I've caught up on my sleep and am having a chance to digest my experiences from the first weekend of East Austin Studio Tour.

Going in I felt that my astro photos might belong in the technical annex rather then the main show. At Fisterra there is a steady stream of people through my hallway gallery. Sometimes I see just a quick glance and a smile as people head to the kitchen. Others stop for a chat about the stories and adventures behind the images. Some are young children, some are old astronomy fans like me, some decorating a new home in San Francisco. A surprising number who stop, drove up to see the total eclipse and it is fun to trade stories. One was an eclipse chaser who's seen 10 total solar eclipses all over the world, it was a thrill that she wanted my image of the eclipse. Some are total surprises, like the ballet dancer here from San Francisco and her friend who loved the images. You can get the vibe from the news story below.

Spectrum news video on EAST at Fisterra

Fisterra Studio is amazing during EAST. There always seems to be a mellow party going on in the back with parts of Jennifer Chenoweth's installation pieces as a background. You can even get a henna tattoo in back from Shibiya Sabu. Jennifer's data driven Hedonic Map of Austin is an awesome project, she's just back from a talk about it at TEDMED. On the front porch the Theorists dancers burst into impromptu dance several times a day. There are several artists who do some photography inside including Robby Lee, Jay Roff-Garcia, and Janine Hughes. Robby and Janine do sculpture as well. Janine's quilt is beautiful and has a powerful story behind it. Jay has a telented eye. Robby's given me some ideas that may take a future project on NASA space exploration into the 3rd dimension. I love Dawn Okoro's dancers in the front hall, I thought that she could be the model for some. Valérie Chaussonnet paintings and sculptures tell great stories and she's created a wonderful gallery space in the living room. My favorites may be a couple of Andrea Nelson's urban landscapes in the dining room where you can also find jewelry by the Afro Gypsy.