Self Portrait of the Artist

Self Portrait of the Artist   Not for Sale

"So who is the owner of this blog and what does she look like?", you may ask.
This quilt is the self portrait that I used for my Studio door when I was an artist on Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour where I live in the Arkansas Ozarks.

Do you like the hair?  I am especially fond of the sparkly shoes!

Being accepted in Off the Beaten Path was a huge step for my self confidence.  There is a jurying process and you have to present your work to a group of the participating artists and talk about it.  Well, I am very shy and I was pretty much a wreck when I went to do this.  What if they didn't "like me" or think my work was good enough?  Oh my.  But they let me in and it was a great adventure.

The Studio Tour is still taking place and I was able to participate for three years (2006 - 2008).  It is only one weekend a year and folks drive to individual artists' studios and see where the artist works.  My studio is in our house and we live 8 miles (half of those on a dirt road) from the tiny rural town of Calico Rock (population at that time was 992) in a log home in the middle of the forest.

Amazingly, over 150 brave souls came to visit my studio each year.  And bought my quilts and other creations.  It was a wonderful fun time and I truly enjoyed watching and listening as people looked at my work.