Monday, April 25, 2016

TROYFEST 2016 AND LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO

Good GLORIOUS Afternoon!! Well, Troyfest in Troy, AL is behind us..and what an AMAZING WEEKEND it was. So good to see everyone. We love the people of TROY!!

We drove up on Friday afternoon, and got set up--then met up with my uncle, who had driven up from Pensacola. He brought me 48 canvases to paint on!! ALL kinds of sizes!! LUCKY ME!!

After that we went to the hotel, and the next morning, the show began!!

Shortly after the show opened..I spotted a very large Folk Art piece, and had to go see it. It was almost the size of a door, and it was great. It used a childhood story/ poem called "LITTLE BUNNY FOO-FOO"..and had some of the story painted on it. It was a very large standing bunny, holding all the little mice that the bunny had bopped on the head. It was by a Folk Artist named SCOTT MCQUEEN..(whose wife was also there with their painting pig, Blossom)..I really wish that I had bought it..but I had only taken a few hundred to spend..and I wanted jewelry (which I am officially addicted to...haha). My other favorite piece this year was a drawing/pen and ink of Tom Selleck in one of his western shows by fine artist, John Warr. I loved it too. It is just very hard for me to buy art, because eventually, I want a 300-400 square foot home, and I know I won't have a lot of room for art.

Saturday went pretty well..We sold a lot of Chuck's pieces, none of mine..(Thank goodness, because I need them for the next show). That night we went to the Awards dinner, and I got the Doug Hawkins Folk Art Merit Award. I was super HONORED to receive this award, because it was the first year that it was in memory of Doug, whom passed away in 2015. He was a great supporter of the arts--in Troy and all around Alabama. He was also the grandfather of a good friend, and that meant the world to me. It also came with money..but that did not matter as much as the ribbon. (Though I appreciate the money too!).

We finished out Saturday, and went back to the hotel..Sadly, this place could have ruined my whole trip. We were in our room, and there were a group of boat racers next to us..and they thought it would be fine to stand outside our hotel room in the parking lot and sidewalk and have a party..Lots of cussing, and yelling..after calling the desk attendant TWICE..and almost at midnight..and after me going outside and blasting them..they finally went away..but..I raised such a stink about it to the manager that he refunded ALL of my money for the rooms..so, we basically stayed for FREE this weekend...SCORE!!

Sunday morning we went back to the show early because they had church service on the square, and I like being there for it. One of my friend's daughters sang (I think she is around 8 or 9 years old)...it was beautiful, and the sermon was astounding !! It was the PERFECT thing that I really needed to hear this weekend. The preacher, and I'm sorry, but I do not know his name spoke directly to me ..it was a question that I had been tossing around all week in my head, and the Lord sent it to me. It was truly a blessing!!

In fact..this entire weekend was full of revelations...It started with Thursday night. I was outside on my porch, and looked up, and there was a solid white deer. So..I am very spiritual, and open to messages from my higher power, so I ran to look up the symbolism of seeing a white deer...and this is what I found...from www. symbolic-meanings.com (blog).

The Native Americans believed the occurance of a white animal was a huge sign of prophecy – a sign from the great spirit that a major shift in their world was to come. 
Usually, white animals were seen during soul-quests, or vision-quests.  However, if one was seen during the normal course of day, this would cause a tremendous ripple among the tribe.  A great meeting would be called, the elders would be consulted, and great care would be taken to communicate with the animal spirits to determine the meaning of the message.
Not much has changed over time, as you yourself recognize the special power of the white deer that comes to you – and wish to know more about it.
When white occurs in the animal realm it is a message of:
  • higher thoughts
  • higher ideals
  • purity of soul
  • cleansing of spirit
  • attaining higher knowledge
Compound these attributes with the those that the Female deer represents:
  • Benevolence
  • Kindness
  • Creativity
  • Spirituality
  • Renewal
  • Connectedness
The Male deer holds the same representations, but also includes attributes of:
  • Longevity
  • Virility
  • Abundance
  • Endurance
The deer was/is a symbol to the Native Americans representative of the great spirit – a sign of the sun as its antlers spread like the sun’s rays.  The Native Americans also recognized the shedding and regrowth of the antlers and deemed this a symbol of regeneration, cycle, and growth.
Above all, we can recognize the sensitivity of the deer – alert, keen, and always aware – we can translate these qualities to of being spiritually aware – and this is why the deer is seen primarily as a spiritual symbol.
The fact that you were able to see this very powerful sign – the white deer – is a message that you are on a path of growth and expansion that will lead you in a direction beyond your wildest dreams.  The message of the white deer is one of “get ready.”
Along with seeing the white deer, I spoke to someone at the show, and we really connected over the above "WE ARE THE SAME" painting...making me realize that I am not the only person who is fighting this war on discrimination. THEN..I was making light of my art, and the person that I was talking to said to me.."But you won an award, that has to validate you as an artist."..AS SOON AS IT CAME OUT OF HIS MOUTH--my mind exploded. I DO NOT NEED VALIDATION AS AN ARTIST...I've never needed validation for any way that I chose to live my life, and certainly NOT for my art...I don't NEED to say "LOOK AT ME"..my art takes care of that. I don't need someone's approval. I have always lived my life LIKE I WANTED TO. I know in my heart that I have not even begun to touch the potential of my talent!!  It was so much of a wake up call!!! On top of that..the preacher said things on Sunday that I really felt and needed to hear...So..I am on my way..The signs are there..Wish me Luck!!

All in all..This weekend was GREAT..I was only about $180 short of my thousand dollar a day goal..and everything except the hotel was perfect! (But, the refund of the rooms made that even OK). I love TROY. It's a fabulous place with fantastic people!!

Live Artfully!!

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