Blog

The past few months I've become more aware of a disturbing trend that seems to be on the rise-breaking into artists' booths at night.  I'm dwelling on this now by the cozy light of a campfire in nowhere, Rhode Island and a cold one in hand, and I'm...puzzled? vicariously violated? utterly astounded? all of the above? -by the fact that people are desperate enough to steal from the starving.  OK, most of us here debunk the myth of the starving artist (I hope) but, let's face it, society in general does not view us as the movers and shakers.  Our work doesn't command that much on the resale market, if you can call it that.  So what are these lowlives looking for when they invade booths at night?

I was in Setauket, Long Island last weekend- a nice little village on the North Shore of stately historical registry homes, estates- your typical upper middle class neighborhood.  This was a show in its 46th year, no fly-by-night venue.  Out of all the cities I've been in over the past 3 months, this was the last place I would have expected to encounter such an egregious violation of one's hard work.  Hell, when I grew up here, we didn't lock our doors at night.  Call me naive, but I never thought of artwork as inherently stealable unless it's a Thomas Crowne Affair.  Let me clarify, I know I'm walking a thin line here.  I know jewelers who have been stalked and robbed at gunpoint, but what I'm talking about is non-precious metal/jewel art that can't be melted down or resold to a pawn shop.  My paintings really don't have much value to the average scumbag, and I'm ok with that.  I'm really disturbed that this happened in an upscale village to the extent that it did.

Many artists arrived Saturday morning to find that, at the very least, their booths had been violated and work had been moved around.  The worst was a painter who had $4000 worth of work stolen.  What was appalling was the show's response to her, which was to brush her off and refuse her request to pack up and leave.  Show security?  I didn't give it much thought before this show, but Framer Dude (who missed his calling as a detective or bounty hunter) has always done a late night walk through to test security and deemed this patrol as lacking, along with several others we have done.  I realize that shows have only a certain amount of dollars to divide up, and perhaps they too are guilty of the same naivety and complacency that I am-that art shows are not big on the hit list.  But this show's layout was a prankster's or a thief's field day- one older gent for security, a dark street, and a row of booths that twisted around through the woods, with a bar in the middle.

My point here is not to lament the evils of the world.  I'm not that much of a rube or a whiner.

I want to pass on a tip that may thwart would-be thieves- who are probably low tech and seeking easy, unsecured targets.  Framer Dude and I take out stock in zipties, also known as cable ties at Home Depot, for setting up the booth.  These have a multitude of uses and we discovered a new one when we sat down and thought about how to make the booth less accessible at night.  When we close the zippers down, we now use a zipties in the four corners and four side zippers, through the holes in the zipper toggles, and attach them to the legs and bottom poles.  I think most thieves are counting on easy access, quick in and out and won't waste the extra time or thought (if they have any after letting off their crackpipes) to tackle a booth that requires a pair of wire cutters to get into.  

Not a fail-safe, but at least it makes it a bit more difficult, rather than just unzippering the tent.  Of course, if they're crackheads, they might carry razor blades and slash their way through the sides, but I haven't thought of a way around that.  Perhaps I should leave my huge German shepherd in the booth at night?

I am licking my wounds right now and avoiding my credit card statements after the last two shows where I didn't even make expenses.  Two shows which by all research should have been at least paycheck shows, and I'm all out of Xanax.  What is an artist to do?

Setauket, a little village of wonderful demographics right next door to my hometown on Long Island, sorely disappointed in many ways, especially with the nighttime booth robberies.  But I'll address that in another blogpost.  I did well as a rookie art show artist here in 2008, and expected (perhaps delusionally, in retrospect) a sort of prodigal-daughter-returns-home kind of show.  It was a dogwalk.  There are some shows that urge me to take up pet portraiture again, because THAT would have sold.  The shoes were here.  The weather was perfect.  The wallets stayed firmly out of sight.  And every breed in the AKC was here too.  I had some maddening nibbles from two interior designers, who of course  did not have their business cards on them, one said she had a client on the Gold Coast who"didn't want a landscape, but something beachy" and my giant conch "was perfect".  Now I know how guys feel with a case of blue balls. 

Well, ok, I thought, this whole trip so far has been one good show, one bad show.  Onto Montclair, NJ.  Let's go wrangle this monster RV over the Cross Bronx Expressway and the GW into the well-heeled Jersey suburbs.

Aaaack.

Did I say my prayers Friday night?  Did I neglect St. Luke, the patron saint of artists?  Should I have conducted a small animal sacrifice? Should I have bought far more cheap wine and cigarettes to numb the increasing panic as the hours ticked down to five o' clock Sunday?

Oy vey. (I can say this, I just back from Long Island and stuffed myself on good bagels and lox)

Howard and Rose did everything right.  They advertised prolifically, and are wonderful people to boot.  The show is in a great area.  The weather again cooperated.  But the dogwalkers ruled the day.  Munks described in a recent post the vacancy in peoples' eyes, the absence of hope.  My booth buddy neighbor said, "These people could walk off a cliff."  I was not the only artist who didn't make expenses.  I'm stymied, and more than a bit anxious.  And I don't like the cheap red wine I'm drinking.  I'm second guessing my decisions made earlier this year (completely sober, thank you) on where in New England to show my very New England beachy work.  If it's true that it takes three years for an audience at a particular show to accept that you are here for real as an artist, well then, I'm screwed, because I'm basically unemployable at anything else.

So how do YOU prop yourself up after falling face first?

This is no hoax, exaggeration, fit of hysterics, or roll of doldrums.

"Dan and I are thinking of quitting the Art Fair Biz."

No, some might exclaim!

But is this the same woman who was so creatively and emotionaly transcendent after Amdur's Promenade of Arts?

"Yup", I answer.

(I can ask and answer my own questions. Pretty advanced for my age, hey?)

Well, what happened this past month, you wonder?

"It all hit."

What? Tornadoes, tsunamis, bankruptcy, the plague, creative block, depression, menopause.......well, tell us?

"Every single thing that this blog has warned me about.............and MORE."

Come on. You're just feeling sorry for yourserlf. What actually happened?

"I foresaw the death of Art."

Linda, you are so melodramatic....who can take you seriously anymore.

"Seriously. I started a blog once before about Art Fairs being Dinosaurs and no one listened. Now I have more proof. And I don't want proof.....I WANT Art Fairs to be the Big Daddies that they used to be. "

Is this the start of a whine?

"Nope. Just what I saw and heard. Honest!"

Okay. Dish.

"Here are some sad but true things that happened this month:

1) I paid out $1,200 in fees, travel and food and made (drum roll) $979. We were rained out of two of the four days of Shows. At one Fair the directors ran around hysterically shouting "There are 75 mph winds headed this way folks. You're on your own. I advise everyone to leave." We scrabbled to load the custom uphostered jewelry cases, the jewelry, curtains, rug, etc. home. (Oh, BTW, the carts that they said would be available to help us load/unload MAGICALLY disappeared right before the storm. A fellow artist who drove down with two tents and a lot of creativity lost everything. And ONE hour later the sun came out!!!

2) Both Art Fairs  were jury entry only and had had excellent reputations. Last year we met wonderful artists who became our friends and we sold well there. This year both fairs were BUY/ SELL.  Two booths down from me a man opened boxes from India with whatever DOG you wanted to wear on your T-shirt and rawhide bones to match.

Across fom him, was an Hispanic couple selling a store of cheap earrings, bracelets and clothes along with purses, purses, purses. The couple to our right were busy all day selling combs that we watched him take out of shipping boxes when she ran low after fixing girls hair in tricky ways all day.

The couple on the left were already selling Haloween decorations which he admitted they buy at a local store and go all over the state to sell...every day of the week.

As I walked up and down the path of both these country Art Fairs I knew I would never be back. 

Art was gone from Watertown's Riverfest and Lake Geneva's Venetian Festival. I do not see it returning in this economy. RIP

3) I was talking to a wealthy friend of mine about getting out of this business. He said he remembers that five years ago everyone went to buy some art at The Lakefront Festival of the Arts in Milwaukee. Now he can't remember the last time he heard any of his friends talking about their latest aquistion. "Funny." he said.

4) I'm exhausted trying to sell to people who want value for the least they can pay. I am not a flea market. I am not the local ATM machine.

There were so many empty booth spaces at both events.

I don't think I'm alone in contemplating quitting. I think many artists already have quit.

RIP

I needed to wait a week to write my comments about Ann Arbor.  A friend of mine called me last Thursday and she said she still hadn't recovered from the grueling 4 day show. I was feeling the same, except that I had another setup on Friday and then 2 more days of direct sunlight. So, it's taken me another week to get it together. 

I think I am uniquely qualified to talk about Ann Arbor because I have watched this show for 45 years from different perspectives.  When I was 15 years old, I thought I was an intellectual.  I joined a summer group that introduced me to a lot of very cool things.  We listened to Coltrane and Charley Parker.  We read Ginsberg poetry and James Joyce novels. We went to the old Hillsberry theater to see Shakespeare and to the movie theater to see "Raisin in the Sun," Lastly, we took a trip to Ann Arbor to see the art fair.  In those days the show was on just South University and East U. Artists leaned there paintings against ladders and potters displayed their pots on old crates. That was 1964.  After I got out of college, in 1972, I ended up working as a store manager and buyer in the shoe business.  We had 6 stores in Michigan and I ended up at the Ann Arbor store on South U., where I ran our store for 2 years. During the Art Fair we brought all our sales merchandise from the other stores and set up racks on the street.  We did 1/3 of our yearly business during those 4 days.  In those days, the Ann Arbor Art Fair was the premier show in the country and many of the artists were museum quality. Realizing that retail was not for me, I went back to school and took clay classes at a college.  I started doing art fairs in 1981 and got into the State Street show in 1982 and I have done it off and on for the past 30 years.

By the time I got into the Ann Arbor shows, they had morphed into 3 shows, the Original, State Street, and the Guild.  The reason for this was that the whole business community wanted to get into the act of selling their old merchandise during an otherwise slow time.  This worked throughout the '80s and the '90's because the artists did well and the merchants did well.  But, make no mistake, this was always about the merchants selling their wares.  We were just there to get the people to come to Ann Arbor.  The show committees never did much for the artists but it didn't matter because we did really well.  And expenses were low. You could get a room at the Michigan League or the Bell Tower for less than $80.  You could park in a lot for less than $5, but, if you got there early and left after 10PM you didn't have to pay anything. Show fees were less than a third of what they are today.

In those days, the Original show was considered the best show, State Street next, and then the Guild.  But it worked because once you got into your show and got a space, you stayed in your space for years so that your customers could find you. The shows had grown to over 1200 exhibitors. Consequently, the quality of the 3 shows remained high and there wasn't much difference in the shows.  Everyone had their preferred space.  I know plenty of great artists, like John Long, who had a spot on Main Street(the Guild Show), for years. The State Street show liked to put its best artists on North University to compete with the Original show.  I was on North University in those days and I loved my space.  North U. did not have any vendors on the street except for Moe's Sport Shop.  The rest of the street was dedicated to the artists. I regularly did between $6000 and $10000, which in todays dollars would be $10K-$18K. The Ann Arbor shows were considered in the top 2 shows along with Coconut Grove.

In the late '90' things were starting to change.  Sales were still good, but, we would hear grumbling from the merchants wishing we weren't there.  And, you'd hear about the locals saying they go out of town during the event.  And, it seemed like everyone with a parking lot or an empty building were renting out spaces to anyone willing to pay for it. And, the 3 legit shows kept adding booths, opening new streets. Starting around 2001 things started to change.  Attendance started to go down very slightly.  The buyers starting staying home because the shows had gotten too big.  None of the serious art buyers wanted to wade through all the junk to get to the good stuff.  Even though sales were off all little, they were still good, so, nobody really complained.  

Things really started to nose dive in the mid 2000's(2005? I'm guessing) when the Original Show had a problem with the South University Area Association.  I can't speak to the problem because I don't know any of the details, but, the Original Show was moved to the campus on North University abutting the State Street Show. The SUAA started their own show in the same location of the old Original and now there were 4 legit shows.  Show fees started to skyrocket, there was absolutely no free parking anywhere, and if you wanted to stay at the Bell Tower it would cost you $350 for a room.  It is my opinion that the attitude of the merchants and Ann Arbor, in general, crossed a line.  They never welcomed us warmly except to thank us for bringing all that business to the local community. But then around 2005 it seemed that they started taking us for granted.  Many, many really great artists stopped doing the show and over the years are being replaced with average or really poor exhibitors. And, more and more commercial vendors showed up on the streets and in spaces where artists used to be.  And still, none of us really complained, except a few of us, because sales were still decent and since the majority of exhibitors hadn't done these events during the golden age, they accepted the status quo.

Then came this year, and because of the heat, which kept people away and kept people from buying, you are all whining and saying all the things that I have been saying for the past 10 years.  I agree with everything that was said in Nels review and everything that was said in the comments.  I've always been accused of whining too much.  I really glad some other people stepped up to the plate and said what needed to be said.  This was the worst year ever in the history of the show.  I would have been embarrassed to show some of the things that I saw being sold in the booths.  With the reputation that Ann Arbor has, you would think they could attract better art.  Oh yeah, ridiculously high booth fees, high parking fees, inflated hotel rooms, and commercial vendors encroaching on the artists spaces.  Maybe the smart ones are doing something else.  On any weekend there are now 5 shows to chose from.

Some of you talked about reducing the hours and making the show 3 days.  That will never happen.  Nothing will ever change because the Ann Arbor events are about and have always been about the merchants selling their sales merchandise.  I heard some grumbling about boycotting the shows.  None of you have the balls or the commitment to do that and that would be the only way to change things. As I've said many, many times we create business for any community that has a show.  That, in turn, creates taxable income, so that the city and the state benefit from our being there.  Ironically, no other community benefits more from a show than Ann Arbor and no community takes us for granted more than Ann Arbor.  So, unless you are willing to make a real commitment, nothing will ever change.

Now about the economy and the show in general:  I talked to a lot of people.  The thing that makes the Ann Arbor shows great is that it attracts people from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.  No other show does that and because of that fact, there is always the possibility of making great sales no matter what the conditions are.  What was missing this year were the buyers from the North suburbs of Detroit, who make up the majority of the buyers at this show.  It was way too hot.  The radio stations were telling people to stay inside and not go anywhere, which meant not coming to the show.  And in talking to everyone, it seemed that everyone I talked to were from other states.  I talked to nobody from West Bloomfield, Birmingham, etc. Those people stayed home and that was the real reason why people did poorly.  In fact, there was some indication that things are turning around for those of us that make one of a kind objects.  I base that on the fact that I hadn't seen any gallery owners for 2 years.  I could always count on at least 1 gallery order at any show that I would do.  In the past 2 weeks, including Ann Arbor, I had 4 galleries come into my booth and express wanting to do business again. One gallery had sold all my work this summer and needed more. Two of the galleries were galleries that that I had sold to regularly in the '90's but hadn't bought in the past 10 years.  They are now eager for new work.  Because of this, I feel that things are turning around for us. 

I will probably do the show next year because I've always accepted the situation and am willing to live with it.

Swinging down through the Chicago Loop with the great Cher and Christina belting out about burlesque("show a little more, show a little less, let them know what's in store, welcome to burlesque!), we started out our journey to Gold Coast in high spirits.

When we reached the lake we could open the windows and feel the great breeze off Lake Michigan.

And that's what my tent has: a great view of the magnificent fountain in Grant Park and a cool breeze. Our booth is backed by huge trees that offer total relief from the noon sun. Amy handed out water jugs to everyone and there are tons of ice and water available at all times for us.

We were the first group to set up(we pulled in right by our booth. I owe that all to a fellow AFIer named Robert Campbell. He stalled unloading  and saved a loading space until my husband arrived. Thanks, great guy!)

We left at 4 pm as the next group was arriving. I must say it was an impressive sight to see all those white tents....and that was just half the number.

I feel like Christmas Eve. I just can't wait to wake up tomorrow. 

This is a show that is a part of the 9-day Summer Celebration, and the fine art is located in Hackley Park.  The surrounding streets are designated for low end crafts, BS, and everything else.  More about that shortly.

Thunderstorms dogged setup and the first half of Friday for this 3 day show.  While we arrived early, at 12 pm on Thursday and set up as soon as we arrived, the late arrivals that night and the next morning had to contend with rain and lightning all around.  I have to say this was by far one of the easiest load-ins we’ve done, since we tow a 40-foot RV and it can get pretty hairy in a city.  The show director was actually glad to have us in so early so we could get out quick, and that we did, and managed to escape setting up in a downpour and instead gorge ourselves on some damn good wings and potato skins.  Yep, pre-show fuel up! 

This year, parking was not free, as it has been in the past, and there is no parking allowed on the park streets.  Or so we were informed in the show packet.  Framer Dude managed to wangle a spot for the Artship Enterprise for $50 for the weekend, and I suppose that comes from experience of working on a submarine in the Navy.  However, other artists/vendors with RV’s were parked along the streets outside the park with no apparent repercussions.  It really irks me when I try to adhere to the parking instructions and others just go ahead and do their own thing-I would have loved to have saved myself fifty bucks and been closer to the show too.  Friday the storms continued, and I was a bit nervous, being in a park with lots of tall trees all around, especially when one bolt audibly crackled directly overhead with a deafening crash.  The storm seemed to just circulate and keep redeveloping over Muskegon all morning, though surprisingly, there were a few people out and about, which is one thing I’ve forgotten about Northerners, we’re a bit more blasé to inclement weather.  Still, I was very glad I decided to pack my Gore-Tex raincoat for this trip North!

The show itself is set up in Hackley Park, a beautiful setting with huge tall (lightning magnet) trees, and it’s a full 3 day show, which I like, since Saturday becomes a mellow day to relax and interact with patrons without the pressure of setting up and tearing down within 48 hours.My booth was perfectly placed in the shade of a maple, so I stayed cool once the skies cleared and temps crawled into the mid 80’s.  Framer Dude walked the show, and was very surprised at both the scarcity of 2D work and the enormous amount of jewelry.  I think I saw two other oil painters in my excursions around.  There was not a lot of high-end art, and I suspect I could have won an award for the highest priced artist there.  A Michigan artist said that this part of Michigan has seen a steep drop in painters at the shows.  Who did well? The henna tattoo artist across from me did. (Tattoo artist at an art show? you’re saying. Yup.) The yard art people did.  The beaders did.  The suspect BS vendors did.  I hit my target, and was happy with my sales and the 3^rd place prize money.  The infernally annoying salsa vendor behind me in the street was hawking obnoxiously to all the women passing by and to the credit of the show promoters, he was told to tone down his act or leave.

Saturday and Sunday the weather was great.  The crowds were large and steady on Saturday, and the oh-that’s-gorgeous-but-my-hands-ain’t-leavin-my-pockets folks were in full force.  The artist next to me said this is more a B, B-minus show.  Overall, Framer Dude and I were not impressed with the buying power of this crowd, as the fine art buyers were pretty few and far between, and there is a lot of other entertainment vying for tight dollars between the flea market/craft section, the food section, and the evening music venues. From our five-star parking lot, we got to hear loud and clear Night Ranger on Friday Night, and a Journey tribute band, I think.  I should have busted out my acid-washed jeans and Stiff Stuff to tease my hair out.  Don’t stop belie-e-eving...

Teardown went off without a hitch: we decided to wait for the vendors on the street to clear out before we towed our RV right up to the booth and loaded out, so we went back for more greasy pub food.  (MAC’s has the best potato skins I’ve ever had, as well as a really good seared tuna if you’re not into clogging your arteries.)

Overall, I was pleased by the general crowd reception to my work, as I’ve never been to Michigan before and I’m testing new geographical markets, and I was Okay with my sales, considering the crowd.  Krasl in St. Joseph next weekend has the reputation as the high-end art show in southwest Michigan, and I am still on their waitlist at this moment, ready to hold a small animal sacrifice to the gods of the art shows that I’ll be able to participate in that one.  

Well, I'm packed and ready to head down toward the Windy City way and my first Promenade of Art in Arlington Heights, Illinois. I'm excited, I can tell you.

Altthough this past Tuesday, Mukwonago had such high winds, hail and lighting that it shattered the boys plexiglass basketball hoop(good thing it fell to the right. Dan's antique refurbished 1963 Fury was to the left! Whew.) And it split our largest tree right down the middle......that was the one my oldest tried to saw down when he was a toddler! I thought it had nine lives....guess only two. Willow, my sober Maltese, and I were under the heavy computer desk in the basement. Too many tornadoes that are not in Kansas to suit me!

Anyway, if Connie asks, that's were I will be.

And I'll keep you posted.

Course, I'm no Nels....so don't expect a raconteur.

I'll do my best.

Anyone else going?

I started writing a blog about "Tells" - the way you determine how a customer's behavior will or won't lead to a sale - click on the link to read, and please add yours!

I hope you'll add your observations!

I just want to say to Connie and all who particpate on this site that while I have disappeared for a month or two I am in love with this site all over again.  The content is great!  I love seeing booth shots and detailed reviews of art fairs.  The month of May was hectic - shows each weekend and no time to really catch up doing stock.  All the fairs were in Maryland and have to say Maryland is a good state to be in as my sales are better than last years totals.  

The "story" I have to share pertains to my dad.  I was lucky that I didn't have any fairs for June as my dad, who has been in poor health for 9 years took a turn for the worse - the month I didn't have fairs.  That month being June.  He passed away two weeks ago and just have to say that despite it being a hard thing to go through I am relieved he isn't suffering and didn't happen when in the middle of doing an art fair.  I was doing a great show - Wine in the Woods in Columbia, MD when I had the awful thought - what if I get "the call" in the middle of the fair".  I didn't but the thought scared me to death....  My dad was an avid photographer and taught me a lot about taking photographs, framing and appreciate art in general.  He, in return, was one of my biggest fans.  On that note, has anyone here had to deal with running a business on top of dealing with the death of a loved one?  Right now I am playing catch up as I do not have any fairs in July or August (but not ruling out August entirely) meanwhile helping my mom deal with, well paperwork and such.  I am guessing I should go by the old addage - Just do it - get the work done so it is out of the way and move on to more creative fun work.  So, does anyone have any stories or advice for me with regard to this topic?  My next show, the Maryland Seafood Festival,  is in early Sept. and going to be my biggest show ever which I think, providing the weather will be good, could be a great pay day for me.  My focus is taking the time now to get my ducks in a row so I can do a good job at that show.  Just an FYI in case people are wondering.   I hope all are having good shows and continue to have good shows.  I plan on checking in more often now.  :-)  - Michelle

P.S.  I now have a lot of his work, would it be a good idea to do a "private show" exhibiting his work?  Has anyone done anything like that before - like an open house, or showing at a library or something along that line?  I have only sold my items at art fairs, so this also is new territory 

Just wanted to say I had a very interesting experience in Scottsdale, AZ just a week ago.   As I am about to set this up, I want to quick mention that this post is geared for those who sell both at art fairs as well as art galleries - say in the same time too.  But this may be entertaining to all those who don't fit into that category...  Now onto the set up...

It was my first time in AZ, mind you, with my husband.  I went because I wanted to experience the Grand Canyon, see Scottsdale (my mom's favorite place to visit), spend time with an old high school friend, check out the AZ Ren-fest (I have friends who work there and have a podcast hobby where I go to ren-faires and report on the experience I have there for other Rennies), and of course see what the art is like in and around Phoenix.  Mind you I am an East Coast gal from Baltimore.  I must reiterate - it is a pleasure trip, not having a show to do and kick back a few days while I was in the area.    An actual vacation which also happened to be  affordable as I stayed with friends (my friend from high school and his wife) who insisted on driving us everywhere (God bless old friends!!!). 

One of the many memorable places I got to visit while in AZ was Old towne Scottsdale.  Now I missed the Art in the Park Festival (not sure if that is what it was called), but City Fest. was going to happen the next day - if that means anything to anyone.  I have to say I felt like a fish out of water - granted most of the people there were 25+ my age.  I walked around some streets of Old Town with a real hunger to check out the galleries (the food was great too).   I wanted to know what was being displayed.  Was it all Southwest themed with Native American work or broader, tapping into some unique modern/contemporary art forms? The first gallery I entered was where I got my shock.  The gallery owner was a major A__hole.  The gallery, nice with plenty of Native American pottery and paintings.  However, I was followed the whole time by the gallery owner who BOASTED how he was the owner of the gallery for 25 years and NEVER forgets a face as he runs it by himself and never has taken a day off.  My friend from high school, who happens to be wheel chair bound - since childhood - in a motorized scooter, did not have a problem maneuvering around the busy displayed gallery, but the gallery owner was quite the vulture talking to us the whole time, trying to get my friend to use a different exit and tried to move  things around him (like paintings that were on the ground leaning up against a display) when it wasn't necessary.    I didn't know if I should stay in the gallery to piss the guy off or get out of there as quick as possible as I couldn't take the mightier than thou attitude.  My friend shrugs it off as - "that's gallery people for you", I said I have never been in a gallery where it is their point to watch every customer like a hawk, making them think they will damage property at every turn and not for any good reasons such as being anxious to help you at a moments notice with questions.  Where was the customer service there?  And for those who have never been this this huge gallery area, there must be 50 galleries - at least - vying for customers.   A lot of heavy competition in a not-so-bustling economy.  Which makes me think long and hard, why be a jerk and make customers feel like strangers and extremely uncomfortable?   I was glad first impressions didn't ruin the whole gallery walk as another one two doors down happened to be spacious and well organized specializing in Native American work.  The breath of fresh air is that this gallery owner was eager to please having public handicap accessible restrooms, friendly in that the owner mentioned a piece or two but backed off AND had a guest artist that day in the gallery demonstrating!  Night and day difference! Others offered refreshments like lemon water, friendly chit chat, and pieces of history about the area or the gallery OR the artists.

First question....  As artists, when entering a gallery just to look or purchase something, have you had similar weird vibes and said something?  I was tempted being an artist, but really felt it wasn't my place as some I just don't think you can get through to them.

Second question...  For those who sell both at art fairs and galleries - If you happen to do an art fair in or near the same town as a gallery that houses your work, do you make it a point to visit that gallery (as a secret shopper or not) and even promote it when at the show?  Or not?

Third and final question...  Also for those who sell both at art fairs and galleries.  Do you have struggles with gallery owners with their "attitude" in how they do business say over the phone coming across as nice and peachy, yet in person or with customers they are quite different?  When it comes to pricing your work do you have issues with gallery owners especially if you are selling at an art fair in town? 

Sorry for all the questions, but I haven't really seen this discussed much on here - granted it is artfairinsiders.com .  - Michelle, www.bythebaybotanicals.com

Note to self: The desert can get cold.  I don’t mean the kind of cold where you can bundle up and do fun aerobic activity in, like ice skate or have a snowball fight.  No, it’s a bone chilling cold that comes from sitting still for hours at a time in front of the easel in a tent that likes pretending it’s a refrigerator.  I was not prepared for this.  I brought one heavy wool sweater and I’m sick of it.  Paint takes on a tar-like consistency that mangles good sable brushes.  Paintings that I expected to set up overnight are still wet and sticky, so I now have six paintings going.  All wet.  That’s not a bad thing, but it makes maneuvering around my abbreviated studio area a dicey proposition, especially since I’m forced to also wear my nice coyote vest over said heavy wool sweater while painting, as it’s the warmest thing I brought. Factor in a pair of heavy sheepskin gloves, and you’ve got a rhinoceros trying to needlepoint.

I’ve been sitting here with a hodgepodge of half blocked in pieces, wallowing in the self-imposed peer pressure brought on by being surrounded by productive artists, and feeling the labor pains of a new style that wants a midwife.  I know we all struggle with our art, we all talk every day here under the big top.  It’s gratifying, in a small, small way, to know that others are struggling too, and I don’t mean that to say misery loves company.  But, being human, we have all absolutely convinced ourselves that no one is struggling quite as much as we are.  Everyone else here looks to me as if they are moving swimmingly and effortlessly along, blissfully turning out canvases like biscuits from a well-greased tray.  No one could possibly be feeling the angst that I am, the utter self-deprecation that cloaks itself in thoughts like, What was I thinking coming here?  Or, even better, in the voice of a certain influential family member, You’ll be selling portraits in Grand Central Station for a nickel...there’s a million artists better than you!   It becomes a bedlam that calls for large doses of Pink Floyd and vodka.

 But, open book that I am, I have confided my existential crisis to a few kindly souls, and relieved to know this twisting agony is not unique nor my own personal neurotic albatross to bear.  It comforts me and lets me continue in the face of struggle.  It also make me think, why the hell hasn’t a European tour promoter come up with a new kind of tour to supplement the mainstream cultural tours of Florence, Rome, Paris?  There’s Al Capone/Gangster Tours of Chicago, there ought to be a new Tours de France: Van Gogh in Arles: Assault of Gaugin and Institutionalized in San Remy.  I’d be first in line.  Just think, the unknown works of the Great Masters: the fits of pique and the holes punched in the wall, broken brushes and rent canvases, arrest records, psychologists’ notes (depending on the century and statute of limitations on patient-client privilege).  I remember withering upon entering the Uffizi, the Galleria dell'Accademia, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, and weeping over my own paintings later at night.  Oh, what a relief it would have been to this young artist to know Caravaggio was a criminal- a felon!   That Michelangelo’s father was disgusted with him for choosing art as a career and suffered from low self-esteem!  (The Agony and the Ecstasy would have been helpful reading.)  

The artistic struggle that exists within an often solitary work environment can break the budding artist unfamiliar and unprepared for this mine-ridden emotional psychological territory.  From what I can recall from art school days, the most the topic was ever addressed was maybe a fleeting, “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”  You might as well tell a teenaged girl that those five extra pounds make her look healthy and the glasses make her face unique.   I propose new classes at the university level:  how would a, say, Psychology of Creativity 101 go over?  Or, The Blank Canvas: You DON’T Need a Straightjacket and Lithium! ? My guess is those classes would be standing room only and there’d be a hell of a lot more well adjusted artists pouring out of art schools telling arrogant gallery owners to stick their attitudes where the sun don't shine.  Perhaps a cooking class: Ramen Noodles and The Food Pyramid? OK, maybe not.  But if we had Psychology for Creative Productivity classes maybe we wouldn’t have to battle the myth of the starving tortured artist so much.  Sure, there’s a bunch of books out there on the topic, self help books, but most of them are written by opportunists with a bent towards self-promotion and prey on us artists desperate for an answer.

Baloney.

No one can tell you the answer.

You just gotta go through it.

I’ve been here almost three weeks, at what some of us are affectionately calling the Fine Art Boot Camp Expo, and there’s no way out but through.  That’s a thought that actually comforts me, much as the Serenity Prayer gives a recovering alcoholic the strength to go on.  Then I can take a Xanax at 3 am and leaf through Georgia O’Keeffe’s abstracts until I finally pass out around 4 and Framer Dude awakens me at 8 with a chopsaw.  Yeah, I’m painting everyday. I’m an artist!  This is the life!  Would someone just get me another sweater to wear?

I’ve been told to adjust my expectations with this show.  On any decent weekend show, you’ll get 50 to 80 thousand people walking through, walking their dogs and such; at this show, over ten weeks, you’ll get 80 thousand people walking through, but they are art buyers.  So, the weekend seemed alarmingly sparse in comparison, but I’m assured that many of these people come back several times with their $12 seasonal pass, after they’ve measured their spaces. The crowd here comes to buy art, and quite a few of the artists are out of the gate strongly this year with a big sale in the first weekend, a change from last year.   Many of these buyers have several homes, and they want their selections shipped to their other homes, so be prepared to deal with shipping.  Home showings are also de rigueur, and those can turn into a terrific social event for the artist of honor.  I can’t wait.

One goal I have set for myself here is to learn to paint faster.  I am absolutely pea green with envy over the painters who can complete a large-scale painting in a week.  And those painters out there who can do one, two paintings a night?  Well, I just turn into the scene in the Exorcist, head-spinning, pea-soup spurting and all. 

I realize I simply cannot afford to spend six months on a painting, no matter how tightly detailed I am. From observing some heavy hitters in the field (a big shout out to Kelby Love, who has generously given me painting tips and is as magnificent a wildlife painter as they come), it can be done without sacrificing detail and quality. So, I am taking advantage of the relative quiet and have churned out several full color sketches ready to go to a finish over the past few days.  Today I worked productively on four different paintings, which I think is a record for me... my work is cut out for me.

Last night, we attended a private soiree given by a fine art photographer- Andy at Century Editions-  for artists at the Expo. Andy, you know how to give a feast!  If he can shoot as good as he cooks, he’s got my next works!  How he got a hold of buffala mozzarella that good west of the Hudson is beyond me, but for a few drooling moments last night I was back home on Long Island...

I have been concerned about Framer Dude getting bored out here in the middle of nowhere and doing something really stupid, like buying a super-charged dirt bike and tear-assing across the desert and impaling himself on a cactus. But, he has once again utilized his many faceted skills and abilities and has become the stand-in grillmaster here at the Expo.  The café king and queen here had to return home suddenly today for an emergency, and as Dude was being his usual yenta self, bored and helpful and inquisitive, he found himself the de facto short order cook with a recalcitrant gas grill and a stack of all-beef patties.   Tonight, he’s counting his tips and checking out Kawasakis and Yamahas...I may still find myself picking cactus quills out of his butt in a month.

Marjorie and Billy, the thoughts and prayers of all artists here are with you, and no one beats your chili!

Here is my booth, lovingly set up by Framer Dude:

And many of us right before the bell rang at 10:00 on Thursday:

Hello, I would like to announce the website (with a few tweaks to come :) of the Florida Keys Art Guild.

We have been in exsistence for 10 years now and have recruited some new blood to bring the Guild into the 21st Century.

I would like to say a few things about the Guild which I hope will educate all who are interested.

We are a collective of hard working individuals who strive to bring the best artist from all around the county to our beautiful Florida Keys.

• We are painters(of all media types), photographers, sculptors, jewelers, mixed-media artist, glass blowers,woodworkers, potters, fabric artist and many, many more.
• We are staff artists.
• We are not an artists club.
• We are a Guild: a union of men and women in the same craft or trade.
• We jury artist based on a collective of different individuals who strive to bring high quality arts and crafts to the buying public.
• We don't fix prices or mandate pricing structure at our art shows.
• We need you. As more and more artist join our ranks, the bigger and stronger we become.

An advocate is:

• One who pleads the cause of another
• One who defends or maintains a cause
• One who supports or promotes the interest of others

The Florida Keys Art Guild is your advocate.

In closing, we are here to support artists of all walks. How about taking a walk with us.

Thank you.

Joey R. Smith (Large Format Photographer)

Show Chairmen

www.floridakeysartguild.com