After the rush

It was a busy, hectic weekend for Fresh Paint, the art festival here in Everett where I was a participating artist.  Set-up on Friday was hot...which is not news in the rest of the country but when we get a day or two over 80 degrees here, everything  is fried!

So it was welcome relief when Saturday morning  dawned with typical marine weather...and I enjoyed the calmness of the marina before the start of the show...

A special aspect of this show is that the artists are to be "in action"...demonstrating some aspect of their art.  Since I deal with paper and recycling/upcycling is an important part of my creations, I decided to make mini art journals, assembling them on the spot and giving them away to anyone who stopped by my booth.

I pre-cut a huge stack of leftover paper scraps - both unprinted sheets as well as printed book pages/maps/receipts/etc.  For the journal cover I used cardstock that was leftover from my previous
greeting card line...I had a large variety of colors and the texture of the paper was fantastic...

I counted out 8 assorted sheets, stacked them inside of the card stock cover, stapled twice on the fold and then slapped a white label on the logo that had been printed on the old cardstock.  Sometimes I added an embellishment of a colored sticker or a few crayon colorings...







People seemed to like them...and were so surprised they were free!  I didn't keep track but I would guess I made over 200 journals during the weekend...and by Sunday afternoon, I was out of paper so I take that as a measure of success...

The show...well, a mild success... art is a discretionary purchase and with the economy still on the mend, its a tough market...good news is that the perfect wheel collage went to an enthusiastic art lover...

and I enjoyed talking with all who came by my booth...and catching up with artist friends from around the area...





















but I still need to unpack...and return the dining room table to its original use (dining rather than art work surface!) before I can take a needed rest...where is that studio boy when I need him...!