Day 3 of Art of the Carolinas

One more day. I keep telling my feet and back - we can make it!!! There is an amazing group of women who make up the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild. They - We - have been at the North Raleigh Hilton the past 3 mornings at the crack of dawn, ready to flip classrooms (peel painty plastic off the tables, replace it, haul buckets of dirty paint water and fresh clean water, cater to the whims of artist/instructors), manning the ATC tables, manning (womaning?) the Guild info booth. Three of us will have been there for the entire event and we've had many many others coming in and out, adding extra hours to their assignment to help out as we've needed them. Sure, we're slap-happy, sillier than usual, groaning a bit - but all in all it's been a great experience.

We've met some truly amazing people. I'm being just a wee bit silly about whims of instructors - one delightful woman was concerned about one of her students who was elderly and alone and late for class - it's pretty amazing for someone who's no spring chick herself, who's been teaching for 3 days straight to packed classes (told you she was amazing!) to still have the compassion to be concerned about the well being of one of her students.

Students, teachers and vendors are here literally from all over the world. I've met people from France and from Australia. We had the most fun group of women from Alabama make ATCs with us tonight, a husband & wife from VA - he's the artist, but we had her making ATCs right along with us, Jerry's staff and workers - what fun they are!, the hotel staff WOW. If only it wasn't grey and rainy...but that certainly hasn't kept people away at all!

And of course, there's the Trade Show and Sale. I haven't gone totally crazy and am going to check on a couple of booths tomorrow before they pack up and head back home to make sure there isn't something I absolutely have to have. I'm about to enter a painting phase. I'm kind of excited about it :-)

Alright - time for ibuprofen, washing my face, and deep rejuvenating sleep so I can hop out of bed ready for the last day of fun!

Busy Week Ahead!

I need one of those yellow and black warning street signs - BUSY WEEK AHEAD! Work-work through Wednesday, then it's 4 days filled with art and friends and meeting people and working and who knows what at Art of the Carolinas. Jerry's Artarama sponsors this amazing event annually. It consists of 4 days of classes with nationally renowned artists and 3 days of a trade show/sale. People come in from all over the country, I've heard of many who buy their supplies for the entire year at this event because the great prices.

I'm president of The Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild and our fabu Scribe, Penny Arrowood, had a stroke of brilliance. (she has them on a regular basis - she's one of the busiest, most organized, creative, FUN women I know) She suggested that we offer the Guild's services as "runners" for the AOC (Art of the Carolinas) weekend. Sharon, the master mind of AOC, loved the idea and we are not only helping with classroom setup, we're hosting an ATC Make & Take for Strathmore and Jerry's, and manning an information table for the Guild. Strathmore has come out with a series of ATC substrates using many of their great papers - from canvas paper to watercolor paper to illustration board - 7 or so different types. It has been a real treat trying them out while creating samples and cards for trading at the show.

If you are in the Raleigh, NC area this coming weekend - stop by the North Raleigh Hilton, check out the trade show, take a class (check the website - you can still sign up or even show up and sign up!), make some ATCs and meet us at the Guild table!