show I visited was Plein Air Artists, and I went to the reception.  I know some of the members.  They presented their small, usually 8"x10", oil paintings mostly, and next to them, the larger studio piece created from them.  There was a large crowd of 50-60 visitors, and it was quite lively.  The paintings were of buildings, such as barns, and old dilapidated towns, and boats and nature scenes.  Most presented were instate scenes.  I do know that some of the members travel abroad occasionally.  It was quite an excellent show.  I have done some plein air painting myself, but I wouldn't wish to do it often.  Still I admire those who do so. 

Handworks

On November 21, I visited the Handworks show at the Trade Center in Jackson, MS.  Nearly all of the booths were crafts, with the best ones being clothes items and woodwork items.  There were two or three booths with some paintings.  There was a good variety of crafts in the show.  The crowd was large and active and enthusiastic.  I do not think that paintings were totally suitable for this show.  I enjoyed the visit. 

Petal Fall Arts-Crafts Show

This event was Oct. 25, 2014.  The town of Petal is a suburb of Hattiesburg, MS.  I graduated from U. of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, so I thought I would try the Petal show with my paintings.  Well, it did not go as I thought.  The town was difficult to get to, with winding roads.  The people were all nice and complimented my art.  They did not buy.  There were about 50 booths in the show, and the main attraction was bounce-houses for kids and food booths.  I and one other person had paintings to sell, and neither of us did well.  I would not recommend this show for crafts, either, as most of the booths sold factory items.  Too bad, I had hoped for something better.