Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Show - Saturday, 5/31/08

The second Saturday - an exciting day with good sales and good friends, culminating at 5:30 p.m. with our annual Artists' Picnic. Mayor Joe Riley and Ellen Dressler Moryl, Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Charleston, were special guests; we presented Mayor Joe Riley with a Proclamation, read by Artist Tate Nation. Below are the "Big Five."

Billie Sumner and Victoria Platt Ellis are the Coordinators of the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibit, and their hard work all year long pays off - each year, this juried show gets better and better. Here they are, hard at work before the picnic:

Today was a surprise for Billie Sumner who has coordinated this Art Show since its inception over 25 years ago. She was honored with this framed official 2008 Piccolo Spoleto poster created by Dr. Richard ("Duke") Hagerty, especially inscribed by the Artist, by Ellen Dressler Moryl and by Mayor Riley:

There on hand for the food and festivities were Tommy, Billie's husband - such an Art Show trooper and so supportive all these years - together with their lovely daughter!


Some of the artists ending a beautiful (but hot) day in the park and enjoying the good food and Cuban music:

Colleen Weissman, Hilary Lambert and Husband and Joyce Hall

The fun started long before the 5:30 picnic. My friends, Artist Lynne Hardwick and her husband, Tony, and I began our afternoon with a "Mango Moment." The term, "Mango Moment" was born last year at the art show when the three of us discovered a weakness for Italian ices of only the mango variety. I personally believe the mango ices have a beneficial, even euphoric, effect on our physical and emotional health, and I think Lynne and Tony would agree with me. We've experienced it first-hand - quite different from a glass of wine but, in my opinion, just as fine. There's nothing quite like the frozen brain syndrome of too much ice that travels suddenly to chill the brain -there's nothing you can do but "ride the wave" of the Mango Moment when the brain encounters the shock of the undiluted ice. What a great de-stressor (after all, how can you think of anything else at that moment)! On the other hand, when supplies are low at the Italian Ice Cart, we have to breathe deeply and remind ourselves that "it's only an Italian ice, not the end of the world..." There appeared to be a crisis looming when there was only enough mango for one. But Tony and Lynne being kindhearted, split it between the 3 of us:

Blogger and Artist Friends share a Mango Moment

Thankfully, later this afternoon, after several hours of discussion and investigation into the recurring unavailability of mango, Tony found a reliable supplier for us, with enough for each of us to enjoy our own Mango Moment for the rest of the show.

One of the most fun parts of being at this art show is the festive atmosphere and the friends that come by to see me! My CPA, Harry Jones, and his wife Gwen came by:


followed by my dentist, Dale Finkbine (also an artist):


Then came Bob, Lynn and Will Henry Lawrence:


My cousin, Katherine Whaley and her friend, Erin:


Howard and Sandra Rambo:



And what great fun to see and be around Callie Sanders and her grandmother, Boo Wilson (one of my close friends). They are far more fascinated with each other than with anybody's art. And that's how it should be...