Umpqua Valley Wine, Art and Music Festival 2010

Jewels for Wine 30x24 acrylic ©Sandi Whetzel

What a great time I had at the 2010 Umqua Valley Wine, Art and Music Festival held on the lush grounds of the Umpqua Community College campus Sept. 11 and 12 in Roseburg, Oregon. The painting pictured here is Jewels for Wine, which I used on my postcard invitations for the event.  I met many new friends who came to my art booth and I even sold a good amount of art.  Much to my delight, many people expressed interest in my up-coming line of wine-themed art apparel.  It has been a challenge to get crisp, clean representation of my brilliant colors printed on fabric at affordable prices but I am hopeful that it will all come together soon.  Then I can post about that.

During this wine festival I unveiled my latest painting, "...and Let There Be Wine!"  It was conceived and created to submit to the Umqua Valley Winegrowers Association as a possible new logo for their organization.  The winegrowers committee has met once but will not convene again to make a decision until after the October grape harvest.  I am still in limbo regarding the logo contest, but that painting was very well received by viewers at the Wine Festival.

This summer has been a very busy one for me.  I have had art displayed at the Umpqua Valley Art Association's ARTrageous Annual Summer Arts Festival the last weekend of June in Roseburg, at La Bagette Cafe in Ashland, OR during the months of June and July, at Organicos Natural Cafe, 226 E Main St., Medford, OR, August through October and in the vacant storefront on Jackson St, Roseburg during the months of July and August.  On Saturday, September 25, I will exhibit my wine-themed art next to the Clay Potential shop on Main Street in Riddle, OR as part of the Riddle Harvest Festival.  That event will be from 10 am to 5 pm and the admission is free.

I also attended an opening reception for my art Sept. 3rd at the Gallery at Lithia Springs Resort, 2165 W Jackson Rd, in Ashland, OR.  It was a part of Ashland's diverse First Friday Art Walk.  I met some wonderful people who showed up for the wine tasting reception and I even sold a painting.  That exhibit will run through the end of October so I will be attending a second First Friday Reception at Lithia on October 1st.  But it doesn't end there.  I will exhibit at the Seven Feathers Convention Center, 146 Chief Miwaleta Lane, Canyonville, OR on October 16th as part of the South Douglas County Festival of Arts.  I started exhibiting on Sundays at Henry Estate Winery September 26 and October 3rd and I'll be there again Sunday,  October 10th to exhibit inside the winery as part of their free wine tasting and concert. And just this morning the owner of Brix 527 restaurant on Jackson St., Roseburg,  asked me to display my art in her restaurant during the months of January and February, 2011.  Whew!  I'd better get back to work.