Goodbye Summer

More or less, anyway.   It's been a somewhat slackery season for art.  Commissions here and there, small batches to replenish the galleries, the usual face painting gigs, but no big exhibits or receptions for me to buckle down for.
With the advent of autumn, however, the calendar begins to fill up.  Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition's annual fundraising gala, 12x12, is coming up September 25.  More details here http://www.ovac-ok.org/Events/events_12x12.cfm

This year, in addition to the invitational artworks, there will be 12 photographs depicting the historic Fred Jones Manufacturing building , offered individually or as a complete set.  There was a stunning variety of imagery submitted by area photographers, which was (somehow) pared down the final dozen.  I'm honored and delighted to have had one of my photos selected:

In fact, I need to rush off this afternoon to sign the final print.

Another annual fundraiser is also coming up - IAO's Red Dot.  I've been invited to paint a piece for this show, which will be in November, though I haven't the exact date.  Should I manage to create something satisfactory, I'll post it here and give details of the show.  Well, I'll give the details when I get them, whether or not I've managed to harness the Muse.

The Peace Festival will be on a Sunday this year, due to scheduling issues with the Civic Center, but I expect to be there nonetheless.   Last year was my first absence in over a decade, as I couldn't resist the offer of sitting for the portrait workshop at Quartz Mountain, which coincided with Peace Fest's date.   Make a note of Sunday, November 14, when I'll be joining with a very festive assortment of individuals and groups offering info, networking, food, and a wide array of gift shopping opportunities.   I'll have my glass work, along with text and hammered wire jewelry, and who knows what else.  

In non-art news, Tony and I have discovered the addictive joys of kayaking, and make a point to hit the water several times a week.  With the two public boathouses in the city, our very reasonable monthly fee allows unlimited paddling both at the Oklahoma River downtown (although one has to share the water with Olympically-training rowers and paddlers, which can be nerve wracking at times), and the Route 66 Boathouse at Lake Overholser, offering more peaceful adventures and wildlife sighting up the North Canadian River and into Stinchcomb Wildlife area.   A generous friend has offered us the loan of his kayak, which was otherwise gathering dust in storage.  Having that little craft to cram in my car allows me more freedom to be impulsive, without worrying about boathouse operating hours. 

We were well on our way to pricing assorted kayaks, and making a plan to purchase our own, but you know how life works.   Yesterday I received a hysterical phone call from Sara, on her way to work, telling me she'd wrecked her car.  The Saab we'd helped her buy only last month.  Ouch.  Other than being a little sore, she seems to be okay, though naturally frightened about how much worse it could have been, and very down about losing her wheels.  So, there goes the kayak fund, and much, much more, no doubt.  Ah well.....