exciting news!

This is the view from my back yard that I see every morning when I let my puppies outside... The sun is usually just coming up, like it's greeting me... this is my favorite way to start the day.

 So onto the exciting news..............
A few days ago I was contacted by a guy named Adam who owns a liquor store in OKC called The Wine Gallery.  I had signed up for newsletters about upcoming wine tastings/art shows. He said he liked my paintings and asked if I would be interested in hanging a few in his store for the month of May. Of course, I said I would absolutely love to (and then I jumped up and down in my living room and squealed really obnoxiously loud)... so now the preparation begins :)
I stopped by the store yesterday in between classes to meet him and check out the spaces available. The store is great and has a good flow to it... it's a pretty pale purple which works well with the black metal wine racks. It's also not crowded like most liquor stores, it's got plenty of room for browsing. The best part is that there are two great places right at the very front of the store, on either side of the front door, to hang large pieces. So although I have a few pieces that could do there, I really want to create a few new that will go well with the store and maybe even a few wine themed.
I also need to redo my business cards. I have a bout 250 i ordered through vista print last year but they don't have my phone number on them and the only contact, other than my email, is my etsy shop. And the more I think about it, the more I'm not really all that into Etsy anymore. At least not like I used to be. I've only had three sales on etsy, and I've found word of mouth travels faster than relisting. It just seems a little crowded to me. So I really need a website, but I haven't quite figured out how to make a great one yet, so I may just spruce up my blog and add a nice shop tab to it and list this on my business cards, along with my phone number and email. My darling little sister has already designed 4 lovely cards that I'm having a problem deciding between! I think I've narrowed it down to two, I'll post pictures tomorrow :)
Another great part of this is that Adam does monthly wine tastings. At April's wine tasting, he's asked me to be there painting and introducing myself to customers. Which makes me excited, yet nervous at the same time! I typically paint in my house, or out on my porch when I have the house to myself... so I think my plan is to get a painting started and at a good halfway point before the tasting, that way they can see the process of it, and I can paint little bits that don't require concentrations, while chatting.
It's going to take a lot of work in the next month to get every piece perfect and ready for public display but I feel like I have a good plan and I couldn't be happier! I'm so grateful to Adam for giving me this opportunity! Hopefully I can repay him by telling everyone I know to go see my art and buy a few bottles of wine :)

pretty flowers in the back yard (random)

Today is going to be a fun day for me... my homework for the week is done, I have the meeting with Kristin in the Plaza District at noon, then it's off to Michael's to stop up on canvas! I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress of the new paintings throughout the month so I can get your feedback :)
Thanks for all the support! I really appreciate that you take the time to read my rambles :)