Blog

This week’s blog is focusing primarily on how I price my polymer clay sculptures for sale. It isn’t an exact science and I’ve played around a lot with it. I have found that pricing my art fairly and within market value range is extraordinarily important.  

I really shot myself in the foot when I first started out. I waaaay over priced something to someone who very easily could have been a long-term client. Big mistake. My problem?? Was ignorance.

It was right around the time that lots of local people were seeing my work and I was tinkering with the idea of charging more than just the cost of materials. A lady saw my work and she wanted a logo made. {She owned a business of her own} She explained what she was looking for, we brainstormed and she seemed to love my ideas. She wanted to own the rights to the artwork and put it on all of her apparel. She asked me for a price, and I told her I would think about it and get back to her. Sounds pretty good so far doesn’t it?

On the drive home I spoke with my husband and told him of the opportunity. He being married to me thought as highly of my work as I did and saw first-hand how much effort went into them. He saw how many sketches I did before I ever put paint on the brush. He told me that I should look online and see what people charge for exclusive rights and logos. Still sounds pretty ok right?

This is where it goes wonky. I wish I could blame it on bad fish or temporary insanity, but nope. It was me being me. Darn it. I looked up logos and exclusivity.  What I found was an agency in New York who had created logos such as Nike and Abercrombie and Fitch. So those logos cost somewhere in the range of 4,000.00 to 10,000.00. I was blown away. I showed my husband and did a little dance around the living room. {Seriously… can I just blame the fish?} When I spoke to this lady again, I brought up what I had seen. Keep in mind I never looked past that one page. I never once checked out local artists, or even stopped to consider the fact that the lady I was speaking to was not any different than you or me. She was an everyday lady trying to be in business for herself, doing what she was good at. I sometimes wish future me could go back in time and slap past me.

{Deep breath…} I told her what I had found, and what ‘people were paying’. Not once did I actually give her a quote. But by bringing it up, the damage had been done, absolute and irrevocable damage. Fish anyone?

I have since tried desperately to regain them as a client even offering ‘freebees’ but to no avail. I had stepped outside of the trust circle. I had to accept what I had done and learn from it. It was a tough lesson and completely avoidable, had I done more research before biting off more than I could chew.

Ok. So, here is what I have so far, and so far it seems to be working for me. I am borrowing several bits and pieces that I have learned from others and adding a few changes that I have found that work very well for me. I want to share this with you in the hopes that you are able to figure out a pricing system that not only works for you, but also for your clients. They can be hard to come by. So we, as artists, want to take very VERY good care of them. We want to be able to explain why our art costs what it does. Just in case we are asked. At some point…they always ask. {insert wink}

EXPENSE    {we must count our expenses. This is okay. Don’t feel bad, because this is a business and people do understand and even expect it} 

Let’s say my monthly expenses are 1000.00, I divide that by 4{weeks}=250.00 I divide that number by/40{hours} giving me a base rate 6.25 per hour. {This number will vary depending on your expenses.} If your monthly expenses are higher and this is your primary source of income than you will have to adjust your expense rate. If you are just beginning to build your business and you have help or additional income to help you with your expenses then you can be a little more lenient. Your base cost should be this number and you should build the remainder of your piece’s cost from there

• {rent, electricity, gas, etc, I add my etsy/paypal/advertising fees into this amount }

Materials {always pay attention to what you use and how much. This will give you a great idea of what it takes to produce your art, and in my case helps me to avoid wasting}             

• {clay, glaze, metals if you’re making jewelry, paints, resin…etc, glass eyes I buy or resin eyes I make.

One standard sized sculpted figure typically takes me 1 1/3 block of Sculpey Premo clay. These are between 2.77-3.00 each {depending on where you are-I don’t account for sales or promotional costs because I can’t guarantee I will always be able to get them at that price} if I gloss the piece, I add .30, if I paint it or do detail work with the paint I add .30 {Remember this is just materials and not time.}

• Sometimes I will add little ‘trinkets’ to my pieces, for example miniature items or charms. These are things that I will make in batches. For example, it’s Valentine’s Day, and I have made a bunch of chocolate covered strawberries to add to figures. I can make a batch of 25 strawberries from one block of clay. So I will divide 3.00/25= so each strawberry will cost me .12 to make. The chocolate costs me .04, the headpin for the strawberry charm costs me .03 and the lobster clasp for the charm costs me .11  do you guys see where I’m going with this?

Let’s review what we have so far…

Say that I make a standard sized figure {glossed and painted} with an accompanying charm

4.00 + .30 + .30 + .30 = 4.90 {just materials} add that to your ‘expense’ 4.90 + 6.25 = 11.15

Let’s say that minimum wage is 12.50 an hour. I want to pay myself at least 12.50 an hour for labor. Add this to the amount above:

11.15 +12.50=23.65 Multiply this amount x2 and that will give you the wholesale price of 47.30 this is the base amount I must charge to by the skin of my teeth justify all other expenditures.

Theoretically for retail price it is the wholesale x2 so 47.30 x 2= 94.60

Ooooh… but here is where it gets a little sticky, because the more time it takes you to create a piece the greater its value, right? Not necessarily. I have not yet been able to charge what I am calculating retail to cost to be. I auctioned a piece off, and got close. In the meantime, wholesale lets me stay in business. Replenish what I have used and hopefully put money back into my business.

When I am trying to figure out what to charge, ultimately I have to take into account….’factors’ {seriously, that should be a four-letter word.} “What is a factor?” These are those annoying little things that effect what we can charge vs. what we want to charge.

Some examples of factors would be: Competition {take a look around you… see what some artists are getting for their work. I’m not referring to Picasso or Dhali… but you and me. The little guy with the great big dreams {encouraging look of…encouragement} Find work that is similar to yours. If you are using an internet based storefront, browse around and check out the other stores.

Don’t look skin deep. Really get in there and see if they are making sales. There may be one person charging 150.00 or higher for one piece but if they are only selling 1-2 pieces a month. This is not the way to go, for me at least. On the other end of the scale, there may be an artist selling pieces for 10.50 and has 100 sales in a year. Still not going to cut it, I mean great for them =) but I personally want this to be a monetarily successful business, so I want to find out what people are willing to pay for what I have on a consistent basis.

I’ve looked all over at everyone I can find… I’ve checked out as many online stores/sales that I can seek out who carry anything even similar to what I have. I write to the artists. It is probably one of the most educational and simple things I can do. Most of them are extremely helpful. Only twice have I run into artists who are so fiercely protective of their methods they’d sooner plaster their eyes closed than to give me information. But no worries, life goes on. I fell in love with the majority of the artistic community and I want to pay it forward.

Back to competition. I’m not going lie… there are a couple of people out there who can’t have their stuff up for 5 minutes before someone snatches it.. I’ve seen customers have bidding wars over their art... I’m talking 3-400.00 for one piece! This is my goal…seriously.

I know it sounds terrible but on more than one occasion I have just been beside myself wondering ‘why aren’t these same people wanting my stuff and paying that price? My art is just as nice as theirs.’ The answer is semi-simple. These people have worked their tushies off and in the process gained a fan-base {nothing but respect for these amazing artists} we’ll get into that later… back to factors.

Buyer’s Remorse… that’s an icky one. The more money a person pays for something, the higher their expectations, as they should be.  If they buy something from me and this ‘something’ shows up at their door in anything less than perfect condition, then the buyer will lose faith in me and I will have lost that customer for life. You don’t want this to happen. Word of mouth can go a long way, especially in the art world.

No worries!! Your talent and beautiful artwork captured their attention. So much so, they gave you money for it and that is a wonderful thing! Now it is time to capture their hearts. Because this is an area that we can really shine!  There are so many little touches you can give your packages for very little expense, and this can mean the difference between one time buyer and repeat customer!! There are lots of factors that can apply. It is up to you to figure out which ones will impact you/your business the most. In the long run, it will be the little things that keep people coming back. Be sure that you don't skimp on the little things. Take the time to talk to people who have questions. You never know who you are talking with or what connections they have. If you make a great impression, chances are they will get your name out there. That is exactly what you want. 

When I package my pieces, I use gift boxes. I get them in bulk either from the dollar store, or www.Uship.com great shipping stuff in bulk by-the-way. I decorate my gift boxes, something simple like glitter-tape that color coordinates with my business cards, a ribbon or seasonal fun from the dollar store… I love the dollar store… I add fun tissue paper and a personal hand-written note, and ‘TA-DA!’ It feels like a real treat when they are opening their packages. What a nice surprise for them! I like opening gifts..Don’t you?

I don’t add the cost of the shipping materials to the purchase price of the piece itself. I add it into the shipping cost. I add the box < 1.00 depending on where I get it, .05 for the tissue paper {if I get a box of 20 from the dollar store} .05 for the ribbon or glitter tape. It is inexpensive for me. It is a little extra effort on my part, but this is what I want to do. I am sending a small part of my soul that I created and I want the new owner to treasure it as much as I do.

I hope this is helpful to those of you who are struggling with the idea of pricing your art for sale. For me, this venture has been a most humbling journey. I hope that in some way you will have benefited from my mistakes, and found this material useful. Your feedback is always welcome.

Remember, you are a beautiful and creative soul, truly a gift among people. Here’s hoping you all have a wonderful week full of fresh ideas and inspiration.

As always, until next time,

XO ~Alicia, LDA

May 16 & 17 
East Lansing, Michigan
Downtown
Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 10am-5pm
200 Exhibitors
Deadline:  January 31

Established in 1964, the East Lansing Art Festival (ELAF) kicks off the festival season each spring in the beautiful streets of downtown East Lansing.  The popular festival attracts 80,000-70,000 attendees.  In addition to the 200 juried exhibitors, the ELAF encourages future artists through the Emerging Artist Program.

This non-profit event is beloved in the greater Lansing area and attracts devoted art buyers from across the state of Michigan as well as Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Informally known as the "City of the Arts," East Lansing welcomes the finest artists in North America to exhibit at this highly promoted event.

East Lansing is a charming university town with a variety of shops, restaurants and galleries. The beautiful Michigan State University campus is right across the street, which is now home to the renowned Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum.

The combination of the University and the State Capitol nearby brings a well-educated population to attend and appreciate the handmade work.

At the ELAF---ranked #54 by Sunshine Artist magazine---exhibitors can expect:

• well-educated visitors, including professional people
  from state government and the university
• friendly volunteers who welcome artists and make load-in and load-out run smoothly
• perks such as booth sitting services and Friday set-up as well as free artist parking, coffee and break area
• affiliation with local public TV and radio---bringing the right people to you
• eclectic live music that enhances the art rather than distracts from it
• international flavors in a unique food court
• a hand-on area for children
• a festive mood---this is the kickoff of the local festival season!

Apply today:  www.Zapplication.org

For more information please contact:

Michelle Carlson, Art Festival Director

East Lansing Art Festival

410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823

(517) 319-6804

e mail:  info@elartfest.com 

www.elartfest.com 

The festival is presented by the East Lansing Art Festival Board in cooperation with the Arts Commission/City of East Lansing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Find more art fairs around the country looking for artists: www.CallsforArtists.com

I know we spend our lives focused on art fairs, presenting our product, production, development of image, and the like, but I have a serious question for you.  Is your studio space in your home, or outside of it?  

Our studio space was half of the basement, but as our business has grown we find that half the house is being engulfed.... and it gets stressful to just find a quiet place away from the action..... So we have begun to consider a studio outside of our home.  Im just curious how everyone else copes with this dilema. 

Hi Everyone!  Just finished my last outdoor show of the year in Mt. Lebanon, PA this last weekend.  Mt. Lebanon is a very well to do neighborhood south of Pittsburgh.  The show is put on in the PNC bank parking lot one block over from the main road (Washington Road).  

New directors took over the show this year and approached me at a show earlier in the year and invited me to exhibit there.  Now, I know several of my friends have done the show under the old management and have dropped it over the years because they didn't do well.  I decided to give it a try because I really liked Steve and Wendy Denenberg and their enthusiasm.  They own a beautiful gallery in Mt. Lebanon.  

This was one of the most organized show I've ever done.  As soon as I pulled up, volunteers came up and had my van unloaded in about 3 minutes.  They were also there for tear down, and they were helping people take down their tents!!!).  I was able to move my car and come back and set up while drinking nice warm coffee and eating gourmet pastries from a local bakery (The second day it was homemade biscotti).  Plenty of volunteers and Steve and Wendy were available for even the hard stuff.

There were 64 booths of mostly beautifully juried art (too many jewelry booths, though).  The weather was perfect both days and there were people shopping.  There were food trucks in a small parking lot adjacent to ours, food Trucks included Pgh Taco Truck, Oh My Grill, Bella Christie and Lil’Z’s, and crepes.  Luke Williams Band was set up for a good part of both days and entertained us with his beautiful voice.  

A lot of other events were going on at the show, a food drive, a blacksmith demo, touchstone center for the arts had an information booth.  It was impressive for a first time event.  The show was the end of a weeklong Plein Air event in town where artists from all over came into town to do some open air paintings, then they were judged for awards.  

Sales for me on Saturday were disappointing, but several of my friends had good days.  I sell jewelry.    Then on Sunday, I had a pretty decent day.  One lady who bought a pair of earrings for a gift on Saturday, came back on Sunday and said her husband told her she couldn't give them away....so she came back and bought a matching bracelet and pendant AND 4 other items for Christmas gifts!  

I didn't make what I usually make at shows or what I wanted to make, but many others did and this show will do nothing but improve.  I did well enough to want to do it again next year, but honestly would want to do it again even if I didn't do that well.  Of the artists that I talked to, some did very well, some did not.  But most would give it another try.  I think in a few years, this will be one that will be very hard to get into.

Steve and Wendy and all of the volunteers were there the entire time and wanted comments and suggestions from us.  I really believe that they will implement some of the suggestions that were given by some of us 'seasoned' artists and make this one of the top Pittsburgh shows.  

There was talk of changing the date, but then maybe not.  Also talk of not being a part of the Plein Air festivities, but as a separate event (GREAT idea, maybe change the name too).  They may even provide housing for some out of town artists (do I qualify?).  Just a very artist friendly show that really appreciates the artist's.

In my opinion, this is a show to watch.  If you are interested watch their website for updates and information: http://www.mtlebopartnership.org/mt-lebanon-arts-initiative/

     For me, beginning my own business was something I sort of 'fell' into. I was feeling pretty lost over the summer. My art has always been a kind of 'blankie' for me, so I began to draw again. For fun one day my daughters and I went to the craft store and bought a block of clay to come home and play with.

Wow, it was like finding a new land to explore. We played that night, mostly just to see what we could come up with. After a few hours in between making dinner and getting the girls off to bed, I realized that no matter where in the house I was, I wanted to have that little wad of clay in my hands. 

I sat down and got to work. Trying one thing after another. I played and folded, squished and molded until I created, what I thought to be an adorable little horse. The next day I showed my husband and girls. It was so exciting to see little 'creatures' seem to come to life as I molded them. 

I was sometimes overly excited to show them to people. I wanted to hear their feedback and what improvements I could make. People really seemed to like them, enough to pay me money to make them one. At first I was just happy that someone else wanted something that I had created. But these gifts started to add up. So when someone would ask for one, I would only charge them enough money to pay for the materials to make a creature for them. It was great for a while. It wasn't very long before I realized this was something I could really bury myself in. I went to local boutiques and offered them samples to have in their shops. I posted on FB. I made a page dedicated to my art. Then I got frustrated with the lack of interest. "what happened? I thought. "Wan't this the way it is done?" I took the page down. Beginning to get depressed that I had not become an overnight success. I had not realized that the people that are out there making a reasonably decent amount of money, have been doing this for years. I had wanted it pretty much right away. 

I researched names on the computer. I thought of so many. It really amazed me to see just how many names I thought were original only to find out they were already taken! I wracked my brain for days. I would pester my friends with various examples to see what they thought. It wasn't until one night that I was up particularly late working with my clay, I set it all aside and decided to go to bed. Somewhere in the middle of the night I thought up the name LemonDropsArt or LDA. It was perfect and exactly what I wanted. I was afraid to look. There were a couple of things but nothing that matched exactly. It was so close...I had to check if it was too close. I asked an attorney {the one I'm married to} We looked deeper into it and it was available {insert cheesy smile here} I decided it was a good idea to trademark my name and so I filled out an application, a pretty lengthy process but relatively straight forward. You can find/fill out an application for your trademark at www.uspto.gov Viola!! The LDA was born.

 I had business cards made and left them EVERYWHERE. I opened a shop on Etsy, and waited. For the time, my big sister was my biggest customer. She bought just about everything I could make. I started putting things up on ebay, and waited. I would check everyday and see...nothing...Finally I decided to 'take a walk around Etsy' I Favorited one lady's shop, who made similar creatures to me. I messaged her just to introduce myself. I looked at her shop even deeper and realized she had SEVERAL sales under her belt. "LIGHT" I asked her what her secret was. {This was the first correct thing I had done during this whole thing} She was WONDERFUL. I am still one of her biggest fans and we still keep in touch =) She taught me about patience. She shared with me her trials of when she first started and it was because of her, I opened a new FB page for my art. I no longer focused on how many people my posts were reaching. I was focusing on the content of my posts. Gradually more and more people were taking notice. Then one day *message* One of my figures sold to someone who WASN'T related to me! I was so excited! "I did it!! I did it!" I told myself all the way to the post office. 

There I realized a whole new set of expenses and issues. What is the best way to send my creatures? Which service is best? What about packing materials. I soon realized the serious lack of a well thought out plan. I sent the item off to it's new home and drove home with a mixture of euphoria and anxiety. 'Am I charging enough to compensate myself for the materials to make the figures and the cost of packaging and shipping them? I definitely wasn't adding in the time it took me to create something. Because honestly, at the time I think Michael Angelo could have finished the Sistine Chapel faster.  I had to recalculate everything. 

I had to really think about this. What should I  charge? What is reasonable?  I have yet to figure out exactly what is right. In fact there may not be a 'right' but I think I have at least discovered what is fair. I am finding that people want fair. They want to know they are getting something wonderful for their hard-earned money. They want to know that they are not being taken advantage of. People are you, and me. I put myself into their shoes and looked at it from that point of view. Taking into account my costs, and now I am able to account for time. {Since I am getting much quicker and improving on my skills} It isn't perfect yet. When I write to you again, I will share with you the formula that I found. It is really a wonderful way to calculate what I spend vs what I charge.

I am still new to this and I am by no means 'supporting' myself yet, but I have patience and I push myself everyday to learn more and to improve my skills. I cherish every tidbit of advice I have been given so far. 'Shoestring budget' is how I refer to myself. I love that phrase and I got it from one of my heroes Heather Wells {you can find her on youtube} 

My sculpts have come a long way from the 'rough little horse' in the beginning, and I am inspired by all of the other artists out there. There is SO much I still need to learn.  

I hope that I will create some form of impact on the world through art, in some way. Thank you for reading =) 

Until Next Time, 

Alicia 

July 11 & 12 

Noteworthy:

May 2 & 3 
Elmhurst, Illinois
19th Annual Art in the Park 
Grounds of Wilder Park and Elmhurst Art Museum
10am-5pm both days

For more information and to download the application please visit: www.rglmarketingforthearts.com

and LIKE our Facebook page.

    

 I thought you artist friends who, like me, produce and sell our work, might be interested in a look at my studio. Warning: it might get ugly. 

  http://sandyartparts.blogspot.com

       I've heard it said by artists in discussing their future dreams: "I just want a small house and a big studio!"

    And why is it important to us artists to have that place to make art? So important, in fact, that a big studio is preferred over a big house. When my husband David got finished with art school in the '70's, he built a studio space in the pole shed at the farm. He enclosed a space, added a wood floor, put in insulation, a chimney and a Jotul wood stove. 

   Then he met me, married me, and embarked with me on an adventure that has taken 36  years to bring full circle. Now we are literally right back where we started. (Our first date was at the studio!)

      So we are older, wiser, and all that. And very much still needing a place to make art. Our art is varied;it requires supplies, time, and a lot of tools. And cats. Our art includes painting, jewelry making, mixed media collage, leather craft, decorative painting, and wood working. Our future art will include ceramics. There is no end in sight of the need we both have to make art. 

     The need to sell  our art goes hand in hand with the need to make it. Neither one of us is cut from the fabric of making art to just give it away. It's the selling it, the finding the right client for the work , that scratches the itch and completes the cycle.

   Of course all this comes at a price. When I think about the length I have gone to to get in the right shows so I can meet my ideal client, well, it makes me shudder. And if we were to count up the actual hours David has spent on his art that he would not, could not, get paid for, it's pretty insane. And yet there is this need to make art. So we keep figuring it out. How to make it, how to sell it , and how to have that big studio next to the small house.

   So we're doing a little bit of renovations. Like a new floor, insulation, rain gutters, varmint proofing, and lighting. Hopefully we will get it done before the weather turns freezing. 

I have to keep  my vision up of the big studio, because, as you can see, it's little more than a dirt hole right now. Our cats love it, they think it's a huge sand box/ litter box. My work area is the table in the upper right of the photo. Pretty primitive, huh? 

 But you should see the view from here.

 So what does your studio look like? Do you have a big studio and a small house? 

this show sucks, and for some bizarre reason they decided to start charging admission this year so the returning artists said attendance was down 80%.  My neighbor at the show was in my opinion a complete art show genius, she does gem stones and dumped like 5000 of them out on a table so people could pick though and she didnt get an opportunity to sit down all day she was so busy. I think it was definitely difficult for me to sell high end paintings next to 5$ stones, but shoot, she's got her **** figured out.  If i could be that busy all day and make that much money i would.  
Anyways. I dont recommend this show.  there was a howard alan ACE show in st pete same weekend and a painter friend of mine down there said he was doing well, so i chose the wrong show :/

Dont do it!

Had not done this show in 20 years.  Might be another 20 before I try it again.

Daytona is an interesting, iconic beach town on Florida's east coast.

They love their car racing, big time here,and they love anything to do with the beach.

Unfortunately, art does not seem to fit into one of their abiding loves.

I am a photographer, so much of my report and perspective of the shows I blog about are based on 2-D observations.  Believe me, I monitor the 3-Dside as well.  After 40 years in the biz, I know a good bag of Kettle Corn from a so-so bag in a spectators hands.

I went to Photo School in Daytona in the early 80-ies.  So I did this show then.  It was a better juried fine art show then.

Believe me, sales were tough then, but now, they are absolutely decrepit.

In the entire show I saw less than a dozen 2-D parcels go down the aisles.  Some of these were  painted palm tree husks that were placed on a plywood base with a hanger.  That is how bad it was.

The show is held by the riverfront downtown.  Runs about three blocks.  Artists are back to back with a wide median in between.  Plenty of room for storage.

Easy Friday setup.  Mellow committee.  Nice awards, some free food.  They try hard and they have a loyal corps of followers.

This was my first show since the great car crash incident into my booth at Bluffton,SC.

I had a LightDome canopy, courtesy of Lou and Terri, and eight Propanels courtesy of my wife, Ellen.

It all went up with stock in less than three hours.  I tore down in one hour.

The potential customers there are thin, very thin.

Not a lot of interest in art or acquiring it.

That said, I barely broke even with expenses, and I was staying with good friends in New Smyrna Beach.

BTW.  Friday night, Hallow-ween, NSB put on a great downtown get together with parades and bar-hopping.  It was great, it put my Ybor City to shame.  No edgy drunks, just lots of people all ages having fun.

I would only recommend this show to someone if they are not coming from afar.  Don't expect a lot, and you will go home happy.

BTW.  I saw very little 3-D purchases in anybody's hands.  The Kettle Corn guy was the king.

I am now parked and waiting to register and setup in Pensacola.  Usually this is a very good show for me, and most others.

I will do a blog next week.

Aloha!  Nels.

As some of you may remember, I won the full pass to the ZAPP Art Festival Conference from this year's pledge drive.  Well, it's been a long time coming, but I'm finally able to sit down and write about my experience there.

I flew from Oakland to Portland on Thursday morning and got to the Benson Hotel about ten minutes into the first session and quickly jumped from one session to the next, hoping to find topics that would help me learn how to make my art festival experience great and professional.

To be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed at first to find out that the main sessions were geared more toward art fair promoters.  I think I had been expecting this conference to be more like a convention; where art fair promoters and advertisers had booths where would-be artists could learn all the ins and outs of art fairs, have some questions answered, and learn how to improve their business.  But thankfully there were some afternoon break out sessions at the conference that focused on the artists and how we could improve our experiences.

One of the break out sessions that I found incredibly helpful was the Public Portfolio Critique.  My husband and I submitted our art and mock booth photo in the hopes of getting some feedback on our stuff, and YAY, we were one of the artists they chose to judge!  But I also learned a great deal from their comments on the other artists' images.  It was very cool to be sitting in on a mock jury, to get an idea of where they're coming from, what they're looking for, and how to improve my chances to be selected for a show.

And then there were the lunches.  I normally find a spot out of the way to sit and eat (whether from fear or a need for solitude, I'm not sure), but on both days people came to join me and I'm so glad they did!  I met some wonderful people during those lunches, and have some good contacts now; some fellow artists and a couple promoters, one even in my local area!

I also got to meet Connie!  While sitting in the back of the room at Eve Connell's session about effective interpersonal communication, I got introduced to Kelly Smith Cassidy who was also sitting in the back row.  When Kelly heard my name, she said that Connie had been looking for me.  That was a nice feeling, and I made sure to go meet her after the session.  She's just as warm and friendly in person as she seems on her podcasts and in the comments and blogs she writes here on AFI.

I was unable to stay for the festival afterward--as I had to get home and spend the weekend with my husband and his daughter--but I know I'll be looking at the festivals I walk very differently now.

Thank you, again, Connie and AFI for this wonderful opportunity!  And hopefully I'll see you all around at art fairs very soon.

While working today I stumbled upon this job opening.  The Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival is looking for a new director.  They have 2 festivals a year.  This is a 12 month job and is part time.  They are taking applications until 10/31/2014. 

This festival is located in Crozet, Virginia.  This might be a great job for someone that still wants to participate as an artist themselves during a few weekends a year or needs some money but still is needed at home. 

To check out the job offer:

http://crozetfestival.com/now-hiring-festival-director/

This is a one day show in september in conjunction with fall fest. the lady who runs it is so unbelievably nice that its hard to write anything bad about the show, but Garden city is a shitbox.  the town is all grain elevators and feed lots and depending on the wind direction smells like rotting cow flesh.  I was there for about 30 hours and that was far too long.  There are a few people from what I've heard who have lots of cattle or oil money but i saw no evidence of it.  I mostly sold cheap prints.  I'd say if its geographically super convenient to do, maybe do it. the jury fee is only $10 and $60 for the booth fee which i actually didnt even pay til i was at the show. and they had prize money! not a ton but compared to the booth fee it was okay.  I got 2nd prize which was $200 so that was nice. 
Just a little info for anyone considering this show. 
Although the jewelers near me seemed to be really busy, but i dont know how well they did.

I just did the first year of Mile High art and Jazz and was pleasantly surprised.  I have not been doing well in Colorado (if you've read my other reviews you'll see) I didnt have high expectations for the show but it was by far my best Colorado show and all of the other artists seemed to be happy. I didnt talk to anyone who said it was a blowout show for them, but everyone seemed generally happy. So especially since it was a first year show I totally recommend it.  It is in conjunction with Taste of colorado which is 10 blocks away, and I guess brings hundreds of thousands of people.  The traffic at the show which is in Skyline park, a fenced in park (atleast during the show for security purposes i suppose) was steady all day both days and people seemed to be buying.  I almost sold my biggest piece, and I'm a little upset with myself for not selling either of the two times I had serious interest, but although I didnt sell anything over $1000 individually, the two people who loved my big piece didnt flinch at the $5000 price tag. So I think there is money walking around for sure. 
The promoter is named Liz Gore, her mom is Ruth gore who does Balloon fiesta in New mexico so although i think it was liz's first show, it seemed well planned, she has a good role model. 
So anyways, I'd love to hear anyone else's feedback that did the show and see if its in alignment with mine and the other artists I spoke with's idea of the show

I watched a documentary on an artist whose work sells for $65,000 - over $250,000 each.

I have seen his work before and it is interesting and really cool... I've always been so impressed with his skill, and the amazing amount of detail.

His work sells to collectors and museums.

I was really digging it until I saw the part where he is in China painting. They showed his a crew of like 10 Chinese painters doing all the backgrounds and the clothes.Wait, what?

The artist picks his models, he has someone else do the photography [he does art direction], imports his background images from wallpaper and/or other patterns. I watched as someone else put it all together in photoshop.

So how does he get the image on canvas? It looks like he uses a projector [!!!] and/or prints the images on canvas or fabric from photoshop.

Now I feel like I just found out my parents didn't really send my pet duck Donald to a "farm" after he broke his leg.

You know, there is that constant "artist" dialog about how using a projector is "cheating" - using any of sort of tool...except the artists that are making the most money in the WORLD all seem to use one, and a crew of painters, sculptors, fabricators.

So are the collectors really buying "his" original work or is it just his concept?

I work so hard, with my hands in and on everything. Why aren't my pieces selling for $250,000?

I am reaching out to this amazing community to get feedback from artists who participate in Art, Beats & Eats in Royal Oak, Michigan.

It looks like the latest review is from 2011, and I wanted to know if anyone has feedback who participated in 2012 and 2013.  I think the potential is huge - but so is the commitment.

Thanks so much!

Kelli

A friend asked that I post this. This is a great story of how you just can't keep a good guy (or woman) down. What started out bad finished with a happy ending. Plus, this story will alert you to why you need to always be aware of your surroundings, why you need to have a good inventory, and why a guardian angel can be very helpful.

Ok Everybody – have I got a story for you!  And if you have never believed in miracles before, I don’t see how you couldn’t change your mind after reading this. 

My husband makes beautiful, high-end gold jewelry.  Last weekend, we did the show at Lincoln Center in NYC and on Saturday night, after the show when we were getting out of our van at our hotel in New Jersey, 4 guys wearing masks jumped my husband, threw him facedown to the ground, held him down, and yanked the backpack of jewelry off his shoulder and jumped into the car they had pulled up right behind our van. I screamed and grabbed the door handle on the driver’s side, but he just gunned the car and took off, and left me lying on the pavement.  And there we were, stunned and devastated, our entire livelihood ripped from us in less than 15 seconds.

Of course the police came and we filled out a report, then spent a sleepless night just clinging to each other, too numb to even talk.  We still had about 12 pair of earrings and 5 bracelets which I had been holding in a separate bag so they didn’t get, and we actually opened the next day because I didn’t think we would be allowed to tear down early. 

Word spread throughout the show and the other artists were very sympathetic and even took up a collection of about $400 and we were touched and blessed by that. We had decided to be as positive as possible and were thankful that we hadn’t been shot, and I kept believing for a supernatural recovery, because I knew that’s exactly what any recovery would have to be.  Our whole church was praying for the same thing.

And guess what – IT HAPPENED!!!!!!!!   The following day, Monday, we were in the airport getting ready to fly home, when I get a phone call from a police officer in SOUTH CAROLINA, and in a nutshell, they had pulled over a car going down I-95, for some “irregular driving behavior”, and opened the trunk and there they found a pillowcase filled with a bunch of gold jewelry.  They confiscated it and tried to figure out who it belonged to – they didn’t know anything about the police report filed in New Jersey. 

My husband stamps the inside of his rings with his first name, but it’s extremely difficult to read because it’s so small – you really have to use a magnifying glass and even then sometimes it is illegible.  But they figured it out and googled him on line and FOUND HIM, and that’s when they called me at the airport!!!!!!! 

The stolen loot after it was recovered

Of course I was screaming hysterically with happiness in the middle of the airport. The officer said he wasn’t sure how long we would have to wait to go get it because of paperwork and whatnot but then he called a couple days later and said they were releasing it!  So we dropped everything, jumped in the car and drove till midnight to get there, and after spending most of the following day in the police station inventorying everything --- WE GOT EVERYTHING BACK EXCEPT THREE PIECES!!!!!!!!!

Not only that, there are more layers to this miracle.  Out of their entire police force of 127, those two officers are the only ones  on a special team called an “interdiction” force, and they are trained NOT to be just regular traffic policemen, but to specifically look for certain driving behaviors and other things they couldn’t tell me that alert them to thieves and drug runners and stuff like that, and THOSE two officers happened to be at the right place at the right time when these guys went zipping by on I-95 at 5:00 that Monday morning, and they pulled the car over for a “slightly irregular lane change”.  The Good Guys

One more layer – those officers were scheduled to work that evening from noon until 7:30, but they said they just had a feeling they would catch more bad guys in the early morning, so they came in to work at 4 a.m. instead.  Unbelievable.

And also, another little part of the miracle and a lesson to all of us about keeping a good inventory system:  up until about 3 weeks before this happened, our “inventory” system was a big unorganized MESS, but because we had gone about 2 months without doing shows, we had just gone through and taken pictures of every single piece and organized them into folders of Pendants, Rings, etc., and had made a new notebook where we wrote everything about each piece and its price.  That notebook was actually in the back pack that they ditched after they dumped everything into the pillowcase, BUT, we had made a copy!!!!  And with that in hand, we were able to identify all of our pieces to the police!!!!

When you think about the odds of us recovering that jewelry, especially in the way it was recovered, they would be astronomical – it truly is a miracle.

The Happy Reunion with the Recovered Loot

A few after notes:

- We donated the $400 that was collected for us at the show to C.E.R.F., and told them the story as well.

 -  We learned that the bad guys were part of a Columbian gang working with the drug cartel, and they were heading to Miami when the officers stopped them on I-95 that morning. 

The police made them open their luggage, and there they found the masks they used when they jumped my husband, one of those tools that are used to open a car by going in through the window, and – get this ---- they also found a GPS tracking device that they had used to track us!!  In other words, they had put some little device on our van, and with that GPS tracker that they had, they knew where we were even without physically following us. Very scary.

- And scariest of all – these guys are not in jail!!!  From what I understand, even though they had enough grounds to apprehend the jewelry, the police had to let the guys drive away because they claimed that they had bought the jewelry all in a big clump from a jeweler and though the police knew they were lying, since they didn’t actually have a victim at the time, and the guys said they would send a receipt (riiiiiight……), by law they had to let them go!!!!!  And even though now they have a victim (us), nobody has arrested them because they don’t know exactly where they are and the information I have is that “the investigation is still going on and they are looking.”  Isn’t that terrible???  I just hate it when the law protects the bad guys more than us!!!

This is a review of the 39th Annual Sono Arts Celebration, held on Connecticut's "Gold Coast" town of South Norwalk, on Sat/Sun, August 16-17, 2014. The "celebration" consists of an art show, several music stages, food court and children's activities, all contained within two cross streets that juncture at the SoNo train trestle overpass.

I had been hearing mostly bad things about this show for several years but jeweler acquaintances supported it and said with the large crowds, it was still a "good selling show" for them. I decided to give it another shot, "jurying in" with both my line of porcelain jewelry and decorative porcelain wares. I had exhibited at this show many years ago, mostly in the nineties with my last participation being around 2004/2005. It was never a stellar show for me but yielded a decent profit and good times with its regular stable of artists and the ever popular "Puppet Parade". It was fun. There used to be great art by 200 or so artists run by very capable artist-organizers, even awards and a "somewhat" buying public. None of this remains. Partly due to the "somewhat" buying public but largely due to the state of things in general. South Norwalk has seen better days and this event has morphed into nothing but a crowded street fair.

I was impressed with the show's "Pre-show" materials that the management company emailed. The info was clear, well organized and alluded to some perks which led me to be very optimistic about the event. Not much of it proved to be all that accurate. I had the earliest set-up time of 5:30-6 am and the line of cars to get into the festival street hadn't moved until after 6 am because no one could find the staff to let us all in. With the light of day, the vacant storefronts and the homeless sitting on the benches were unsettling but nothing proved as maddening as the unswept streets, littered by several days' worth of refuse. Several other inconsistencies came into light as well: parking fees, no vegetarian option with Sat/Sun's free lunch, artist hospitality tent not well stocked. But this is the small stuff.

There were about 65 "artist" booths with only 60% really qualifying. The remaining were filled with buy-sell (cut-rate at that), DIY booths (henna, silk scarves, etc) and designer booths (work designed by them, made elsewhere). One such designer booth was the hit of the show with an under $10 product neither constructed nor decorated by them (it says it on their website). Quality overall was abysmal and clearly NOT juried at all. The music was not suitable for any art show with very loud hard rock throughout both days. Two days of nice weather (sun/clouds, temp's in the upper seventies, low eighties) brought out the crowds but sadly they were not there for the art fair, rather just to walk the streets.

Though, I did make a small profit (80% jewelry sales, 20% ceramic sales; $65 the highest priced item sold), I would not return to this event. It was uncomfortable. The puppet parade wasn't even fun anymore, with only a handful of puppets making the rounds...if you blinked, you missed it. For anyone who remembers, this used to be a huge draw, as art organizations, clubs, high schoolers, etc., would construct life-size puppets to parade with accompanying drums throughout the festival streets. It would last 20 minutes or so. I was so bummed. And yes, the jewelers who had done so well in years past, were complaining about how dreadful sales were this year, too. Even a couple of painters who had enjoyed "great" sales last year, echoed the jewelers' sentiments. In the end, it's a street fair in a with an expensive buy-in. So sad.