art by sarah kargol

my husband, matt, and i have been married for eleven and a half years. we have always dreamed of being full time artists. whether that would happen by opening our own gallery or art center or even being able to make a living from selling our own work, we didn't mind. it's always seemed to be a lofty aspiration. with a growing family, we stayed on the practical road. matt tried teaching high school for a while and found it to be very time consuming. besides teaching he coached wresting and was a janitor in the summer in an attempt to make ends meet on a teacher's salary so i could stay home with the kids (which was priority for the both of us). then one fateful day he came home from work and announced he was going back to grad school to get his mfa so he could teach at the university level. that sort of employment would (we hoped) bring a bigger paycheck and more family time. we chose to move to clemson, south carolina so matt could attend clemson university. we loved it there! it felt like home to us... like we belonged there. we knew that after matt graduated we'd have to go wherever a job would take us. right after graduation we were blessed with a tenure track job at northern state university in aberdeen, south dakota... and off we went, still on the practical road. since being here, matt has rebuilt the sculpture program at the university here, had the opportunity to study and learn how to blow glass (and so did i!) and he has also progressed in his personal public art career. south dakota, for me, is the birth place of my art career. things i never thought would happen started here... our experience here has proven to us that we have what it takes to make it. 'if we can make it here (in the middle of nowhere), we can make it anywhere' :) so~ the news?

my husband has resigned from the university. we are moving back to south carolina this august to have a go at the dream of being full time artists. in the south, where it's warmer, art festivals go all year round. the plan is to do shows down there in the winter and travel back to the midwest in the summers to do a few shows and see family. the potential is great! and if we don't try, we'll never know... and i don't want to live my life wondering "what if." i want to set an example for my children, that it's okay to follow your heart... no, it's more than okay... that it's essential to follow you heart... 

"excellence can be obtained if you care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible."  ~unknown

 and just a few reminders!  the stone arch festival of the arts is this weekend (june 20-21)!

                                          i am doing a free giveaway on my good friend tiffany's blog!

 ...and you can find me on facebook! i have a fan page! 

my really good friend tiffany ivanovsky is an award winning blogger, talented woman and mother of six! she has agreed to do a fun promotion with me by giving away an original piece of art of mine on her site, www.theivanovskys.blogspot.com. to enter to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on her 'sarah kargol giveaway' post, here... she would like to know which monster painting of mine is your favorite, so, tell her! and your name will be thrown into the hat. her children will draw a name on june 24!

this is the painting up for grabs...

see you in oskaloosa, iowa this weekend!!

hello! the summer is in full swing! last month, i had the opportunity to show my work in kansas city, mo., st. louis, mo., marion, ia. and des moines, ia! it was a whirlwind of a month!

june is promising to be just the same! this weekend i'll be at the edina art fair. last year's edina show was... surreal. the show was hit by a hail storm,  i lost two tents. (i have video of it in a previous post.) it was crazy! this year i wanted to make a shirt that said 'i survived edina '08'... but, no surprise, i had no time to make it! :) oh well! the weather *fingers crossed* is supposed to be okay this weekend... 

the following weekend is a special show! i'll be at oskaloosa, iowa's art on the square. it's a little one day show in my husband's hometown. the really cool thing is this will be our first show where we will be exhibiting together! yes, matt, my husband, is jumping in the art fair circuit with me with his own marvelous work! it is the first step on a new road that we're jumping on... and we are so excited! 

after oskaloosa, i'll be traveling back to minneapolis for the stone arch festival of the arts. the weekend immediately after that i'll be at artfest midwest; 'the other art show' in des moines, ia. *phew* back and forth, back and forth! 'tis the season! "buckle up, kids!"

hello! well, spring has sort of sprung here in the north! it won't be long until the flowers poke their little heads up through the dirt and the buds start popping up on the trees. or~ at least that's what i'm telling myself! you never know what south dakota weather will do. last year, we had a blizzard on mother's day. anything can happen. 

i'm busy getting ready for this year's show season that begin's on may 1st in kansas city at the brookside art annual! the art fair at laumeier in st. louis is the weekend after that! and the marion arts festival and the valley junction spring art market are both the weekend immediately after that! whew! it's going to be a whirlwind of a month.

but first! :) before all that madness begins...

i am returning to the place where it all began! this weekend is the mobridge area art show in mobridge, south dakota. [april 18-19 at scherr-howe arena; 610 12th st. w, mobridge, sd]... it's sort of an appetizer before the main course. :)

in 2006 i took a few of my brand new monster paintings to this little juried art show (my first art show!) for amateur artists and photographers. i purchased a little booth space for $10 and set up a display. my work received a tremendous response from the community, fellow exhibitors and patrons attending the show. i sold quite a few little paintings and walked away with about $300! i was beside myself! i could now afford a new dryer! the seed was planted... "could my work do well at other shows?" "have i found my niche?!" oh! that unattainable niche that i had been searching for all the years since i had graduated from college! there it was! a niche appeared in the palm of my hand! i started applying to other small local art fairs... and started to see success. not just monetary or financial success, but success in my work and in my confidence and growth as an artist... and a person. so~ the rest is history... and my future!

see you soon!

ps. i have created a 'sarah kargol facebook fan page' for those of you who are interested. i'll be sending regular show and exhibit updates to my 'fans' via facebook. so~ you are invited to become a fan! tell your friends!

late notice, i know... but i only just found out!

the opening reception for my current solo exhibition, "my fair monster" at the ARCC gallery in aberdeen, south dakota, will be on monday, february 9th from 6-8 pm.

please come!  :) 

(the write-up on the show is good... i'm noted as having an "imaginary mind." you all have wondered what was wrong with me. now you know!  (*wink*wink*))

happy not so new now new year! :)

i'm coming off an extended "vacation" with my family. after the exhausting push to be ready for the one of a kind show in chicago, i needed a bit of a break. chicago, by the way, was great! my work was well received by the windy city! thank you! we met some very cool people and were able to catch up with a few old friends as well. spending a week in chicago, even if on business, was awesome!

                                                                                            'persistence of fear'

i currently have a solo exhibition up in the ARCC gallery in aberdeen, sd.  it is a beautiful gallery and i am thrilled to be able to show my work in it. i encourage anyone who's in the area to stop in and take a gander. there will be a reception at some point... i'll let know know details as they become available to me!

in other news: i have been invited to participate in the brookside art annual in kansas city, missouri, may 1-3.  i am very excited!

you are cordially invited to the biggest event of my career thus far. :) i will be exhibiting at the one of a kind show and sale in chicago, illinois this december. this show is currently consuming my every thought! i'm a bit terrified actually. i'll be a little fish in a ginormous pond. from what i hear from other artists, this show will knock your socks off... it's huge, it's well done and the art there is superb! (well, obviously! i'm there!) :) seriously though, it's such a great honor to have been invited to show my work. most, if not all, the art i bring will be new and fresh from my studio, never shown anywhere else. hence, the stress. the show is less than 6 weeks away! nothing like the last minute. :) but, like my mother, i work best under a bit of pressure... and as she says, "the last minute is the best minute!"

if you haven't already, and are able to make it to chicago in december for the show, i have coupons for discounted admission tickets. let me know if you are interested and i will send some your way. as for those of you who have already requested coupons, they will be coming shortly!

i have blitzed my galleries with new work! i'm still working on making sure everything is titled correctly and properly labeled 'sold' or 'still available'. with four rugrats running around :) sitting at the computer for any extended amount of time is near impossible. between tap classes, tackle football, play practice, homework and, as always, house work, moments to myself are rare during the day. :)

in the meantime, enjoy purusing my galleries; there's lots more to see and lots more to come! if you have a question about a specific piece that i haven't gotten around to labeling yet, send me a note!

my next show is in ames, iowa... the octagon festival on setember 28th, 2008. immediatley following that show my work is going to the gallery in east village books in des moines, iowa. there will be an opening and artist lecture on friday, october 10th from 5:30-7:30. all are welcome to attend!

ps! my mom, kathleen bullock, entered her first art fair this year and was accepted! (no surprise! she's very talented...) she will be exhibiting her art at the valley junction fall art market in west des moines, iowa on staurday, september 21st from 10am -5pm. i'm so proud of her!!! go check out the show if you are in the area; she does great work! (yay mom!)

i felt the love from minnesotans last weekend at the uptown art festival! i had a super show (the best to date)! it was a great festival... well put together... very organized... the weather was cooperative (for once!)... and i was in the wonderful company of many amazingly talented artists. it was quite an honor. i was juried in the top 10% of the 350 exhibiting artists and have been invited back (automatic acceptance) into next year's festival! which is awesome!

this month is family time. i've got a new niece that i need to meet! (yes! a baby girl!) and my little brother (well, he's actually bigger than me) is getting married! i love weddings! my husband and i and our boys are camping at the iowa state fair again this year and then i've got to get 3 boys ready for school! (yay!) after that, it's back to the drawing board! 

i've got two more art festivals this summer. the washington pavilion sidewalk arts festival in sioux falls, south dakota on september 6th and the octagon arts festival in ames, iowa on september 28th. following those two shows i will be exhibiting my work at east village books in des moines, iowa during the month of october.

just a quick reminder: the uptown art festival in minneapolis is this weekend! (august 1-3) i'm booth #101 on hennepin avenue... i've got several new pieces! come visit!

as previously mentioned, i will be exhibiting at the one of a kind show and sale in chicago, december  4-7. if you'd like to come, i have coupons for $3 off the $10 admission fee. all you have to do to get one is comment on this post with your name and i'll contact you via email to get your mailing address. 

gotta get back to the studio! :)