We’ve been working at outdoor art shows for about 14 years, It has been exciting and full of adventures and generally has paid off. We have been able to pay for motor homes that allowed us to pack all of our art, materials, tools, and show requirements like tents, weights, display cabinets, glass cases and chairs. Pair that with all of our personal things like clothes, food, personal effects, RV related tools and replaceables; well, we could and did travel the country jurying into and setting up to sell our art at some of the most scenic locations in America!
In 2019, Wendy estimated that we stayed in our L.A. home just under 12 weeks. In 2020, we decided to sell our home and move into a full time motor home. That decision and activity meshed to the day with the COVID shutdown!
Now 2025 is here. The RV is sold. Wendy and I built a custom mountain home with stunning views and our desire to create art is as strong as ever.
However, I will be 70 this year and Wendy will be …um… 39! Our urge to travel is still strong, but not nearly as strong as our backs!
We decided last year to invest less time on the road doing outdoor shows and more time to creating and selling our work in galleries and our internet site, wendykaydesigns.com
That goal took a seismic hit in late September 2024 when Hurricane Helene hit the western North Carolina region head on. We had just delivered our first batch of jewelry to the Southern Highlands Guild gallery at Biltmore Village a week before 19 feet of floodwaters destroyed that building and everything in it! Like every artist that had work in the gallery, we lost everything plus any chance of sales at four Fall local art shows that were cancelled because of Helene.
Two weeks ago was our first outdoor show since July 2024 and maybe our only outdoor show this year. Images in New Smyrna Beach is an early January Florida show that is usually good for us depending on the weather and we were excited to get ready and go simply because the mountain weather had become snowy, icy and very cold.
Muscle memory is not very closely aligned with brain memory and that thought crystallized the morning I loaded up all of our show gear. The temp that morning was a brisk 7 degrees and the tent that normally weighs 50 pounds felt like an icy 100. The four weights to hold the tent in place normally weigh in at 60 pounds each but I could only load them into the car by dragging! Love to say that this maneuver was made easier because of the snow and ice on the ground, but don’t want to lie unless it is in my favor!
So it went until the car was full with the requisite show equipment. Drove home from the storage unit to complete our loading with clothes, art, tools and the minimum food and water to make the 10 hour trip.
And Wendy. Can’t ever forget to make space for the Bosslady!
We arrived at our designated space in New Smyrna Beach on Friday morning, a day after a historic winter storm left 6 inches of snow all along the southern Gulf Coast. We unloaded the show equipment and set up our 10 X 10 booth with temps in the mid 30’s and a steady 20 mph northern wind. The show started at noon and the best way to describe that opening was ‘cruel and unusual!’
Our biggest fear was that someone would risk hypothermia by taking off 3 layers of garments and want to try on some of our wearable art! Fear because that would mean one of us would have to take off gloves and at least one jacket to assist!
We pretty much wrote off our chances of a good show on Friday, but the weather improved Saturday and Sunday bringing out some collectors and fans that made our show a success.
At close of show on Sunday, we broke our booth equipment down and loaded it into our car pretty much in reverse order it came out on Friday morning. Drove home to the mountains, unloaded every thing back into storage and our home, then spent 2 days recovering.
Which is along story to get to this point; Wendy and I invested roughly eight days prepping for, getting to and setting up for, working the show, breaking down and driving home, unloading and then resting after a single show.
How in the name of traveling artists souls did we do this when we did 25 to 30 shows a year?
Somethings are going to change and we are in that mode now. We will continue to work indoor art shows for the Southern Highland Guild and probably a few local outdoor shows. We are working on an updated website and actively searching for galleries that will showcase our art like Lucy Clark’s Gallery in Brevard North Carolina.
Because you have read this far, we believe that you are fans or family worried that we may want to move in with them! Please know that we can’t and wont ever forget everyone that has made our adventure a success!
As we make this transition we will probably not be working art shows in your area but that does not mean we do not care! Please visit our website and the galleries we will advertise. Or email us with design ideas and stories we can relay and transform into our blogs.
We know that each of you have been vital to our growth over the years and don’t want anyone to fall out as we make this turn!