Elliott County’s 2nd annual Minnie Adkins Day

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This should be a ton of fun! Visit Little Sandy Lodge on July 18th. Over 60 vendors will be present with a variety of work including folk art, fine art and crafts. Some of the vendors include:

Minnie Adkins

Bonita Skaggs-Parsons

Pam Oldfield Meade

Rebecca Miller Campbell

Ron Gevedon

and many, many others.

In addition, some gallery collectors will be present with past works available for sale. This should be a fantastic event for folk and fine art enthusiasts!

A Day in the Country 2015 (In Pics)

 

The first weekend in June just might be my favorite time of the year. There is for sure a lot to see & hear if you happen to be in Morehead, Ky. I could tell you how amazing, dynamic and interesting all the art was, how nice it was to see artists explaining their work to enthusiasts and to see collectors acquiring pieces by their favorites, but I think I’ll just let the photos speak for me. If you’re interested in what you see, make plans to attend next year’s Day in the Country at Morehead Conference Center in Morehead, Ky. You won’t be disappointed! (Visit the links below the photo gallery for more information about participating artists.)

 

A Day in the Country | June 6th | Morehead Conference Center


Anthony Hayes

Billy Keith Solar Art

Bonita Skaggs-Parsons

Bruce New

Guy Purcell

Janice Harding Owens

Jo Neace Krause

Josh Huettig

LaVon Van Williams

Lonnie & Twyla Money

Craig & Madeline Carey

Minnie Adkins

Robbie Mueller

Sandy Hall

Tom & Shelley Steck

Steve Armstrong

Steve Moseley

Tami Booher

Tony Dotson

A Day in the Country | 2015

This time next week, I’ll be toting my creations to Morehead, Ky and setting up my space for the 2015 Day in the Country at Morehead Conference Center. This is my 2nd year participating in the event which was originally conceived of and put forth by well-known folk artists, Minnie and Garland Adkins. Eventually A Day in the Country, held at the couple’s home on Happy Gizzard Hollow, became so well attended Minnie asked the Kentucky Folk Art Center to manage it. In recent years, the Morehead Conference Center has become the home of A Day in the Country. It is Kentucky’s premiere folk art fair and brings together more than 50 folk artists from around the state. I am honored to have my name listed as a participant and to have my work offered at this event. As a lover of folk art, it is truly special to me.

AND…this was the show I couldn’t get out of my head last year. I think I talked about it all year long to anyone who would listen. The quality of the artwork was astounding and mesmerizing and all those descriptive terms you try to think of when looking at really moving works of art. If I had to recommend one show to the truly passionate (folk) art collector, this is the one! I say (folk) art collector — because even if you’re primarily a fan of fine art, the pieces that can be found at A Day in the Country, just might broaden your idea of folk art. And if you already love the grit of folk art, you’ll love this show. PLUS—there’s so much more that will be happening that day! You’ll have the opportunity to bid on pieces of artwork donated by the participating artists (including moi!) during a silent auction and during a live auction. All proceeds benefit the Kentucky Folk Art Center. Trust me, this is an amazing opportunity to pick up some artwork at sometimes a steal and feel good about supporting a center committed to representing local self-taught artists. There will be music, food and an outdoor craft market in addition to a private area for collectors to sell or swap pieces from their current collections! In addition, June 6th will be the first day of the Kentucky Folk Art Center Museum’s summer exhibition titled, “Come We to the Summer”. I am happy to announce that I will have a piece in this exhibit and that this is the very first time my work will be exhibited in a gallery show in Kentucky. Make sure to check out the Event Schedule below for more details about the happenings going on in Morehead on the 6th! I guarantee it will be a fun day!

See photos from A Day in the Country 2014.

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Popularity

There is one post in particular on my blog that is more popular than any other page or post. And it has absolutely nothing to do with my dolls or artwork. This post, a story about growing up searching for morel mushrooms at the feet of my Dad, is the most visited post on my blog. Even now, years after I originally published the story, comments are active.

In my web statistics, I can see that lots of folks are still interested in searching for morel mushrooms in Kentucky. Traffic to my site begins to pick up in March & continues through April & on into May.

What can I say, lots of people love morels. And lots of people love the search for the morel. By this time, after a couple of searches I sometimes close my eyes and see the texture of the morel mushroom. They’re hard little buggers to spot.

 

RedbudandMorel

 

With heavy leaf fall and lots of similar textures on the ground it is sometimes very hard to see these little things. It’s no wonder that some mushroom gatherers carry walking sticks with a morel mushroom carved into the wood. Rather than identifying shape, it’s more the texture that you’re looking for. In fact, when I spot a mushroom, the best way to describe it is that my eyes accidentally “bumped” into it. Amongst all the leaf litter my eye just happens upon something more substantial.

So far this year we’ve only found a few mushrooms. One of the most thrilling experiences I’ve ever had was when my husband and I found over 150 in one spot! I was like Gretel, picking up pieces of candy from the Kentucky hills. I followed a whimsical, twisted path, plucking mushrooms from the ground every few seconds. If they had led me into the deepest darkest valley I would have followed joyfully and never made my way back out.

There isn’t much that can beat a warm, sunny spring day in Kentucky. Redbuds in bloom are often breathtaking and bloom about the same time as many other native trees, including the dogwood. This almost always coincides with the mushroom hunting season. And I swear, it can be breathtaking!

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The most common search terms for today & yesterday! I love this!

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