Thank you to my hometown of Bemidji and the Watermark Art Center for another fantastic year of "art in the park" for the Watermark Art Festival 2025!
As we wrapped up Sunday and I did my yearly trip down nostalgia lane, reminiscing of all the years of “Art in the Park” it dawned on me that my very first time participating in this show was TWENTY years ago in 2005- can you believe it?!
From the years I lived in Bemidji to the last 10years trekking back north every summer from Tucson- this community has welcomed and held Weston and I with open arms and not once shunned us for moving away. Each summer we shift back into local life, with a feeling like we never left. Checking in at all the local haunts and sharing stories with all the familiar faces- from our closest friends, to the teller at the bank and barista at the coffee shop.
Thanks for always welcoming us back into the community and letting us know that no matter where we rest our heads, Bemidji is always HOME!
I did a little digging and found a handful of photos showing just the last 10-ish years of my booth at Watermark Art Festival (and previously when it was Art in the Park). If you make it alllll the way to the end of this blog posting, you'll see a photo from my very first ever booth at Art in the Park: July 17th 2005. Back in my humble beginnings as I first struck out as an official jewelry business, which would later transform into a brick & mortar boutique and gallery in downtown Bemidji. Oh how time does fly!
Weston holding down the booth this year (2025). This photo and the cover photo taken by our friend Jessie, the Peculiar Painter herself- be sure to visit her lovely shop in Walker, MN where you can find my jewelry designs all year round!
The next few photos are from 2016 to 2024- showing the growth of my booth set up and display, and if you look close enough you can see the variety and style of my jewelry evolving along with me.
Last but not least- me working in my booth at my first Art in the Park (now called Watermark Art Festival) back in July 2005!!! As luck would have it this photo appeared to my Mom just as I was on the road heading from Tucson to Bemidji. The blue ribbon you see in the background was an "Honorable Mention" award the festival use to give out along with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place- 2 Honorable Mentions were also awarded. In my first few years of showing at the festival I was HONORED to win 3 different years!
