Lake Champlain in Paints and Words             4/22/10 at Phoenix Books in Essex, VT  6:30 - 8 pm

We're at it again! It's time for our second annual Artists Get Wet event! Lake art, literature and natural history will be served up with light refreshments at Phoenix Books and Cafe in Essex, VT on Thursday, April 22nd from 6:30 to 8 pm. The event is so-sponsored by the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) www.lakechamplaincommittee.org , Essex Art League (EAL)  www.essexartleague.com , and Phoenix Books and Cafe (www.phoenixbooks.biz) in celebration of Earth Day. Over 20 area artists, including myself,  will exhibit their diverse visions of Lake Champlain. LCC author and staff scientist Mike Winslow will be reading from "Lake Champlain: A Natural History" and providing tips for citizen actions to protect water quality. Local poet Daniel Lusk will read from his wonderful, vivid "Lake" series to set the mood. He will also play the dvd of his audio/visual lake program developed during his researches as part of his reading.

All artwork will be for sale. I will be exhibiting a new watercolor of Malletts Bay, titled appropriately "A Beautiful Day on the Bay", which is making its debut. The Lake Champlain art exhibit will continue on at the Phoenix until June 4th. The featured artists are all members of the EAL, whose goal is to support the appreciation and creation of regional artwork. Members meet monthly to share ideas and information, create and implement programs, and participate in show venues.

Phoenix Books and Cafe was established in 2007 on the principles of social responsibility, community, and sustainability. Phoenix Books is a locally-owned, independent bookstore and cafe, and a proud member of Local First Vermont and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. Phoenix Books (802-872-7111) is located in the Essex Outlet Center in Essex, VT at the intersection of Rte. 15 and 289.

Lake Champlain Committee is a non-profit environmental organization that has been working for a healthy, accessible lake since its founding in 1963. Their book "Lake Champlain: A Natural History" is part of LCC's ongoing efforts to educate people about the lake and involve them in it's care.

The Artists Get Wet event is free and open to the public. Attendees are invited to join in for a few minutes or the entire evening. We hope to see you there to help celebrate Earth Day!

It's a busy week as I prepare for three events simultaneously!

This Sunday, December 6th, is my online sale with all purchases 20% OFF! For those of you in Vermont, I also have my Holiday Open House from 1 - 6 pm. Email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for directions. This year I have many originals available for sale as well, so it's a great chance to save BIG!

Saturday, December 5th is the Richmond Craft Fair in Richmond, VT. The good folks at Winooski Press (where I do most of my high quality printing) will be there selling my cards and kids' items all day! Thanks to all of you who faithfully support me there at that fun event.

I'm setting up my booth this week for the Essex Art League's Mistletoe Art Fair, which starts this Friday night, December 4th, 5 - 8 pm, then Saturday and Sunday 10 am - 4 pm  at the Essex Shoppes and Cinema plaza at the intersection of 289 and 15 in Essex Jct, VT. The show runs for 3 consecutive weekends, including Friday nights. Everyone has been working hard behind the scenes and it promises to be a wonderful event, chock full of local artists' works. Look for us there near the Hannafords in a corner storefront next to the oriental restaurant. I'll be working a shift there Sunday December 20th 1 - 4 pm. Check www.essexartleague.com for directions and info.

Lots of wonderful ways to support the arts locally!
 

We had a wonderful turnout for Applefest this last weekend. The wind kept things interesting both mornings, and our neighboring vendors' canopy flew across the road in one huge gust, as they had not staked it down yet. Alice Dunn and I helped them retrieve it, and fortunately it had not been damaged. Alice's beautiful tent that housed our wares was ready for the wind, with plenty of ropes anchoring it. It helps to be prepared for ANY weather up there in South Hero! We were all glad to see the sun come out around 1 pm Saturday, and on Sunday we had the sun all day, much to the delight of all. We had a steady stream of folks coming through and sales were good, with Alice's hand-painted ornaments becoming a hit. My color-your-own bookmarks were flying out the door, and I was pleased to see that the new natural community bookmarks with the 20-color-pens (at $3.75) were popular with older kids and adults alike! Color prints of my illustrations from the book Lake Champlain: A Natural History (published by the Lake Champlain Committee) were also selling well at $10 a piece. I'll probably be bringing those to A Flower a Day in Colchester to sell, as well as at my Holiday Open House and the EAL's new Mistletoe Art Fair the first 3 weekends of December (at the Essex Shoppes in a corner storefront near Hannafords.) I'll be writing more about that event soon in my blog.

As far as food vendors at Applefest, our favorite by far was the food from the Euro Restaurant - we had stuffed peppers, eggplant lasagna and stuffed grape leaves - yum! Wonderfully large portions too. Visit them in Essex in the Red Mall on Susie Wilson Road, 878-9299. The Kettlecorn was sustaining too, as well as the baked potatoes. Plenty to eat at Applefest as usual!

One of my favorite things is to watch all the breeds of dogs parade by. It is amazing how many dogs come along, and so well-behaved! Join Alice Dunn and me there at Applefest next October with your dogs and kids...we'll be  next to the bees and honey of the Tittemores from St. Albans. Our tent is always a welcome shelter from wind, rain or sun!

   Join me this weekend, October 10th and 11th, at Applefest in South Hero, Vermont. I will be set up about halfway between the two orchards on the straight-away. We're usually right next to the bees and the honey! I share a beautiful white tent with Alice Dunn, a great local artist from Grand Isle. If the weather is chilly, our tent has sides on it and stays quite warm, with plenty of room.

   I've been keeping very busy preparing for this event, packaging up everything under the sun it seems. Plenty of kids' color-your-own items because kids abound at Applefest! I've got lots of hand-painted prints, matted or framed, and cards of all sorts. Come check it out and say hello! I'm looking forward to sampling some good food at the nearby vendors of course. The hours are 10 am to 4 or 5 pm. Always a good time!