Dog Park Debacle in Kansas
Got back to Chicago from the show in KS late last night, will try to share some more photos tomorrow...including the billboard with my poster design on it!
Ogi...one of the many adorable dogs I met at the show (he must be a distant cousin of Alice)...and Deacon, my lovely canine host:
...and Laura Nugent, my good friend and human host-ess making a sale in her booth with her fabulous paintings! 
More Eye Candy for Window Shoppers
All my finishing touches at the shop are taking longer than I had anticipated, throw this weekend's art fair in Kansas City into the mix and another in Chicago the following weekend and I wonder if I'll ever get ahead. Trying to be grateful for getting the little things done, I finally put hooks up over the window shades so I can hang artwork in front of them when the shop is closed - much better exposure for drive by traffic. Also found a sandwich board for the sidewalk (in an alley - but it's in good shape!) and have yet to finish my sign. Okay, back to packing...and re-arranging things so it doesn't look like I had a fire sale...do you think I'll get my Newsletter out before I leave town? Not likely at this point, but I'm going to let myself off the hook, it was more important to spend time with family the last 2 days.
Pet Portrait Sketch
Just received final approval on Tuesday's Pet Portrait Sketch - this will be the first one I get to paint here in my new space! It's a fun composition, Tuesday loves to play with garden gloves, sits on step #5 of her stairwell to watch out the window, gets very excited when she spots a UPS or US Mail truck and crouches down with excitement when her human/Mom comes home. Tuesday was found and rescued by a police officer and then adopted by my client, Sue, 7 years ago...she is a very sweet, attentive canine!
If you are interested in a Pet Portrait for your companion, you can now get one for half the price - I now offer ready to hang Pet Portrait Prints, contact me for more information!
Gift Certificates and the rest of my day....
I just designed gift certificates for the shop...available in amounts $20 and up, can be used for prints, paintings, gifts (magnets, cards, notepads and more) or towards a Pet Portrait or other Commission Painting....just contact me if you would like to order one!
How did I spend my day? Fed & walked the dogs, stopped in at Earth Pups to drop off some Pet Portrait Postcards, came to the shop, paid some bills, followed up with an art consultant, printed mailing labels for my Kansas & Missouri customers...designed a quick postcard for my art fair in Prairie Village, KS May 29-31, not too much work since I already designed the poster...still need to buy some heavy white paper, won't get my full summer show schedule mailing done until June. Still have to pick the Grand Opening date for the shop! Looking at July 16-17-18 or July 23-24-25...starting on a Thursday night and going through the weekend. I'm thinking if I start it on a Thursday night more people can make the party than on a Saturday in the summer. What do you think? Can you come? I hope so! Also met with a sign painter/finisher/hanger...regarding varnishing and hanging my sign - not an easy or cheap task. Meeting with another gentleman on friday. So many details! Also contacted some animal welfare folks including Chicagoland Tails about partnering to do adoption events in my shop. In the midst of this I visited with some of my daily dog walkers and met some new folks and their canines...
This is Amanda & Dusty Rose, she is a very sweet Lhasa Apso, did I spell that right?
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Now heading home to my pups...hoping the big concentrated attention they get when I am there makes up for the time I'm away from them. It's quite a new concept to go home and relax, I like it...Hope you had as beautiful a day wherever you are as we had in Chicago today!
Bisque Fix
Some of my recent clay creations at Lill Street, the face container broke into several pieces during firing...I forgot to leave a hole for the air to escape (I tend not to listen very well during technical teaching moments). My wonderful teacher Corinne saved the day by lending me her Bisque Fix, amazing stuff...you can actually 'glue' it back together and refire with glaze. I kept calling it Bisquick by mistake and that made me hungry, my Mom used to make great strawberry shortcake with it when I was a kid - I think I have to go buy some!
This is my longest truck to date...I'm getting much better at constructing them.
My shelf at Lill Street - lots of glazing to be done and only 2 weeks of class left and a trip to Kansas City in between. May have to wait until next fall.
Lakeview East Poster Submission
Leave it to me to wait until the last minute...the Lakeview East Art Fair is having a poster contest this year and the deadline is today. The only parameters were that the final poster/banners would be 12x24 and their info/text had to work with the image. I didn't have time to come up with something new so I mocked up these two recent paintings with text. Do you have a preference?
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