I have in this past year invited you all into my studio, offering a tour of my garden and view from my shop. I have showed you the twisted bits of steel I work with and what I do with them. I feel as though I have made friends who have encouraged my progression and, through your own art, inspired me to greater heights. I have shared my transition to copper and stainless steel and lost all embarassment in sharing my 1st painting with you! You have become friends, and in spirit you were with me on my 1st Garden Art Walk. Well, it wasn't boring at all! 156 people paid $8 to view "my stuff". Most came expecting to stay 15 minutes and continue along the walk to the other 20 sites on the route. Many came to my place and spent hours here. On my 1/3 acre city lot there is a lot to see. My garden is in its prime. I have petunias 8' in the air, a 15' Trumpet vine entry to my garden. Steel sculptures are everywhere. My tomato plants are 7' tall and thriving. It is a beautiful garden in abundance. My little 1/3 acre is divided into vignettes, little scenes a good photographer would walk miles to see and shoot, and many did this. I have 38 flower pots created from old light fixtures and these are everywhere although probably most impressive on a garden wall I builkt 25 years ago that runs along the ditch that diagonally runs through my property. As you enter my studio space you cross an arched slated steel and concrete bridge that crosses this ditch. You will then see the pool we built as a family, all the excavation done from the hands of my daughters, 8 and 11 at the time. You are amazed at the profusion of color and life on this little corner of the world. If you were interested you could see an 8' water fall fountain or painted garden benches in serpentine shapes, lots of other garden furniture, and just too much to mention. Not like paintings you could put into a briefcase, my art would require several moving trucks! My shop was open for this event, so you could see welders and saws and grinders and a 35 year accumulation of tools. You would see new inventory and works in progress and discovered how I do it all. I showed my "secret benders", my jigs, my vertical welding method. For those who were interested, I showed them everything. My friends showed up and stayed all day. Edwin Root (google him) was there and brought his master-crafted hand made $12,000 custom guitars. Jimmy Torres (Google him and you will be a little excited and, I hope, a little embarresed) was there and spent 5 hours entertaining us! It was a beautiful day and I met a lot of interesting people. Barry, they were interesting because I was interested in them. I always like to know other's stories because it helps to explain my own. Nine people ended up in the pool, fully clothed, they just jumped in. How did I do? Mostly I had a lot of fun, so I got out of it what I worked hard for. You couldn't leave without adding to this painting, the collaorative art of 152 people! For some it was the 1st time they had held a brush since kindergarten, and for others, established artists, it was easy and graceful but they were always polite at our attempts. Real sales? $3,700 "off the floor. about $12,000 in commisions, and a lot of prospects. Other's got work too. It was a party and we all had a good time. Maybe, Barry, had you been here, I could have made you feel welcome and I would have tried my best to find something that would have interested you or introduced you to someone who would. Thanks, everyone for joining my party, and I hope you enjoyed your little tour and I love you all! Jerry Carlin