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2nd Annual AFI Secret Santa Gift Exchange 

It's that time of the year! The time where people from all over the world come together to do something nice for each other ...

Announcing our 2013 gift exchange. Ever been in a "job" where they did the Secret Santa thing? You draw a name and then do nice things for a person secretly during the holiday season and give them a gift at the end -- all anonymously?

We are all so connected with each other in our business that this seems a good time to have some fun with each other.

Won't you join us?

Here is the calendar: 

1. Sign up to join the fun by December 8 at this link.

2. We'll be drawing the names on December 9 and sending them to you

3. Gifts shipped by December 20

4. Post photos of the gift you receive

AFI member Larry Raineri shows us his gift from Maureen Roberts in 2012

Read about last year's gift exchange here: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/putting-santa-to-bed

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/anyone-up-for-some-holiday-fun?id=2160589%3ATopic%3A361837&page=2#comments

I believe both the Photographer who sells their artwork at Art fairs or Galleries would find this informative, as well as the art collector.

I think many of us, myself included have had to deal with presentation issues. Just when you think you have decided on the perfect frame/mat combo for your artwork, you find out differently.  

The link below will take you to my "blog list". (minor inconvenience) Simply click on the little grey tab (bottom left) and this directs you to the FULL article :)   thanks for your patience  

http://fineartamerica.com/blogs/addressing-the-needs-of-fine-art-photography-buyers.html

I've reviewed Patty Narozny's HotWorks "Estero Fine Art Shows"at Miromar Outlets extensively in the past.  You can read the most recent review (of the January 2013) here. It contains a link to even more reviews.

I spent this past weekend at HotWorks' annual fall show at Miromar Outlet, one of the three largest malls in SW Florida, halfway between Fort Myers and Naples.  Although many of the seasonal snowbirds won't arrive until New Year's, there are many Canadian and European visitors around, and the new home sales figures in the local market are up. So I was looking forward to the strong sales I had here in 2010 and 2011, and hoping that last year's dive off the cliff was an aberration, driven by an especially early (late October) show date. 

Sadly, it wasn't. 

Part of the problem may have been the weather, which couldn't serve up the kind of comfortable clime that the newly-arrived snowbirds find to their liking.  Friday (setup day) was just right, but clouds and rain moved in overnight and lingered through early morning. The  local tv meteorologists had predicted they'd linger into the afternoon and suggested, repeatedly, that "Sunday is the better day for your outdoor weekend activities."  

Showers did, in fact, linger into the afternoon in other parts of the Fort Myers area, but the high clouds and moderate breezes we saw should have been decent show weather.  Crowds were light to very moderate on Saturday morning, then tapered off through the afternoon.

Skies cleared overnight, but it was an illusion: instead of the crisp, dry air that November is famous for in these parts, the air on Sunday was mid-June muggy, and temperatures rose quickly through the low 80s, topping out at 90 degrees in mid-afternoon.  Attendance was light; heads were down.  Through early afternoon I saw more patrons carrying stacks of slick, glossy lifestyle magazines (handed out for free at the gate by one of the show sponsors) than I did art purchases.  (This isn't a minor complaint: Hands filled with freebies aren't going to browse through print bins, touch handiwork, or try on jewelery. At least give 'em a bag so they can be carried with one hand.)

I had a south-facing booth and the sun blasted it all day, making presentations short and interest minimal.  Most customers preferred what little shade was offered by the rows of north-facing booths. When a few puffy clouds appeared mid-afternoon, it seemed to spike traffic and buying interest, but just a bit.  I wound up, though, with a very modest customer count, no gallery wraps out the door, and barely $500 gross sales--just enough to cover the $395 booth fee and pay for the cost of goods sold. 

Paradoxically, some artists with low-priced items sold well, but a few of those I spoke with who sold big-ticket items, waited for the "home run" customer, and found one were among the survivors too. Overall (based on the folks I spoke with), results were on the low range of acceptable to disappointing.

As always with a Hot Works show, the quality and mix of art is quite good. Patty's shows have a loyal following among artists from her home state of Michigan, and she recruits actively for artists from other shows. There is some loyalty among the visitors, too: I had five customers drop in to say hello and tell me how much they like the work they had bought from me at shows past (good!) but only one purchased from me (a $20 wall calendar) this year. 

Pluses for the show include friendly, helpful show staff, easily identified by their red HotWorks t-shirts (hear that, show promoters??) who dispensed fruit and water throughout the weekend, and an easy setup.  And Patty herself was around the show from beginning to end.  Minuses include a long, long walk to the artist parking lot at the far reaches of the sprawling Miromar Outlets grounds  (it took me over ten minutes to trek it on Sunday morning, and I'm a fast walker).  And, though perhaps it's a personal-taste issue, the sleep-inducing music of the French-music crooner who, as he does every year, performed the same eight-song playlist all weekend long.  (Note to the organizers: Everyone who listened to Edith Piaf music in the '40s and '50s is gone now.) 

The mall security is on hand to help pedestrians, including show-goers, cross the roads between one part of the show and the other, but the narrow two-lane routes,  a bit twisty in spots, are open to general mall traffic and the drivers aren't paying particularly close attention. 

Is there a glimmer of a big-picture trend to be gleaned from this year's show?  Maybe: I had a half-dozen  folks tell me that they had just purchased a new home--more than last year--and I missed out on several sales because I didn't have work on hand large enough to be a focal point of a bare wall above a four-cushion sofa.  So it could be that the mantra I was hearing toward the end of last year down here--"Go big, or go home!"-- is back in force.  As I write this the UPS truck just delivered three 48-inch wide canvases.  Maybe if they'd shown up on Friday, when I was expecting them, I'd be able to back up my conjecture with hard evidence in the form of hard cash.  As it is, I'll just have to take 'em to Bill Kinney's Sarasota show this coming weekend, and, as they say in the real estate business, await developments. 

April 12 & 13
Cedar Key, Florida
Historic Second Street
60 miles SW of Gainsville
at the end of SR24
Deadline: December 1, 2013

• 120 Fine Artists and Craftsman, all showcasing their work on Historic 2nd Street in Cedar Key
• Over $14,000 in Prizes and Purchase Awards distributed to more artists this year
• Over 20,000 visitors each year with expanded promotions for the 50th Anniversary Event
• Complimentary full breakfast on Saturday and continental breakfast on Sunday
• Artists' Reception and Awards Ceremony with appetizers and beverages Saturday Evening
• Artists' Hospitality Center and Friendly Volunteers available to help throughout the weekend
• $32 entry Fee (waived for previous year's winners)
• $165 Booth Fee (10' deep by 12' wide for 10'x10' tents); double spaces available
• Great, local food served by non-profit organizations in Cedar Key's City Park on the Gulf: including famous Cedar Key steamed clams, fried oysters, homemade crab cakes and desserts, freshly famous Cedar Key steamed clams, fried oysters, homemade crab cakes and desserts, freshly squeezed lemonade, & more.  Music and children's art activities make this an event to remember.

Now Accepting Applications via: www.Zapplication.org

Deadline: December 1, 2013
Notification of artists by January 1, 2014

Deadline for Response and Booth Fee: February 1, 2014

Experience the tranquil beauty of Florida's Nature Coast and the unmatchable hospitality of Cedar Key's historic community of artists, fisherman, and creative, eclectic people.

The town of Cedar Key sits on one of several islands in the Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.  This historic fishing village has long been a haven for artists and nature lovers.  You can experience the magic of our community on April 12 & 13, while also connecting with two larger festivals in NW Florida on the weekend before (Santa Fe Spring Arts Festival, Gainesville) & the weekend after (Mainsail Arts Festival, Tampa/St Pete), putting tougher a Spring "Florida Tour."

Website: www.cedarkeyartsfestival.com email: cedarkeyartsfestival@gmail.com 353-543-5400

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Find even more 2014 art fairs at www.CallsforArtists.com - new shows added almost daily.

What a thorough review of the downtown Bayou City Art Festival. Thanks, Carole. The members have chosen it as "post of the Month." Who knew that not only could you succeed and find the best parts of a challenging event but you are an amazing skier!

Congrats to Scott Pakulski whose generous participation and sharing of information on this site insures that it lives on to help everyone who is interested in this crazy world of the art fair business. He is now an official "community leader" and wears our logo Red Dot on his profile photo. Thanks, Scott.

Like you I sit here at my computer and use it as an important tool in my life. You may only be here for fun or finding information that answers questions or further your career, but you may also be using it to earn your living. How and when did life online take over life offline?

Every time you visit Facebook, other artist's websites, follow online conversations, see who got into that show you coveted, see where you aren't, does it lead to a negative mood or lower self esteem? Is someone else having more fun? getting into better shows? making more money?

The great thing about the Internet is that it is a wonderful resource that puts a lot of your informational needs at your fingertips, literally.

The bad thing is you can see what is going on with your peer group who seem to be having a more successful life. Someone out there IS getting into all the good shows (not me), someone out there has money in the bank to pay those booth fees whose deadlines are near (not me), someone out there has just landed a nice commission (not me), my neighbor nearly sold out at that last art fair (not me).

What do we do with this fear? We are always on the alert to make sure we're going to be okay -- but now there it is staring at us when we are online! Fear, jealousy, disappointment pouring from that glowing monitor (FoMo)*.

From marketing guru Seth Godin:

The lizard brain is on high alert to make sure that everything is okay. The lizard brain can't rest until it knows that everyone likes us, that no one is offended, that all graphs are ticking up and to the right and the future is assured. But of course, the future (and the present) isn't perfect. It can't be.

The combination of the two, the reverse schadenfreude of FOMO (the pain we may feel from others having good fortune) and the insatiable yet unreachable need for everything to be fine, conspire to make us distracted, unhappy and most of all, somewhere else.

What is your answer? Where is joy? How do you keep yourself going and away from the dissatisfaction with your life? Who is in charge here anyway?

*Fear of Missing out

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