Hydrangeas

Linda's Web Site

Festival Memories

I became a festival artist right after art school. I knew nothing about business or marketing, fresh with my art degrees. In those days art students weren't taught anything but studio art and art history.  The festival circuit seemed to be the best idea. The first few years weren't bad. That was before the over saturation of reproductions. Festival goers actually bought original art. What a novel idea!

The work was physically very hard. I had to load my vehicle with lots of paintings, tents, signage, stands, weights, and other equipment. Then came a long drive with a paper map. I usually left the studio on Friday to arrive for a predawn set up on Saturday. Most of us slept in our cars in the artist parking lot, unless we traveled by RV. I often washed up in handicapped bathrooms in stores, because they were private with a sink. There were few artist amenities in those days. I was on my own for food, having to leave my tent unmanned for quick potty breaks.

It was probably the loneliest time in my life for 20 years. 20 shows a year from Friday - Sunday on the road. There were always weather issues of course. Florida is either flooding, windy or brutally hot. One show was laughingly referred to as Bake by the Lake. More than once I had a river of water flowing through my tent. Sales were up and down constantly, and show fees climbed regularly.

The last two or three years were truly agony. I was totally burned out. I can go along, seemingly forever doing these hard things and then I am over it. I used to fight that feeling, pushing myself to continue, but I am learning now to know when it is time to go.

Eventually, I moved into the gallery scene for a few years, but in 2009, most of mine failed. Abstract became the new rage for galleries and I left most of mine. Artists have to do a lot to make a living. It is not the career for the lazy or the faint of heart.

Mr Moon

Early Trail Light

This morning when I hiked around my Deer Woods Trail, I was led by Mr Moon. It was just dawn and the sun was still sleeping in the east. This is my week to get up before dawn and let my French Bulldog out for his break from his crate den. The almost full moon threw off just enough light in the west to guide me along the path. When it is near dark, I am more aware of the sounds rather than sight along the trail.

I could clearly hear the song birds waking up to talk back and forth. Blackie the crow and his pals were not awake yet. They usually start cawing and flying about 7:30, looking for a diner for breakfast. It was even too early for the owls to clock out for sleep. They must have been off getting in that last quick hunt before bed time.

Strolling along in moon light is a really lovely way to start my day as a painter. I observe large shapes and think about the atmosphere as it gradually lights along the way. The soft cool moonlight over the tall pines in. the west is lovely to see. 

I think about my projects for the day and listen to small animals rustle along the edge of the path in the woods. The tortoises are asleep, but I call them by name as I pass their dens. Having a life in rural north Florida is extraordinary for a landscape and nature painter. As I age, I have become an amateur naturalist, happiest out here in the woods and farm land my parents thoughtfully purchased almost 60 years ago. life is wonderful for a country painter.

Morning on Deer Woods Trail

I can't decide whether I like morning or afternoon the best on my trail. It looks so different from one to the other. There are three parts to the trail. Trail one and two are best, early in the day. Trail three feels safer, a bit later, when there is plenty of good light.

Trail three goes through the cypress swamp area behind my studio. it is full of tall aged cypress trees, hickories and other hard woods, standing in water during the wet years, and dry now and then. There is a long creek that runs through my property and along the other land in the neighborhood. Trail three can be spooky looking in low light, and of course there are gators and snakes occasionally. I even have otters from time to time.

Trail one and two are upland trails, with pines and lots of tortoise dens. The trails are not large but they are beautiful. I am so glad to own the land and have my studio in the woods.