Art's Not Here

This coming weekend is the 6th Annual Saugerties Artists Studio Tour. I have been a part of the Tour for the past 5 years, not only showing (and selling- a trend I hope continues) but also acting as the web mistress and general graphics gadfly.

The Tour is a group of 25 or so artists and craftspersons, there are numerous comings and goings, and coming backs, every year; and we open our studios one weekend every August to the general public. This means months and months of planning by the group- and I want to emphasize that this event is organized, promoted and run by the artists ourselves- and days of frantic cleaning and tidying of studios immediately before the Tour weekend.
The loss of my home and studio threw a real monkey-wrench into the process. The new owners, a corporation of local real-estate brokers, do not want people on the property so it looked like I was not going to be able to show and sell this year. I was crushed. The Tour has been a real locus of much good energy in the local art community and I have loved being part of it.
I was therefore blessed and am eternally grateful to another member of the group who won't be showing this year due to prior commitments who said I could show my works at her studio. Bless you, Loel, for your kindness. I am also grateful to the other artists for allowing me to bend the rules and show at a studio not my own. However, there was a price to be paid- 2,500 maps had to be altered to reflect the change. So, some hours and many little stickers later, all the maps have been corrected. My thanks again to the stalwart group.
This change however, has not been without its bizarre consequences. I had emailled around to everyone I know locally about my search for a new place to live. When the map came out, someone noticed the change in my location, and, putting 2 and 2 together, got 5 1/2. There was a rumor going around that Loel and I are living together.... now, I like Loel but we aren't that close. And besides, I am still working on securing my dream space and all sales I make this weekend will speed me toward that goal.
I will also have to answer many well-meaning, but uncomfortable questions about my altered life. Many of these folks saw my old studio being built, and will be curious about what happened. I'm not looking forward to that and will need to remind myself that these folks have probably left their mind-reading caps at home and don't know how painful this is for me. Some of them may have left their courtesy-cloaks at home, too.
So, if you live in the Hudson Valley of New York, come by this weekend. I'm #25 on the map- the artist with the really great art, and the weary smile plastered on her face.
Thanks.