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Been busy doing shows, trying to catch up on my blogs.
Here goes, Key West end of Feb.
Who wouldn't want to do a show in Key West?
Heck, if you break even, you can call it a working vacation with no stress and lots of shots of tequila.
Most artists who do this show average between $1500-$2000 in sales. It is an expensive show to do because of its location and all the tourists are there.
I have done it for more than 20 years. I know plenty of others that have too. Some people do a lot better than average. They are the real lucky ones. All I know is that most artists go around with a big smile and a robust suntan.
Here is the meat of the show.
It is run by the local artists there and can be found on Zapp. It is a reasonable fee, and the show is extremely well run.
The only negative of the show is that it is an early 5:30 am setup for most, ones in the Truman annex have to wait til 7 am to setup.
It is a small show with about 100 booths because it is in a small area; at the intersection of Caroline and Whitehead streets. Hemingway's house is just a few blocks away, as is the Green Parrot Bar, and Kelly's bar and restaurant is right in the middle of the show. So you can swig rum and tequila to your little heart's delight.
Booths on the west side of Whitehead are back against a brick wall so storage behind is tricky. The other side has room for storage. There are limited corner booths.
On Caroline the booths are within the Truman annex, all booths are on one side with ample rear storage. Most newbies get put in the Truman.
Be prepared to ship your work. Most buyers are from out of town. KW is a magnet that draws people from all over the world looking for their own "little lost shakers of salt."
I shipped to five different destinations. Most buyers are well off and won't try to get you down on the price. Most people go around looking very buzzed, very happy. You can end up having very wild, funny conversations, people love vibing with the artists. Down deep they envy us, thinking that we have already found paradise. If they only knew what we go through.
Ok enough of the meat.
Here are some insights to make your trip, and show, mo better.
Getting there.
When you come off either the turnpike or I-95 you funnel down to a narrow highway in Homestead. This is just before you leave the mainland and take your first bridge on highway Route 1.
You can go straight ahead on Route1, on a single lane road with head on traffic, and maybe average about 40 mph.
Better that you take the other way. Card Sound Road. This gets you out to the northern most part of the keys. You go over a $1.00 toll bridge, at Card Sound,and you are surrounded by beautiful scenery and little traffic. It is a very mellow way to enter the keys.
Plus, you get to stop at the legendary Alabama Jacks Bar, located in downtown Card Sound.
There is no downtown--but there is Alabama Jacks.
Hit it for lunch on your way down.
They got fresh fish sandwiches, piquant shrimp and crackling oysters. The place is always lively with longtime loyal customers. If they only had the choice of one place to eat or drink--it would be Alabana Jacks. It is a roofed, but open air setting. You can see tarpon roiling in the water. Egrets fishing and occasionally a manatee may meander by. They got it all. Oh, did I mention, they have lots of tequilas.
After surviving AJs,, head south on the road and you will reconnect on Route 1.
Gas will inch up in price for every mile south, so take ample advantage of prices.
If you have time stop in Islamorada. Hit Worldwide Sportsman. Up stairs they have a whole collection of Jack London original editions along with his fishing gear plus photos of him with world record fish catches. On the way back home hit the Lorilie Bar in Isla for an equistite experience like no other. The Seminole Indians name for a mermaid was "Lorilie", which is why they have this giant mermaid sign on the front of the bar.
Back to heading south to the show.
It is a slow journey so just chill out and enjoy the sights. Hit Robbie's Tarpon Bar in Isla and, yes, feed the tarpon while chilling on a draft.
In Marathon there are multiple seafood restaurants off the highway. Investigate, get rewarded with sweet seafood delights.l
Housing in Key West is not cheap and the food is costly too.
This year I shared a rented two bedroom house with two couples. I slept on a foldout couch. My share cost me $145.00 a nite.
Rentals are the only downside to the show.
If you come in a RV or can sleep in your van, the show has made arrangements where artists can camp right on the waterfront beside an old Coast Guard cutter, for free. That is the best deal about this show.
This year we had crowds buying early in the morn which is the norm. We had very seasonable weather--we actually had to wear sweaters and vests which is highly unusual for this show. We could take solace in the fact that we were in the warmest spot in the country. It was miserably freezing anywhere else.
""Bartender, another shot of tequila, please."
I did my usual on Saturday, about a grand and then went off to find a new restaurant to eat.
I found a great one on Duval, one block from where I was staying. It was called "Martins."
They served killer tapas items well under $15, they had a phenom martini bar and the whole place had a great vibe. I had a veal schnitzel tapas. It was killer dish. It was my meal with a beet salad and a nice glass of red. Go there, you will love it.
In the morn you can walk down Caroline Street a few blocks and eat breakfast at Pepes. This is the oldest restaurant in Key West, it is also one of the best for a moderately priced meal. They have a killer corn beef hash and they always have a freshly baked bread for the day. You eat in a garden setting beneath flowering vines growing over old wooden beams. It is the complete Key West experience.
Sunday was good for most of us. I will always come back to Key West.

Last week we had in excess of 8+ inches of rain, storms and flooding here in southern Louisiana. Carol and I could not attend a show we were scheduled to do at orange Beach, AL because the only road going and coming to our house was flooded at the bridge over the creek.

We walked down to the bridge yesterday (about a half mile from our house) and wondered if we will be able to get out in time for the show we have planned next weekend in Fairhope. The Amite River, Bayou Manchac and Muddy Creek are all expected to crest sometime tomorrow... and that means the water will most certainly be at its highest point at the bridge. With more rain expected this Thursday thru Saturday the water levels will have a tough time receding. 

At least the house, barn and sheds are high and dry...

     The Garage Sale Art Fair was held February 27th.  I really look forward to this show every year.  It is great fun catching up with people and the deals are crazy good.  Usually I am there as a shopper.  This year I went with Connie to sell some of Norm's art fair equipment and his art work.  I have not helped her do a show in about ten years.  It was always fun being on the artist's side of the fence and I missed that.  It was really nice talking to the artists as we set up.

     So, three of us loaded up a cargo van, and I happened to be the only person with two good hands, and headed for Kalamazoo.  The load in was super easy.  We were able to park right next to one of the many entrances into the Kalamazoo County Expo Center.  So, the walk from the van to our booth was fairly short.  There wasn't any extra space around the booths for storage.  This event is held indoors and space is at a premium.  That wasn't a problem though because the van was not far away.  We were able to go back and forth all day to get things. 

     The doors opened at 9:30 am on Saturday morning for customers.  The line was huge and stretched out for a long ways indoors.  People said it was huge outside, too.  When they let the crowds in the place was packed.  At about 12:30 I heard thy had already had 6,000 people come.  Shoppers want to get there early because the deals are so good.  By one o'clock I was already seeing a few booths had shut down and left because they had already sold out.  

     This show is produced Michael Kifer and Bonnie Blandford's Road Wife Productions LLC.  They do a great job.  They were always visible to take care of problems.  Even though Saturday is wild and crazy they were both in great moods and they stayed like that all day long.  On Friday night during set up they served cold bottled water and pizza.  Someone brought in the best brownies to share, too.  Then, on Saturday, to encourage shopper spending, they have a drawing.  About once an hour they draw a shopper's name and give them $20 in Garage Sale bucks to spend at the show.  About 2 pm Bonnie began making announcements from artists for further mark downs.  Poor Bonnie was getting these announcements fast and furiously.  She happily stayed on course and kept making announcements. 

      Artists occasionally posted funny signs to grab the customer's attention.  This sign was on Alison Fox's table.  Alison came with a tons of things.  I walked by her booth about 2 in the afternoon and she was down to a few pieces. 

     This show had about 150 artists.  The artists were housed in to adjoining rooms.  There was food available to purchase from the concession stand in the building.  The food was not the highlight of the day and people were not there to eat but to shop. 

      This artist with the pottery sells a lot of his inventory every year.  I have seen him before but this year he was determined to get rid of it all.  This was taken later in the day when most of his stuff was gone.

There are about 150 artists that get into this show.  Many artists apply hoping to get one of those spots.  I saw several AFI members there.  AFI member Joan Tweedell was not far from our booth.  I have read many of her show reviews over the years but hadn't met her.  She had some very pretty work with her.

My iPhone usually takes crisp photos but I think it was taking a hiatus the day I was at the show.  I had to sharpen these photos.  Sorry about the blur. 

This really is a great show to get rid of your no longer wanted stock.  I have seen some strange items for sale at this show, too.  Last year someone was selling a microwave.  Every year there are a few strange items.  It is worth a try and you never know who may want that item you brought.  This show is a great way to kick off the new art show season.  See you there next year.

Everyone has seen an event prospectus or applications which has statements that say that exhibitors are required to carry general or specific types of liability insurance in the amount of a bazillion dollars. These requirements also usually indicate that a certificate of insurance needs to accompany the application and should name the event or event entity as co-insured on the certificate.  

Lastly, the certificate sometimes must accompany the application, or you don't get in, regardless of being the next Modigliani..

So far, I have managed to avoid doing events like this one, or they have been too lazy to check my paperwork when I have applied, for the required pieces of paper.

But finally, it would appear that I will actually have to secure this insurance for an upcoming event. I thought I'd reach out to the community and get folks to recommend agencies which specialize in this type of insurance. Also, I'd like to hear if anyone has actually had to make a claim on this sort of policy coverage and what their experiences were when this happened?

Last but not least, opinions on seasonal versus event coverage and costs for both.

I remember reading a Sunshine Artist article a while back which covered this aspect of the business, but when I looked in the most recent issue, I could find a single insurer listed. (That's an advertising revenue opportunity for somebody if they're paying attention....)

And one last question... if the event is six months out and you are required to include the certificate in the application materials prior to jurying, how does that work? You're usually carrying the insurance for a limited number of, or just a single event and the event is months away. You are not going to want to pay out in advance for an event you may or may not be accepted into. Is there some sort of contingency basis upon which these policies are written?

Thanks in Advance

After having about a week and a half back home in Atlanta we couldnt wait to get back to warm Florida.    This would be the first time showing at Gasparilla for us.  Our work, large scale abstracts original only starting at $1400-$5000.  The west coast of Florida is not our market.  We finally decided to try this show after many artist friends and clients encouraged us.   John Leben has already written a great review with lots of info here. http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/gasparilla-what-a-difference-a-year-makes

I will try not to repeat and keep this as short as possible.

Gasparilla Festival of Arts is a two day show, Saturday and Sunday.  Set up starts on Thursday.  The process to request a booth is the most detailed I have ever experienced.   Once you are assigned a booth location you are also given a set up time and load out time.  They only offer sigle booths.   Our set up time was Thursday with check in at 1pm.  That meant we needed to arrive on Wednesday evening.  5 nights hotel cost for a 2 day show.  No problem we wanted to get out of the cold and wet in Atlanta anyway.  We got a great rate at The Barrymore Hotel, right next to check in and artist parking.  I am picky and like to stay at nice places.  The Barrymore was good enough for me and at $75 a night it was even better.  We had a chance to enjoy downtown Tampa on Wednesday evening, most of Thursday and all day Friday.  Another mini vacation, score.   Tampa is a fun town and has a lot to offer with excellent restaurants ( make a point to eat at Ulele)  On Wednesday evening we walked the show site.  The staff had just finished marking the booth spots.  We had a chance to meet one of the Co Chairs.  The staff are so nice.  They all were excited for a great weekend.  We loved the site.  It is right at the Tampa Museum in a beautiful park on the river.  Lots of public work all over.  The city had completed the river walk in that area and new services for the river walk area were just opening up that week. 

John has already written a lot on load in and out.  We found a Thursday set up time made the experience one of the easiest set up we have experienced.  We marshaled into our booth spots and had 2 hours.  We are fast and with just having a single booth to set up we were done within the hour.  They give you a decent amount of room around the booths and in the back.  Some booths are on pavement and some on grass.  There are pros and cons to each spot depending on the weather.  If you are interested in doing this show research it and figure out what would work best for you.  Luckily this weekend the weather was PERFECT so every booth spot was good to go. 

Saturday the show started at 9 am officially.  People were out shopping right away.  Unfortunately our booth was 25-30 feet from the music stage.  The first act went on and it was LOUD.  So loud that we couldn't scream loud enough to talk to each other.  We did everything we could to try to get the music turned down just  a little but it never happened.  Our clients usually need at least 20-30 minutes of talk time for us to close.  We don't have work that people buy spontaneously.   We watched a ton of work walk out of the show.  High end expensive work,  The art at this show is top notch.  The crowd is young and sophisticated AND they have $$$$.  We were discouraged that we couldn't join in.  There was 2 20 minute breaks and one 30 minute break between acts.  We did manage to sell two pieces on Saturday during the breaks. 

Artists amenities were great.  They had a tent set up in the middle of the show for artists.  They had water all day Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  You had to bring your own vessel and could refill water as often as you needed.  The breakfast on Saturday and /Sunday was the normal carb breakfast with some fruit.  The lunch was great.  Hot and a lot of it.  I have some food allergy issues and it was so nice to see a variety of options.  I normally pack my own food but they had passed out menus for both days.  I was happy to finally get a chance to enjoy an artist lunch.  Saturday night they had an awards dinner. ( John already covered awards) I will add the show announces who the judge is and gives a bio.  He handed out a business card to us when he entered the booth.  He had the director and a co chair with him.  Judging a show like Gasparilla with all the great work is extremely difficult especially with the big money attached to the awards.  After the awards dinner there was a gala the artists were invited to.  I didn't attend either but heard it was amazing.  Sunday the left over wine and beer from the night before were in the artist tent.  We were feed well and kept hydrated.

Sunday the show opened at 10 am.  We opened up early hoping to get a chance to talk to patrons before the music started.  People were shopping by 9:30 am.  When the first act went on the stage we braced ourselves and we were shocked.  The music had been turned down.  We could talk!!!!  We had to talk loudly but we could talk.  Game on!!!!.  We had an amazing day and so did everyone else.  Large work walked out fast.  Even with only one real day for sales Gasparilla has been our best Florida show to date.  Tampa treated us well  and we need to rethink the west coast Florida market.

Load out.  You are assigned a load out time.  The show closes at 5pm.  The first load out time is 5:30.  Our time was 6:30.  We can be down to the ground in 15 minutes so we dollied out.  We were out making delivers before 6pm. 

We are back home in Atlanta  and when we arrived it was 70 degrees.  Going to be 80 tomorrow.  Good time to be home.   Time to get back in the studio and work for the spring line up.

June 24-26
Casper, Wyoming
Presented by Nicolaysen Art Museum
Fri. 5-9 p.m., Sat. 10-8 p.m. and Sun., 12-6 p.m
80 Artists
Deadline: March 20

Application fee: $35; Booth fee: $350-$400

NIC Fest Arts Festival celebrates its 11th year in beautiful downtown Casper, Wyoming. This outdoor festival remains the leading showcase for artists in the northern Rocky Mountain Region.

Energized by amazing live music, hands on activities for the kids and great food, this festival attracts more than 18,000 people over 2 1/2 days. Our festival is ARTIST-FOCUSED and there will be ample pre-event marketing in regional and local media.

NIC Fest continues to grow in popularity amongst artists, the local community and visitors from around the state and region. If you're looking for a new market, friendly and loyal patrons, breathtaking and inspiring vistas and a quality over-all experience, NIC Fest is the art festival for you.

The festival is supported by a growing list of sponsors, state-wide marketing/advertising and more than 100 community volunteers that make the experience for artists outstanding.

Every year participating artists from around the country comment that they have never been so well-treated in all their art festival travels. With room for 80 artists, come experience NIC Fest!

Learn more & apply: 

Contact: Lori Klatt, lklatt@thenic.org, 307-235-5247

After an awesome 24 days in Cartagena Colombia we came back For Coconut Grove.  We were waitlisted for this show.  It is hard enough to plan a Florida tour but when a waitlist happens it is extra difficult.  We have never been to Coconut Grove.  We have the travel bug and really didn't want to come back home where it was wet and cold after Beaux Arts.   October we decided we were going to get off that waitlist and planned like we were in the show.  Hotels this year were CRAZY expensive for that time.  It is a three day show Sat, Sun and Mon,  and you setup on Friday.  That is 5 nights.  Hotels were going for $400-$500 a night in the area and house rentals were being snatched up fast.  We booked a four bedroom house with other artists and committed to being there whether or not we got in.  We figured if we didn't get in we would have a chance to check out the show, enjoy more time in beautiful Coral Gables and help out or artist friends.  Luckily we got off the waitlist.  This is an expensive show to do even with out the hotel rates.  The booths are high cost and we double booth it.  This is a really big show and there is another show right next door.  Lots of artists and big expenses.  We had shied away from the show because the reviews were so mixed.  You never know until you try it so this is what we did.

 The show is set up like a backwards Z or a hard S.  Most spots are along Bayshore.  There is a big median in the road.  Booths set up along the median with booths on one side.  The other two off shoots are across from eachother for the most part.  Here and there along the main drag you may have promo booths across from you.  It is a really big show and too difficult to explain.  Some booths are better than others but that is true for most shows.  We had some room on either side, enough to walk thru.  

Set up is Friday afternoon.  You drive up to your space and unload.  You can check in after set up.  Some spots it is easy and clear others a bit tight.  Everyone seems to work together.  You can buy artist parking.  This works for some if the parking is near their booth.  There are plenty of other parking lots you can pay for that may be more convenient.  We had a double spot in the 800 block and could easily park and set up.  We didn't have to move since noone else was there setting up around us.  We are fast and got set up  in about 1 hour.   Coconut Grove has a lot going on.  The marina is right there and a great shopping/restaurant area.  The logistics for getting around is challenging for the first time. 

The weather forecast was perfect for Saturday.  Finally great weather.   The crowds were good  but most sales were around $300 from what we saw and what other artists told us.  We are large scale original only abstract.  Nothing under $1k.  We didn't meet many patrons on a mission to find original art Saturday.  Sunday another perfect weather day and it  felt like a different show.  People were out on a mission with a plan.  They were shopping for big work.  We had a great day.  Monday there was light misty rain on and off.  The bargain hunters were out.  Sales happened even after break down.  Of course some had excellent shows and some had ok shows and some did not do well.  Many artists have done this show many many times.  They said maybe it was time to give the show a break.  We were thrilled with the show. 

Artists amenities were good in my opinion.  It changed from years past and some artists were not as happy.  This year they had a VIP area opened up for the artists.  They had food, cocktails, beer, wine, soda, water etc all day.  They had trailer porta potties (my favorite).  It was located at one end of the show.  This is a long show so if your booth wasn't near the VIP area it was difficult to get to.  With free booze some artists spent too much time in the VIP area.  It was not too far from us so we used it for the nice bathrooms but I always pack my own food.  Some artists care more than others about artists amenities.  For me I just want a strong buying crowd.  They had plenty of volunteers for booth sitting.  We don't need booth sitters but the offer was always there. 

Load out.  This was really unclear.  Our entrance into the show was closed at the last minute because of a safety problem.  That messed up our exit strategy since the truck was already lined up.  The show ended at 5pm.  We were out by 7pm.  Not too bad considering the confusion. 

I really liked this show.  It is big.  It is confusing.  It is expensive. There is a ton of competition and amazing artists.   Miami is a great market for our work.  The patrons are all ages and ready to buy if you have what they want.  Be prepared for bargaining. 

After this we finally had to head home for a bit to restock and take care of home business.  Next up Gasparilla.

After finishing  Las Olas we planned on doing a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas  in between shows out of Miami.  Usually costs $149-$189 pp but this year one of the cruise ships was dry docked that week so  it was too expensive this year.  We fortunately have some awesome artist friends who let us crash for the mid week and had a fun mini vacation in Fort Myers with friends.

Beaux Arts Festival of the Arts is one of our favorite SE Florida shows.   It is on the University of Miami campus near the museum in Coral Gables Miami.  Beautiful setting.   Hotels and vacation rentals were expensive, even more so than normal.  We finally found a two bedroom house about 15 minutes from the show and shared with another artist.  The food in Miami is amazing.  Make sure to take advantage of it.

 The show runs Saturday and Sunday with set up on Friday.  The weather this January in Florida was not art show friendly.  Friday morning we set up with no weather issues.  You can drive up to your booth and if you arent in anyones way you can stay put.  The weather was rough later in the day.  We went to the hardware store and bought extra weights for the tent.  Some booths are on grass and some on pavement.  Some booths are back to back some are across the street from each other.  Some booths have a lot of room all around some are tight.  You have a mix.  They offer close easy free parking for the artists.   Trailors are no problem.  They have a breakfast for the artists, your reguar carbs with some cheese and fruit.  There are food trucks and the campus has restaurants and normal college campus services.   This show has been reviewed many times so search here on AFI for more info.

Saturday the show opened at 10 am.  We lucked out with good weather.  The crowd was good, not huge but a good crowd.  Most people I talked to had an ok Saturday but this show is known as a  Sunday show. 

Sunday.... we knew the weather forecast was not pretty.  Our pilot friend gave us some inside scoop to the weather that was about to hit in the morning.   He was warning us that it was not looking good for the show site.  We arrived around 8:30 am.  Right after the front went through..  It was not good.  Lots of  tents down to the ground and work spread all over.  I won't post pics of that.  It is too hard for those artists to see and relive.  We were fortunate in our location and our tent  was basically fine with just a few things to deal with.   We spent the next couple hours  trying to help clean up.  My next part is a bit of advice for fellow artists and how to help when something like this happens at an art show.  There were so many tents down I think many artists didn't know how to react.  Of course many artists were helping especially in the areas where just one or two booths went down but in the big parking lot, that got hurt the worse, not as many pitched in.  The wind came through so hard and it wouldnt matter how much weight you had you were going down.   It was devastating to see.  I heard many people say they didn't know what to do.  Here are a few suggestions and if anyone else has some please add.  My partner was recovering from surgery.  He wasn't allowed to lift more than 15lbs.  So he went to the down booths, dug thru the rubble and found business cards and called the artists to give them a heads up.  Sucks to be the messenger but better than being blindsided when you arrive.  He also took pics of the damage for the artist so they could have it for insurance if needed.  Most of the artists didn't want to see the pics  so we offered to send the pics to a friend or relative for safe keeping.  We tried to save any work that we could.  There was a lot of standing water, still raining some and windy.  It would have helped to have some artist open up their booths to help store that art until the owners could get it to a safer place.  Get some tools, like a wire cutter, screw driver etc.  Brooms and lots of them were needed for broken glass.  Help pick up trash.  These booths and the set ups were all tangles and needed to be taken apart in bad weather conditions.   For an artist whose booth is down trying to find anything is difficult.    Offer help but most likely an artist will be in too much shock to answer.  Just wait around a bit and see what you can do.    Towels or anything that can help people dry off and clean up their art are a huge help.  For the artists who had the option and strength to set up again they will need supplies.  Zip ties, duck tape, rope, any extra tent parts help.  We had a few extra stay bars and tent legs.  Those were used to reinforce broken legs.   We broke out our cooler and served up beer, wine and cocktails to help settle nerves.  We are all in this together. 

The wind was still blowing but the forecast for the rest of the day looked good.  By 11 am everything was back up and running pretty much.  The wind died down and patrons showed up.  A lot of be backs came and folks were buying.  It turned out to be a good day for most of the artists we talked to.  Not the best Beaux Arts ever but considering the weather it was good.

The show ends at 5 pm.  Break down is kind of a free for all.  It works.  Those that have easy access to drive up to their booths usually go first and get out of the way for those in the back.  We had a really easy place to pull up right at 5 pm and were out by 5:30. 

I really love this show.  The setting is so beautiful.  The people have money and most live there.  You have some tourists but not a ton like many Florida shows.  Big work sells well.  People have money and are sophisticated buyers.  The staff is great and very friendly.

Next show is Coconut Grove.  Here is where living the artist life on the road pays off.  Instead of staying in Florida for the next month (which would be very expensive to do)  we found $200 rt flight from Miami to Cartagena.  The dollar is crazy strong in Colombia and we were able to rent a condo right on the beach for $900 for 3+ weeks.  Breakfast cost $1.50, Lunch $2 and dinner $5.  We were there for Carnaval and were able to attend the worlds second largest celebration, second only to Rios.  Once in a lifetime event for us.   Awesome vacation in between shows.  We use natural pigments in our work and try to find new ones from different parts of the world, so this was technically a business trip:)

I would love to talk with artists that have been accepted to the annual art festivl.  Two years running i have buffed up my booth, taken what i believed to be amazing photos, wrote precise descriptions, and bam, rejected.  In the body of the rejection email KRASL made it clear that people are rejected often several years running, and please try again.   It baffles me.  Granted i work in wearable fiber and wonder often if that is a limiting factor.  

They do invite artists to attend the jury process, which is refreshing and rare... sadly i live 5 hours drive from there, and could not break away to be there for the jury.  I also wonder if that is a limiting factor.

If you have done the event, can we chat either on this blog or via email?

Just finished our Winter 2016 Florida tour.  Did 4 shows.  Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, Beaux Arts in Coral Gables Miami, Coconut Grove Miami and Gasparilla in Tampa.   I will post in 4 parts.

 One of the great things about doing Florida shows in the winter is to get the heck out of the bad weather at home.  We also make sure to enjoy our time while there and make the best out of what Florida has to offer.  Staying in Florida between shows can be expensive and we have found other alternatives to help save money and enjoy traveling.  We have cruised in between shows and traveled to many countries over the years.  It is a great life.   

First show was at Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale early January.  Have done this show many times.  Took last year off but was eager to return this year.  Usually stay right at the show at The Riverside but the going rate was close to $300 a night.  Found a great air bnb owned by one of our own, artist, just a mile from the show.  2 bedroom with a pool and extremely artist friendly.  We shared with another aritist and that is a great way to go to save money. 

This show has been reviewed many times.  If you are interested in more info just search it here on AFI.  Set up is early morning.  There is a somewhat new system for load in at HA shows.  You can drive up to your booth spot till 5am or 5:30 am.  You can drop off your stuff than go park.  After 5:30 am you can start setting up.  If you arrive after that time you have to dolly in.  We arrived around 5 am unloaded and parked.  Set up is quick for us and we were done by 6:30 am.  Back to the house to have breakfast, take a shower and relax before returning. 

Booths.  Las Olas is a four lane road with a median.  Booths are back to back but the median is between the booths.  There is not a lot of space in the back or on either side but enough that the booths are not touching.  If you agree with your neighbor you can probably get 3 feet between each booth on one side.  Many spots can plug into electricity.  The space between your booth and the sidewalk is one lane.  There are stores and restaurants all along the street. 

The show starts on Saturday at 10 am but people are out shopping well before that.  Actually while I was in the shower at 8 am I received a call from my booth neighbor telling me I had a potential client.  The weather held Saturday and the crowds, as usual for this show, came.  Sunday the weather didnt look as good.  We lucked out and only got about 15 minutes of bad rain.  The great thing about Las Olas is there are a bunch of restaurants.  At our booth we had The Oyster Bar and could sit right on their covered terrace and watch our booth, even in the rain.  The crowds were big on Sunday.

Sales.  This was not our best Las Olas.  The artist on one side of me, 2D, had her best Las Olas show ever.  As did 2 of my sculpture friends, 3 painters and 2 jewelry artists.  All around most people I talked to had an excellent show. 

Load out.  Show ends at 5pm.  You need to break down then get your vehicle.  The streets are narrow so we opted to dolly out.  We were gone by 6 pm. 

This is a great show to start 2016 and Fort Lauderdale is a lot of fun.  It is a well run show and the quality of work is top notch.  I love that it is all about the art.  There are no kids areas, music stages or funnel cake.  Also for those who want to rent a tent and propanels the new company HA uses has brand new light domes and new propanesl at an excellent price.  Very impressed.

Next up Beaux Arts

April 24
Culver City, California
Presented by: The Bead Society
Veterans Memorial Auditorium
150 Artists
Deadline:  March 15

Booth Fee: $135/table

Our semiannual bead bazaars are the best and finest event of the west side of Los Angeles, and have been held for almost 35 years.

We feature antique and collectible beads, designer and artisan made beads, as well as jewelry designers, wearable artists, and gemstone artifact and bead vendors.  Many of our vendors are members of the Bead Society as well as other chapters throughout Southern California, and know their bead and gemstone provenance.  We also host demonstrations of jewelry making, glass treatment and creation, and gem identification.

Marketing:
We usually advertise on our web site, distribute flyers at other bead and design shows, and also give out post cards for members to mail to their customers. We also have a Facebook page where we post pictures and announcements. Vendors post the Bazaar details on their pages and/or web sites. In addition we submit advertising to the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, and other local newspapers and magazines.

I'm a Michigan artist working digitally. I sell limited edition prints. Gasparilla was my fifth show of my annual two month swing through Florida. I know a lot of artists who have winter homes down here and summer homes up north, but there are not that many of us who do it like we do. It's the tourist season down here and it is pretty expensive to rent rooms. That's especially true for us. My wife, Marcia is my most valuable resource. She helps in every way, rain or shine. But she has also make it clear that if I want to pursue this crazy lifestyle, she will be the one to pick the accommodations and restaurants. And some of those accommodations have to be on the beach. She's not the sleep in the car type.

So, in order to make this annual trip south profitable, we have to do pretty well at the art fairs. This year, Gasparilla in Tampa delivered. We started out our Florida adventure at ArtFest Ft Myers in early February. We did very well there, taking the edge off our anxiety. Next was ArtiGras in Jupiter where we also had some success. Naples National was OK, but rather disappointing, then Lake Wales (didn't get in to Key West), where we were, again. disappointed. Finally, Gasparilla: a big town art fair with 100,000 expected attendance. We had a great show there, putting our trip firmly in the black, financially.

This is our third time at Gasparilla, and we have always done well there. Last year we didn't get in. Lake Wales was the same weekend last year, so we did that one instead. Although it also poured buckets at Lake Wales, the show closed early and we got out of there without too much damage. Hearing the reports from Tampa last year, we considered ourselves fortunate that we missed that one.

Gasparilla is set up in a spacious park next to the Tampa Art Museum along the river. It's a beautiful location, gently sloping down to the river. Last year the slope turned into a waterfall and mudslide. This year the park was improved with drainage sewers that drain into the river underground instead of over the grass... a great idea. Although we didn't need that this year, it will certainly be appreciated the next time it rains at Gasparilla. The show gives a whopping $75,000 in awards and another $20,000 in purchase awards. It seemed as if there were enough awards to give at least one to each of us artists. We didn't win one, but we saw lots of ribbons around. We did, however, see lots of customers. It seemed as if the crowds were trying to make up for last year. The buying energy was high. I didn't talk to any artists who were disappointed. The weather was perfect, in the low 70s.

Because of the narrow aisles and walkways, loading in and out of this show is a challenge. The committee tries hard to organize it to the Nth degree. Artists have the option of setting up on Thursday with a two hour allotment to unload, or on Friday with a 75 minute allotment to unload. Each booth is assigned the times for unloading (either Thursday of Friday) and the time for packing up on Sunday. They caravan 30 or so vans into the fair at a tyime, organized in such a way as to avoid congestion. Not sure how well that worked, but we choose Thursday setup, and it went pretty well. Our booth had an assigned time of 8:30 on Sunday evening to bring our van into the park to load up. Since the show closed at 5pm, we started looking for an alternative. There is an underground parking garage right next to the park. Although artist parking is free about three blocks away, we decided to pay the $20 for the day on Sunday, with the intention of dollying our stuff to our van at closing. That worked well. Although it took a lot of trips back and forth, it was only about a half a block from our booth to the van. I'm a little stiff in the joints this morning from all the extra work (but, then again I always am after an art fair), but we were out of there by 7:30.

Marcia rented a condo on the beach at Indian Rocks Beach, about 45 minutes from Tampa. This is the vacation part of our trip. Watching the pelicans fish this morning and a sailboat ghost by on the gulf makes all the work we do seem worthwhile. We plan to relax and eat a lot of seafood this week, but we have one more show to do before heading back north. Leesburg is next. We wanted to do Vero Beach next week, but we didn't get in. And, we wanted to do Winter Park the following week, but, didn't get into that one either. We're hoping for a surprise at Leesburg, but we certainly don't expect a windfall. Our success last weekend at Gasparilla makes a successful show at Leesburg less urgent.

April 2 & 3

Earl Brown Park

This festival, which will celebrate its 51st year of continuous operation in 2016, has become a city-wide tradition for generations of residents in and around DeLand. Home to Stetson University, DeLand boasts an art-savvy public that embraces the event as their "hometown" show.  

Separation of fine art and craft from

traditional art and craft insures an interested public visiting each section.

Extensive media campaign and public relations support reach beyond the immediate market. 65% of our artists and crafters return every year.

The City of DeLand from 2013-2014 spent 5.5 million dollars to beautifully renovate Earl Brown Park with a new Wayne Sanborn Activity Center, Amphitheater, concessions and beautiful landscaping.