Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Fireflies, castles, cheese coneys oh my!

After a wonderful evening at the Blink Artist Showcase reception, I returned the next morning to the Art Design Consultant (ADC) gallery for a brunch that was held for just the Artists.  The brunch looked and smelled lovely (unfortunately I couldn’t eat anything, I rarely do at events/venues away from home due to my food allergies), the weather was gorgeous outside, and the view from the windows was fabulous.

The brunch was an excellent opportunity for us as artists to get to know and talk with the staff at ADC, and that was nice as more often than not, unless you’re a local artists you primarily work with them over the phone – and it’s always great to put a name to the face.

It’s also an opportunity for the artists to get to know one another alongside of their works.  I’m always an advocate for artists getting to know each other, but I’ll save that for another post.  Instead I want to talk about fireflies.

So I’m at the ADC gallery, everyone is having a lovely time, and I decided I needed to give my poor flat feet a rest, and sat down in a chair next to a lady in a beautiful red dress.  I had to compliment her on the dress, it was such a flattering color on her, and next thing we knew were having a lovely conversation.  She and her husband (who was an artist in the exhibit) had traveled from Colorado and were having a lovely time on their visit, but she had one goal that she wanted to accomplish on her visit to Cincinnati.  She wanted to see a firefly.

I was  intrigued as to why and was immediately thinking of ways to help her get that mission accomplished.  They were having a lovely time on their visit to Cincinnati, they walked along the banks, had popped in on one of the festivals going on, and like most visitors to the city had been told they must eat at Skyline. It was during our conversation that I learned about her personal mission, fireflies, the flashing kind that we all know and love here in the Midwest simply don’t exist out west, and she, having hailed from Loveland, Colorado had never seen one and was determined to see one before she left Cincinnati.  Wait! (record scratch) YOUR FROM LOVELAND COLORADO!!!!  I couldn’t believe it!  She and her husband were from Loveland, CO.  That immediately caught my attention because I grew up in Loveland, Ohio a suburb of Cincinnati.  It was destiny, I HAD to help her out!

Photo from cincinnatiusa.com
I told her that she can’t come all the way out from Loveland, CO and NOT visit Loveland, OH.  Especially since Loveland Ohio has a castle, Chateau Laroche, something truly unique.  To be so close to Loveland, OH and not visit would be a shame.  She was however in luck, she had meet me, and I immediately knew how she could check off a few items on her list, most importantly fireflies.

I immediately took out my cell phone, looked up and texted her the links to where they needed to go and in what order.  First stop, Loveland Castle, they would be closing at 5pm and it was the furthest away, if they got out there by 3 or 4 they would have plenty of time to explore the site and afterwards they could go to old historic Loveland.  Next, I gave them the address to the Skyline Chili on Loveland Maderia Rd., and told them that they should go there after exploring the castle and the City of Loveland, as it would likely be approaching dinner time.  Last, I gave them the address to Lake Isabella.  This park would be the perfect place to see fireflies, located in Loveland, shady, next to the river, and open past dusk (because they do night fishing at the lake). And near the expressway, so they could easily point their car back to Cincinnati.  I told her to text me and let me know if she ended up seeing a firefly! 

We continued our conversation for awhile more, and then broke away to mingle and meet others.  It was a pleasant morning, and I truly enjoyed getting to meet so many talented individuals. I had a wonderful time and am thankful and appreciative of our host ADC for having put the brunch together.

But the best moment of the day came hours later when I received a text….. from the lady in the red dress!  Her mission had been accomplished – she got to see fire flies!  Better yet, they had on my suggestion made the trip out to Loveland Castle, ate at the skyline, relaxed on the dock at Lake Isabella and saw fireflies. 

I smiled so hard when I read that text I’m pretty sure my eyes got a little watery.

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Blink!

May was a chaotic blur, and June had finally arrived.  It was June 8th and I was anxiously looking forward to a kid free night with my husband and attending the opening reception for the “Blink Artist Showcase”.

Despite May having been for the most part bitter cold (I’m pretty sure I saw snow while at my son’s baseball game only a few weeks before) mother nature had decided to turn on the heat, in full blast in Cincinnati.  Lucky for me I had a comfortable, weather appropriate outfit, and a fabulous pair of Dansko dress shoes to keep my freshly pedicured feet comfy! 

The City of Cincinnati looked lovely on our short drive to downtown.  I think one of the prettiest views is when you approach the city going south on Reading Road, between 5pm and dusk on a beautiful sunny day… the city just glows and has this warmth to it.

When we arrived my dashing husband escorted me inside the building where we were greeted by the friendly staff of Art Design Consultants (ADC) at the check-in table.  After checking in we rode the elevator up to the 5th floor and walked into the gallery.

“Pink Champagne” (the large yellow and pink work)
at the Blink Artist Showcase Exhibit Opening Reception.
If you haven’t been to a reception at ADC, you need to go sometime.  Beautiful art, wine, lite bites, and most importantly friendly, knowledgeable staff and inviting atmosphere.  Oh, and great views of the city (which one can easily miss, because you will be too busy looking at the art to remember there are windows to look out of!).  

I have to say that I really enjoy my job as an artist, as it allows for me to have the opportunity to meet incredible people.  Not only do I get to meet other artists at events like this, I meet art collectors and enthusiasts and learn more about them and what connects them to art.  It’s makes for an enjoyable time and this reception did not disappoint as it was well attended with art enthusiasts and artists from around the country.  But more about that in my next post…