In so many ways, Carol Law Conklin symbolizes what our Open Houses are all about. She exudes character – honesty, creativity, the sometimes forgotten passions of rural life. She is a former dairy farmer, she has one cow she loves who remains with her and is 12 years old, along with a Llama and her husband Dick. She works in the very difficult and specialized art of batik and creates work that is as beautiful and inspiring as it is meticulously prepared.

We have come to love Carol as well as deeply respect her work. She is the real deal. The is authentic, unassuming, full of warmth and perception. There is something so very real and open about farmers, I am coming to see the creative spark burns so brightly in many of them.

Carol is selling scarves, prints, batiks at our Open House, and she is, in some ways, our poster girl. Rural life is deep and rich in the art it produces, from from the swanky museums of the big cities. Carol’s work evokes animals, mysticism, the deep roots of the farm, of horses, cows and sheep. We are very lucky to know her and to have her work at our Open House. She will be here Saturday and Sunday. You can see videos explaining her work on Maria’s website.