DrawInn Vlagtwedde 2014----in the Netherlands

No sooner did I return home from my month in Texas, drawing caricatures at their State Fair, (which I still haven't blogged about!) than I was setting off for Europe (!!!) to attend a caricature-artist mini-convention, called DrawInn Vlagtwedde. Held in the northern part of the Netherlands, for twenty-seven artists from nine countries, the venue was the lovely home of my friends Johanna and Johannes...

The great room of their house, originally the attached barn, was instead an artists's studio for most of the week: 

Well, actually it's always Johanna's studio. She's a sculptor of the highest caliber. So, the creative vibe is ever-present. 

The event was also organized by Jan Op de Beeck, who's been a friend now for more than ten years, ever since meeting him at my first ISCA convention back in 2003. 

I was the only American in attendance. The local newspaper ran a story about the convention, featuring the hostess and her two most distant guests:

Jan asked me to do a slide presentation about my experiences with retail caricature in the US. That was one topic even a nervous public speaker like me could handle!

If you'd like to see many more photos:

This link goes to my album of general convention photos on my Caricatures by Emily FB page. 

And this link goes to my artwork, and the artwork done of me by other attendees...but here's a little preview:

What a wonderful experience! I am SOOOOOOOOO glad I went, and am extremely grateful to the organizers (who are very dear to me). :-)