"2015 Greyhounds Reach the Beach" Special Events:

WINE & CHEESE on Thurs. Oct. 8, from 6 to 8 PM. (Homemade cheese sampling)

COFFEE & BAKLAVA on Sat. Oct. 10, from 9 to 11:30 AM. (Homemade Baklava from a REAL Greek, my hubby's art!!)

LOCATION: 111B Dagsworthy St, Dewey Beach, DE (Oct 2015)

I (Deborah Masouras) will be presenting 4 inspiring batiks in the "2015 Greyhounds in Art" show. If I could, my art would eventually replace the entire walls of my home. But an artist has to be able to let their work go, regardless of their attachments to it, knowing that they will never earn back the money for their time, all in order for it go to someone who truly appreciates it. It is hard! I know that in the past I have purchased a painting, one that I truly value to this day, from an artist who said she regretted selling it in her blog.

Appreciation is an important value to an artist when selling their work. Money too!

I have never vended at GRtB and I am offering other batik artwork, creative t-shirts, and awesome kits for assembling your own 3D greyhound at two SPECIAL events at 2015 GRtB in LIMITED quantities. Whatever may not sell at these events will become available on my ETSY site (Beppi Fine Art & Batik) after Oct. 16, 2015.

BATIK: In an effort to loosen my tight drawing style, I endeavored to teach myself batik (painting on fabric using wax as a resist to applications of dyes), a purely chaotic and unpredictable medium. Unfortunately, I think I may have tamed it, though with often-fabulous effect. I will be offering 10 to 11 simpler batiks and 1 additional gallery-level piece at 111B Dagsworthy.

T-SHIRTS: Over the many years of attending Dewey, staying in a houseful with good friends and their greyhounds, I have created an arsenal of t-shirt designs for my housemates to silkscreen for themselves at each event. I am selling limited quantities and sizes of 3 of my t-shirts designs: "Velveteen Annie", "Kings Over Jacks", and "The Dewey Bunch". I do hope these will sell out at GRtB, so if you want to PRE- or POST- order, please pop me an email at BeppiFineArt@gmail.com with size and design. If I get sufficient orders, you will be notified.
T-shirts are $20 each, with $5 shipping.

3D HOUNDS: My husband, Luke, is a super-intelligent, inquisitive, incorrigible gadget freak. When he and another small business owner decided to buy into a 3D printer, I was afraid my home would fill up with plastic nonsense. Thankfully, the printer has been put to very practical usage and amazing engineering. For me, I was able to take a series of sketches and develop 3D greyhound "paper dolls" (cockroaching, standing, running), where you can choose the leg configurations and then assemble and rotate the pieces.

I'M BACK!!!!!! Thanks to the nagging encouragement of Jen Z. and Mary D., I am resuming writing this blog. I think?? I apologize to my loyal followers for the extreme lapse in this blog.

Often life throws up roadblocks, and you either stay safely behind them stuck in traffic, or you find an alternate route to move on. You either Succumb or Overcome. And to overcome, you sometimes need a focus on which to apply your anger, sadness, and frustration. For me, I am lucky enough to have my art, my husband, and my greyhound.

I have been attending the "Greyhounds Reach the Beach (GRtB)" event in Dewey Beach, DE since 2004. I was overjoyed that eventually a "Greyhounds in Art" show made its appearance at this annual event. It has been a privilege to discover the many different ways this majestic creature has been portrayed in art, from mention in the Bible to Renaissance artwork to Dewey Beach!

One year, I brought samples of my artwork to the event organizer, Lynn Roick, only to be disappointed in finding the event was discontinued. Thankfully this show has been resurrected for 2015, and I am finally going to be a part of it!!!

I haven't been in an art show since my late teens. At the age of 12, I apprenticed under a master glassblower, and by the age of 14, I was presenting and demonstrating at my first craft show, on a simple table assembled from discarded palettes collected from a nearby cow field. The farmer even used his tractor to transport the palettes to the show tent. I never realized how much work and effort my parents put into organizing and setting up these shows for me. Until now!

A show is much more than merely creating artwork. There are the endless tasks and costs of marketing, signage, framing and presentation, show display, packaging, and (my favorite) schmoozing! Thankfully I had the advice of Jen Z., who presented her beautiful pastel drawings and printmaking at an earlier Dewey art show. Thoughts of lighting, backdrops, extension cords, hooks, signage, pricing, and the many other tiny details become overwhelming. But this challenge helped me learn, expand, and move further beyond those roadblocks. I am thankful and blessed for this experience! CHECK ONE item off my bucket list!