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I know it sounds odd, but for many of my customers I seem to have become their “secret weapon” in 'keeping up with the Jones’ ' scenarios.   I’m  specifically referring to well to do, more mature ladies (i.e more grown up children) who “do lunch” with their friends, attend fundraisers, love to shop and so on.

They have usually found me online (by chance!) or at a show and live at least a couple of hours drive away (my local customers are more than happy to spread the word).    They buy regularly from me, for both themselves and gifts but overall, we’re not talking huge $ - perhaps $200-300 from each of them a year.   But that’s where it ends.  You would assume that you would get some ‘word of mouth’ happening and a few referrals.  Although I hear that they’ve received so many compliments on their newest purchase, I’m yet to see that translate … EVER… into an enquiry.  

I’ve think I’ve become their secret weapon in the way to outdo their friends (who I assume are similar in style and taste to them).    I’m obviously not well known where they are so that they can't "drop" my name and have it mean anything.  When complimented I assume they just say thank you and move on, or when pressed,  describe me as the little ‘girl’ (although I hardly fit that description any longer) that makes things for them.  To quote one of them  “I told my friends I have this amazing little girl I found who makes them for me”.   End of story.

I’m not comfortable with saying to them  “please let your friends know” as these are established clients and that line seems more appropriate for newer clients - and a bit pushy at this late stage.    

So, is there any way that I can turn this to my advantage?   Or a way to get them to spread the word?  Any ideas welcome!

How disciplined (no pun intended) are you about your artwork?  Is it hard for you to resist distractions, or is your artwork a wonderful distraction from everything else you have to do?  Are you one of those wonderfully wholesome, green, hard working people who stay away from unsavory TV, movie and naughty books?

I'm grateful to have a nice pile of work to do right now, but other things, like exercise, talking on the phone, reading trashy books, or writing my silly blog about drawing portraits, seems to eat up most of the day.  In today's blog entry, I wrote about NOT drawing portraits and my weekend's source of procrastination.  Here it is, 2:20 pm and I've been on the computer all day instead of behind my easel. 

http://pencilenvy.blogspot.com/2012/05/50-shades-of-procrastination.html

I SWEAR I am going to go up there right now!!!  Somebody call me in five minutes and make sure I'm not fooling around on the computer any more today.

After receiving notification of my work being accepted to this Columbia, MD show, I was asked to use one of my pieces online and as part of the promotional ad for the show.  I was pleased to accept, (that's my 18-inch bamboo bowl wall hanging near the earrings above).  This was the first time I'd applied to ArtPark; part of a 2-week festival which includes dramatic, music, and dance performances.  The show consisted of 43 artists, in the usual categories, and the overall quality of the work I saw during the show was high, with no buy/sell. 

We made the 6-hour drive on Thursday, stayed overnight with a friend, and arrived early for our desginated Friday 11 am setup time.  We were met by show management, and walked to our tent location.  The setting is around a beautiful lake, with tents facing a row of restaurants with both indoor and outdoor seating shaded by large trees. Cars are not allowed onto the actual tent site, so management provided motorized vehicles and able-bodied volunteers to load and deliver everything there.  Cool!  We like to have a leisurely setup whenever possible, and this fit the bill; the weather was gorgeous (as it was all weekend), and arriving early meant we were set up well ahead of our neighbors.  There was absolutely NO space between tents in our area, which was a pain.  Before the show opened, the fire marshal walked through, noting each artist's type/brand of tent.  This was significant, given the stringent requirements for fire safety stated on the application and acceptance documents (we also were required to have a specific type of fire extinguisher 'prominently placed' inside the tent).

Show hours were 5pm to 9pm Friday, Noon to 9pm Saturday, and Noon to 7pm Sunday, and admission was free. 

Friday was slow, and although there were many after dinner strollers, there were virtually no buyers.  People who'd done the show before (the few there were) said this was typical of Friday night. 

Not opening until noon Saturday was pleasant, there was a steady stream of people all day, though no huge crowds.  In Baltimore, which is about a 30-minute drive away, there was a major event going on at the harbor, with tall ships and the Blue Angels, so this may have accounted for the smaller numbers.  The festival had music, and a trapeze act in another section apart from where we were, as well as a kids' area and food.  We had several sales during the late afternoon, the usual complement of "I'll be backs," and overall, we were positive about the show.  Volunteers were polite and plentiful, offering to booth sit.  Each morning, there was coffee and doughnuts at the welcome tent.  Show managers were also visible, and made a point of visiting to ask how things were going.  During the late afternoon, our neighbor, who sold fused glass jewelry and plates said she had "her most expensive piece" stolen while she was talking with people in her booth.  I think her non-secure display contributed to this (small pieces in open trays on a table at the front of the booth, while she sat in the back, below the level of the table), as well as the fact that she was alone.  We had no such incidents, nor did I hear of any others. 

Sunday brought us some fantastic surprises:  two of the "I'll be backs" actually did come back.  One to purchase a companion piece to one she'd purchased on Saturday, and the other, to purchase three of my newest pieces, which will adorn a law office wall. Adding these two sales made Sunday my highest grossing day ever, and I was beyond thrilled!  The show ended with an efficient breakdown and load out, with the motorized carts, helpers, and advantageous parking space making it among the easiest we've ever had. 

Would I do ArtPark again?  Absolutely.  In fact, I may be invited to do it next year.  Apparently, the management extends invitations to previous exhibitors, which means they don't have to be juried for that year.  Would I recommend it to others?  Yes.  Here's what you'll need to know to apply:

ArtPark information:  Show dates:  June 15~17, 2012   Application deadline:  March 2, 2012  

Application:  online .pdf on the show site:  http://columbiafestival.com/artpark-fine-art-crafts-show-sale/

No Entry Fee. 

Show fee:  $200   Electricity fee:  $50 (you'll want it--show runs until 9pm on two of three days, and it's in a heavily shaded area). 

Free parking for exhibitors. 

~Michelle Davis Petelinz

If you come upon a mysterious object, such as what I  found at this puzzlePhotos blog (above photo, from site, not my work) , you will surely wonder about its function.

But if it is a work of art, such as a painting,photograph,a sculpture, the question isn't normally asked, at least not in the same way. Ceramics has always floated in and out of the concern for whether it is functional or if it is art, (or some variation on that theme.) I would imagine that is why I get so many questions about what many of my ceramic pieces are for.

Don Bendel was my Ceramics professor at Northern Arizona University. He told this story that I get a lot of traction out of when dealing with the question " what is it for?".

(caption:Don used to put these on the top shelf of the salt kiln, toss empty beer bottles on top, creating a glaze pool)

"I got this commission for a dozen or so of my pots.
 She wanted to use them in her garden. I made and delivered  the pieces, and she thought they were great. Later, she invited me over to show me how great they fit in her garden. I was led into her garden and there were of my pieces, turned upside-down, buried up to the foot into the earth, being used as stepping stones.
After getting over my surprise, I realized that once I sold the pieces to her, they were hers to do with whatever she wanted. I then had to agree, they really did look good in her garden.” Don Bendel
  That's how I remember it.

It is not uncommon for me to relate this story when I get asked what one of my pieces is for, a  fairly common occurance, actually. Sometimes they make a suggestion, indicating how they might use it:

"Well, I could put a candle in it", or I might even suggest something "some people put a frog in the bottom and use it for an Ikebana. Of course either is fine with me. Normally I do explain that what I am really doing is looking at form and construction techniques and playing with them. Function following form. But then I usually define the vessel to them as what it in terms of function, that it is a bowl, or a vase.

It might even look good turned upside-down and used as a stepping stone in a garden!

This one does baffle a decent number  of people:

 I just bet that others (depending on the type of work you do, and maybe how easily it is categorized) get similar or more entertaining responses.

This one does baffle a decent number  of people:

Mmmm, gravy boat? In term of function, I leave it up to the buyer. As form, its what I call a two-sided bowl.

One my  favorites is when I had an 8" maquette of this piece on sale at an art fair:

Patron: "What is this for?"
Artist : "Its a band-aid dispensor" (the mouth was just about the size to hold 5 band-aids, and, well, after putting your finger in to get a band-aid, you would immediately need another one, as you cut your finger pulling out a band-aid).
The patron was very amused, (but apparently not enough to buy it ).
So, when I have a patron who wants to know, what a piece is for, I like to relate Don's stepping-stone story. It lets the patron know they are free to do whatever they want with the piece, and allows the artist to accept it too.

Caption: (Don, my sister Sheila, and me at my BFA show, circa 1981

I've been applying to the CPFA show for the past 5 years to no avail, but I have just recently been accepted.  I've heard wonderful things about this show, however I have heard being on the side street is not so advantageous.  I've been placed on Fraser street.  My work is very edgy and usually attracts a younger crowd and I seem to benefit from late hour shows that go into the evening.  I do VERY WELL at the Deep Ellum Arts Fest, 4th Avenue Street Fair, Utah Arts Fest and shows in Denver & Chicago.  I have average sales at Florida shows, mostly towards Miami area and I do average in Tampa area.  I don't do so well in older/conservative/fine art crowds.  I have lower priced originals for not-so rich young art buyers and I seem to do better in Fair-type party atmosphere shows than I do at Fine Art shows.  Though my work doesn't seem to be classified as fine art, I have won Best of Show awards at the 2011 Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, the 2011 South Miami Arts Festival, and 2011 Highland Fest.  Anyway, I've also been accepted the Wyandotte Street Fair, which I've heard good/bad things.  I'm torn between which show to do.  My worry with the Penn State show is that I'll be on the side street and that my work won't be as appreciated as it will be in the center of the action at the Wyandotte Street Fair.  I can only choose one as they fall on the same date.  Can anyone please provide any insight on Fraser street of the Central Penn show?  Other factors include, I live in Utah and the Michigan drive is obviously much closer than the Penn drive.  The Wyandotte show goes until 11pm and the Penn goes til 8pm.  Can anyone please provide any pros/cons of either show?  Thank you so much for your help. 

- Tai

www.weirdchief.com

My work for reference to your help:

I thought I would pass this information on to everyone here.  Some of you may do this show.  The Taste of Stowe Arts Festival held in Stowe, VT has been changed.  It is now going to be called the The 8th Annual Shelburne Museum Arts Festival.  Read below to see why they have made the change:

For many years we did a summer show at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT. It was a very successful show, well attended with good sales. For a variety of reasons, especially construction on RT 7, changes at the Museum, etc., we moved the show to Stowe. The summer Stowe show has gone OK, but has not been as successful as the Shelburne Museum show used to be. Today construction on Route 7 is complete and the new management of the Museum has invited us back. This is an opportunity that we can’t turn down. We will still do the show in Stowe in the fall when Stowe really rocks.

This is good for many reasons. Chittenden County is the most populous in Vermont. Burlington is just a few miles down the road. We have not had great success getting people from there to make the drive to Stowe. This will make things a lot easier. In the summer, all the hotels rooms in Chittenden County are full, the area is packed. We should be able to draw on this influx of tourists. The show is right on RT 7, the busiest road in Vermont. We will have signs and banners out so people will know about it. You will not be able to miss the tents from RT 7.

So, if you used to do this show, this sounds like great news.  If you haven't done it before, this sounds like it could be a good show to do.

Jacki B

I was just in NYC for Thanksgiving, I was so excited because the ONE OF A KIND Show in NYC was supposed to be going on Nov 11-13 and Nov 17-20.This is a show  I had always wanted to see and this time it was finally going to  happen.  NOT!!!  

While at my sisters house in Riverdale NY I double checked the show information online. I   was somewhat surprised to find that the event was not posted consistently throughout the web. Some posts had both weekend dates listed and some posts only listed the November 11-13 date. There was no phone number readily available either but my sister and I  went to the address given.  GUESS WHAT ? NO SHOW! The doorman to the building said the show was canceled. It would have been nice for the sponsors of the show to post it was canceled.  What if I made a special trip to see it.  

In the meantime I remembered that the ACC show was also going on this weekend so we jumped in a cab and off we went. We were going to have our art show experience after all. 

 However and  I hate to say this , (because  I thought one day in  in the future I might want to try to jury in the NY show, since my sister lives there)  the show was not up to standard. My sister and I both felt half of the items displayed in the fair looked as if they could have been at a flea market.  What a disappointment! There were a few artists whose work was noteable, so I was glad to see that, but .... I certainly expected to see great things. It is NYC, after all.  

I asked one exhibitor if she knew what happened to the ONE OF A KIND SHOW, she answered that the booth fees were so high very few people could afford to do it. 
This post address the same subject as the higher booth fees article.  These promoters may just run themselves out of business if this keeps going on. 

It's been a while since I posted--I've been doing my part-time job and exploring some new ideas that I'm trying to get to fruition...  But on Saturday, my part-time job comes to an end, and I have about a week to work on some other projects that I need to get completed before I enter a more "traditional" job at La Jolla Playhouse with hours that equal 40 per week.

It'll be a shift for me--meaning I'll have even less time to get my personal projects done than I have now.

But a hard "reality check" (prompted by examining myself as 2011 comes to a close) has made me realize I've not spent the time that I had wisely while I had it...

This new year will bring new changes that will help me focus a bit more on what I need to do.  Several things are developing that will guide my attention more toward my studio and away from time-wasting activities that seem to suck all my drive and determination away.

First off, we have decided to get rid of cable TV from our household.  Now, for someone who has never lived life without a TV, I think I will go through a period of adjustment and withdrawal...  We are shifting to streaming viewing, so I'll only end up watching TV that I can get through Netflix and Hulu and such.  Which, in the end, isn't that bad really.  No longer will I be able to simply plop down on the couch and flip through 250+ channels and find something mindless to absorb my attention.  No.  Now my viewing will be a bit more "consciously chosen", and the television will no longer take up as much of my life as it did.  Honestly, I've lost too much of my lifetime to programming that hasn't resulted in much of an impact on me, and suffered through enough commercials prompting me to buy stuff that I'm just tired of it all.  I'm done with it.

This decision will save us at least $50 a month.  That makes me happy!

This may seem like a baby step, but for me it's a big move toward committing to an artistic lifestyle that will help me be less angst-ridden and a lot more diligent.  I can't watch news channels anymore without feeling completely wound up and frustrated by the lack of objectivity, and it's getting harder and harder to find quality serial programming as shows don't have stories with a beginning, middle and end anymore--they just keep going ad nauseum for the sake of generating ad revenue...  And if I see another Kardashian, talent show, or celebrity reality drug rehab show I'm going to puke.  Thanks, but no thanks.  Turns out the only thing decent to watch anymore is the Simpsons, and I don't have to pay so much to do that.

It's interesting how I have a whole book of ideas that I collect when I'm not at home, but once I get the chance to work on them I instead sit and let my brain turn to mush in front of a glowing box...  Well, no more.

I realize that once I get into my studio, I get lost and absorbed and thoroughly enjoy my time there...  But lately I've felt like I've had to force myself to get down to work, and that really worries me. I can't seem to remind myself enough of the rewards that I inevitably feel when I create.  It comes so naturally, and yet this last couple of months I've felt really adverse towards investing myself in any project whatsoever...  I'm hoping that removing even a single temptation like my TV will help redirect me toward doing what I know I love.

Anyone else have any experience with this?  Impact?  Advice on what they did to help them not miss it?  I have a feeling that after a lifetime, it might be like trying to quit smoking, in a way...  Bit nervous about it, but confident it's the right thing...

Wish me luck?  Please?  : )

And Live Life with Relish!

Image from .reid. via Flickr.  Creative Commons License.

Okay, now that I've gotten some sleep I can think more clearly. Just finished the 3rd time around in Tempe. The first time I did this show was probably over 25 years ago, I was parked on the side of 6th Ave where hardly anyone showed up to see my work. I remember the streets being so crowded you could hardly move around. As it was the first time I had done a big show I was fairly starry eyed and on overwhelm. Last year was the second time I did the show and had moved up the street to 3rd Ave which was better visited but still crowded but only because the street was narrower. This year I was on 5th avenue, much wider, better lighting, the sun actually hit the street, and room to wiggle around when you got restless. The crowds didn't seem as overwhelming to me, maybe that is a function of time, memory or there just weren't as many people out as the first time I did this show? 

The show is very well run logistically speaking, you check in on Thursday down the street from the fair but you've already gotten so many communications from the staff in advance that they hardly have anything more to add to your knowledge of what to do, maybe last minute details, and then you can purchase off site parking for $25 for the three days (much less then the city lots which are $10-12 per day and large vehicles can't get into the high rise lots anyway). As for load-in...you wait till after 9 p.m. there are three load-in time segments, the further away you are from the entry the earlier you get in. I had to wait till after 10 and then, because I didn't scout out the numbers like I usually do, I drove past my booth area and had to drive all the way out and around just to come back in again and start all over again. All said I still was able to  park not too far from my booth space along the curb for set up. A lot of vendors waited till the next morning to come in, maybe a better strategy but I needed the extra time for my set-up as did my neighbor.

Show amenities? There is an artist hospitality booth with drinks and treats throughout the three days and they run around on a golf cart in the morning with coffee and the afternoon with water. Very thoughtful!

We arrived in Tempe a little later than anticipated. Winds were high through eastern AZ and driving into Flagstaff on I-40 we ran into the storm that had flattened much of southern CA with high Santa Ana winds. It was snowing hard and southbound, as-well-as north bound I-17 were at a standstill with ice and snow covered roads. A little patience and slow driving were required. Those that were driving a little too fast found out how icy it was! After they had shoveled the tipped over vehicles off the road and pulled people out of the medians who were going too fast for driving conditions we were once again on our way. I was anticipating 70 degrees at lower elevations! Oh, what fools we mortals be. What I heard from a visitor to the show is weather in Tempe always seems to conspire against the show though last year it was mild (trying to lull me into a false sense of euphoria!) this year the storm that blew in from CA turned the thermostat down considerably and threatened rain on Fri and Sat. Sunday the sun was out all day but it never got to 60. (It's snowing at the 3000 ft. level as I write!)

Despite the cloudy and cold weather the crowds did show up. Maybe, because it was still part of the work week, Friday seemed like everyone was asleep trudging along the rows of artists with no sales for me and most others around us but my neighbor whose creative woodwork was very compelling sold a few pieces. Saturday was the coldest with nary a sign of the sun but the people came out, sales turned up a bit. Sunday the sun was out all day and the crowds seemed more enthusiastic and engaging but sales were still dismal. Meanwhile my neighbor had a steady stream of sales, though he reported being off about 50% from last year. Other artists he talked with reported few or no sales as well.As a reflection of the level of buying at this show there was a lot of popcorn and yard art things that you poke in the ground walking around (not that there is anything wrong with popcorn!)

People were very appreciative of my work and I earned the show prize for photography, the acknowledgment, plus the cash prize, helped salve the disappointing sales from this show. Parenthetically, the awards were hand-made by a fiber artist and very impressive, not the usual trophy store variety! I've heard harsh reviews from other artists about this show and I noticed it was quite a mixed bag in terms of quality. There seemed to be a good mix and balance of media of the fine art type, whereas in some shows there may have been too many of one type vs other types. Many artists that I've seen at other shows with high end art were there mixed in with more crafty novelty type items (walking puppets on sticks and dog hats).

All-in-all, the show is well run, the crowds were there despite the weather and the sales were disappointing. What else is new lately? We move on down the road...

The bottom line (profit) - it was not as good as I hoped but better than I expected given the cold rainy weather. 

Disclaimer – I work alone and don’t get away from my tent much so all of this is observation from my tent at space 48 and a couple walks early in the morning.  YMMV   This is a relatively small show with two sections separated by a very busy road.  One section, where I was, is surrounded by stores that, with the exception of the closed Borders, look open and healthy.  The other section does not have stores around it and is all artists.  I did not get over to the other section but reports I heard on Saturday afternoon were not good.  The weather improved slightly on Sunday so hopefully the folks over there got some business.  My section was helped by a Saturday morning farmer’s market that brought a lot of people in and the various stores and restaurants.  There were a few booths in a dead zone at the every end.  A break in the booths for a parking garage entrance seemed to keep people from getting all the way down there.

Setup – Anytime you reduce the traveling area to one van wide you are going to have issues.  Clif and I arrived right on time and were able to get in and unloaded quickly.  At that time there were no tents setup so people were able to drive around us but once we got unloaded and went to move the van (as per instructions) security said to stay where we were because it was too congested and we couldn’t get out.  This was not a terrible thing for me since I have a lot of stuff I want to put back in the van after setting up but someone with a space in the middle who arrived late would have a hard time getting close to their booth.  But security was present and very helpful to get as many people in and out as possible.  This setup would benefit from staggered setup times – the end people first and so on.  The other side of the show setup on Saturday morning.

Show – This is a much more eclectic customer base than I was used to in Florida.  Every walk of life, race, and nationality was represented.  They were friendly, appreciative, and unfortunately surprised.  This is the one complaint I have about the show.  Many people said to me “I didn’t know this was here”.  Advertising fell down somewhere.  Most of the customers I got had come to the area for another errand, the stores, the farmers market.  The worst part was Sunday evening after breaking down when people asked me what was going on.  They were sorry they had missed it.  I made mostly framed sales  for $225 - $250 and a special order.  The guy next to me zeroed with $1000 - $3500 pieces although he thought he might have made some connections for future sales.  The woman next to me with handmade purses and clothes seemed to do quite well.  From those I talked to I would guess that mid-range works best here.

Other than the advertising I have nothing but good to say about Bill Kinney.  He was present, involved, and concerned.  Most shows I am lucky if I see the promoter at all.  Bill checked in several times throughout the day with everyone.  He did remove a buy-sell booth and I’m pretty sure he had someone move their van back to parking when they hadn’t broken down completely.  Security was also present and very supportive.

Load-out – The single filing eased as people broke down and moved their stuff to the sidewalk.  It was generally painless if you followed instructions.

There was a parking garage nearby for parking which was free on Saturday and Sunday.  It accomodated all but the tallest vans and there was space provided elsewhere for oversize vehicles.  There were several hotels within walking distance.  I stayed at a hotel 6 miles up the road.

Traffic is nasty all around Washington D.C.  Bring patience and leave in plenty of time to get where you are going.

June 17-19 the Milwaukee Art Museum hosted the the Lakefront Art Festival on the museum grounds fronting Lake Michigan. It is a lovely venue and one of the top art fairs in the country attracting applications from artists coast to coast.

From Journal-Sentinel online, reported by Mary Louise Schumacher:

Nine artists and one artist team, including three artists from Wisconsin, won top awards at the Lakefront Festival of Arts on the grounds of the Milwaukee Art Museum this weekend.

Jurors chose them from among a field of 179 artists.

The winners included:

Jill Bedford of Dousman for photography.

Theodore Gall of Ojai, Calif., for sculpture.

Daiga Henson and Sarmite Svilis of East Windsor, N.J., for wearable fiber art.

Ning Lee of Livingston, N.J., for painting.

Joe Limpert of River Falls for glass.

George Raab of Millbrook, Ontario, for printmaking.

Julie Seymour of Hill Point for jewelry.

Klaus Spies of Asheville, N.C., for jewelry.

Justin Teilhet of Yellow Springs, Ohio, for ceramics.

Zhou Yu of Yardley, Pa., for painting.

The winning artists each receive $1,000 and a commemorative piece of art. They also are invited to return to the festival for three years without being juried in.

Michael Imes of Pewaukee won the sculpture garden award for his work in ceramics. It included a $500 prize.

Several artists also received honorable mentions. They include:

Gene Brown of Urbandale, Iowa, for mixed-media work.

John Charbonneau of Santa Fe, N.M., for digital work.

Peter Flanary of Mineral Point for sculpture.

Matthew Hatala of Danielsville, Ga., for wood.

William Kidd of Miramar, Fla., for ceramics.

Kelly Marshall of Minneapolis for fiber art.

Jennifer McCurdy of Vineyard Haven, Mass., for ceramics.

Thomas Meyers of Hancock, N.H., for pastel drawing.

Larry Oliverson of Sullivan for photography.

Elaine Unzicker of Ojai, Calif., for metal works.

Here are some photos: http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/multimedia/photos/124138004.html?page=1

The jurors were:

Susan Aurinko,a Chicago artist (photography) who curates the Chicago Artists' Coalition Gallery.

Robert Barnum, an artist (murals, oils, watercolors and metal) and educator from Mecosta, Mich.

Stephanie Wiles, the John G.W. Cowles director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin, Ohio.

The Lakefront Festival of Arts is presented by the Friends of Art, a support group of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Proceeds benefit the museum's acquisitions fund. The event continues at the art museum, 700 N. Art Museum Drive, Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $14 at the gate or $8 for museum members with valid membership cards. Children under 16 are admitted free with a paying adult.

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?

Hello!

I am new to this, but I have been reading your comments for a while now and they are so very helpful!! Has anyone ever done the Festival of the Vine in Geneva? This year it's Sep. 10 & 11, they are still accepting applications, but before I send mine and the $175 booth fee, I'd like to know a bit about it!

Thanks!

I havn't been to my first art festival/fair yet as an artist--that is coming up at the end of May. So when I went to the OKC festival tonight I was looking at everything from a different viewpoint than I ever had before. I never paid attention before to how people lit their work, or whether they had a rug of some kind in their tent, or what color their walls were, or if they have a sign what does it look like. 

It's my understanding that OKC festival is a little different in that they provide the artists with walls and the tent, and they aren't supposed to sell reproductions out of their booths. 

Anyway this is a break down of my newbie observations from a not-an-artist-there point of view: 

-A lot of people still had their own propanels or other walls to add to their booth space. 

-One booth had red fabric on their walls and it stood out and caught a lot of people's attention/caused them to stop and look at their paintings (which were complimented well by the color in my opinion)

-There were a lot of the same artists there that I see every year, and a some amount of them had the same stuff they had last year. 

-Most people framed their paintings. 

-Jewelers all had large nice photos of their jewelry hanging on their walls so you could see from a distance what their stuff looked like

-I overheard a couple artists mentioning having sold quite a bit already. And I saw a couple red dots on paintings (never knew what that meant before) 

-There were a lot of very brightly colored landscape paintings. 

-A lot of people had Oklahoma-themed art. I wonder if that sells better?

-The print tent was emptier than I've ever seen it before. I asked one of the print tent volunteers about it and she said "not a lot of artists gave us prints this year" and "I think a lot of them are selling them in their booths"

Connie mentioned in her review of the Krasl jury that the first image is the most important when being viewed for jurying.  When I've attended a few jury previews for ZAPPlications (e.g. Ft. Worth Main St.), I and several other artists who were looking at the hundreds of applications seemed to feel that the last image was the most important.  That is, if the images were all in a single line.

But what about images that are on two lines, maybe with three on top and two + the booth image, on the bottom? Which one would be the most effective, the most eye-catching?  

Or should the first and last image be the strongest?  And does the booth image overwhelm the individual images? 

Will the promoters/directors give this thread some feedback?  Artists?  

Well it has been a while, so I thought I would leave this little "bon mot" under your electronic Christmas Trees.

Recently, in Tampa, I have discovered this great little diner on Florida Avenue called Nickos.  It is an old railroad car diner run by a Greek family who does everything right.  Generous portions, cheap prices and great service.  It is frequented by undercover cops, working trademan and even an occasional artist or two.  Heck, Elvis Presley ate in this diner in 1956.

How do I know?  Because it is boldly printed on all the menus.  So today, I went in for breakfeast and sat down at the second booth in from the door.  I happened to look over where all the condiments were stored, and lo and behold, there was this little metal plaque attached to the window.  It basically  said that Elvis had sat in this very seat after one of his shows in Tampa in 1956.  It made me think a lot.  About Elvis and the life we live at being artists who sell on the street.

In 1956, Elvis was just getting started, he was a new whirlwind phenom, nobody had ever seen the likes of him before.  Justin Bieber don't have anything on Elvis, hell, he couldn't hold his pancake fork, but anyway, back to Elvis--and us.

I wondered if Elvis was experiencing a real high after his performance.  I wondered if it was anything akin to how I felt back in 1999 when I almost sold everything I had at the Kansas City Plaza Art Fair (don't worry, this blog is not going to be all about me--this just served as an apt metaphor).  I wondered if he ever had to deal with daily rejection like we experience when we get our little electronic blips on the internet which tell us "thumbs up! or thumbs down!."  Back in the days when we all got those SASE letters in the mail, remember that.  Yeah, you could feel for slides in them, right away, you knew you were out.  Except a few shows could still fake you out.  The slides would be in there along with a much coveted letter that began with "Congragulations."

One of the coolest ways you knew you were in, was when you got an SASE from Harvey and Audrey.  They were the original founders and promoters for the Cain Park art fair, in Cleveland, back in the 80's and into the early 90's until their passing on.  Anyways, what made their response so cool was how they sent the SASE.  If you were accepted, Harvey would write above your name on the SASE,"Good News for" Nels Johnson, or Munks or whoever it was addressed to.  We don't get those little highs anymore, I kind of miss them.

As I sat eating my plate full of homefries with perfectly cooked onions along with the cuban toast which only costs ten-cents extra, I thought some more about Elvis.  I said to myself,"Heck, he was more famous than I will ever be, but I outlasted him.  I am still trucking along making my art, doing my 35 shows a year, still playing golf and still eating and drinking good."  There is lot to be said for that.  I figure, with luck, I got maybe 15 more years in the biz.  That equates to about 325 more possible shows, give or take a few.  I wonder how many of them could be a Cherry Creek, A Grove, A Kansas City--heck, maybe even a St. Louis or two.  You gotta have hopes and dreams, and baby, always have lots of them.  And I hope you all do to.

So this is my kuleana (that is a  Hawaiian word that means a gift of the spirit) to all of you out there.  HOPES AND DREAMS.  Never give up.  We are all special.  Nobody can fire us, not a lot of people can feel that way.  You are your own boss, nobody gets to tell you what to do.  You are the supreme creators.  You make the art, and in turn it helps make you.  It define who you are, it leads you on a path of good life.I don't think Elvis ever got to know how lucky he was.  We do, and we are on the right side of the growing grass.  Cherish these moments and thoughts.  This is the moments of our lives, embrace them with fury that knows no bounds.

Merry Christmas and a happy 2011--things will get better.

PS Haven't written a lot lately, don't know how much I will write in 2011, depends on how much "meat" is thrown out there, or the lack of.  It is good to see new names out there contributing to our lives.  I still think a little bit more info could be included in those reports, but at least people are contributing.