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trends (4)

Bellevue Museum of Arts Show - Forget what I said last month...

Posted by R. Michael Wommack on August 2, 2010 at 9:03pm
Some of you remember my post about my "trend" of people not buying higher priced (relatively) 2-D work. (I am a pastel artist with a higher price range). I made a comment about the spewing oil well, and maybe that was depressing patrons.

Well, the well has been capped for almost 3 weeks, and I made the very long trip to Bellevue, WA to do the BAM Artsfair with much trepidation.

In my case, the fear was for naught. First, about the show. It is held in a parking structure, with some more expensive booths outside on the street next to the mall. It is a little tight, with most of us having no storage behind the booth. The advantage to being in the parking garage (where I was) is that you don't have to worry about weather of any kind. After many windy shows this Spring, this was nice. You have to ask for a 8' space if you need it. I did, and I was between massive concrete joists, which knock the space down to 6' 8". For many artists, this was okay, but I have an 8' Finale from Light Dome, and this fit, sans canopy. Actually, I didn't even need the structure, 'cause we were totally protected. Just propanals and a cover for the front would have sufficed. If you are in the structure, this is good to know, for the following reason;

If you have a regular van, or a mini van, and you have a car top box, you will have to dolly in. I could have left mine at home, and pulled much closer to my space. A lot of the load in occurs from the rear of the show, and if you can fit under 6' 8" ceilings, your life will be easier. Dollying worked okay for me, load in and load out were fairly pain free.

It seemed that the street was busier than the booths in the garage, but that could have been the mall traffic, out on what I understood was one of the first great weather weekends of the Northwest. The serious buyers walked the whole show. There was a spurt of wealthy ladies on Friday morning, and they seemed to be making bee lines to their favorite returning artists. This was my first time there, and I had no repeat clients. Nevertheless, I equalled my best show ever (Fort Worth). Price sensitivity did not seem to factor for me. Now, I must say not everyone around me had a good show, but I talked to enough artists who told me the show was excellent for them as well. The Museum people were around all weekend, offering encouragement to the artists. There were tons of volunteers to booth sit through the entire show. They did not disappear at 3PM, like most shows. They are a great lot!

My one big beef was the artist parking. The lot was 2.5 miles away with a shuttle. I did not bother, with a priceline hotel less than a mile, I just walked. There were so many parking lots in Bellevue, many empty, and we had to park 40 blocks away? With no storage behind the booths, this is a problem.

I did hear that they had a lot of cancellations, and that they had to work their wait list, and I did see a couple empty spaces, but I, for one, am glad I made the trip.

I am glad that oil well is capped.



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40 Questions Blog Series – Question 9: What new art forms are hot in the marketplace?

Posted by Michelle Sholund on March 3, 2010 at 8:43am

Don't confuse this topic the one discussed in question 7, how to find your niche. As we are on the topic of product development, I thought it might be fitting to devote some time to look at 5 current/new art

forms that are gaining in popularity at art fairs and why.

Question 9: What are some current and new art forms are hot sellers in the market place?


  1. Food. Many artists today are inspired by what they see going on with the Food Network, PBS cooking shows, and countless cooking magazines. Although artists don't make food, chefs do, the “art” used to
    enhance the food experience is hot. Glass bottles for oil and vinegar, quilted table runners with matching place mats, bowls with coordinating serving ware for serving dips and gourmet crackers, charms for wine goblets, wood turned wine stoppers and pepper mills,even crocks for cooking utensils are just a few of many popular examples of how art and food are a perfect match.

2. Games/Entertainment. Whether you are a kid or kid at hear, we all desire to be entertained. Some things I have noticed selling at shows are dolls and handmade doll clothes (these are a doll collectors paradise), wooden board games (cribbage and checkers for example), marbles, rocking horses, toy trains and swords, DIY scrapbook projects, and personalized kids chests (for storing games and toys). Granted not all of these are “fine art” items, they all are items that deserve to highlighted as items that are hot sellers at art fairs today.

  1. Nature art forms. I have been finding some neat art forms such as leaf sculptures, paintings on feathers - such as duck feathers or on crab shells, and drift wood sculptures. At one show I couldn't help but
    notice the constant flow of people who couldn't wait to purchase (as best as I can explain) imprinted, 2D leaf and fossil art. One artist I had the pleasure of talking to learned how to make small stone like planters using cement, peat, and a few other materials while at another the artist and husband sold out at another show made handmade spice wreaths. Having always wanted a fountain, I bought from

    one artist who specializes in leaf print stones (photo of is my leaf print disappearing water fountain) that can be used to make water fountains out of them or just be decorative in the yard.

  2. Recycled/Junk Art. I have seen some really cool “trash” sculptures such as a dog made out of old license plates and portraits of famous celebrities using plastic forks, broken jewelry, and toys. Although
    I can't say for sure if the artist is successful or not, but I did come across a person who recycled old records and made them into bowls for fruit or to be used as a sculpture. Other recycled art includes leggo and bottle cap jewelry, recycled bottle/sea glass wind chimes, vintage handkerchiefs made into quilts, reclaimed barn wood turned into furniture/bird houses, and scrap fabric made into rag rugs. Whether you are an “eco” nut or not, this art form appeals to both the young and old due to the endless possibilities
    it creates.

5. Combining mediums. I have seen a rising trend where two completely different mediums mesh together to form something completely new. An example of this is furniture using both wood and metalsmith craftsmanship creating a whole new world of beautiful sophisticated art. This is big with jewelery artists too combining things like pearls and polymer metal clay, and fabric and beading.

As more and more new forms of art are making their way into the marketplace,on thing is clear, people want to show off their individuality thus creating more demand for new art both in contemporary and traditional art forms. We must come to the realization that people are NOT wanting the same things artists have been making year after year. The influence of the Gen Y's and X's over society are dictating this and this is just the beginning. The change is present in galleries throughout the US as well as gift shops and boutiques, however not as much in art fairs. Don't believe me? Want to see more examples of this work the best places to look are websites
geared toward wholesale art shows such as ACRE, Philly Buyers Market or the Atlanta and New York Gift shows.


Please do not take this blog post as a “rant” on how everyone should stop what they are making and start creating art in one of these 5 styles. My point is to highlight what some artists are doing now and how it has worked to their advantage. It is my hope that this topic could give confidence, ideas, and hope to those artists who are at a crossroads seeking ways to make their work more desirable and with some luck, more profitable. To finish the topic of product development, question 10 will focus on advice for pricing one's work. The next set of questions will focus on customer service and the “art” of selling your work – DO NOT MISS IT!

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40 Questions Series, Question 8: How can I prevent creativity burn out?

Posted by Michelle Sholund on March 1, 2010 at 9:26am
Before I get into Question 8, I want to thank all for any and all feedback I have received thus far. Keep it up! Whatever feedback you offer is valuable to all readers of these post as well as helps them in overcoming whatever hurdles they too are facing. Now let's get started.

Question 8: How can I prevent creativity burn out?

I will be the first to admit that I do suffer from creativity burn out from time to time. Sometimes it stems from doing the same thing over and over and just getting tired of it. Other times it could be caused by “writer's block” not sure what new things I can do with what I have. Let's face it, it is hard being an artist and on top of that, running your own business. When you are stressed it is only inevitable that it will affect your creativity to the point of contemplating throwing in the towel and retiring early.

The good news is don't do it yet until you have read these tips to help combat creativity burn out.

1.Walk away.
I said it – walk away. Far too often we coop ourselves up in our studios chained to our work area and forget to take the time to get out, this really hinders creativity. While not all of us can afford some tropical retreat for a week or two it only costs a bit of gas to take a road trip to no where. Take a stroll down your nearby “Main Street” boutique shops, visit a local museum, spend a night at a bed and breakfast, go to an art show as a patron – not as an exhibitor, or visit a popular landmark or even a park! The point is to get out and enjoy the little things as the little things can help inspire you.

2.Gardening.
Although not everyone has a yard, a day at a garden nursery shop or local botanical gardens can work well to help inspire and relieve stress though Mother Nature's art. Don't have a garden, start one either indoors or out. Simply planting herbs or making a container garden doesn't take much time nor money and will give you endless pleasure throughout the season. Try bird watching, letting out aggression through weeding, as well as picking flowers for a bouquet or harvesting vegetables (even at your local U-pick veggie farm) are some other ideas to open yourself up to the world around you by opening your eyes to possible new subject matter.

3.Take up a temporary new art form.
Artists have a great desire to want to learn and explore new things and can't always be satisfied being good at only one thing. I suggest taking a class at a local community college or art college in a different medium or even a cake decorating class (Duff with the Ace of Cakes t.v. show, started out as an art student first which led him to creating works of art with cake). Although I don't have time to take a class I have gotten books and watched t.v. segments learning basic components in doing paper marbling, flower arranging, and playing with polymer clay and had fun doing all of these. It's liberating and highly motivating.

4.Re-do/design your studio.
At a show I was selling at two years ago, a jewelry artist told me she was ready to call it quits – zapped of energy and desire to create until she looked at their studio and said it is time to do a make over. She went the home improvement store and bought a wild yet not too wild color of paint and re-painted the studio. Then created a different layout of how she wanted things in the studio, had fun exploring antique shops creating organizational shelving and organizational items, and before she new it she was in a whole new mindset and couldn't wait to get back to work. She claimed it helped save her business.

5.Create a “trash” project.
Now is the time to sift through the piles of treasured junk still hanging out around the studio and do something with them. Artists who have done this exercise and found out they were able to create a whole new line, a recycled art line, that not only has a new found use of unwanted materials, but creates a whole new selling product for next to nothing (after all weren't you going to throw them away eventually?).

6.Join a guild/group. There is nothing better than networking with your own peers to jostle new ideas, share in frustrations, and offer creative solutions. The photo included is from the 2008 CODA conference round table discussions - so much fun! Start by seeking out state and local directories for art associations that promote art guilds/leagues, craft groups, and clubs there are quite a few groups via online social networks such as www.artfairinsiders.com to check out too. Can't find a group – start one! It could be as easy as starting Facebook group page geared for your medium or even area – this could lead to meeting up from time to time at a coffee shop or social space in a local church.

The nice thing to know about feeling burned out, is it usually doesn't last long and you are not the only one who suffers from it. Have you been burned out? Share your story and how you overcame it via the comment button - I'd love to hear it! Our next question will focus on new and trendy art forms that may not only inspire you, but ponder if it

could be strong competition at future shows. Stay tuned for this discussion and more like it.
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40 Questions Blog Series - Question 7: How do you find your niche?

Posted by Michelle Sholund on February 20, 2010 at 3:25pm
Questions Blog Series - Question 7: How do you find your niche?Finding your niche is essential in order to make money. Have you said thisyourself (or know of people who have said this...) “I have thisgreat piece of artwork or craft, now how do I go about selling it?”I hear this all the time especially on message boards because fartoo often people put their cart before the horse.


I heard a great concept/exercise from person named Gary Halbert that bearsrepeating to help illustrate the importance of finding ones niche.Suppose you get an opportunity to open a restaurant – a burgerjoint let's say. What is the one thing you want most of all?While most people will think about good location, money, an awardwinning burger recipe, and plenty of parking, they are all missingthe boat. The true answer is starving crowd! Without people wantingto buy burgers, you have nothing. So what does this mean for craftartists? Sell what people want, not what you love to make.


The best way to find your niche is by keeping your eyes open and noticecurrent trends. To find trends start by looking at currentmagazines, ads, t.v. shows (notice what people are wearing in realityt.v. shows or how home make overs are decorated), as well as whatpeople are tweeting and stating via facebook.com, online socialnetworks.


A big road block Americans are struggling against is the state of oureconomy, however it isn't stopping people from buying gifts fornewlyweds, consumers seeking unique birthday gifts for friends andfamily, and purchasing souvenirs to bring home from their travels.Artists who are able to capitalize on the following list of populartrends, they will not be affected by the economy:


Garden art

Photography that specializes in inspirational nature landscapes

Accessories that enhance tech gadgets

(cellphone charms and handmade purses that have pockets for iPhonesor mp3 players)

Functional and aesthetic art for the kitchen

Anything remotely related to aromatherapy

Jewelry and other fashion accessories

Eco friendly/recycled art

(Note: this is just a few of many - some may or may not agree with me - make your opinion known via the comment button!)


It is clear everyone has different tastes and an opinion about everythingwhich makes it difficult to stay ahead of what people are wanting tobuy. There is one thing that Gen Y'ers to the baby boomers cannotresist, and that is offering one-of-a-kind art or crafts to feed ontoday's consumers who showing off their individuality. Teenagers aswell as their parents and even grandparents eat it up when given theoption to customize a new car, cell phone, music on their iPhone somuch so that this can continue into art forms we all create now.Letting art show patrons know you can do a custom order if they don'tsee a color or style they like – great for jewelry makers, fiberartists, even those who work in clay. Have you ever noticed thatphotograph prints tend to sell more than framed art? Chances are itis because customers like to put their own touch on the artwork andframe it themselves so it will compliment the place where it will bedisplayed in the home.


Another trend I see is how people love and take pride in finding bargains.It isn't so much about getting something for nothing, but knowingwhat they are buying is worth it. The more authentic an artist canmake their “individuality” mark on their work the more peoplewill buy it. For example, some 2D artwork that sells for $1,000 ormore is highly desirable among buyers who have a hard time findinglarge pieces of art for their home and no other artist is offeringat the current show, hence a niche is formed. This is why I feeloffering all kinds of work at different price breaks will aid craftartists in catching multiple big fish in the small pond that is artshows as we know it. While we can't discount our work and putourselves in financial ruin, we can offer things like free shippingon orders say $100 or $500 or more, offer lifetime guarantees onpieces where if they are ever damaged you (the artist) will fix it noquestions asked, or another ideas is to offer a discount on wholecollections say a necklace, bracelet, earring set. Some artists findhaving a clearance section to sell outdated work where the old priceoi slash with a discounted price visible via a different price tag isalso a great way to land a sale.


The more resistance to change artists have, when it comes to keeping upwith trends, the harder they are making it for themselves in the longrun. While we as craft artists don't have to follow every trend outthere it is sometimes a necessary evil that comes with running acraft business where our primary focus is to sell what we make. Ihope these ideas and tips will open some doors to new ways of makingones art or craft more marketable. Please stay tuned for the nextquestion in the series focusing on how to prevent creativity burnout.

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