Deb Trotter, Cowboy's Sweetheart

This is the Jacob Javits Center in NYC – and the 'home' of Surtex 2009.

I was told I should not take any pictures inside Surtex (although I see others doing so – ??? … I'm a newbie & don't know a ball of butter why), so all I have to share is this public domain image, along with this one, of Jeanna. (Thank you, Miss Jeanna, for being such a cooperative subject!)

The banner pretty much sums up the first "trend" we notice – as well as what we feel like.

~ Green ~

And I don't just mean the left over feeling from Wicked our first night in NYC. I mean lots of green everywhere at Surtex in the artists' & designers' booths. Especially green in backgrounds, patterns, and borders. Soft muted greens, rich warm greens, and "environmental" greens – mixed with pinks, blues, browns, and the occasional blue-grays.

I also mean we 'feel' green, as in "unknowledgable." Like, "You don't have enough brain juice to fill a spittoon," to quote my Grandpappy, in my days of youth.

We are also taken with all the bright golds and deep yellows. I love gold. It almost seems like a neutral to me. Tell me – what color doesn't look great next to gold (except maybe pink)? Especially red. Red and yellow? Talk about bold! I do see the occasional red and gold combination, but not nearly as much as gold and green, or gold and brown.

Forgive me for those of you who are Surtex savvy. I may be totally off base about my color observations due to sensory overload. Trying to encapsulate everything I need to learn and observe. Bear with me, here – and feel free to email me if I am totally clueless.

That's one of the reasons Miss Jeanna is here with me – to help me look at things objectively and through the eyes of a business woman extraordinaire. She centers and grounds me like nobody I know. She can also can talk her way into, or out of, anything. (I have much to learn. I bow to the Queen!)

Back to the Surtex floor.

What else? Egads! Talk about art?

I thought I had seen a lot of art through the blogging world, not to mention websites and galleries. NOT!

I've always thought I was one small drop in a giant vat of paint. I'm not. I'm one small speck of dust in the universe.

This realization truly hits home when I look at the manufacturers in the stationery and gift shows in comparison to all the artists and designers. No wonder the competition is so fierce. All those choices – and the manufacturers have to be the ones to choose which art will sell their products. When I look at it from their standpoint, I understand a little bit better how critical the art is to their bottom line.

I know I have a lot of work to do when I get home. A lot of research. A lot of studying. A lot of decisions to make. And a whole, whole lot of preparation should I decide to exhibit next year.

By the end of the day our brains are totally fried. And there are no taxis in sight. We head for the bright lights in the big city and end up near Times Square at a cool little neighborhood deli, renowned for its family cheesecake recipe and real food for real people – meaning it's not expensive, it's good, and the portions are huge. Way too huge. We see a woman in a nearby booth with a piece of cheesecake the size of the empire state building and decide that after our sandwiches, we'll split a piece. (Why don't we also get that the size of the cheesecake is directly proportionate to the size of the deli sandwiches?)

(Didn't I say something earlier about green?)

Never mind.

One great thing about New York – you walk off the calories.

And we do.

Before we know it we're back at the Affinia, and right across the street is a cozy Irish pub, Harrington's. (What else would you call an Irish pub?)

So, the two Wyoming cowgirls mosey across the street for a nightcap.

Yee Ha! Surtex again tomorrow!

A cosmo each from the friendly bartender, who is, you guessed it, Irish. (I promise I won't even mention the color that comes to mind when I think of Ireland.)

I am a sucker for an Irish accents and cosmopolitans. They don't have much of either in our little cowboy town. So, sue me. I'm happy.

Tags: Artist, Cowboy's Sweetheart, Cowgirl, Deb Trotter, green, Irish, Licensing, NYC, Surtex 2009
Posted in Art and Life, Blogs for Artists, Food and Drink, Licensing Your Art, Photography, Travel | 1 Comment »

I am, have always been, a sucker for the Big Apple.

It's Saturday, May 16th, and I'm sitting near the back of a double decker bus, taking a photo of Times Square. (Later, I will change this picture to black and white. It's so Fay Wray, "King Kong-ish." Even with all the modern steel and loony taxi drivers, it still feels like the 20's and 30's movies to me, Empire State Building and all.) LOVE it!

I am not alone – my partner in crime, Miss Jeanna, is back here with me. So is the actress, Joan Allen. We are pretending we have no clue who she is … after all, everyone deserves a bit of privacy. Jeanna, the wicked one, somehow manages to sneak Joan into the corner of one photo – just to prove to our husbands that we really did see a FAMOUS actress.

We are somewhat bedraggled after the bus tour, and it's drizzly and cool. My hair is not cooperating, but I really don't mind. The plane ride earlier was hell (but who needs sleep when visiting NYC?). These two cowgirls from Wyoming are not wasting any time. We head to Little Italy for dinner.

Jeanna indulges in a glass of wine, while I take some photos directly behind me.

I am drawn to, actually distracted by, this …

I'm not sure exactly what this once was. At first I thought it was a phone, or perhaps a doorbell. It doesn't really matter. To my eye it could be a piece of abstract art. A face with two silver eyes, a la Picasso. I love the movement. The wires, all curled, twisted, and worn. The outline of the mortar against the brick.

Distraction can be a really good thing. Especially when you have something like THIS waiting for you …

Seafood! Lots and LOTS of seafood. Enough seafood to swim in. Be still, my beating heart. This is something you will never see in Cody, Wyoming!

Yee Ha!

FABULOUS!

Stuffed to the gills, we hail a taxi to the Gershwin Theatre where we have perfect orchestra seats for Wicked!

I don't know an artist who doesn't love the theatre. The colors and imagery. The music. The spectacle. And the realization that nothing you create – or perform – can ever be exactly the same again. The power to move your audience, your viewer, is a wonderful gift.

I literally cried when Elphaba (the "wicked" witch) sang, "Defying Gravity." The song is much, much more than about the power to fly. It's about the power we all possess to overcome life's obstacles. It's about the freedom to follow your dreams. Realizing your greatest potential. Making a difference. It's about "Becoming."

The only thing to bring us down after "Wicked" is the taxis – or should I say, the lack thereof.

So we walk back to the Affinia Manhattan, right across from Madison Square Garden, head for the bar, and dive into an Apple Martini.

Don't we look WICKED?

Tags: apple martini, Deb Trotter, Licensing, Little Italy, NYC, Surtex, Wicked
Posted in Art and Life, Blogs for Artists, Food and Drink, Licensing Your Art, Photography, Travel | No Comments »

Hello, New York City!

I'm leaving today to attend the Surtex Trade & Licensing Show!

Needless to say, I am psyched to the max.

I've been advised that if I want to exhibit in 2010, that I need to attend and "walk it through" first. That is exactly what I plan to do. So I'll be studying booths & color trends, and looking for manufacturers that would feasibly make a good "match" with the Cowboy's Sweetheart "brand." Having just worked with a manufacturer on my first licensing deal, I'm curious as to what the other possibilities might be.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I just have to jump in with both feet and hope I don't drown.

That's what creating and believing in ourselves is all about – right?

We have only one day free – that will be a full day, seeing the sights, maybe a bit of shopping, and THEN – we are going to see "Wicked!" Being a musical theatre major & former actress, I am just aching to sit there and soak it all up. (Plus, I'm an OZ peep, & especially dig the Wicked Witch of the West – so how much better could it get?)

New York has no idea what kind of storm is coming … A Cowgirl is on her way, boots & all!

My friend, Jeanna, is coming along to lend her marketing eye, and we plan on taking the 'town' by storm and walking our legs off at Surtex. OK. So I'll be tired. But it's a good kind of tired.

I'll check back on my return, pardner.

Happy Trails!

Tags: Cowgirl, Deb Trotter, licensing art, New York City, Surtex, Wicked
Posted in Art and Life, Blogs for Artists, Licensing Your Art, Travel | 2 Comments »