Boy - And Good Times at Paradise City

Boy

Oil on canvas, 12x12

Part of 101 Dogs project! 

I was part of a wonderful surprise at the Paradise City Arts Festival a couple weekends ago. 

Last year, in Omaha, I met a lovely woman named Fran, and we hit it off right away. We were similar in many respects, and had a number of shared experiences that shaped our lives and personalities. 

Fran bought a painting, introduced me to some of her family, and we kept in loose touch. A couple months ago, she called and asked me to make a painting of Boy, a beloved little poodle owned by Fran's sister Rose and her partner Terri. 

Rose and Terri live in Northampton, and Fran and I landed on the same idea at the same time: I'd make the painting, hang it on the wall of my booth, and surprise Terri with it. (Rose had to be in on the surprise, for photos and to make sure the women arrived at the show, etc.). 

At the time, I said that it would be extra great if Fran could come out from Omaha to be part of the surprise. She'd love to, she said, but she had a wedding to attend on the Sunday of the show, so it wouldn't be possible. 

I made the painting, and happily, it dried in time. I hung it in my booth and waited. 

A couple hours after the show opened, I looked up - and there was Fran! For a moment, it didn't compute. Then I think I shrieked, and ran up and hugged her, astonished and delighted. A moment later, Terri caught sight of the painting and stammered, "That looks like... that really looks like... That's Boy!" 

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THIS WEEKEND, I'll be at the Omaha Summer Arts Festival, in beautiful Omaha, Neb. I'm in Booth 134, just about where I was last year, and I have lots of exciting, new paintings that I hope will go to new homes this weekend! It's going to be very hot, so if you come to the show, please be prepared. 

The show is Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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THERE ARE LOTS of things that make shows successful. In addition to the wonderful surprise I wrote about, Paradise City was filled with other delightful meetings and connections. 

Amy Davidoff and Penny Winn came to the show, and we had dinner together afterward. Ames and Penny were friends from college, and we hadn't seen each other since. It was such a treat to get together with these amazing, smart, talented women, and continue a friendship that had begun 40 years ago. Forty years!  That's Amy below and Penny to the right. 

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Happy Buyers! 

I had lots of Happy Buyers at Paradise City! 

AND I HAD Happy Bidders, too! This family put in the winning bid on a painting I'd donated to the Kestrel Land Trust, which has been conserving land, waterways and farms in the Pioneer Valley for decades.  Below, more friends visiting in the booth! 

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Dog of the Day

FAITHFUL READERS of this blog know that the Dog of the Day isn't always a dog. But it's NEVER been a giraffe until now! I saw this amazing sculpture at Paradise City... here it's being loaded up for its trip home. Wish I could have seen the looks on other drivers' faces! 

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A Final Thought 

"It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done." 

- Vincent Van Gogh