Nikolene, the Bedlam Farm Barn Fairy, graced the Creative Union/Affordable Art show at the Redux Gallery in Dorset, Vt. yesterday. People streamed in to Redux from all over the place – New Jersey, North Caroline, Pennsylvania, Long Island. Had some memorable encouters with people, including farmer Jeff Kimball and his wife Bunny, former dairy farmers who read the blog and came to see me and go find Ed Rouse, who they had met awhile back. It was great talking about family farms with them.  I’m very grateful Jeff follows the blog. Like many of the farmers I met, he was a good person to meet.

Nikolene was a smash – I think she is headed for Hollywood. I forgot to give her parents  – Ken and Eli – their Barn Fair notecards, but I will get them to them this week.We met a lot of people we loved seeing and talking to Mary Kellogg read a poem from her book “Whistling Woman.” Maria sold a ton of her “one-of-a-kind” potholders. I sold books, lots of notecards and Christine Nemec sold two her oil paintings. Go girl.

We had the nicest and most affirming time. I gave a talk about creativity and change and the weather was perfect I am very grateful to the people who came. Signed notecards are available from Redux, Maria’s potholders can be seen on her site, and Christine intends to spend more time painting. A great art show all around. We are thinking of converting one of the Bedlam Farm barns into a gallery space that Maria could oversee. That could be another step of the evolution of Bedlam Farm into a creative community of encouragement, one of my dreams from the beginning, and now one Maria and I share.

We learned today that some artists in Glens Falls are getting together to create a new kind of art gallery – Gallery 99 – selling art that costs less than $100 in the renovated Empire Theater Building on South Street. I can’t wait to get involved and support this in every possible way. They are thinking about a February show. We’ll be there.