South Mississippi Art Association 31st Annual Show

What a thrill to win two ribbons in our 31st anual art show (SMAA: www.southmsart.org) in Hattiesburg, MS, Dec. 8, 2007! It's always interesting to find a suitable category for my fiber art; if there is a "Mixed Media" category, I enter there; if not, "Other" covers it.

My "Sunrise in the Forest," a small landscape scene in an 8x10 mat with a 16x20 frame won a blue ribbon. "Return of the Trees" (17x22) won a red ribbon. It began as my 2007 Journal quilt but I withdrew it because I had not fallen in love with it in September when it was due. I later added more stitching and was satisfied with it.

But having a well-known collector, Sarah Gillespie, purchase "Slashed Trees" (21x19) was a very special honor. She has a large collection of artwork that was housed at William Carey University on the Gulf Coast. This gallery was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005 and funds are being raised to build a gallery on the Hattiesburg WCU (http://www.wmcarey.edu) campus to house her extensive collection. Fortunately, none of her artwork was lost in the storm, but this valuable collection is in storage and needs a permanent home where it can be enjoyed.