Here is is already past the fourth and I am just getting back to up date the posts. Here is the last top ready for the machine quilter, called Shoofly. Three ready to be picked up tomorrow for me to bind. The show at Handworks Gallery was a huge success for me ; I sold a triptych of the Chain Link Islands in oil on panel. Friday I picked up my friend Nancy in Thomaston where she vulunteers at the animal shelter. We drove all the way to Blue Hill where we had a nice lunch and saw the Handworks Gallery in full swing. When I dropped off my work Marcia was just getting the floor painted for the opening show which was the Great Spruce Head Island Show. From there we drove over to the Leighton Gallery to see the new show there and were not disappointed. Then we meandered over to Stonington where they were going to be having First Friday with 11 galleries and studios open including Isalos where I had an encaustic painting. I was glad to see the show in the afternoon before it got too crowded. We checked out several other galleries, Nancy got an ice cream and we walked down on the working piers. I tried taking some photos but the camera was not cooperating so went back for a sketch book. The sky was spectacular with fog coming in and the water luminescent as the colors turned from blues to silver and smoke.

Time for the opening and off we went glad to be inside and a chill had come in off the water with the fog. The show Ames Pond was hung very well and even the color of one wall was just right. I liked where they had hung my piece and enjoyed looking at the variety of work that came out of Michael's call for Ames Pond art. The pond itself is spectacular when at the height of the season its full of a soft pink waterlily and a few majestic herons. I had seen it on my many trips to Haystack and made a special trip to see it last fall. I sketched a few pages and when I came home from that trip made a series of encaustics form the sketches. From here we went to more of the galleries that were open and then the rain began. We said we;d call it a day and head back to Port Clyde. Then we went by Anne-Claude Cotty's studio which was open. So we dashed inside out of the rain to be pleasantly surprised with her delightful pinhole camera photographs. Made me wish I was still into photography. She also uses the plastic camera of which I also tried. Especially the Holga with all the light leaks and tape that wound around the camera. But what struck me most were the brooches. Delicate photos set around with hammered silver. I coveted one immediately but when I saw the price realised I would have to work many hours to come up with the money. But just sometimes it all works out. Through many emails we came to an agreement and I will be getting one of the beautiful brooches in the mail this week. Please go to http://www.anneclaudecotty.com/ to see both the photos and the silver work she does.

From there we drove home stopping for a light dinner in Lincolnville. Talking over the varying pieces of art we saw and how fun Stonington had been even though the ride is long its a beautiful small town on the coast of Maine full of artists, galleries and wonderful views of the water.

The summer is here make sure you do something wonderful, take a long drive down to the wateror walk along the beach. Cheers, Diane