I am back from the Houston Art Expo and it was a nice trip over - we followed Lucy right into Houston. The show was not as big as National, of course, but just as much fun. We saw all the usual "Big Brushes", Priscilla Hauser, Delane Lange, Peggy Harris, Tom Jones (the painter, not the singer - however, I would have been more excited to see the singer), Ginger Edwards, Janelle Johnson, Pat Lentine, and many more. I took only three classes (signed up for four but was bumped from the Delane Lange class - too many people, not enough surfaces - a long story). I painted calla lilies and a gold fish. The gold fish was painted a bit unusual but I know you are all going to love painting it in November with Peggy. I wish you could have seen the paintings in the auction - they were all beautiful. We went to a bar-b-cue (I am not a fan of bar-b-cue) and the food was delicous. And, of course, you know the best part was the sales floor. I didn't see anything new to report to you, mostly the regular things - lots of brushes and packets, a whole lot of wood items, new painting totes, painting with texture paste (I may demo this in the next few months), fabric painting and some products like Magic Mix that we have not used before. I think they had close to 500 attendees and since most were in classes when the sales floor was open, sometimes you almost had the place to yourself.
Although I knew we were going to Texas, I did not expect to find so many people from foreign countries working at the hotel. We had Luke from the Congo for our porter, Simon from Ethiopia was our shuttle driver (he has sinced learned what "Scatch Off" means), Omar from Russia was our TV repairman, Sandy from the Philippines was our plumber (no, we did not stop up the toilet or the tub - the tub didn't drain properly), Juan from Mexico was the air conditioning man, and we had someone from the Checkz Republic to help with the fridge but I don't remember his name but when he brought the fridge to our room he took one look and said "I had better get a bigger fridge", and then there was Lorraine from the east Indies as our waitress!!! We got to know all of them and I think we were a bunch of crazy old ladies to them.
I had some uplifting moments like when Fran and I were in the elevator with a woman in one of those motorized vehicles. That thing takes up a lot of space but we managed to get her in and then out. I helped her with her painting tote so she could haul tail down the long corridor with her painting tote pulled behind her. I got back in the elevator and just walked out of it on our floor leaving my painting tote in the corner of the elevator. Of course, when I realized I didn't have it in the room, I went racing out trying to find it on one of the five elevators. First, I tried the one we came up in but everytime I pushed the down button a different elevator door opened. Finally, I took one down and asked the front desk if a tote had been turned in. No - it was't there and I am almost in tears. So, I stood by the elevators running from one to the other pushing the down button and then pressing any floor number to get the elevators to go up so I could check the one we were in. I noticed several odd looks from some of the people in the lobby - but you know how possesive painters are about their supplies and I just knew my tote was still in that elevator. After about 7-8 times the elevator I wanted opened but no tote. I started thinking about all my valuables in my tote - my palette knife I have had for 23 years (given to me by Priscilla Hauser), my stylus from when I first started painting, my clip board I just recently finished, and Lord have mercy, my 1" square box of blush powder and my Krylon 18K gold pen - things I just can't live without. I went back to my room to just sit down and perhaps have a good cry but the ladies (Fran, Debbie, and Tracy) said let's go down and try again. Feeling a bit desperate, I told the desk clerk who I was and what I had lost - and thank the Good Paint Fairy - someone had turned it in. I guess it goes to show we have some wonderful honest people out there - or someone took a peek into the tote and saw the big mess and figured it wasn't something they needed (they didn't see the hundred dollars I kept hidden for the just in case - and it has since been removed). Whatever the reason, I am so happy to have it back. I am a firm believer that when you do good it always comes back to you.
That is it for my trip - I will let the others fill you in on what all they did and I will be posting pics as soon as I unpack everything.
Please come Saturday prepared with a variety of painting brushes (especially smaller ones) and your regular paint supplies. Each teacher will provide a surface, pattern, photo, etc. for the usual packet fees. Most do not go over two dollars. I may not be able to attend since my nephew is visiting and he leaves for the airport that day. If I have time I will come in afterwards. Happy Painting, yall.
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