Athena Dreams Design: Kelly Barton .:. Her Vision of Squam (the show)

my squam story is a a simple one and maybe you had a similar journey.

i am mama to three pixies who i love so. when they were young i stayed at home and found myself becoming very bored, so i decided that i would put my 8th grade home ec experience to use and began sewing. from there my creative journey blossomed and i ended up heading back to college to finish up a degree in graphic design. our projects at that time were all created by hand. i loved sitting there meticulously placing each letter and filling them in with my prisma markers. i also took a watercolor illustration class and that was when i decided that along with graphic design....i had to paint.

"splash" by Kelly Barton

for many years, i would do creative things. i had a couple of booths at local fairs, sold items to family and a small number of friends. i worked as a graphic designer for a small marketing company, here in our little town and again, i was becoming bored (heads up...are we catching the theme here).

so, after months of working to position ourselves so that i could freelance, i sucked it up and gave my 2 weeks notice. i was FREE! well, sort of.

through the land of ye' internet, i had found a little pod of blogs. and it was then that i eventually came upon "squam...the virgin voyage. i yearned to go. i had no clue if it was what i needed or would fulfill this gaping hole that i had. you know what...i did.

i hopped a plane heading from the land of corn to the land of squam. i can't even express how stinkin' excited i was, knowing that in a few short hours i would be meeting up with nothing but artistic, creative, welcoming, gorgeous souls. i met up with my carpooling chicks, jenna and sue. we stopped at the general store to pick up lunch and snacks. as i milled around taking in all the goodness, i heard a..."kelly?"...i turned around and there she was, miss athena dreams, herself. i still get teary thinking about what that moment forged. just like meeting the other two hamilton girls, tracey and sarah. finally getting to meet liz lamoreux and so many others. it was just what the girl from middle indiana needed.

so when liz and susan handed each of us the opportunity to be part of a juried gallery show, i was so happy to send in a few pieces. my favorite part of this journey, was getting to look through the images of new friends pieces of art. i would sit there in wonderment, amazed at all the talent that sat on the lake with me. my only reqret was that i didn't get to make it to the actual show. but i did get to attend the second year of squam art workshops. where i got to do it all over again.

"bad fog" by Kelly Barton

i think, for me, getting to meet, sit, merge with so many artists, from different walks is my true blessing. it is what we each need. maybe we need this for different reasons, but we need it and by giving this to ourselves, to each other...we give and receive a gift. and i have seen, first hand this gift being passed on.

so if you haven't yet, and you are still pondering this opportunity. c'mon do it. give yourself a little gift. elizabeth has created the perfect little spot and loves watching each of us bloom.

-Kelly Barton

You can find Kelly at her etsy shop Happy Girl 64 or her blog The Camp

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This is the third in a series of essays/interviews/words from one of the artists that participated in the first A Vision of Squam Art Show that took place in September 2009 at artstream gallery in Rochester, NH. This year the show will be hosted by the Sandwich Artisans Guild gallery.