Art....In the Rain

Well, this past weekend was a first for me - to do a fine arts festival in the middle of a Northeaster!  We were able to set up the tent on Friday before the rain came - which was great!  Then there was rain Friday night and Saturday morning - and it was cold, too.  (Well, cold by Florida standards since we had already had lots of hot weather!)  The wind came, and also many neighbors of the beautiful Boone Park in Avondale came by.  Sunday morning dawned a bit brighter and warmer - and the sun came out!  And with the sun, many more people from the area came out to enjoy the beautiful setting with all the exciting art throughout the park!  I had a nice time talking to lots of wonderful people!

This Saturday I will be at Arts in the Park - in Johansen Park on Seminole Road, Atlantic Beach.  This is always a super show - only one day (Saturday) 10 - 6.

Spring!

Two weeks ago I set up my tent at the Mandarin Art Festival!  This fine arts show is located on the beautiful tree-lined grounds of the Mandarin Community Club - close to the St. John’s River.  It was a beautiful - and hot weekend!  Everyone connected with the festival was wonderful, and so were all the other artists that I met.  We did set-up on Friday afternoon and take-down on Sunday after the last customer left at 5PM.

Yesterday, there was an Art League of Jacksonville art show connected with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Matthews bridge in Jacksonville.  The art show and activities took place at the Norman Studio complex in the Arlington area. The Norman Studios was founded in 1920, when silent films were produced, and is the last surviving studio complex left from that era. The art show was held in what had been the prop storage building!  It was a very interesting venue and so nice to meet wonderful people!

Next weekend I will be showing my photography at the Jacksonville Fine Arts Show at Boone Park, in Avondale.

Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens

In October 2012, I went to my first meeting of the Beaches Photography Club.  It was very nice to be with others who like photography!  It didn't take me long to figure out that there were many professionals in that group - and also, many who just liked taking photos!  I have been able to go on two outings, so far, with the members of this group.  It has been great fun, and at the same time, a learning experience.  Last month, I wrote about a visit to the Guana River Preserve, which is a place I had never before visited, although it is close to home.  This next outing was to another place I had never been to, also close to home, but in a different direction.  Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens was a wonderful place to visit!  We wandered around the trails and the lake.  We saw some flowering cherry trees, some ferns that were uncurling, and a plant that certainly looked like a dandelion variety!  I used my macro Nikkor lens for the first time in quite awhile.  I found that, in some cases, I was trying to get too close to the flowers and plants that I wanted to photograph.  This lens also works very well for some of the woodlands scenery.  I'm glad that I was practicing with this lens again.  I went back a couple of days later and took some more shots.  It was interesting that some of my favorite "tiny" things had changed in the course of two days and there were new "tiny" things to see - nature is always changing!

Guana River State Park

Members of the Beaches Photography Club went on an outing a week ago.  We went to the Guana River State Park and Preserve and spent the afternoon taking photos.  I had never been there before - and what an interesting place it was!  We hiked (or moseyed) along a trail that was about 1 and 1/2 miles long - snapping photos along the way.  It was a beautiful afternoon.  The sun was out, there was a slight breeze, and there were so many interesting looking trees and vines and lichen.  We didn't see much in the way of wildlife.  However, there were many "no-see-ums" that seemed to attack when there was no breeze.  We stayed until sunset and took more photos and then we almost had to jog to get out of the trail area before it got too dark.  I was glad I had a flashlight with me!  This is a great place to come back to and spend more time on the trails.  There is a lot to explore - and a lot to photograph!