Tic Tac Toe

This is one of my all time favorite pieces of art that I created. The title is "Tic Tac Toe" and it now lives with a wonderful couple in Chicago! I ran into M&J again in Chicago this year and they told me they had moved and showed me the photos of their new place. I asked them half jokingly when I could move in. WOW, is all I can say. Plus, I am a little biased when I say....I think my art looks fantastic in their new abode.

They have also bought a few Daily's in the past two years and this is how they had them hung. I like the grouping. But, it reminds me that I need to go and paint so off I go.



www.spillarstudios.com

Weights and Ez-ups ( and all similar tent ez designs)

I thought nothing could frustrate me more than an easy up with out weights but....I have found something that agrivates me more. The information tent, that is manned and put up by the show directors themselves was not weighted. It is very fortunate that the tent did not wipe out the very nice woodcarvers tent. It landed only a yard away from his tent and would have surely caused a lost wall or a bent frame.

The cardinal Rules for ez-up easy down owners.

1. Invest in clamps - theses will help you in a rain storm
2. Always take your art out if there is a possibility of storms
3. WEIGHTS WEIGHTS WEIGHTS
4. Unique things that due work for rain - hula hoops - pool tube floats - See number 1. for the easiest soulution. Anything that will pull your tent top taught so water does not pool. The water fills up the top and drops your tent.

This seasons weather has been insain and anyone doing shows in the midwest have scene tons of distruction. Even the more heavy duty tents are going down. Please everyone ban together and demand your neighbors tent is weighted. Personlly, I can forgive a weighted tent for running into mine but an unweighted tent is unforgivable. Check out my bottom picture. They did not weight this lite-dome and it broke the poor neighbors tent. Sadly, most of their work was ruined.

I just got my happifeet ( heavy duty tent weights) and love them all except they were not designed for pro-panels in mind but I will figure out how to make it work. So if anyone is interested I will sell my PVC/concrete weights at a bargin price.

Rain Rain Windy Wind.....not the best weekend

So I was all excited about my latest trip. Everything was in place and off I went to Milwaukee with a smile on my face. Well, it didn't last long the rain came in, 50 mph gusts, two separate tornado warnings, and flooding of my booth. It was so crazy outside that not only was I weighted down, I tied my tent to a huge metal post. My tent did survive but not thanks to my neighbor that had an easy-up and wouldn't tie it down. I even offered to give them rope and tie it for them. After a bit I noticed that my tent was being pulled in one direction. I was afraid that my poles would twist and break. I came out and looked and the people next to me had tied their tent to my weights and when the wind pulled theirs it was pulling mine as well. I was not happy. Their tent ended up breaking and I felt bad for them but come on buy some weights. The moral of the story is NEVER EVER tie two tents to one set of weights. You are asking for a disaster.

After Friday's tornado warnings and rain, Saturday's severe rain storms, flooding, and a second tornado warning, I checked the weather for Sunday and it looked bad so I pulled in and broke my tent down in a 8" puddle of muddy, stinky, water and left the show. I am glad I did, I checked the weather and they got hit again very badly. I am lucky I did not loose any artwork but I certainly would have if I had stayed for Sunday. There was no way I could have got my art safely back into my cargo van in the storms that were going on.

The one good thing about all the bad weather was that I got to come home one day early to see my kids. Anaïs made a huge "Wellcome ( that's how she spelled it) Home early Mommy" sign and decorated the dining room. Parker came running into the driveway and grabbed me for a hug even before I could get out of the van. I am one very lucky women.

I am back in Chicago for a show this coming weekend and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I have sunny skies!!!!

I just finished a show in the Chicago area, and the high light of it having some former clients walk in. It would not have matter if they had bought anything or not, I was just so fun to see them again. It is nice to know that you and your art are appreciated enough that they would take a spec ail trip out to see you.

Neil and I did the show again and always find it a hoot when our art shows up in the same house. One of my clients bought a great shot of the famous Czech (forgot name)clock in Prague. So now I can add on another house that has both of ours.

Now I am just looking for the trifecta, that would be someone having Neil's, Sean's, and mine in the same home. Sean is a potter and he specializes in faces. He does a lot of shows with Neil and we end up in shows together from time to time. A perfect combination, paintings, photography, and pottery.


That's all I have for today. I have unpacked and will be packing again for St. Charles this weekend for a show. The best part of this is that I can get home every night. No hotels!!!! Sean will be at this show as well, but we will not see each other much. We both have our locations we like, and are not willing to move.