09/30/2026
I’m not even sure where to begin with the Buffalo Roundup Art Festival…..so I am just going to say it all. And it’s a LOT.
I went to South Dakota excited (and honestly a little nervous) to show my work at an event this big, and I came home with so much more than I ever expected.
The art, the scenery and the entire experience were incredible……but the PEOPLE were hands down my favorite part.
We had the absolute best neighbors in the back row, including several of us first-year artists figuring it all out together. By the end of the weekend, it felt a whole lot less like neighboring booths and a whole lot more like old friends!
We got to meet Doug Figgs, (Farrier Figgs) his wife Kathy, and their sweet little sidekick, Badger. ❤️ Doug gave us what felt like the concert of a lifetime right there at the festival, playing our guitars and bringing them to life in a way I’ll never forget. Hearing those pieces actually being played after seeing them come together as artwork was such a surreal full-circle moment. Doug and Kathy were incredibly kind, and to top it all off, they gifted us two of Doug’s signed albums to bring home with us. Between the music, the conversation, and little Badger stealing hearts, they became another unforgettable part of an already incredible weekend.
And then there’s Mel from Words of a Feather and Todd from Antlered Mugworks. Some people you meet and just know they aren’t going to be temporary people in your life. I have no doubt these two will be lifelong friends. ❤️
Todd gifted Bill and I the most amazingly beautiful handcrafted mugs, and Mel gifted me the most gorgeous beaded blinged out feathers I have ever seen! As soon as I put it on, it made me feel so beautiful and accessorized! These aren’t just things we brought home from South Dakota. They’re carefully crafted pieces made by our insanely talented new friends.
I also FINALLY got to meet Doren Watkins from 1ofakindguitars and his beautiful (and also very talented) family! Doren is the incredibly talented guy behind the guitars I’ve been doing artwork on, and an amazing friend that I had not yet met in person! He brought all of the finished guitars up to the show, and seeing them displayed together, and watching people stop to look at them, and PLAY them, was pretty freaking cool. They were an absolute HIT. 🔥
But there is one person I absolutely could not have done any of this without.
Bill ❤️
This man worked his butt off for me.
He helped me plan the booth and figure out the layout. He assembled all of the racking. He helped pack what felt like my entire art studio into a trailer. He drove the ENTIRE way to South Dakota and back. He hauled, lifted, built, problem-solved, encouraged me, supported me and was beside me through every single part of this crazy adventure. And as always, he always insists on carrying the heavy things. lol.
And truthfully? I don’t know if I would have had the balls to do something this far outside my comfort zone without him.
Every time I start questioning whether I can do something, he somehow makes me believe that I can. Having someone in your corner who believes in your dreams just as much as you do is something that will always blow me away…I’m so thankful for this man!
And somewhere between all the work, we even managed to sneak away and experience a little bit of South Dakota together.
I had never been there before, and I was completely awe struck. I didn’t even know a sunset could wrap around the ENTIRE sky until South Dakota. Everywhere you looked there was color, surreal clouds, The landscapes, the wildlife, the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands… pictures just don’t do that state justice.
So I came home exhausted, grateful, inspired, with amazing new friends, some pretty incredible memories, and about a thousand ideas running through my head.
Thank you to everyone who stopped at the Blue Horse Fine Art booth, bought a piece, asked questions, complimented my work, shared a story, or simply stood there for a while taking it all in. As an artist, there really aren’t words for what that means.
And thank you, Buffalo Roundup Art Festival and Custer State Park, for an experience I’ll never forget.
South Dakota… I have a feeling this was just the beginning.
I already can’t wait to come back. ❤️
