This last weekend…Sept. 6,7 and 8 I was showing and selling my art at the Vinoklet Art and Wine fair in Cincinnati. The venue is beautiful surrounded by the vineyards. They have two ponds and a stage where good live music was being performed . Friday night was fairly busy and Sunday was so so, but the crowd on Saturday night was overwhelmingly large. There were cars parked everywhere at the vineyard, down the road, paying to park in the neighbors yard. From 7 pm on it was all about the wine and music. This gentleman came into my tent on Friday evening and we had a nice conversation and eventually he had his wife choose one of my paintings. She chose one of my newest and favorites “On the Lake”. Thank you Stephen and Gigi, you are fantastic!

Then they had their daughter and her fiancé pick out a painting to give to them for a wedding gift. The one she chose was perfect with a Bold, Red Heart and a Vincent Van Gogh Quote that starts with Love Many Things and that is the name of the painting. Stephen also chose three prints to give to relatives. Congratulations Marianne and Louis, so nice to start your married life with an original piece of art.

This is one of the ponds, but I missed the really good picture where the sunset what reflecting in the water. It was so pretty.

Speaking of ponds, this bird spends a lot of time on our pond and I love to watch him. He is a Cormorant. They are diving birds and eat the fish. I have watched it swim all around the edge and eat then come up for air. I have watched him take off to another nearby pond and then come back. This is their wing drying mode and their heads are always up, in the water and out. Reminds me of the way Franklin Delano Roosevelt would hold his head.

Another frequent visitor to our pond is this Heron. I got a picture of him fully standing up. He walks s.l.o.w.l.y around the edge keeping an eye out for a fish then stops, his body gets very close to the water and the neck gets very small and he….WAM….grabs a fish. I take the pictures from our window and he spys me doing it, it will then fly off.

There it goes, to the other side of the pond, probably sending me the stink eye.

The hollyhocks are looking pretty sad but there are a couple of big blooms left. Don’t you love the star in the middle?

Please put this on your calendar. I am so excited to be a part of this tour. My studio is inside my house and I will have my art set up through the main area so you can choose something that you love and I am always working hard to have new work too. There will also be some homemade cookies and bread, coffee, water, cocoa.

These are all the artists participating in the tour and their addresses. We have a good array of art to visit and choose from. The reception at the 2nd Street Lofts will have music and food and a few examples of the artists pieces, it is 5 pm to 8pm. You will be able to look over an apartment though many may be occupied by that time. Decatur is a lovely town to visit with a lot to offer. Please come, we would like to offer this unique experience every year.