Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Back from the Ghoultide Gathering!...

We pulled into our driveway at about midnight last night after 2 long days of driving back from Northville, Michigan ~ the charming site of the Ghoultide Gathering. Luckily, the road home was an event-less stretch where the main challenge was to just keep those eyes open and alert! The road going, on the other hand, was a different story as our truck broke down in Nebraska. AAA came to the rescue, and after a few hours of slight mental meltdown, and the AC compressor plucked from the engine, we were mobile again. I was already overly tired from preparing for the show amidst the construction zone we've been living with here at home. So, you could have called it the icing on the cake, but it wasn't very sweet! Luckily however, we arrived in plenty of time to set up for our show, connect and reconnect with fellow artists and get a teeny bit of sleep before the doors opened to the Halloween fans. After our long journey, it was a pleasure just to reach our destination with time to spare. Seeing all our friends, both artists and collectors was truly the icing on the cake, and of course it all flew by so very fast that I keep replaying it in my mind as to remember all the fun we had.

We snapped as many photos as time would allow, but I always wish I had more to share. My photos below feature the fellow artists that I exhibited with in the historic church at Mill Race Village. I captured most of the displays that surrounded my table, but did not have a chance to lug my tripod over to the other 2 buildings before the show opened. Luckily, many other images are popping up in blogland, so hop around for more perspectives as I know they are out there! Let's get started......

Johanna-Parker-Ghoultide-display
* That's me, the morning of the Ghoultide Gathering looking rather sleepy. Now you know why!..... I look forward to catching up on my zzzzzzzzz's, maybe in mid December! haha......

Ghoultide-Church-building
* Luckily, the Friday before the show was a beautiful day which allowed for an easy set-up. JP snapped this photo while the various artists inside the Church at Mill Race Village set up their individual tables. Unfortunately, the weather was less agreeable on Saturday morning, so we are grateful to all the loyal and determined collectors for getting up early in their layers and rain gear to stand in a chilly, wet mist.

Ghoultide-before
* JP set up our tripod on the church balcony and captured this photo right before the doors opened.

Ghoultide-Crowd
* And here's a glimpse of the frenzy after the show began..... You can see me and JP at the back right, looking up at the camera :)

Johanna-with-portfolios
* A view from my table looking out. I brought along my 2 portfolio books for folks to skim through....

JP-d'Andrimont-Ghoultide-Gathering
* Going back in time just a tad stands JP ready to meet and greet our collector friends.

Ghoultide-William-Bezek
* The talented William Bezek won best display! Congrats Will, it was sensational!

Ghoultide-Nicol-Sayre
* And Nicol Sayre and her lovelies won one of the runner up prizes, and it's no surprise! (Laurie Hardin won the other 2nd place price, but regretfully, I have no images from the cozy room she, Scott Smith and Pam Gracia shared)

Ghoultide-Star-Rug-Company
* Maria Barton of the Star Rug Company had a table full of delights right across from us! It was fun getting to know her :)

Ghoultide-Primdolly
* This is only half of the wonderful witches and ghouls that Sheila Bentley of Primdolly Designs brought with her to Ghoultide this year! We were side by side, and it was fun to chat in person, finally, and see all the amazing characters she creates.

Ghoultide-Jerry-&-Darla-Arnold
* The intricacy and vintage appeal of Darla & Jerry Arnold's spun cotton figures were just marvelous...

Ghoultide-Lori-Ann-Corelis
* Lori Ann Corelis had a yummy-colored harvest display of her endearing mohair animals all dressed for the Halloween season....

Ghoultide-Whimsical-Whittler
* Vaughn & Stephanie Rawson, the talented duo that make up the Whimsical Whittler had a display full of enchanting creations....

Ghoultide-Paul-Gordon
* A glimpse at some of the wonderful creations from Paul Gordon certainly made us smile and set the festive mood!

Ghoultide-Irene-Gates
* A burst of color from Irene Gates and her whimsical collages greeted visitors upon entering the church...

Ghoultide-Aaron-Lowe
* Aaron Lowe had a table full of colorful and imaginative felted designs that kept catching my eye...


Ghoultide-Mill-Race-Village
* And one more peek at Mill Race Village from the day leading up to the big event. Fingers are crossed that next year brings sun and clear skies all weekend!

Again, I just wanted to give a big thanks to Scott Smith & Stephanie & Vaughn Rawson for organizing such a stellar show! The caliber of work represented was phenomenal, and I was honored to be a part of the artists exhibiting. It was a joy to reconnect with many artists and finally meet others! We shared lots of laughs and stories, and all in just a few day's time. If only we could slow down the clock and have even more opportunities to chat and ponder all the amazing talent that we are each gifted with...... You all are such an inspiration....... And speaking of inspiration, I truly cherish all the collectors who stopped by and shared your sweet compliments. Whether you adopted an original or not, I appreciate your thoughts as you inspire me to continue dreaming and creating what I do. It was wonderful to see you and meet you!

~ Johanna

17 comments:

Nancy Malay said...

Great photos, Johanna! So wish I could have been there.

Nancy

Johanna Parker said...

We missed you Nancy!.... I was all gearing up to meet you..... Darn.... One of these years our paths will cross!

Glad you like the photos....
~ Johanna

Tamara Dozier said...

Love seeing your pics Johanna. I'm hoping to do this show sometime and meet all my fellow artists. Now go get some sleep, you deserve it!

Anonymous said...

Great photos and beautiful pieces!! It looks like a fantastic gathering. :) Thanks for sharing. I am sure that owl you had disappeared right away.

Jody H.

Carolee said...

Wonderful photos, and it was so great to finally meet you and JP, and see your amazing creations in person! I can hardly wait until next year!! :)

~ Carolee

LYNDY WARD said...

Wonderful PICs!!! Looks like you & JP had a SPOOKTACULAR time. Your show area & all your beauties looked fantastic.

Halloween Hugs,
Lyndy

Unknown said...

Eye candy GALORE!! You set a magnificent display. It was exciting to view the show through your eyes.

Lori

Len said...

Wow!

That "wow" was for the show and that you didn't have a melt-down!

Thanks for sharing all of the wonderful photos. I hope to see that show sometime.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos, Ghouldtide Gathering looks like a wonderful collection of artists and crafters! Incredible work, would love to get there one of these days!

Unknown said...

So glad you made it through the breakdown/meltdown and arrived safe and sound, albeit slightly sleepy. Love the photos, and that before and after crowd shot. OooEee! Looked like alot of Halloween admirers. :-)

~ Deb

William Bezek said...

I agree, it was rushed and that wedding party with the soggy bride on our heels to get out didn't help matters! The day before was so beautiful with a sunny sky...why oh why? Thanks for the pic of my table!

Kitty Forseth said...

Hi there! I knew you'd appear with an update soon.. yay!

So sorry to hear about the breakdown meltdown, ugh.. hope I didn't jinx you when I said to have an uneventful drive! Your pics are so beautiful, and your display, yowza!

Thank you for sharing with us, wish I could have seen you all :).

xo

Dianie said...

Wow, I am in awe of this eye candy! Everyone's table displays and art is amazing!
I love seeing the pic's of the crowd rush in.. All you artists brought magic and fun to so many, you can just see it in their expressions.

Thanks for sharing the fun :)

~Diane

Chicken Lips said...

Fantastic photos Johanna! Your display looks amazing! For those of us who couldn't make that long trek out there, we really appreciate the photos and commentary.

Christine LeFever said...

Johanna, You have totally captured my heart with your news about the famous Ghoultide Gathering. Wish I could do that show, but alas, I do no shows, because I am so not able to get up and around very early in the morning. I think being among the numerous talented artists as well as the smart buyers would be beyond exhilarating. Thank you for sharing. And, by the way, your art is heavenly.

Johanna Parker said...

You are ALL so very kind ~ Thank you for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments :)

~ Johanna

Cathy ~ Tadpoles and Teacups said...

One word....WOW! What a wonderful event! (Sorry for your car trouble on the way to the show, and I'm glad everything worked out!)