ArtFest 2008 and Port Townsend, Washington

As I was looking through my picture files for images from past ArtFests I've attended, I came across a photo I took at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA that I liked. It was one of those moments of serendipity when a rainbow glowed above the dorm buildings where I was staying during Art Fest. Finding a group of people that shares your passion for art is a fantastic thing. Meeting and taking classed from artists that are well known in the mixed media art world is inspiring, almost like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. That is what ArtFest is. This photo was taken from the Commons area, where the dining hall, deli and various meeting rooms are. You can get your latte up until the afternoon at the deli and later than that during the Summer months.

Port Townsend is a colorful, Victorian seaport town along the Washington coast. I've added a link, if you've never visited the Olympic Peninsula make sure you add it to your 'places to see before you die' list. Fly in to Seattle, rent a car and spend a week going around the peninsula. Make sure you have reservations though, as it's not the kind of destination with Holiday Inns at every interstate crossing. There are no interstates and four lane roads are rare (only between Sequim and Port Angeles and even that goes back to two lanes in the middle for about 5 miles). Oh, and no Holiday Inns either. The Port Townsend web site is excellent as to what they have to offer in accommodations. More on the Peninsula some other time.

The Port Townsend Lighthouse is located on Fort Worden and is a short drive from the campus. You can park right in front of it and walk around it from the beach side at any time. The lighthouse itself is only open to visitors on certain days. There are many spots to get a nice picture of it and on most days with Mt. Baker in the background behind Whitbey Island. So today my journey for artistic self expression took me on a memory trip to Port Townsend. It's a favorite destination of mine at any time and I feel fortunate to live so close to it.

ArtFest 2007 Added Link

Today I realized that if I was going to mention something as interesting and creative as ArtFest then I should add a link to the Web site where you can find out more about it. Most classes are full, and all on campus living spaces are full. However, this is the time when some people discover that they can't make it and so you can always contact Teesha Moore (more in a minute) to see if there are cancellations. Teesha Moore, together with her artsy husband, is the creator of ArtFest. She also has a wonderful art magazine, and really way out there stamps, that you can find out more about on her site. I just ordered a special set of her Journal pages that will be shipped in January. A way to extend the holiday gift giving season to myself.
Save the link to ArtFest because in July 2008, they will update the site for ArtFest 2009. All the classes will be listed and everything else that is there right now as well. No one can send in their reservation money until after Labor Day, so everyone has enough time to chose their classes, etc. I've always wanted to attend ArtFiber Fest as well but it would involve getting in to a lot of things I've managed to not get in to so far. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. I love 'messing' with any form of art and love the vitality of the fiber work, but my poor "studio" doesn't have room for anything else. Oh, I forgot, I got in to needle felting last year and there is a bunch of that stuff in there already. A new stash of roving, lovingly searched, found and bid on on Ebay. Ebay is a wonderful resource for finding anything and usually the first place I go to look for some new interest or project.

Trying to be the Artsie Lady I always wanted to be

I promised myself that once the kids were grown I would have more time for art, and then I promised myself that when I retired from work, I would have more time for art. Well, it all happened as I planned or did it? Actually I still don't have enough time for art. Is it wrong to still be a social person. I love spending time at different activities with my friends and many of those activities don't involve art. Then I feel guilty, because I really want to get back to the projects I have piling up all over my 'studio'. It is so piled now I can hardly get in. So this new year's resolution is to clean up that room and get in there and use all those wonderful supplies I keep accumulating.
Also, it's time to send off the final payment for ArtFest 2008. I've attended the last 3 years and loved it. This will be my 4th year. I'll try and post some of the information from my ArtFest journal about the different classes I've explored over the years. ArtFest is a four day even held the end of March/start of April each year in Ft Worden in Port Townsend, Washington. Over 400 artsy people take over the Fort in a frenzy of trading art, exploring new interests, buying supplies and art on vendor night, and meeting other artsy people. It's an experience not to be missed. More on this later.
I've dabbled in so many forms of arts and crafts that I don't consider myself qualified to be any specific kind of artist. I wonder if that is OK. Everyone else seems to be able to label themselves as something. I usually call myself a dabbler. One interest leads to another and before I know it I have a whole new box of supplies and tools to put in that room. Oh my, that poor room.
Does anyone else find themselves experiencing the same problems? Let me know. I'm wondering if I need 'curing' or if I'm OK after all.