After greetings were exchanged, we proceeded to browse the collection while Jane settled in at her table for what surely would be a 'long' day.  I smiled in recognition of ‘old friends’ who greeted me from the walls, such as  the the self portrait of ‘Michaela Quinn’, I had purchased a few years ago as well as the exquisite portrait of Jane’s daughter, Katie, a favorite from last year’s show . Much however, as was always the case, had been added; causing me to reflect for the millionth time on how Jane managed to accomplish so much in the same 24 hour period as the rest of us mortals!

Of the new offerings, one wall particularly caught my attention. It was a much larger display then I had seen in the past of Jane’s ‘open heart’ paintings. These were done in a variety of textures and patterns which ranged from a charming open heart motif of red dancing hearts linked on a white background to a more formal art décor piece- a gold open heart configuration set against a black background framed in gold.

Although we had intended to stay only a little while, then browse the rest of the art expo, Jane and her team made us feel welcome enough to remain at her booth the entire time. She seemed quite happy to field questions in between prospective customers, sharing to my delight, a bit of the background behind specific works. One, a personal favorite of mine, depicts a woman holding an infant with a little girl trailing behind holding on to her skirts. There is a trace of sadness on the child’s face. Jane explained that the little girl represented her as a child, being the oldest, and realizing that she was no longer her mother’s ‘baby’. That charming explanation brought a succession of ‘aww’s from all of us.

We asked Jane if she was still dancing these days, commenting on how much we had enjoyed her on Dancing with the Stars. I even suggested she create a DVD of she and Tony dancing for the fans to which she replied, ‘but you already have that from Dancing with the Stars”. I said, well I mean showing the two of you relaxed just having fun you know .. I trailed off in embarrassment as I suddenly realized how odd that had sounded. One eyebrow went up once again Michaela style and Jane looked at me quizzically. I clarified, that by relaxing I had meant dancing without having to worry about ‘marks’. She nodded in understanding and said she would see. 

One of our group had brought some sheets of photos depicting Jane and her partner, Tony, on Dancing with the Stars photoshopped with various unique backgrounds; which to Jane’s delight she had given her as a gift. Another of our group. added a DVD of all Jane’s dances from the show. Jane gratefully accepted both gifts remarking how she couldn’t believe the creativitiy of the fans, and how she would love to do such things but simply couldn’t. We shook our heads in disbelief. Could we have finally found something Jane Seymour can not do???

As the afternoon progressed, visitors to the booth alternated between choosing items from Jane’s collection on display, such as her art kits, handbags and prints and having friends take photos of them proudly displaying their new acquisitions next to their favorite Medicine Woman. Jane was gracious to all; posing for pictures with or without purchase.

One of the most enjoyable activities at her booth, as always, proved to be people watching. It was fascinating to see all the varied ways people who approached her table, related to her. From the mom who announced her children had recognized Jane from Dancing With the Stars, to the older gentleman and his wife who proclaimed with passion how they had simply loved her for ages; to the two women we saw in the background reassuring each other excitedly that that really was Dr. Quinn! Of course this sort of show draws all kinds and that included a few 'dubious' fans as well; one whose T shirt proudly proclaimed his appreciation of a certain activity that made us all blush and caused Susan to say to me, “Can you imagine wearing a shirt that says THAT at a place like this?” I shook my head and noted it was clear to see Jane had stiffened a bit when he approached her but had as usual kept her cool. Had some other patrons not approached the table though, I’m sure Jane’s team would have found a way to extricate her, something that called for her ‘immediate’ attention in the back no doubt!

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