Andi's Art Show at BlueSky

Pictures from the show

Enthusiasm, joy, balance, enjoyment, beauty. I am not a writer but these are some of the words that pop into my head when I think about Andi's show at BlueSky last night. We kept our expectations conservative since it was our first show, and to say the least the way it turned out was a pleasant surprise. That pleasant feeling just radiated through the show and everyone felt it, like the feeling of amazement one feels when watching a flower bloom. We look forward to more. Thanks to everyone who came and participated! Special thanks to Josh Brown for the music, BlueSky for the hour d'oeuvres and space, and my set builder, without whom I could not have done it at all. The picture is myself, Andi and Sue, owner of Art Lovers in Carbondale.

The weather went from hot, sunny and breezy to stormy thundering skies to downpour, replete with a rainbow like a little shiny bow to tie up the package.

A lot of the families from our schoolhouse/daycare came out for the show so there were lots of kids around raising the general level of energy in the room. Here they're outside by the pond looking at a frog.

Art Show Today!

Don't miss Andrea LeBeau's art show this evening, 5-8pm, at Blue Sky Vineyard. Hope to see you there!

Solstice Festival Rundown

It was a beautiful day for the Solstice Fest at Starview on June 10. GlassRoots by MaryAnne, Grandma Coyote, and Tom Horn had booths outside while and a new permanent exhibit featuring Tom Horn, Janet Althoff and Jurhee Veech was on display inside the winery.

Tourpreneurs Debrief

Networking Event for Southern Illinois Tourism Entrepreneurs a Success
Plans Launched for Continuing Expansion of Assistance

June 12, 2008, Makanda, IL – Local tourism entrepreneurs and officials met Tuesday at Blue Sky Vineyard for the first SI Tourpreneurs meeting. Tourism business owners were given a chance to voice their observations and suggestions about the local tourism industry and special issues in southern Illinois. Jon Musgrave, the Director of the Southern Illinois Tourism Development Office (www.illinoisadventure.com), informed tourism entrepreneurs about what is being done for them by the tourism administration. Kathy Lively, Executive Director of Connect SI (www.connectsi.us) was on hand to listen to the attendees’ suggestions and requests for assistance. Kathy Lively said, “The excellent turnout and positive feedback we received from the attendees are evidence that we need to continue to provide a forum for on-going communication and networking among our Tourpreneurs.” Items of discussion included: broadening the lodging links on the SIU website to include bed and breakfast options; researching insurance options for local outfitters; combining bed and breakfast trails with wine trail information, and creating an ongoing action newsletter for tourism entrepreneurs via SouthernIllinoisSpecialties.com. The event was sponsored by Connect SI, the Southern Illinois Tourism Development Office, Blue Sky Vineyard, and SouthernIllinoisSpecialties.com. More events and activities aimed at assisting tourism entrepreneurs are in the planning stages.

Go to the SIS Home Page to fill out a short contact form for more information about the Tourpreneurs newsletter!

For Immediate Release: ART SHOW Friday June 27

Artist Andrea LeBeau Exhibits Latest Work at Blue Sky Vineyard Friday, June 27
Sunset Friday Includes Art by LeBeau and Music by Josh Brown

June 18, 2008, Makanda, IL – Andrea LeBeau, an emerging artist who studied at the Art Academy in Budapest, Hungary, brings her experiences living in Europe, the Caribbean and the USA to life on canvas with an exhibition at Blue Sky Vineyard in Makanda, Illinois. The exhibition is Friday, June 27, from 5-8pm, as part of the Blue Sky’s Sunset Friday celebration. The exhibition includes oil-on-canvas paintings featuring themes of meditation, feminine energy, and angelic light. Hour d’oeuvres will be provided along with music by Josh Brown. Admission is free and open to all. The event is sponsored by Art Lovers Trading Company, SouthernIllinoisSpecialties.com, and Blue Sky Vineyard.

This event is the first in a series of art shows being organized by Art Lovers Trading Company and SouthernIllinoisSpecialties.com this year. The art shows will feature emerging and established artists with ties to the heartland of the USA. For more information contact Sue Mills at Art Lovers, (618) 351-9444 or Amy McMorrow at SouthernIllinoisSpecialties.com, (618) 713-2896.

About the Artist

Born in Hungary, Andrea (Andi) studied the History of Art and the technique of painting at the Art Academy in Budapest. She experimented with different techniques and media, and never limited herself to only one mode of expression. She has traveled around the world capturing the energy and life that has touched her. Always striving follow her heart, Andi tries to be honest to herself and others. She believes that good and beauty is everywhere and in everyone.

She spent a year living on and island in the Caribbean, where she evolved her art into mixed media applying natural fibers and shells to her oil on canvas creations. Moving to the USA, first to Carbondale, Illinois for a short time, she searched for new way of expression. There were beautiful flowers, and she felt a desire to capture their inner beauty. She then spent a year spent in St. Paul, Minnesota, exploring new things, meeting new friends, and developing a new style.

Carbondale always had a warm, cozy impression on Andi, and after a year living in Minnesota, she decided to return there and continue her journey of life and creation. She never stops and continuously challenges herself to create new innovations, media and techniques.

While trying to find herself in this very new place, this country that becomes her new home, she continually searches for peace and happiness inside herself. “Pieces of Meditation” help her to find her way through it. With a graphic designer she created “Oceanica I” and “Oceanica II.” These represent the force of feminine energy, and another way of self-expression. Most recently she has created “Born from the Light” and “The Angel of light.”

“Every action carries with it a specific energy and force. This energy and force can be captured in the moment, in art, and relived again and again. Optimism and Simplicity are the energies I strive to cultivate and capture in my work.”

Art Lovers Trading Company (www.artloverstradingcompany.com) is an art gallery and gift shop located on the Town Square in Carbondale, Illinois.

SouthernIllinoisSpecialties.com (www.southernillinoisspecialties.com) is a website project of Innucopia, LLC, dedicated to promoting art and tourism in southern Illinois.

Blue Sky Vineyard (www.blueskyvineyard.com) is a winery offering a taste of Tuscany on the Shawnee Wine Trail in southern Illinois.

How to make a page on MySpace.com

I prepared this: how to make a page on MySpace.com, to hand out at yesterday's Tourpreneur's meeting, hope you find it useful!

The meeting was excellent and I will have more to report as soon as I have time to get my thoughts down on paper! In the mean time, check out this article about another tourism meeting that took place here in Carbondale yesterday. Illinois tourism is worth $30 billion annually! That's pretty amazing, I just wonder what the breakdown is by region.

In the news!

Don't miss today's article in the Southern about the Tourpreneurs meeting tomorrow, and be sure not to miss the meeting too! And in the meantime join our group on MySpace.com: http://groups.myspace.com/sitourpreneurs.

ATTENTION: TOURISM ENTREPRENEURS

Do you own a small business in southern Illinois related to tourism, or do you have ideas about changing the local tourism industry for the better? Then please join us next Tuesday, June 10, at Blue Sky Winery, from 5-8pm for the first SI "Tourpreneurs" meeting. You can meet one-on-one with Kathy Lively, Executive Director of Connect SI, and John Musgrave, the Director of the Southern Illinois Tourism Development Office, and let them know what your business needs. Also, network with other tourism entrepreneurs. See you there!