A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BOSTON MILLS .......JUNE 28 2011

Boston Mills is a ski resort located near Peninsula, Ohio.  The Boston Mills Art Festival is celebrating their 40th year in 2011 - and is considered one of the top art festivals around.

Arrived at my hotel early afternoon on Thursday, checked in, then went looking for things to take pictures of.  I shared two of them with you yesterday.  Upon returning to the hotel met up with friends Russ and Kay, and we had dinner, caught up on everything, then called it a day.

We were at the resort early Friday morning for set up.   It takes approximately 4 hours to unload, scope out our assigned area, and figure out how we can use it to the best advantage.  Then it is placing display panels, tables, chair, etc, then comes the fun part of unpacking and arranging the display.  Of course we take frequent breaks, but we get it done.

At 4 p.m. the Festival head honchos had an Italian buffet for us poor, tired, over-worked, starving artists.  Salads and pastas and meat-balls, and stuff.  It was really great.  Then at 6 p.m. on Friday the gates opened for the Artist's Reception.  The patrons attending paid $50.00 per person just to walk through the door.  There was wine, and cheese, and fruit, and stuff for them, and not only did they have a great time eating and drinking, they had a great time shopping.  There were a couple of categories of my pictures that I sold out of on Friday evening.

On Saturday returning to the festival site, both Russ' and my GPS got us lost, telling us to turn left instead of right.  I have decided that my GPS girl had too much wine the night before, and didn't know what she was doing  But we arrived, and a good day it was.  Russ and I are set up next to each other, and directly across from us was an artist couple (she is the artist, he is the do-er) and, like happens so many times, we all hit it off right away, and laughed and talked the entire weekend.  A couple of new folks to add to our growing list of  festival family.  And what a family it is.

Sunday at the close of the festival while we were all packing up, loading up, and getting ready to head for home, Wendy came over and gave both Russ and me one of her Prints.  Her medium is "gouache" - I hope you can pronounce it, because I sure can't.

Her particular style is done on rice paper using opaque water colors, and the effect it quite stunning.  To learn more about her work go to her web-site http://www.wlwilkerson.com/  I know I will treasure the print she gave me.

A new art form for me.  I have never seen this particular type of art before.  A new friend, full of laughter, sense of humor, Russ, Kay, Wendy and I laughed a lot, it was a good weekend.

Tear down is always a three ring circus.  Everyone is jockying for a parking space as close to their location as possible, and it never ceases to amaze me at how fast tear down and loading up happens, especially compared with unloading and set-up.  With in 2 hours of closing time I was leaving the area on my way home, tired, but satisfied. 

The kids from Arizona had arrived Saturday night and I was anxious to see them. 

the up-side of any festival is having good sales.  the down-side is that now I only have a couple of weeks to replenish my stock of rapidly selling prints.

I guess we can't have it all.  But I would rather it be this way, than not having to replace anything.  A lot of what I sell I do not replace as I am always adding new pictures, but other just keep selling and selling.

Well, enough for Boston Mills.  I have to get in gear and get started, getting ready for the Cain Park Arts Festival in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.  This festival is the weekend of July 8-10.  One thing for sure, I don't run out of things to do.

Have a great day, do what you can and put the rest on the back burner.  There is always another day ahead of us.  So enjoy your days and God Bless.