I may have the cutest beagle ever....

This has been a busy week for me. I am in the second week of a three week statistics course, the final summer course I will be taking this year. Since May I have completed five course, each in the span of three weeks and I am now feeling slightly burnt out from school. On the bright side though as of August 6th I will have a whole month to relax before starting school in September.

The second reason for my busy week is that the Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival is on Sunday. I have about fifty five new works which I plan on displaying. Last night my boyfriend Ty and I laid out all the paintings to examine them for imperfections, and make any last minute touch ups. They look amazing when they are all laid out and I hope they get a good response at this years festival. I feel that my art has improved since last year, I am using more vibrant colors and my paintings have taken on a more modern twist. I have also painted several cats as those were the paintings that really took off last year!

Along with getting the art ready there are all the small details such as finishing my business cards, updating my website, and planning how to arrange my booth at the festival. Thankfully my family have been great each helping in their own way.

Despite all the work involved the Folk Art Festival is a wonderful experience. To be able to display my work at the same event as some of the most famous Nova Scotia folk artists is an amazing boost for my art. Each year my art sells more and more, and improves along the way. Also being at the festival is amazing because I can see the works of all the other artists, and can walk around and look before the crowds get there. The wood carvings and other art are truly fabulous, Nova Scotia is the home to some very talented people!

If you are in Lunenburg on Sunday come down to the arena and check out the great art on display!

www.novascotiafolkartfestival.com

My puppy Molly and I at the cottage.

Cruising around Chester

This past weekend we went to visit Ty's family on the south shore. They live in the small community of Western Shore between Chester and Mahone Bay. While there they took us out on their motor boat and we were able to see Chester and Chester Basin from the water. This is really the best way to see this area, as you see more than when you drive through town. The beautiful houses in Chester are truly amazing.

American Idol for Artists

A reality show for artists? last weekend my boyfriend and I were fighting over the remote, after he convinced me to switch the channel from HGTV, we stumbled on Work of Art: The Next Great Artist.

This is the first reality show where art is the competitive focus. Each week 14 artists are competing in challenges to produce a work of art in a set amount of time with specified subjects and mediums. Much like America's Next Top Model the contestants live together and work together and each week one is eliminated. The show is being produced by Sarah Jessica Parker and is a refreshing addition to the reality TV market.

After watching the first episode we were hooked and now it is programed into my TIVO each Saturday night!

http://www.bravotv.com/work-of-art/season-1/about

The Perfect Beach Day

On Friday we all took the day off and headed to Rissers Beach outside of Bridgewater NS. The temperature was sitting around 30 degrees, so we needed a place to cool down. Anyone who has been to Risser's knows that there is about a 50% chance that you will get there and the place will be covered in fog with icy water. Well we lucked out, all day was clear and the water was like taking a warm bath.

Swimming in the ocean is one of my favorite things in the world so I spent most of the day in the water with Ty while Liz tanned. My only worry all day was the thought of Jelly Fish, for some reason I have an irrational fear of them, but lucky for me all that was floating in the water was a bit of sea weed.

After six hours or so we decided we had better leave before we all burnt to a crisp. we grabbed a pizza and salad in Bridgewater and drove to our cottage in New Ross. The cottage is nestled in the woods on a small lake which we share with 12 other cottages.

We ended the day watching the sun set on the lake and comparing sunburns.

I have to say this was the best beach day any of us have had in years. Perfect weather, and perfect water made for a great day.

The weather this summer has been amazing and in an attempt to soak up all of it's glory we have been out and about as much as possible. Last week I needed to drop off some of my new art to the Spotted Frog Folk Art Store in Lunenburg, so my boyfriend Ty, my sister Elizabeth, and I made a day trip to the south shore. After dropping of my Art we headed to Mahone Bay to check out the Sunday Flea Market. The town was hopping with people enjoying the day. Ty's grandparents live in Western Shore which is very close to Mahone Bay and so we headed there for lunch. Corned Beef Casserole was on the menu, Ty loves the stuff but we now owe Elizabeth a favor! Later in the afternoon we headed back to Lunenburg to check out the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic and get a close up look at the Bluenose II. None of us had ever been to the museum so it was fun to explore together. Over all we had a fun and busy day on the South Shore, what a gorgeous place to spend a sunny Sunday.