Part 4: Palates and Palettes: It all comes together

"Palates and Palettes" at BRIX, Deidre's paintings on view on the front garden lawn

For this portion of the adventure, it was a family affair... we stayed the night at a beautiful house on Cape Cod and woke up early to catch the ferryboat out of Hyannis at 9:15. With my "dream team" of my husband and two kids, we brought five paintings on board "The Eagle" as well as the collapsible easels and other materials needed for a small art showing. Our kids enjoyed the ferry ride as we slowly made our way through the Atlantic Ocean, watching the water just in case a whale or dolphin might make an appearance. A huge hit for the kids was the big snack bar. Up on deck, the sun was dazzling hot and the wind was blowing strong. Before too long, we saw land ahead... the tiny Great Point Lighthouse far away in the distance... and soon we were on Nantucket Island!

Arriving on the island was quite an adventure in and of itself. Where were the taxis, we asked? We discovered that to catch a taxi, one had to walk to one of two corners with luggage and wait in a line to be picked up. Can you picture a family of four, not with beach totes, but with large paintings in art tote bags, making our way through cobblestone streets completely teeming with tourists and large luxury SUV's?  We sure did get some looks and inquiries.

Friend Anne Ellinger on left, me on right

After dropping off my things at BRIX Wine Shop and saying hello to Klaudia, one of the two owners of the shop, the four of us jumped back in our taxi van to return back to the town center where all the action is if you're on foot and want to take in some flavor.  First would be lunch!  Next would be a little quality family time at the Maria Mitchell Museum, a small science center and aquarium with fantastic marine biologist students to teach us about local aquatic life.  I recommend it if you are there.

Back to BRIX for me after that, as Danny and the kids explored more of the island and the ice cream options.  I set up for the show and soon it was 4:00 pm and guests began to arrive.  Wine was opened and conversations began to flow. Carri and Klaudia and their assistant Nico were such accommodating, happy hosts to me and their guests. It was an afternoon of perfectly warm weather. A highlight was when a friend from 'back-home Cambridge' came and completely surprised me!

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New acquaintances were made.  Great conversations were had around the artwork, and several guests talked with me about life on Nantucket as year-round residents.  This is one of my favorite parts about doing shows: meeting people and learning.  I learned more about what it is like to live there year-round, the changes that have happened there over the years, getting through the hard winter we had just had (we in Massachusetts bond over stuff like that), and they told me about Nantucket arts venues that I should check out.  A few people urged me to come back in September when colors begin to change, the water stays warm for swimming, and crowds have thinned out.  I am very tempted!

When it was time to pack up to leave, I felt elated that it had all happened without a glitch - and believe me, there were a lot of moving parts.  From start to finish of this whole story, there was a sense of God's peace over it all that felt great.  There were inquiries and indications of future conversations about my art that came through just this week.  A huge thank-you goes to Klaudia Mally especially, for working with me to create this special showing at BRIX. 

Danny and the kids rejoined me to help at the end, and we returned to the ferry dock.  What a gorgeous sunset we had as we boarded the boat.  We would now escape to Cape Cod for a week of family vacation. Yes, we truly did ride off into the sunset!  How grateful I am for my family, friends, and patrons, and for the new friends made on Nantucket, a place I feel quite connected to now.

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