If you are a SOKY Happenings fan you will already be aware that we have always focused much of our editorial space on the artistic community in our area. It has always been our guideline to present the work of local artists on our cover… almost always a painting… and to focus the Artist Profile on area artists of varying types. We have always done this for several reasons, including entertaining our readers, along with recognizing and promoting the local artists.
However, this month two issues with that philosophy have come frustratingly to the forefront. First, it has become more and more difficult to find appropriate cover art for SOKY from the one source… paintings. In addition, this month, the artist scheduled for the Artist Profile and the one who agreed to provide our cover both disappeared. That’s about the only way I can describe it. Twila usually deals with the artists and all of a sudden, as deadline approached, they disappeared. They didn’t answer texts, emails or phone calls and at the last minute we found ourselves missing both those important elements to our magazine. See the Artist Profile on pages six and seven for more on how that issue played out.
So, I say all that to say if you are an artist of any type… especially area photographers… and would like to see your work featured on the SOKY cover or be recognized on the Artist Profile pages we would be happy to hear from you.
If you are a carver, jewelry designer, furniture maker… shoot Twila an email. If you grow the largest variety and most colorful flowers in the area or make the most beautiful quilts… yup… email us. Sometimes bad things lead to good things and I believe this is a change that is perhaps overdue. Do you get paid? Nope. Do you get some well-deserved recognition and get your work published and promoted to a large South Central Kentucky audience? Absolutely!
I’ve been a photographer for 50 years. I have been published in many newspapers, various other printed products, area and national magazines, and had my video work on local and national television, and I still get a thrill every time one of my images gets published… including in SOKY. So, please, if you want to share your work with the area and, through our website and Facebook followers, the world… let us hear from you.