I arrived at the bus station Friday, March 3rd, in Boston ready to once again head for my annual trip to the New York art expo to attend Jane Seymour's art show. Although a friend had planned to come with me, she unfortunately took ill at the last minute and so I had decided to go anyway. Unfortunately my trip was not starting well. The line was queing up when I realized that that  "extra" E ticket I had printed out and had only taken one copy of with me, was not a duplicate, but the return half of my ticket! Here I was now with only half a fare. To make matters even more complicated, in my rush to leave the house I had simply grabbed one of the copies and it had turned out to be my bus ticket FROM NY. How embarrassing! Luckily the bus driver had a sense of humor and a compassionate streak and after checking my ID,waved me aboard the bus informing me that the ride 'out' was on him.

The show was not until Saturday but I had opted to come in on a Friday figuring that after a 4 1/2 hour bus trip I probably would not be up to walking around for another 4 hours looking at art. My reservation was at a different hotel this year and I was pleasantly surprised to find my room was not only larger but it even contained a small sofa and coffee table- a far cry from the tiny room I'd stayed in the year before.

After a refreshing night's sleep it was off to the Javitz Saturday morning. I was pretty familiar with the layout of the center by now after attending the show for the past 4 years so I knew where Jane's booth would be. Knowing myself though and how I would likely once there end up not drifting far from her area I decided to wander a bit and explore some of the other booths before heading over to Jane's. I was overwhelmed by the variety of art forms throughout, from intricate metalic art pieces to the most fascinating 'art exhibit" there- a picture frame for your wall mounted television. Now I've seen everything! I do think it could catch on though, it was quite attractive.

When I reached Jane's booth she was already showing some pieces to some prospective clients so I quietly sneaked in and headed for the display at the end. Here a table had been set up which held her art portfolios as well as several of her designer handbags. Above the table hung her Olympic art painting- the Torino Landscape. I began to eagerly peruse her books anxious to see what new pieces had been added. Suddenly I felt a 'tap' on my shoulder and a familiar voice remarked" Hello there". I turned and literally walked into Jane's welcoming hug. After exchanging greetings we chatted for a few minutes, taking advantage of the momentary 'lull'. I told her how I'd seen images of her sons Kris and John online that morning on the Nick at Nite website and how they had looked rather dazed. I asked if they had really had no idea that they were being filmed and she assured me that the looks I had seen were real and that it had all been great fun. Since we were on the subject of the twins, I took this opportunity to tell her how pleased and touched I had been by some homemade thank you cards the twins had sent me for some Christmas gifts I had sent them. I asked if she had seen the cards, and she said 'yes,the boys were quite creative." At this point the 'lull' ended as several people had come up to admire her handbags. I had seen a few of them before at her art show in Maryland in September but hadn't had the chance to really examine them. Each one displays a different image of one of Jane's paintings and has a shiny exterior 'virtually indestructible" as Jane described it. - What a clever way to promote her art I commented. Jane agreed, that not only that but unlike a typical designer bag which you might see several other places, this handbag would be totally unique (well unless you were at a Jane event I suppose!) to each owner. The bags proved to be so popular that at one point a bit later when Jane had moved away to sign some copies of her book Remarkable Changes, which were on display on a different table, Jane worried aloud about leaving the bags on display open to the public. Well I had been pressed into service last year, taking pictures for those with no camera, so why not offer my services once again? I told her I would 'watch' the display for her- at least for a bit. She thanked me, relieved.

Around 11:45 Susan Luks, Jane's art director informed me that I might want to head over to the center area as they were doing a presentation of the Olympic art, which was on display and it would be a good opportunity for me to get some pictures for my website of Jane with her painting. Sounded good to me, so I headed off in that direction along with another fan I had met at Jane's booth. Unfortunately I chose a poor vantage point for pictures as the gentleman filming the event was standing in front of me blocking most of my view. The presentation was brief but interesting. Those of the Olympic artists who were there were introduced and were called on to the makeshift 'stage' to explain their works. There were even some former Olympic medalists there as well. Afterward, posters were brought out for the artists to autograph. Jane was literally swallowed by a sea of enthusiastic fans at this point so I decided to just return to her booth. Somehow though she must have extricated herself from the crowd and beat me back because she was already sitting there signing books and posing for pictures when I walked in.

As Jane explained her art to prospective customers in between posing for pictures, I stood there 'people watching"  for a bit chatting with some fans I had known in name from different internet lists but had never had the opportunity to actually meet. This is always one of my favorite parts of the show- making new friends and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Tiffany, Mindy, and Julie about their hobbies, Jane, Dr. Quinn etc. Mindy had bought the Michaela and Sully print, "Together' while I was there. She rather sheepishly explained she had planned to wait until she bought her house before indulging, but had decided to buy the painting now and just 'hold' it along with her previous year's acquisition , "the Kiss" (from Somewhere in Time). What a way to decorate, I thought enviously.Marta, the charming Asian woman I had seen last year and the year before was back again this year to add to her extensive "Jane" collection. I laughing remarked to Jane's art director that the woman must have an actual "Jane room" by now to house all her acquisitions. Susan, agree and said yes she probably did, she was Jane's best client. Marta was also a very sweet lady and it was clear that Jane adored her. This time she came bearing food which, from what I could gather, Jane had been looking forward to. I'm not sure what it was Marta brought but I heard Susan assuring her later that Jane had definitely eaten some. I was introduced to Marta formally by one of the Coral Canyon representatives, Mary. I remarked to Marta how I'd remembered her from last year when Jane had called Marta's friend from the show because she couldnt be there. Marta suddenly exclaimed, "Oh thank you so much for reminding me!". I was a bit surprised to be thanked for reminding her of something that had taken place last year but it soon became clear why, as a moment later I looked over at Jane and once again she was on the cell phone saying hello to Marta's friend. Apparently this had been prearranged and Marta had almost forgotten.

A bit later on, Jane was enjoying another 'rest period" and she took the opportinity to share something special with me. It was the prototype of her new design book, which I had heard about. Eagerly I turned the pages to find it filled with pictures of herself, her family, and various rooms in her house. Every room was like a piece of art in itself. What a treasure for Jane fans, but also an inspiration as it was meant to be, for anyone wanting to make their own home 'unique' through the principles of design shared in the book. Jane explained that the book would be available in the Spring of 2007 but that she had considered taking pre orders perhaps in the fall. I assured her the fans would love the book and as soon as it was available we'd spread the word. She thanked me and said that would be great. Throughout the afternoon Jane gratiously posed for pictures, autographed paintings, handbags and copies of her book. In between, she would chat with those of us standing around. We talked a bit about Modern Men, her upcoming series. Jane was describing the show to the group, how she was playing a life coach to three young men and I couldnt help but comment, "You lead a tough life Jane!" She laughed. I mentioned to her that I'd read a news blurb in which one of the cast, Josh Braaten had commented on how the show had taken a different direction when Jane had been brought in then what had previously been planned with Wendy Malick suggesting perhaps she brought more of a refined tone to the character. She seemed surprised by the comment but somewhat flattered.

As always, the time flew by quickly and suddenly it was 2:oo and time for Jane to leave. She was flying out that night in order to be home to attend the Academy Awards the following evening. It was clear she was excited about the show and it was fun to see her girlish enthusiasm.

As Jane slipped into a luscious burgundy, full length fur coat, we said our goodbyes and wished Jane a wonderful time at the Oscars.

It had been a lovely day, seeing Jane, chatting with new friends- well worth the long trip back.