Snus Hill Winery show drwas a big crowd

     The fall "Art at the Winery" show at Snus Hill Winery near Madrid, IA was Sunday, October 3.  This was the third time I've been part of this event, and -- as in the past -- thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.  John and Diane Larson, Snus Hill's owners , are wonderfully talented folks who know how to make great wine and serve it in a lovely country setting.  Being invited to bring my work and show it in the company of  20 other Iowa artists in such a fun location was a real treat.                             

     A variety of media was represented, including paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, fibers (there were several of us -- unusual compared to most of the shows I've been to lately), photography and even handmade soap and hand-carved gourds. Think T-shirts aren't an art form??  Think again.....Boone County screenprinter Diane Muse brought her quirky collection of hand-printed, limited-edition tees, aprons and tea towels.  My favorite -- the old catalog print (at left side of table) of a Singer sewing machine with the caption "Sew?".

     Of all the hats, bags, scarves, socks and mittens I brought, my absolute favorite was this yellow felted hat.  It was also the first thing to sell -- a good sign that the rest of the day would be busy and people would like what they saw. At  6 pm we packed up a lot less stuff that we had arrived with, and other artists seemed to echo my feeling that it had been a successful day.  The crowd was the largest I've ever seen at this show.  Lots of happy wine lovers seem to be happy art lovers, too.
     Many thanks to Cathy Huisman  (fiber artist) and Terry Dooley (watercolors) for their hard work getting this show organized, and most of all, thanks to all the folks at Snus Hill Winery for hosting the event.