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My new girlfriend siri is a real tease.

She coos sweet nothings in my ears while she lets me down.

First, it was maybe we are going to spend an intimate weekend in Fort Myers or maybe, Coconut Grove.

Then it was, "Forget about it, I am too busy, we aint going."

Yesterday, all day, she played with my emotions.  There I was on the putting green, watching her, and, not my putting line.

So many misses.

She kept it up til late last nite.

I couldn't take any more of it.  I closed the door and  left her in the kitchen with leftovers.

The couch was calling, and I was rapidly falling.

I woke up this morning to a wintery chill.  Down deep, I felt a soothing thrill.

I found her where I had left her last nite, no leftovers, the cat made sure of that.

She cooed suggestively once more in my ears.

"Can you handle it Big Boy?"

"Can you make enough inventory for Mt. Dora, Artigras, Key West, Gasparilla,Stuart, and yeah the big enchilada--Winter Park?"

"Bring it on Siri, I can do it.  I'll just hang out with Barely Bernstein up in the UP, away from the wiles of golf and sushi.  I'will get her done."

She cooed louder this time.  "Can you pack enough for a trip to the Rio Grande?"

I knew she was fooling with me now.  The Rio Grande aint anywhere near Deep Ellum, where I was going in early April.

Then she grabbed me good.

"Jay called, he wants you there."

Well, sugar my boogers, it looks like I am going to Fort Worth.

I can handle it.

I just don't know if I can handle Barely Bernstein up there in the frozen UP, land of flying meat pies.

That Siri, she's one hell of a woman.

Well, lightning struck me yesterday.

I have barely regained my breathing.  I can almost finish my sushi.

I got into Winter Park in 1984 and 1985.  Thought I had hit the big time.

Then I was juried out for 25 years in a row.  

Always sent fresh new work in every year, always got the same "Forget-about-it" letter back from them every year.

Til yesterday.

Matt Hatala  came by my booth while I was at Disney.  He mentioned that Winter Park had just notified that afternoon.

I turned on my IPhone 5S and called to my new lover Siri.

Siri, I said,"Who is the fairest in the land who will get, again let down, by the powers at be at Winter Park."

She cooed softly in my ears, "Not you, Big Boy, they love you and want you to romp around their park this March."

"Siri", I said, "It is not nice to toy with my "Almost Boy" emotions this way."

She just cooed,"Whoo, too."

So I went to Email and there it was, I had never seen such a message in 25 years, it started with the words, "Congratulations."

Holy, moly, I was in.

I think that Siri is one hell of a woman, and I am going to let her continue to shoot my booth slides.

Woo-Hoo!

Well, I have been quiet for a while , but, I am back.

Went to the Disney show last weekend--wish I had not.

Once upon a time in America, getting an invite to the Disney  show was "Magical."

You knew you were going to make money, you were going to be treated like "special people" and it was just a fun show to do in the fall.

That all changed when Disney moved the show out of the market place to the West Side.

It was a deep slide, downward, down the mouses tail.

I really hate to "rat-out" a bad show--but Disney deserves it.  Especially the way it treats the artists.

Yes, they do give those big "free tickets" to Mouse-land, they let you get hugged by Micky if you are an award winner, they give ya a free breakfest at awards morn, and a free lunch every day, plus free bottles of water, and oh yeah--you get to use those cool green carts to schlep your work into the show with.

Now, let us look at the down side of things.

First, their $400 booth fee is a blatent rip-off.  Nearly 90-per-cent of the exhibitors there will barely gross $1500-$2000 for a three-day show in Mouseland.  Many wont even break $1K (like me, a first, at this show).

They have their Mouseland tent called the Disney Artist Market right beside our tents.  They have six Ryder Trucks in the parking lot, stocked to the hilt, bringing stuff in all day to replenish.  The artists don't have a chance.

They have the world's worst layout for a flow of the show.

For example, coming in from the parking lots behind Circque, most people took the sidewalks behind the exhibitors booths, thus by-passing them entirely.

Then there was the circle of lost artists(ala the Naples show) which I was in over by Circque.  Eighty per cent of the crowd zoomed by us like we were not there.

They had the emerging artists in two remote areas not even remotely connected to our show.

Photographer Bernie Bleckfeld and I had a running debate about who had the worst spot in the show him or me.

First off, he got in, off the rejected artist list.  I got in off the prime invited artist list.

I was put so far remotely under the Circque tent you needed binoculars to see my booth.  Bernie was on the grass where the first booths were located when coming in from the parking lot.

Frankly, Bernie missed the opportunity.  He should have burned a few frames and photos and thrown some magic sparkles on the flames.  He would have had kazillions over to his booth.

Hell, I was doing triple somersalts off the top of my canopy and couldn't attract a single customer.

I clearly had the worst booth.  Shut up, Bernie!

The trouble with this show is this.

The people there, are mainly there for Mouseland.  The Mouse rules and they bow down and give all their moola to any thing that resembles a mouse.  We don't stand a chance.

Second.  The crowd is ultra-conservative.  So forget about Art.  They don't know what it is and they don't want it.

A few exhibitors hit it big, one making a $10K-plus sale, but that was the rare exception.

There is not a volume of sales to be had at this show.

I bet more than 50 per cent of us who were there this year will never apply again.

Count me as one of them.

I recently met an interior dec. at an art festival. She ordered $400 worth of commissions and paid me on the spot. She wanted a 20% discount. She just called me and ordered two more commissions. She is very successful and I am hoping this will continue. What do you think about the discount? Do I have to do this with each order? Is 20% "fair". I know several shops charge 30%-50% on top of my price, but she wants it the other way, where I take off my price. Thanks for your opinions and advice...

Being relatively new and not having seen the jury process, I drove down to Forth Worth last week to observe. I thought I would share my experience as it was interesting to see the process. First though, I will point out that it was nice of the show to validate our parking.

I attended the afternoon session and sat through the jewelry and photography sessions. There is a lot of competition out there and was impressed with the work submitted. The set up of the room is basically five screens set side by side so everything appears at one time. They went through all of the slides fairly quickly as a preview. Sometimes it seemed almost too quick but they had a lot of applications. Then, they went back through and read the submitted description of the work.

The descriptions varied from basic statement of I shoot with XX and do my own printing on XX to more elaborate statements of their vision. Not sure the jurors really were listening to them. A couple of statements seemed like "pick me, pick me" sales pitches.

I was surprised at the number of what I would consider mixed media that was submitted in the photography section. Also surprised at some of the repetitiveness of some of the photo subjects. ie....numerous photos of a dock or piers in the fog. Quite a few did not have booth shots and there were also quite a few that were not "traditional" booth shots. I think of the booth shot of basically standing at the front of the booth and taking picture showing all three walls but there were booth shots from angle and different distances and some that didn't even really show more than a wall.

It was clear who the photographer on the jury was. After the initial photography preview run, he told the other jurors that there were several applicants that used little people figurines in their photography but basically they were all copycats except for the one person (didn't name him but basically described his work). The reaction of the other jurors and their comments definitely left me with the impression that the other were not going to be getting through. Just didn't seem proper for one juror to basically blackball the other applicants.

All in all it was a very enlightening experience and I recommend attending one some time. If I didn't make the cut, I am going to try and get down to Fort Worth for the show to see who got in.

The New Definition of Owning Art

I recently read about how the current DSLR camera upgrade path, with incremental increases in image quality, is driven by the over 50 year old photographers who learned shooting film and tweaked their camera settings along with their choice of film to give them maximum image quality. Compare that to the younger camera wielding photographers of today who think in terms of web sized images for social media. For them, the current crop of digital cameras is all the quality they'll ever need, maybe upgrading because the new features will make it easier for them to connect and share images.

I read about a photographer who, at the request of his friends, photographed them at a Halloween party. A week after Halloween, his friends were upset because he hadn't given them the pictures yet because he was too busy. His friends "expected" the pictures as soon as they were taken so they could be posted to social media. For them, the moment needed to be shared as it was happening, and a day or two later, it was forgotten.

The convenience of the cell phone camera, which doesn't produce enough detail or dynamic range, does produce images that are in the here and now and for most people it's enough. In today's world it's about the moment, not about image quailty.

I read about a National Geographic photographer who documented a trip using his iPhone and posting to social media so everyone could share the experience as it happened. In response he did get a few people who complained that the image quality was not up to National Geographic standards, but the few people who complained totally missed the point. Everyone else appreciated that it was about being with the photographer on the trip; sharing the moment.

This explains why people come into our booths and take pictures of our artwork. They share and enjoy the immediacy of the pictures with their friends on a computer or cell phone screen instead of enjoying the actual art. For them it's the new definition of owning.

Artists are struggling trying to keep up with the past. The value of art, or more specifically the value of owning art has changed. It's time to reverse the trend by trying to bring art buyers and collectors back to the art shows instead of people who live their lives in social media.

 A representative of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (at the ZAPP conference) stated that art museums are giving away digital images of the artwork on the museum's web site to increase attendance. But this is contrary to art shows, where the public can actually meet the artist who created the art work. Art shows need to promote art as something rare and treasured so that when people attend, they actually consider owning something that will bring richness or add value to their lives.

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100

Many thanks to all of you who keep this community active and full of useful information and great stories about living the life of an artist.

Here are the people who won the weekly post of the week awards. Which one deserves to win "Post of the Month?"

• Bonnie Blandford - 10/3/2013 "You took my breath away"
• Robert Wallis - 10/6/2013  "St. James, The Great Deluge, and riding off into the sunset."
• Carole Fleischman - 10/18/2013 "BAYOU CITY ART FESTIVAL DOWNTOWN, HOUSTON TX 2013"
• Maryllis Wolfgang - 10/23/2013 "Bluffton (SC) Arts & Seafood Festival - Oct. 19 - 20, 2013"

Next: 

Who has contributed the most to the community this month and deserves the Big Red Dot on their profile picture?

• Scott Pakulski, Maryllis Wolfgang, Laurie Olefson, or write it in ...

Click here to take survey

Deadline for voting: November 14, 6 pm

Call for Artists - deadline November 14th.

Apply to be a Featured Artist on ArtsyShark.com. Once accepted, you present your portfolio and share your bio, inspiration, technique, and accomplishments. Your article includes a link to your artist website, to drive traffic from more than 30,000 unique visitors per month who visit Artsy Shark. Featured artist articles are permanent - use this opportunity for publicity as long as you like! Currently 36 artists are needed. $15 jury fee. No fees are taken on resulting art sales.

Get Details and Apply here  www.artsyshark.com/become-a-featured-artist/

Finish up your Florida show season at this festival. New dates -- same lovely location, in beautiful Crane's Roost Park about 10 miles north of downtown Orlando.

• Booth Fee: $285, $25 application fee

  Carole Napoli wins the top award

• Limited to 150 carefully juried artists
• Increased award money from previous year
• Drive up load-in and load-out, free adjacent parking, overnight security
• Sunday morning artist brunch
• Major advertising and promotion: TV, newspaper, radio, social media
• Highest household income in the region
• World-class entertainment/high public attendance
• Abundant, affordable accommodations and restaurants

2014 Expo Artist Awards: $9,000 in cash awards & ribbons will be presented.

•  (1) $1,500-Best of Show
•  (2) $750-Awards of Excellence
•  (2) $500-Judges Choice
•  (10) $500-Awards of Distinction

Meet our 2014 Uptown Art Expo Judges-Click Here!

Our judging team will consist of two independent judges.  Awards are presented solely at the discretion of the judges and will be presented at the winning artist' booths on Saturday afternoon.

2013 Expo Award Winners will be waived the jury fee with applications received before Jan. 15, 2014

The Orlando Art & Living Expo, Inc., is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to bring art and music together, and enhance the quality of life in Central Florida.

For more information or questions please email: info@uptownartexpo.com

Visit our website: www.uptownartexpo.com 

The Venice Art Festival has been my launchpad for the winter season since I got in the business six years ago.  The crowds that visit this Howard Alan show are good sized, they come year after year, and many of them are newly-arrived snowbirds from the upper midwest and Canada who are looking to decorate the winter homes. 

I've never had a bad show here, but in most years the visitors buy small.  That wasn't the case this year: it wound up as the best Venice show I've ever had.   The buying energy persisted all weekend, except for an understandable lull as a cold front and squalls moved through late on Saturday morning.

When the front passed, it took the overbearing humidity with it: Sunday brought crystal blue skies and a feeding frenzy, at least in my space.  I sold six good-sized Gallery Wraps on day 2 (not a record, but typically the kind of sales I see in deeper-pocketed Naples and Sarasota). 

More tellingly, perhaps, I had no less than a dozen folks tell me that they had either just bought a home, they were redecorating one they'd bought a few years ago, or they had a new home under contract.  Last year, at the same show, I had two or three folks say the same. (And yes, I keep track by maintaining a New Homeowner's mailing list).  The numbers of artists who told me they had a good show was in double figures--not everyone I talked to, but pretty close.  The buyers didn't seem to discriminate: Jewelers, 2-D, functional pottery, glass all did decently, from what I heard.  I was 'way too busy to take a survey.

One show does not a trend make, of course, but coupled with the reports I'm reading about the housing market heating up, and what I hear from my brother (who is in the mid-to-high end furniture biz for a Fort Myers/Naples chain, and is writing business with both hands these days), maybe there's a glimmer of hope for the winter season.

I thought I'd reviewed this show last year, but couldn't find it.  So here's some additional scoop for the unfamiliar: 
* The show runs along Venice Ave., the main downtown district, filled with small-storefront retail and restaurants.

* As a Howard Alan downtown show, there's no Friday setup.  Officially, check-in starts at 5 AM Saturday, but some artists were around as early as 3:30 AM to get started.  Drive up to your space, unload, then move to artist parking in a bank parking lot.  (Some parts of Venice Ave. are divided by a concrete barrier dividing east-and west-bound traffic; if you have a space in those sections, you can park right behind your booth, on the east-bound side.)  As in most Alan events, the tents are pretty tight side to side, but most booths have some storage area behind. 

* There's a Costco booth where you can grab cold water, pre-packaged muffins (on Saturday), or fruit (on Sunday).  No coffee either day.  Lunch is on your own, but several of the enterprising restaurants delivered fliers offering meals at a discount. 

* There are a couple of hotels (Best Western Plus, Holiday Inn) off the Jacaranda Rd. exit (#193) of I-75, about 10 minutes' drive from the show.  There are also a couple of national chain hotels in North Port, 20 minutes south, and lots more in Sarasota, about the same distance to the north. 

I hope some of the other artists chime in with comments--and that someone takes on reviewing Alan's St. Armands show being held this coming weekend (Nov. 9-10) in Sarasota.  I'm taking the weekend off to attend a workshop, but it would really be nice to hear on AFI if the buying spree continues...or not.

Now back in Florida, I thought I'd take a couple of minutes and wrap up the telling of my show experiences in the Northeast.  It was a challenging summer for show sales, but a great opportunity to expand my inventory and my marketing presence.  We'll see, in time, if that work pays off.

But first, let's look at the last few shows on my agenda. After about 10 days of R&R back home in Florida,  I flew back into Atlantic City International Airport (via Spirit Air, which sends a direct flight from Ft. Myers once a day)  on Oct. 10.  First stop:  The Chesapeake Bay Art Association show, a scheduled two-day affair in the park at Ocean View.  This is a small, inexpensive show  ($110, tops!) that draws mostly regional artists.  It's not a show that I'd advise an artist to travel huge distances to do, but as an entrée to the surprisingly active arts scene in and around Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, it can't be beat. Friendly, well-run, casual: lots like old-time art shows used to be.

It's close to the water, in Ocean View park, where a path winds its way along the bay. Artists along the path contend with ocean breezes nearly all day long, no matter the weather (about which, more in a paragraph or two).  If you're even fifty yards inland, the wind is less of a problem.  If you make it to the show in time to set up on Friday, you can drive right to your booth and set up.  On Saturday morning, you need to park along the street or in a nearby parking lot and dolly from there: a little more work, but not a problem. 

Last year's show was surprisingly good, and I was hoping for a repeat performance.  The show gathers a lot of support from the local community (Norfolk's mayor even came by, waited politely while I wrapped things up with a customer, then graciously introduced himself and thanked me for coming from Florida to do the show.) 

But, as so often has happened this summer, the weather didn't work in my favor.  A late-summer storm driven by a weather system off the coast had been lashing the east coast for several days, and it just refused to move on.  So although Saturday started on time, crowds were light under stiff breezes and cloudy skies.  "We'll get 'em tomorrow," I thought, after counting less than $300 in sales.  But the forecast called for even stronger winds, with possibility of thunderstorms, for Sunday.  With the result that, much to my surprise, I arrived Sunday morning to find artists packing up.

The show director called off the show based on the forecast high winds and chance of lightning, she told me.  And for sure, in the two hours I was packing up, breezes did pick up to about 20 mph where I was (and perhaps to 30 mph along the aforementioned pathway).  But the thunderstorms never came, nor the rain.  Was it the right call?  Well, it's tough for me to be impartial: Having counted on the show revenue to at least cover the week's stay before exhibiting at the following week's Stockley Gardens show, I was disappointed.  I did learn later, however, that Norfolk city regulations for outdoor events give city officials the power to call events when lightning is in the area.  So maybe it wasn't the show's call decision at all. Either way, they opted as they did out of concern for artists and their artwork.  And given the oceanside venue, with booths set up individually rather than  pole to pole, I can't say it was the wrong call.

After a week's stay in the Ocean View EconoLodge (one of the best values for the money I've ever encountered: clean, impeccably well-run hotel, and less than $350 for the week), it was on to the well-known Stockley Gardens fall show (Oct. 18-19).  This locally-run event occupies three square blocks in Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood, one of the nicest older residential areas in this history-rich town.  The streets and parking are tight, but it's an inexpensive ($250 single booth) well-organized show and (much like the Rehoboth Beach (DE) Art League show I had done two months earlier) is eagerly awaited by art buyers. 

It had been one of my strongest shows ever in 2012, but this year the mojo didn't strike twice.  Saturday was a browse-fest, with a less knowledgeable crowd than I remembered, and artists I spoke with at the great-as-always Saturday night barbeque dinner might best be described as "puzzled."  

Sunday was a really beautiful day, and the art-savvy buyers came out in force, but for many of us it wasn't enough to meet expectations.  Although I wound up with a decent profit, the show was down about 50% for me; the folks I spoke with during load out reported overall sales that were a bit lackluster, as well. 

I'm not sure why: In a city with so many military employees, it might have been the lingering nervousness over sequestration. Whatever. This is still on my "must do" list for next year, but I'd hoped for more.  Maybe the gubbmint can get its act together in 2014 and lessen buyer anxiety a bit. 

I'd started my northern journey 'way back in May, spending time in Stone Harbor NJ to add to my knowledge and inventory of Northern bird life, and shooting aggressively wherever I went for the next four months.  From that standpoint, the trip was a success.  Many, if not all, of the images I created and sold up north will remain staples of my inventory all winter.  (Early indication is that they'll sell just as well down South.)

But of the eight shows I did in June, September, and October, only one (Seawall, in Portsmouth, in late August) exceeded their 2011 or 2012 totals.  Only three were strong enough to make them likely candidates for 2014 (Rehoboth's two weekends, plus Stockley), and with average expenses of more than $700/week on the road, precious little profit was had even at those venues. 

All of which puts my summer 2014 plans in a bit of a pickle.  I've got a few months--only a few--to sort things out.  The lingering effects of Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy can't be denied: only last week, at the storm's first anniversary, did hard numbers on the storm's lingering economic impact come into sharp focus.  Over one-third of damaged homes along the New Jersey coast, for example, are still awaiting insurance money.  Even when money has been forthcoming, it hasn't been timely enough, or sufficient enough, to rebuild to the new housing codes.  And lastly, the insurance premiums for said homes have skyrocketed, leading many long-time homeowners to simply walk away.

The impact on the communities there will last for years, not months.  The success of art shows, at least at the shore-based venues, likely will take time to recover as well.

For context, see earlier posts in this series:

• Under the Oaks, Corolla, NC (June)
• Ocean City, NJ, Rehoboth Art League (August)
• Rehoboth Art League 2, Seawall, Westhampton, NY (Aug/Sept)

So, I added a few craft shows in November thinking Holiday sales would help. Well, I was mistaken. I participated in a craft fair this weekend and only had $235 in sales for a two day show. I think my photography (even though it is Lego minifigures) is still too high end for craft shows.

I am an original artist. I have no buy sell items in my booth. This show had a lot of exhibitors who were selling buy sell items. Maybe my prices were too high for a craft fair. But I had little traffic in my booth. People were buying, just not my art. It was a very frustrating weekend. But a learning experience nonetheless...

So, next year I vow not to participate in craft shows. They do not work for me. I earn much much more at art fairs. Is the clientele different for those who attend art fairs and those who attend craft shows? And why are there not a lot of holiday art fairs? I would like to finish out my year with a few nice shows in November and December here in the midwest (Michigan and Ohio primarily). I think my work does do well in the Holiday Season. My Etsy shop always sees a spike this time of year. I would like Holiday art fairs to finish out my year...

As the season changes from fall to winter and art buying changes from "collecting" to gift shopping, what are you doing? Filling up your schedule with shows because that is how you have always done it?

Or will you use this seasonal change to stop and reconsider and think about creating something you've always wanted to create rather than filling the show boxes with "product?" The challenge is to make our lives meaningful. The greatest gift of being an artist is to exhibit creativity in all facets of our lives.

Photo from the HuffingtonPost.com.

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 4 - 4 PM ET

There have been recent problems with artist's processing throughout the country. We'll find out why and answer the following questions:

Free credit card processing? What does free mean?

• 24/7 live customer support?
• immediate deposit of funds into your account? 
• reception/connectivity you can rely on?
• merchant services dedicated to you as a mobile merchant?

Maybe, maybe not. Somewhere, someone needs to pay. Credit card processing policies and options are changing rapidly. I chose my credit card processor years ago because of his good reputation taking care of artists needs. Life is too short to be chasing the cheapest fees.

Listen in as Steven Ballan, Vice President of 1st National Payment Solutions explains the latest technology changes, alternative processing systems and the risk/reward of opting for free processing. 

1st National Payment Solutions will answer your questions in advance:  877-964-1622

Will you be listening? 

Can you call in? Here's the #805-243-1338

Do you have questions we should ask Steven? If so, please put them in the comments below and we will cover them.

I think you'll like these four shows hosted by Janet and Howard Rose (organizing fine art and craft shows since 1981) in upscale New Jersey neighborhoods.