Because my small business supported the Christmas Angel, one of the perks was getting space for a vendor booth at the Annual Starlight Gala. “The Starlight Gala is a celebration of artists using their gifts to shine light into the world. Through performance and creative expression, we gather as a community to support Lighthouse for Life and their work bringing freedom, healing, and hope to survivors of human trafficking. When art and compassion unite, even the darkest places can be illuminated.”

My daughter E.K. had been making these felt stuffed creations and small nature watercolor paintings, so I thought we could both use the booth. I ordered a table from the library of things, had M pick it up (thanks M!), and found objects around the house I could use to display the art – a large drawer, two toddler bed rails, my oil painting easel, an art board, and a drawing board. E.K. used our old band pink suitcase, some recycled party decorations, a small table, and our napkin basket. We also used tablecloths and a small bit of lace.

I sold a couple of pieces, and E.K. just about sold out! Her sales pitch was “Hello, I’m raising money for my dance fund. Would you like to buy?” It was so straight to the point, and nine times out of ten people bought. It was fantastic!

I found a lot of my printmaking to take for the art booth. One of the pieces I sold was a man with a set of lenses or type of smartphone connected to his face.

The young couple who purchased the work asked me about it. I had to think back because I had made the piece over twenty years ago. I told them it was an idea I had of a man who could create his own world or reality through theses lenses or cameras with things he saw and what he chose to record or not. They looked at me politely, but seemed a little underwhelmed by my explanation. I realized later when I thought about it that it would have been very relevant to say “I made it in 2004 before smartphones came out, so it seemed like a novel hypothetical at the time.” It reminded me of an old gentleman I worked for many years ago that would often tell me how he thought of this thing or that before it was mass produced. I didn’t realize the significance of that until now. We can see the direction the culture is headed and see the obvious implications of technology. With enough time however, the wonder of gadgets fades and we have a vague feeling we should have a least received a check for all the trouble. The human heart seems boundless in its ingratitude!

There were some amazing dance performances! So, here’s a few photos of the Nova Ballet Theatre dance troupe taken by Sean at So’ Creative Studio of the dancing.