Friday, April 30, 2010

meet ME in St. Louis

Do I look excited? I am! This terribly tidy studio belongs to a woman I have admired for years, Mary Englebreit. Mary inspires me because she has built a career and an international reputation while remaining true to her artistic vision. Many pooh-poohed Mary's self taught sentimental view but the self -proclaimed Queen of Cute persevered and built an empire with out leaving her home town of St. Louis. Her latest foray is hosting a conference about art & the business of art. After enduring an "express" flight (flying is not fun for those of us over 6 feet tall) I shared a cab with a fellow conference go-er Justine and checked in to the gorgeous Chase Park Plaza Hotel, unpacked, had lunch and scurried 2 blocks down for my tour of Mary's studio.
Everything about it was cute as can be (naturally!) and it was fascinating to see pencil sketches and lay outs of Mary's book in progress. We got a sneak peek at 2011's calendar pages and learned lots of "behind the scenes" stories from her trusty assistant. Then I headed up to the Stardust Ballroom (really!) and met all of the other terribly friendly, creative and charming women who are unabashed "Mary" fans. It's good to know you are not alone in your obsessions!
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