Two Shows and Three Fish

I've been sequestered this whole month in my home studio preparing for two shows in February. The Twenty-First Annual Caribbean Fine Art Exhibit at the Good Hope School will take place February 15-18, 2008, and I'll be one of about 60 artists showing our stuff at this, the largest art show on St. Croix.

Beginning on February 9 and for the rest of the month, I'll have a solo exhibit at Cultural Creations of the Virgin Islands, a new gallery that opened in Frederiksted a few months ago.

I'm almost ready for both shows. And yesterday I completed a quilt that sat on my design wall for about a month. I created the three fish, and then waited weeks until I knew what to do with them. I'm happy with the results. Here's a preview of the full quilt:


And here's a close up of the stitch work involved:

Krewe de Barkus Dog Parade

The spirit of Mardi Gras is alive and well here on St. Croix thanks to an enthusiastic crowd who yearly organize a series of "Mardi Croix" festivities. One such is the Krewe de Barkus dog parade which took place yesterday on the boardwalk in downtown Christiansted, to benefit the St. Croix Animal Shelter.

Proud owners parade their dogs in fine Mardi Gras regalia. Here are some notables:

Winner of the Funniest Costume, this little guy was a Rasta reveler, donning beads and a dreadlock hat that refused to stay on top of his head and became a dreadlock bib instead.

Winner of Best Overall were the Frenchies in flawless fashion.

Cutest and youngest, this 5-week old pup was rescued the day before, just in time to make the festivities.

Most spirited was this happy-go-lucky paraplegic dog, sporting all the flags of St. Croix around his wheelchair.

This trendy pooch had the best looking jeans in the crowd.

Our friend Michele and her son's dog in true Mardi Gras style.

And here, with a pair of two-legged canines and a stuffed doggie in his pouch, is our very own Dr. Hess, the best Vet on St. Croix, as voted by the local paper for several years running. My cat Calypso can vouch for this.

New Year, New Studio

After some heart wrenching deliberation, I decided to give up my studio at La Grande Princesse in favor of a home studio, one to which I go on a dime. Bob made a floor plan of our one-bedroom apartment to see if it would be feasible to move my 4' X 8' work table into a nook in our living room.
We discovered that it was possible if we got rid of our unused futon. We did, and I moved into that nook by the window, and in the process we rearranged our furniture such that the apartment actually looks more spacious!

The table fit perfectly, my fabrics fit under the table, and a couple of book cases were employed to house my quilting paraphernalia. We put up a design wall (foam covered with felt, nailed in place under a 1" X 3" board), and voila! Instant studio!

Oh, and I get a fabulous view to boot!