Just spent three hours hosing off all my panel covers, tarps and awnings--after the dust-bowl at Pensacola. I guess it was worth it, would have rather been working on my short game--but, that's show biz.
Read on, it's worth it.
This show is on a weekend in November with lots of options for doing fall shows in Florida--this is still the best of the bunch, for most of us.
That is why you see all the circuit's heavy hitters here, in all media. People who do Cherry Creek, Ann Arbor, Winter Park, Saint Louis, et al, are here. Must be a good reason.
Most years you have the following shows on this weekend (meaning when, most years, it is the first weekend of November). I know, this year it was the second.
Still, you usually have Dunedin, Halifax(Daytona), South Miami, sometimes Gainesville (depending on the Gators schedule) and Pensacola. There are smaller promoter shows too.
This year, with an extra weekend, you had both Dunedin and Halifax last weekend.
If Disney still had their usual show, it too, would have been this weekend. Lots of choices.
For me and many others, Pensacola trumps all.
Cannot exactly tell you why. Except that when I add up the receipts after the fat lady sings, Pensacola always comes out first.
It is a homey feeling show in a wooded park in an old historical town in the Florida panhandle.
Hell, let's just say it, it is more like Alabama then Florida. However the locals would just likely retort, "Hey its Pensacola, we are not fast and slick, but we get the job done, and have fun too."
You will see more Auburn and Alabama wear then you will see Seminoles or Gators (Florida's preeminate teams, Football-wise).
It is an easy town to get around, the pace of life is moderate, very enjoyable. Traffic is easy to navigate, even at their peak rush-hours.
Food is heavy on fried, Southern and fish with lots of hush-puppies thrown in. Beer is king. Anything else is secondary--although they sell a shit-load of bloody marys at this show with champagne right behind.
The show is held in a historical park in the downtown, maybe three blocks off the main street of Palafox.
Booths wind along concrete and dirt paths throughout the park. Some choice ones are on two paved streets bordering the park. The fronts of these look in at the park.
The park gets lots of use for special events.
The locals tell me there is a special event going on in the park at least two to three times a month.
You know what that means, don't ya?
The grass is not going to grow a doodle.
Couple that with the fact they had not had any serious rain for the past six weeks and you have--The Great Dust Bowl.
It is a three day event staring on Friday with a Thursday setup.
Now here is a little serious meat thrown in, especially for you newbies out there just starting to wet your shoes.
If you get a booth location in the interior paths of the park, you will have to setup at 10:30 AM Thursday morn, unless you want to wait til after 6PM when it is a free for all. This means, usually, you have to come in the night before. Another hotel night.
See, free food for thought. Nobody else tells you that.
Others setup at 12:30 and 3 PM.
This year, showing how ANAL this whole show biz has become,most booths on the two paved streets were sold out on the first day of notification. Just saying.
ANAL,ANAL,ANAL. This biz is getting more like this all the time--it sucks, royal canal-water. But that is the trend.
I can't wait til somebody (Probably Amy Amdur) comes up with a little extra service charge, say $75, that lets you pre-order a booth space BEFORE YOU ARE ACCEPTED.
Amy, I should get 5% of all these fees if you go with that idea. Finders fee, I thought of it first. You too, Howard, 5%.
OK Nels, get off the soap box and tells us more about the show. Why are all the heavy hitters there.
Thought you would never ask.
Easy answer, sloppy pitching, anybody can hit it out of the park.
Not!
Just kidding.
This is a semi-small show in a town with plenty of money. Most people have jobs and most have disposable income.
You have the Navy there. Air Force base not far away. You have a major college, University of West Florida. It is a major port.
Also, a lot of heavy money is coming in there from nearby Alabama.
Also, they they don't have a million fricking little shows there chipping away at the heels of this show.
I missed last year. Got juried out, drat, don't ya just hate that. Was there three years in a row before that. Also was in may other times.
I noticed that in my year's absence, six new restaurants opened up. Not on the cheap. We are talking trendy bistros on the water, new sushi bar, a lunch trailer village complete with a hep oyster bar. Also, cool new coffee shops, retail stores, et al. The place looks prosperous.
I booked a Red Roof Inn out on I-10, minutes from the show, shared with my bunkie Russell Yerkes who I shared at Virginia Beach. Got a good rate under $50 with of course, their $150 CLC surcharge, or something close to it. Who's whining?
Left me more money for fish and Pho.
I had an interior spot, thus the early setup. The ride from Tampa is under eight hours, you gain one coming across the Appalachicola River into CST.
Got there Wed. nite and went promptly to the Fish House restaurant on the docks, downtown.
Filled up on snapper, fried okra and corn fritters with a dose of bread pudding with a little rum sauce. Yummmmm.
Was there early. Like 6:30 AM for the 10:30 setup.
I know. Now, who is being ANAL?
Old habits never die.
I was born at 5:30 AM so I have always been an early riser.
Plus by getting there early I was able to snag one of the few, rare parking spots across from the park, near my booth. Probably saved me an easy 1000 steps in setting up.
You try carrying those four 45-pound John Deere tractor weights very far. See how long you last.
Anyway, I had Position A, someday I will do a blog about the art of Position A. Those of us who have mastered it over the years, are the true artisans of the circuit. One, old friend the painter, Rene, was the ultimate master.
I know, you newbies to the circuit are probably scratching your heads about now. "What the hell does Nels mean about something called Position A?" Time, little grasshoppers, time, and then you will learn. Meanwhile, we elders will profit from our superior wisdom of having done outdoor art shows for 30 years plus and have paid outrageous jury and booth fees. But, we do Position A the very best. I always get it. Always.
Well Crimminy, crimminy Nels, that's all good--but, are you ever going to digress on the show?
Easy boy, my cat pays me by the word.
THE ART SHOW --A SERIOUS BLOG--I THINK--UNTIL SOMETHING COSMIC INSPIRES ME.
Friday morn, show opened at 9 AM. A cold front came by during the night and we went from cutoff T-shirts to every sweater and vest you could put on. High, was about 62 that day. It was crispy in the morn. The outside tarps were crunchier than a bowl of cheerios when we rolled them up.
If you were on the street you had to have your booth open at 8:30AM for the judges. The rest of us got 30 minutes more. "More grits waiter, and I will take another biscuit with honey."
The dust instantly rose like a crisp fog off the water. It was insidious. It was like snorting corn husks, just less-crunchier.
People. What people? Sales. What sales. Judges. I guess they were out there. Somewhere.
Most artists are happy to make $300-$500 on Friday. Some lucky ones, like a few jewelers I know, had $3K days. Wish I could have eaten sushi with them later that night.
As it warmed up the crowds got crowdier. People were smartly dressed. There were a number of Good Shoes in attendance. (Someday, newbies, I will tell you about Good Shoes) Until then, ask your veteran neighbor.
I did not see a lot of big packages go out of the show. Still, a number of 2-D artists were very happy at the end of the day.
I sold mostly out of the browse bins--all day. Paid for my Pho and Sake bill that night.
The committee is very well organized, things run very smoothly.
Eats and coffee for breakfast. A nice awards function Friday night replete with fresh seafood, beer and wine, with a cash bar. Nice awards here, the heavy hitters are here for them.
I forgot to mention this. How dumb of me.
This is not an easy show to get into. Very Biblical. Many are called, few are chosen. You have to be at the top of your game for this one, did not see any blatant buy/sell here. Booth for booth, the work looked great.
I found this great,cheap, Vietnamese restaurant near the Red Roof--thus the great Pho.
Saturday we awoke to clouded over skies with a high of about 65. It was nippy all day, the sun rarely peeked thru the clouds. Under the trees it was nippy and dark. I thought about lighting one of my Portico Frames to warm the joint up. Thought about it, only.
Crowds were thin, Friday seemed better. For most of us, the early hours were wasted, most made sales late afternoon.
Used to be, you could have an easy $2K dy on Sat. Not anymore for most of us.
There were a select few, they were good and they deserved it (Well, so should of we but, WTH), who killed them on Sat. had easy $3-5K day. Lucky them.
This is what makes this show so special. You can rock and roll here. They tend to be on the conservative, very traditional side here. What else is new, it is Pensacola.
Saturday night met up with Mark McKinnon, Paul Shatz and Brad Kelly for dinner at another Vietnamese restaurant. A regular Photographers Convocation with Pho and Digital philosophy.
This was also a pivotal weekend for accept/reject from major shows like Main Street Fort Worth, Winter Park and Coconut Grove.
I got my finger from Winter Park, made it to numero two on W/L for Fort Worth (been in four years in a row, previously) and never bothered with the Grove, I am in Artigras. Miami does not speak to me anymore. Wrong lingo, bro.
We gobbled up steamed Pompano with ginger, fried quail legs and lots of Pho and summer rolls.
Got out cheap. Whew! Because it was a piss-poor day for sales for all of us.
Sunday dawned--with the sun shining. I knew it was going to be good day. And, it was.
Had my best day of the three--and so did others.
Easy teardown. Show ended at 4PM and I was out of there before 6PM, still made it to Happy Hour at the Fish House, met up with friends Lou and Terri. They were very happy campers, too.
I think a lot of artists had a semi-off show this year, they made a little more than $1K per day. Then there were others who hit it out of the park.
I would do it again in a heartbeat (even with a Pig's valve).
Love Pensacola.
Played golf on Monday with Paul and Mark and recouped all my lost monies from food and drink, love those guys, I hope they never improve their short games.
Made it to Destin that night and ate well. Next morn, was up before dawn, got great pics there and at Grayton beach, Blue Mountain and Topsail. Then home to the blonde.
I live to fight another day.
PS. Just heard tonite from the Bluffton Show (site of my demolished booth), they are cutting me a check tomorrow. Yippee! I can buy the new canopy and print walls. I am in there.
The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, located adjacent to the nation's capital, is promoted throughout the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. region. 
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