Thought-Full Art Studio

A conversation...

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Changes To My Store

Hope your summer is going well. We have been under a heat dome here in Texas (along with most of the midwest-to west coast). My garden has taken a big hit, but we are still getting a few vegetables in. My wife has decided to do a little local craft show. It WAS on her “never again” list – but all creators know how that goes. But she realized she was missing an opportunity to shine some light on her YouTube channel with a large audience and that might be more important long term than whether things actually sell or not at the show. We’ll see how that works out. So now she is madly trying to get things produced and ready. Can’t say I miss anything about that whole process!

I’ve been extremely fortunate that some folks recently sought me out for some purchases of some originals. It was really fun as they chose some of the pieces that I especially enjoyed creating and it is good to see them find a new home. This afternoon my wife spent several hours working on my website to keep it updated in the “behind the scenes” functioning. So, we are continuing to keep my shop open online – and are ever-grateful to our friend Zeke Zewick for the space he makes available in his shop in Edom, Texas. If you are near the Canton, Texas area, you have to plan to make a stop at his studio. Their fall show is coming up and that is a terrific event. Always a fun trip for us!

Handcrafted Jewelry by Zeke’s Studio in Edom, Texas

I’m considering starting to put originals up on my website. It takes quite a bit of preparation to get them ready to ship – but my recent sale of several originals was helpful in learning more about what is possible. Now we just have to figure out how best to prepare images of them that will work on the website.

Take a moment when you can to visit my shop. If there is anything you are wondering about – and don’t see a listing – fill out the contact form and let me know. I won’t spam you. Don’t have the time – the garden calls!!

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Recovering the Website

The website is safely restored, locked down, and back in business. Even though we were able to identify the specific issue on the backend, we decided to roll back to a prior date out of an abundance of caution. We sacrificed a few recent posts, but nothing major. A good reminder to make lots of redundant backups! We have chosen to streamline the website a bit more, as well. We have removed all ads from the site so that the focus is solely on you and allowing you to more easily navigate and get to what you actually want to see.

Since I am no longer attending shows, I have a number of originals that I am so grateful are being shown at Zeke’s Gallery in Edom, Texas. I also have a few that I retain here at home. I will also be updating my shop to show more of my prints – and also to note those prints for which I still have the original available. If you remember an original from a prior show that you attended and are interested in knowing if it is available for purchase, use the Contact Us page to let me know. I respond quickly!

I hope that these late Spring storms have missed your location. It has been a wild start to the year! So far, knock on wood, no hailstorms or ferocious storms have hit our locale. Grateful!

The spring art show season is in full swing. I know this economy is a challenge for most of us. But I hope that you and your friends/family will take the time to get out and enjoy and support artists as you can. It means a lot – especially for those who are traveling long distances to make a living.

Have a great day ahead and thank you for dropping by!

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Troubling Times

If you are an artist – in any medium – who is facing spring shows, you have our prayers. When wars and rumors of wars abound, some shows are insanely busy. People need a respite from the crushing news and fiscal realities impacting their lives. For other shows, these types of world situations can cause everyone to just want to hide at home surrounded by those they love.

We, as artists, have never been able to control these events or how people will react. From long experience, I can only say that the very best artists can do is show up, set up, pray, and forge ahead.

I have been spending these warmer spring days reorganizing my studio space. My wife continues to work on getting more of my work up on my website while working hard to get her YouTube channel growing.

I spend a lot of time working on my garden. It feels like it is going to be even more useful this year as fuel and food become more costly. And we have neighbors who are always glad to grab the excess we put out on a table near the walkway that goes to the park behind our home.

If you have time, would love to have you take a look at my shop. I have some t-shirts still available which are great for spring and a range of prints. If you have any questions, please visit the contact page.