Thank You ArtsFest Supporters Vote on Names for Elijah and Rock Climber Paintings

Festival always feel like a beautiful blur after the tent comes down. The conversations, the weather checks, the print bins, the “I’ll be right back” visitors who really do come back, and the surprise moments that make all the packing and planning worth it.

This year’s Creative Arts Guild ArtsFest gave me several of those moments, and I wanted to pause long enough to say thank you properly.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by during ArtsFest.

Thank you to the buyer of A Light in the Darkness

To the person who purchased the original “A Light in the Darkness” painting, thank you.

That painting carried a lot of heart for me. Some pieces feel quiet while they are being made. Others feel like they are asking to be seen by the right person at the right time. This one felt like the second kind.

When a painting leaves my hands, it does not feel like a transaction only. It feels like the work gets to begin a new chapter. I hope “A Light in the Darkness” brings meaning, comfort, hope, or whatever you saw in it when you chose it.

Artists remember those moments. We remember when someone stands in front of a piece a little longer. We remember the conversations. We remember the look that says, “This one is speaking to me.” Thank you for giving that painting a home.

Thank you to everyone who visited my tent

To everyone who stepped into my tent, browsed the walls, flipped through prints, asked questions, shared kind words, or simply took a slow lap around the booth, thank you.

Art festivals can be wonderfully unpredictable. Some people come ready to buy. Some come to look. Some are pulled in by color, subject, light, texture, or curiosity. All of those visits matter.

A special thank you goes to everyone who supported my art habit by buying prints. Print sales keep the studio moving. They help pay for supplies, booth fees, framing, packaging, replacement paper, fresh paint, and all the little things that make original work possible.

They also mean that more people get to take a piece of the work home in a way that fits their space and budget. That matters to me.

Print sales help keep new paintings coming.

Thank you for joining the painting name quest

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was the “help me name these two paintings” quest.

I brought two pieces that still needed titles: one I have been calling the Elijah painting and one featuring a rock climber. I asked visitors to toss out ideas, and you did not disappoint.

Some title suggestions were poetic. Some were funny. Some caught a detail I had not noticed in the same way before. That is one of the best parts of letting other people spend time with unfinished decisions. A painting might come from one person’s hands, but the way people respond to it can open new doors.

After sorting through the suggestions from ArtsFest, I narrowed each painting down to three finalist titles. Now I need your help choosing the winners.

Vote on the title for the Elijah painting

Here are the top three title choices for the Elijah painting. To vote, leave a comment with the code for your favorite.

Vote code	Title choice
E1	Soul Pyre
E2	Consuming Fire
E3	Children of the End

If you are voting on the Elijah painting only, your comment can be as simple as:

My vote is E1.

If you want to tell me why a title fits, I would love to hear that too. Sometimes the reason behind a vote is just as helpful as the vote itself.

The Elijah painting is ready for its final title.

Vote on the title for the rock climber painting

The rock climber painting also needs a final name. These are the top three choices from the weekend.

Vote code	Title choice
R1	Calloused Hands
R2	Freedom
R3	Edge of the World

To vote for this one, leave a comment with the code for your favorite.

My vote is R2.

If you want to vote for both paintings, use both codes in one comment:

Elijah: E2 Rock climber: R3

That format will make it easy for me to count votes without missing any. I will tally the responses and share the winning names by 10pm EST next Sunday, October 4th. The people who suggested the winning title(s) will be given the opportunity to choose a small to medium sized print from my inventory for free!

A few small moments I am still carrying with me

After a festival, there are always details that stick.

A person who comes back after thinking about a piece. A parent helping a child choose a print. Someone recognizing a location, a feeling, or a story in the work. A casual comment that lands right in the heart of what the painting was trying to say.

Those little moments are part of why I keep showing up. Making art can be solitary, but sharing it is not. ArtsFest reminded me how generous people can be with their attention, encouragement, and stories.

Thank you again to the buyer of “A Light in the Darkness,” to everyone who visited my booth, to everyone who bought prints, and to everyone who joined in the naming fun. Your support means more than I can say, and it gives me fresh energy to get back into the studio.

Most sincerely,

Stephanie | MidLifeArtist