"A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship is for."

I've been wanting to design, burn, and paint this Lazy Susan for a year, and finally had time this summer while visiting with my children. I love nautical themes and I found a sentiment that is very fitting for this red, white, and blue design. You can find it on my Etsy shop here.

"The town that time forgot"

     I had the pleasure of meeting friends in a little town in north/central Utah called Spring City. This town is made up of original pioneer homes and out buildings that have been preserved and enhanced, filled with people committed to being a community of lovers of beauty. That sounds kind of lofty and the Spring City folks might laugh at that description of them, but they are artists in every sense of the word. Whether it is in their home, their garden, their oil paintings, their sculpture, their live radio show, their cooking, or their interactions with others, they have a love for art and its effect on people. I fell in love with this town and the people that I met.
     While there, we attended a live radio show that four people who have had this dream for many years made a reality this year. In a beautiful little theatre attached to one of their homes, a set which is a replica of the town graces the stage accompanied by local music and theatre talent who meet each week to air live on a local radio station, a program modeled after Prairie Home Companion. It's called, "Life Under the Horseshoe".  This is their website Horseshoe mountain is the backdrop for this bucolic town and a symbol for its residents. I enjoyed the radio show so much, and was so inspired by the creators whose dream this was, that I wanted to create something for them. So, I took their promotion logo and created a plaque which I am thrilled to hear is hanging in the lobby of their theatre. What a lovely moment for me to have received from my friend, a picture taken of them opening up my gift. Here is the plaque:

This a picture of the creators of the show opening up the gift. I love their faces.

This is a picture of us, our children, and our friends in the audience of the radio show. Notice the charming theatre and set.

This is a town, that someday I want to live in or at least paint in. It's magical because of the people who live in it.