Fair or not?

'Who's In My Garden?' Fair entry - summer '06

Last year I entered a Fractal in the Art Fair. I guess we are kinda backward here, there were only 4 entries for 'Computer Generated Art' (which was classed as 'handicrafts' rather than 'fine arts'.) I came in 4th...hey it was a $2.50 premium! Sadly, when they were hanging my picture, they dropped it and smashed the glass, messed up the frame, scratched both the print and the mat... a total of about $75 worth of damage. But I got a yellow ribbon. Someone encouraged me to do it again, lol! So I did...

I picked up the print in plenty of time this year, as opposed to the evening before it had to be framed, etc. and submitted. But being a procrastinator is my specialty. I was at the frame shop the day before it was due, begging new glass from the manager ($36! again), but he did offer to put it all together if I left it overnight. Lots of negotiating and discussion as to which end is up, etc. I picked it up the next day and upon inspection I found that they had placed the wire hangers in the wrong edge. They were showing it in portrait format when I had clearly instructed landscape. So I had to wait and wait for them to switch it over and then made a mad dash to be in line by the last minute... only to wait for nearly 2 hours, standing in a hot, dusty, mosquito-y area with 50 other people who each had 20 items to submit. Yes, I only had one item :(

They remembered me! Well, they remembered dropping my picture and smashing the glass. They promised to take better care of it, and luckily they did! The glass was still intact, and it was hung out of the reach of kids, so I get to actually hang this one on my wall. My competition? :( Not a single other entry in Computer Generated Art. So I win the blue ribbon (and the $4.00 premium) for persistence! Does it count? I don't know...

But I have a blue ribbon :)