Art Exchange

The past two days have been hectic with attending art shows, craft fairs, a farmer's market and the appearance of a glass artist at the book store. Friday night Kelly and I paid for everything we bought from the artists at the art show, which is perfectly fine. They work hard at their art just like I do.

Today was a little different. I went to the Farmer's Market to see Rhonda Boulette because she has her new children's book out, Wolfgang Lost His Whistle. I brought her a small plush black bear to go with her T's Adventures on Bear Paw Ridge books and one of my Cosmo the Chipmunk pen & ink art prints. She didn't have Kip the fox kit, so I ran back out to the car to get him. In exchange, she gave me a copy of Wolfgang that she signed for me. I'm also giving her art prints of a bear cub, a raccoon, a kitten, an owl, and a fawn when I get around to printing them and matting them!

The WhipCity Wordsmiths have watched Rhonda's work on this book progress from a folder full of pages and pictures to a rough draft. We've enjoyed a reading of the book by her at one of our meetings. It was wonderful to see the book in vivid color and in print and hold it in my hands. It's satisfying to know the group provided her the encouragement and support she needed to see her project to fruition. A Wordsmith also gave her info on a bindery in Agawam that she was more than happy to work with during the publishing process.

With art and bear dropped off and book picked up, I returned to the Images Art Show to buy a photographic art print of a female figure that is a fountain on the campus of Smith College. I was blown away when the photographer just gave me the print, plus the fountains back story! I didn't expect that, but he said I'd given him a black squirrel print so it was in return for that. Art for art. I then bought another of his photograph prints for Kelly for Christmas. I thought it would be perfect for her house, maybe her den. While there, I grabbed one more of another photographer's prints I liked- similar to one Kelly has but not identical.

My last stop of the day was to Blue Umbrella Boks where I watched glass artist Hugh Naggar as he made a glass camel for a woman who collects camels. Imagine that! Hugh made a clear glass camel for me last year, the first he'd ever made. Hers came out fantastic, too! Kelly had wanted him to make her a figurine in glass, but he was so busy there wasn't time, so I visited with Joyce and Russell. I was surprised to see I have a table in the shop with my black squirrel prints on it and my holiday novellas and story collections. That was a nice surprise. I bought two small Edward Gorey books and then headed home after an hour and a quarter.

While at the church this morning visiting Rhonda I had to run out to the car to get the fox kit print. I had a black squirrel print, A Curious Fellow, in the car so brought that in and gave it to the woman handing out the list of vendors at the market, wishing her a Merry Christmas. It was just a spontaneous thing...giving a surprise gift. She wished me a Merry Christmas as I was leaving. It was a nice feeling...it certainly doesn't hurt anyone to be nice to one another in this world.

Overall...Friday night and Saturday were hectic with events to attend, people to visit, art and books to buy, but today was amazing with the exchange of art between artists, the kindness and generosity of these amazing people I know who have become a part of my life, who I enjoy spending time with. The art and literary communities are growing here.

I was also happy to receive a message on one of my facebook posts about Hugh Naggar and his glass artistry from a grandmother who brought her two granddaughters to the book shop to see him. The girls were fascinated and delighted and want to have him come back again! Some artists are magical, and he's one of them!