John Leben's Page

I've been puzzling over this question, and thinking about how I will handle art fairs going forward. All those people coming into my booth... coughing, sneezing, pawing through my print bins. I don't know... maybe art fairs are just not in my future any more. Or, maybe I just need to rethink how I do these art fairs.

I'm a digital artist. I sell prints of my digital paintings. I'm a printmaker. Most of my sales are packaged unframed prints. Packaged in plastic bags... perfect surfaces…

I have been lobbying Naples Downtown to get a refund on my booth fee after they cancelled the show. Here is a very arrogant email that I received today. Aimee Schlehr, the chairman wrote this extremely unprofessional letter to the artists who have been requesting a refund. Apparently they will refund my booth fee when funds become available, but they are black-balling me from ever participating in one of their art fairs because of my "breach" of contract. Here is her email:…

Every year Marcia and I head south for February and March to do art fairs in Florida. Lets face it, there are not very many opportunities to make money in the frozen north during the winter. Is it worth the trip? For me, it is worth it. In fact, the trip has become essential for us financially. We would have a lot of unpaid bills in the winter without the Florida art fairs. How did it go this winter? Results are mixed, but we were able to pay the bills, and we are coming home with some money…

I've been doing art fairs for many years exhibiting my digital paintings (prints). A couple of years ago my wife, Marcia, and I opened an art gallery in the resort town of Douglas, Michigan, right across the river from Saugatuck. This area is billed as "The Art Coast of Michigan" and boasts 30-plus art galleries. We opened the gallery because we're getting old. After many years we finally figured out how to make money at art fairs, but they are so much work! More work every year. We thought,…