Carrots - and Crozet

Carrots

Oil on canvas, 10x10, $100

Please click here to contact me if you're interested in this painting

The show this weekend in Crozet, VA, was interesting, took place in a lovely spot, and was a pretty good show for me in terms of sales, too. So that's a grand combination! 

The town is just west of Charlottesville, in the foothills of the Shenandoahs. When I arrived, I found that getting there from Wachapreague, about four hours away, does not involve "going over the mountain," a question that a number of people asked. 

This mountain figures prominently in Crozet. The town was named for Claudius Crozet, a French engineer who, among other achievements (helping found the Virginia Military Institute, for example), designed the tunnel through the mountain. When the first diggers reached each other, digging from either side, they were only 6 inches off alignment, after 4,273 feet of digging. At the time, the Crozet-engineered Blue Ridge Tunnel was the longest in the US, and one of the longest in the world. 

The show had a lot of beautiful art and craft items, and made me think of a small Paradise City, in terms of quality and diversity. We set up under a huge tent, and in small pole barns. Music and food vendors were in their own area, a little bit away from the art. I was one of 20 or more artists camping at the site. I stayed in my van, like about half of the campers. The others had RVs, pop-ups and tents, and the encampment made for a fun sense of community. 

The show attracted lots of folks, and especially lots of families. Moms like art! The fair-goers were fun and engaging, and many of them liked my paintings. Two cowscapes sold! And that's great - and unexpected. Both went home with really nice people, who will love them, I know. 

Above, my booth, in the big tent. Below, Dave and Susan, who bought "We Three Kings."

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THIS COMING WEEKEND, you can see "Carrots" and other new paintings at the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival in Norfolk, VA, Saturday (my birthday) and Sunday, 10-5 and noon-5, respectively. I don't know my booth number or location yet, but it's a small show - you'll be able to find me! 

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Dog of the Day 

I am always happy to go to the shows, and always happy to come home and see Peter and the dogs. Here are Jojo, left, and Abby, romping in the yard a few weeks ago. 

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A Final Thought

"I make myself rich by making my wants few." 

- Henry David Thoreau