Monday, September 12, 2016

Update 09/12/16

Hey there!

Wow! It's been a crazy, whirlwind of events for Gert and I through the month of August.

We worked very hard at getting paintings ready for the SWAIA Indian Market in Santa Fe. We both work in retail in Albuquerque and have the three kiddos to take care of too. It was a 'go to work', 'take care of the kids', and 'paint til midnight' daily process that wears you down. I donated a painting to the SWAIA auction a few weeks before the show. That was a great painting! I designed it specifically for the auction and was very pleased with giving it for a good cause.

Two days before the market we submitted our entries for judging and then enjoyed ourselves with a late lunch at the famous Tomasita's Restaurant in Santa Fe. On Friday evening we came back to Santa Fe for preview night to learn that one of my paintings had taken 1st Place and Best in Division! It was exciting because we learned about it just before opening night started. Even more surprising we learned it was not the painting we assumed the prize winner. Nevertheless it was great.

The next day we arrived at 5:30 am for setting up. We spent the day meeting everyone and enjoying such great conversations. We did sell the prize winner that day. Thank you for your purchases. Sunday also proved to be just as fun in meeting everyone again. Of course our family stopped by to see and support us. Thank you for stopping by.

We closed down on Sunday and proceed back to Tohajiilee, after we treated ourselves to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. We picked up the kids to get ready for the regular week of school and work.

The very next day we traveled to Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico to secure a booth at their Arts & Crafts Market over Labor Day weekend. Then we spent the next two weeks painting, school, and work getting ready for that show. We attended the three day show and again met new and old friends.

Immediately after the Santo Domingo show we traveled to Window Rock, Arizona to enter paintings in the Navajo Nation Fair, Nizhoni Arts Market. Coincidentally, it was my birthday as well. We met my parents who treated us out to some steamed corn mutton stew with fry bread and gave me a birthday cake. We had to return last Sunday to pick up our paintings.

It was quite exhausting! After Window Rock we decided that we should rest and we have. We pretty much took a week off to do just that. We thank you for your patience if you have been following the web page, our FB page, or waiting a reply to an email.

It has been a fun time, even though it tired us out.  I hope to be posting more soon. It turns out that I'm not very good at blogging - ha ha! But must keep at it.

~d