It was the weekend before the opening, and Bette had made the trip to Carmel with Leigh for the final walk-through. She was extremely impressed with Rosie’s creative ideas and how the collection was presented. The show had been well-publicized and so far Leigh had been well-received in Carmel. She’d spent several weekends working on the show, meeting people and making contacts. She was excited about the opening.

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Leigh Ostin’s work was introduced to the top echelon of the west coast art community with an Artist Dinner that was held in her honor on the Thursday before the Grand Opening. There were 20 guests; each one hand-picked by Rosie and Arthur (Art) Garrison, the gallery owner.

They selected the most prominent and influential people in Carmel and surrounding areas. Each guest received a personalized invitation in a 6” tall clear crystal heart shaped glass bottle that came with a topper. The front of the bottle was laser engraved with name of the collection, the gallery name, and the June date. Leigh hand-wrote the invitations on parchment paper which was rolled into scrolls, tied with a ribbon and placed inside the bottles. They used the ‘message in a bottle’ idea to create a unique invitation that would also serve as a lasting keepsake for the recipients.

Bette and James attended the artist’s dinner with Leigh and Rosie. Art Garrison the gallery owner proudly introduced Leigh Ostin as they greeted each guest personally. The guest list included serious collectors, a journalist for one of the top art magazines, a member of the Arts Council of Monterey County, and a few local celebrities.

The guests enjoyed a 3 course lobster tail gourmet dinner served with select wines. After dinner they were given private tours in small groups to view the exhibit. If that evening was any indication then Leigh Ostin was going to be very successful. They were not selling any pieces at the event put many of the collectors already expressed their interest in acquiring them. The art magazine journalist gave them a favorable review and the Arts Council member agreed to advertise and promote the show on their website.

After the artist dinner Bette and Leigh went back to the hotel while James and Rosie headed home to their respective families. They were all very pleased with how the evening had turned out. They would meet again the following evening for the Wine & Cheese Reception and Private Showing for about 150 people. That would be the last of the private showings as they would open officially to the public on Saturday morning at 10am.