This image brings forth memories. It is the gazebo in Leavenworth, WA, located in the park in the heart of the city. Leavenworth, if you don’t know, is a Bavarian-themed town on the eastern slopes of the Cascades.
For some years, I came here as the occasional tourist, poking my head in all its shops, dining at its unique restaurants…then, for five years, I came as an artist, displaying my art often in the weekly “Village Art in the Park” show on weekends. I wasn’t there every week, as I did art shows all over the Western United States. But, I was there often enough that I developed a love/hate relationship with the town. Those feelings ring true today.
I loved doing the art show there, not because I made a lot of money, but because of the special relationships I developed with many of the artists who showed there also. We became a kind of family. It was always good to see them when I did the show, and occasionally run into some of them at other shows.
But, some of the worst shows I ever did financially were here. I remember one time I did a show in another town and made several thousand dollars. Then, the following weekend, did the Leavenworth show and made less than $100. You never new what was going to happen on any given weekend…completely unpredictable. Not good if that is how one makes a living.
The gazebo itself holds many memories…the beauty of all the flowers…the weddings I photographed in the gazebo and all over town…and the incessant noise of polka-type music played on accordions week after week. I know the tourists loved it, but the artists who were set up in the park right next to it hated it. The same musicians playing the same songs over and over again, year after year. And they are probably still doing it now.
As I said, it was a love/hate relationship.
I miss my friends and fellow artists, but do not miss doing the show…or any art show for that matter. But, it was a part of my life that I am glad I did.
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