Today I set up my handmade rustic furniture in the Expo hall at the Indiana State fairgrounds. This year, I haveve a double booth and am not doing a demonstration. In the past, demonstrating had led to a neglect of visitors to my booth, as I tend to become single-mindedly focused upon what I am making. I hope to be able to interact more with visitors and hopefully generate more sales. As in the past, my lovely sister Cindy Haverstick will help me.
Right now, with the economy being what it is, production of handmade rustic willow furniture as served to clog my shop with inventory as I find myself unable to stop making it. This winter, I have been able to rest my weary joints by sitting by the fire in my shop. The fire in my wood stove is quite seductive, but my obsessive/compulsive nature coupled with the habit of always being short of inventory pulls hard at me. I feel rested, and ready to once again go full bore with production. My constant recycling has also lead to my shop being overly clogged with raw materials, and my favorite thing is to gather, gather, gather.
A little crazy? I do believe I have a double dose of the beaver/squirrel gathering gene. I probably could benefit from some Thorazine.
I met up with my other Nickel Plate Boys today at the Big Hat bookstore and gallery for a photo shoot with Bruce Neckar, John Reynolds and John Bundy to have a group picture done by our buddy professional photographer Wilbur Montgomery. Wilbur was able to wrangle us through his sheer size into posing for a photo. We are not a very scintillating group, but Wilbur will make us look better than we are in real life.
All these preparations will lead to a National event, the release of Brian Kimberling's debut novel, Snapper, which chronicles the misadventures of a southern Indiana birdwatcher. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Brian will do a release party and book signing at the Big Hat Bookstore and Gallery April 23, starting at 4:30 PM. Upstairs, the Nickel Plate boys will have paintings, handmade rustic willow furniture, and hand carved duck decoys on exhibit. Our exhibit will last through the summer.
As an added treat, the Poison River Boys will be playing their wonderful bluegrass music. It should be a night to not be missed.
1 comment:
Hi Greg,
Greetings from England. I didn't know about the Nickel Plate Boys OR the Poison River Boys appearing at Big Hat until I read about 'em here on your blog. Made my morning. Nobody's looking forward to this event as much as I am.
See you on the 23rd,
Brian Kimberling
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