Blog

October 15 & 16

• $7000 in awards: Best of Show ($1,500), 2 Awards of Distinction ($1,000 each), and 12 Merit Awards ($300 each). Award winners are automatically invited to the 2023 Festival
• A new jury panel every year
  
• Booth sitters
  
• Drive up unload/load
  
• Security overnight and during the Festival
• Qualified buyers. Admission per day is $10, with children 12 and under free with a ticketed adult
• An artists' hospitality tent where fresh doughnuts and hot coffee are available at 7:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday morning. Drinks and snacks are served throughout the Festival.
• ATM on site. Credit card processing is also available for a 6% processing fee at the Information Building
• VIP program featuring pre-paid Kentuck Bucks that can only be used to purchase art from artists at the Festival
• An artists' party with dinner and live music Saturday night at Kentuck Art Center. Judges are introduced, and awards are announced

I just did the art fest in my birthplace and it is still an uncommon experience--for the better.

Mainsail is St. Petersburg's premier artfest.  This is now a town where downtown condos start in the low two millions.

I was born in the forties there.  It was a whole different town.

As Johnny Carson (I know, some of you are thinking, "Who is Johnny Carson?).

used to say,"St. Petersburg is God's waiting room.

In the day, forties, fifties, sixties, even seventies, almost eighties, it was an inexpensive town to retire to. A town blessed to be by two beautiful bodies of water. Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Retirees flocked here.  It was affordable and the weather was perfect.

As Carson so sardonically observed, people sat on Green Benches-up and down downtown.

Early on,I observed a very important lesson about life.

I was going to my Little League practice, across town

We passed by Webbs City on our bikes, this was the fifties.

I looked at all the retirees sitting on the Green Benches.

I looked at my buddy Dave Pontious, who threw the most wicked curveball, ever, and said, "Dave, you notice there no big dogs standing there.  They are all wee little people."

An important lesson about life I learned at age 10.

And so, in the mid fifties, age 10, I became an entrepreneur.

At Christmas, I would gather holly berries, pine needles and cones and make them into wreathes.  I would board the bus from the south side, and for a nickel, ride downtown with my wreathes.

I would sell everything I had to all the retirees on the Green Benches.

Fuck, Johnny Carson, they were my nirvana.  I would come home with more than twenty bucks, in change. That bought a lot of baseball cards and bubblegum.

So now I live in Mellow Yellow New Smyrna Beach and I was returning home to Mainsail.

For crying out loud, Nels, were you ever tell us about the show.

Thought you would never ask.

Plus, I will tell you more useful information than you will ever find on any other social media.

So Here Goes.

HOW I LEARNED TO LIVE WITH WEAKEST CROWDS EVER AT MAINSAIL AND STILL COME HOME A WINNER!

Mainsail was cancelled 2020 and 2021.

People were rolled over.

I took my refund in 2020, so I was not  rolled over.

I juried and got in.  They added 50 extra booths, over 270 artists.

I figured with no show for two years, and people buying two million condos, they would be chomping at the bit.

I was woefully wrong.

First, some useful info about the show.

Most people never talk about this.

It is held at a treed, waterfront park with lots of bare dirt and some grassy areas.

Monthly, there are usually two to three events going on here.

The show had been cancelled, due to Covid, both 2020 and 2021.

This year they expanded it by adding 50 extra booths--totaling 270.

They give 12 foot square booth areas with booths in rows. Booths are back to back.  Rear storage can be tricky.

Setup is Friday afternoon.  The committee does not give out booth space numbers in advance.  Only Godknows why.  When you apply on Zapp you can request a specific booth, that is the only time.

They have reserved parking for artists.  The show is two days.

Here is some demographic info.

St. Petersburg has become a very hot destination.  Lots of young, very monied people moving here.  Downtown condos starting at $2 million and being snapped up.

Lots of great restaurants everywhere. SP is blessed to have two water locations.  Tampa Bay with Tampa 20 miles across.  Then the Gulf beaches. Both locations hotly sought after.

Kids on motorized skateboards, bikers everywhere, morning joggers by the hundreds, incessant traffic, hard to find parking spaces.  This town whirls and whirls.

Usually this show attracts multitudes of buyers looking to fill their condo walls and decorate with fine sculpture. In the past 30 years that I have exhibited here I have always done nearly $4K on Saturday.

Being a hometown product probably helps.  I have patrons who tell me about buying my images in the 1980s.

That said, this show was disappointing for the majority of exhibitors this year.

One, it was held on Easter weekend.  Never good.  Fewer buyers on Sunday.

Two it was warm and humid. 
Three,and most important, the crowds were way off both days.

Of course, there were a small percentage of exhibitors who had a five figure show.

But most were lucky to get to $4K.

You would think that having no show for two years,that they would be chomping at the bit. Not!

I saw very few Good Shoes people there.  I had almost zero conversations about a patron looking for a big piece for the living room or bedroom.

I sell mostly color photos printed on paper under glass, matted ones in print bins, and large metal images on aluminum.

My prices range from $40-$1200. I mostly sold framed 16x20 images at $200 each.

I sold about nine, then other sales were for small mats.  No interest in my larger images.

The crowds were very thin both days.  Usually by noon you cannot see across the aisle because of the crowds.  This time I could have thrown cinder blocks across and hit nobody.

Most people were just walking their dogs, no art in their hands.  It made for a very slow, boring show.  No great conversations.

Several artists I know said their sales have been going steadily down the last five years.

I concur.

Unfortunately, I think people just think of us as just another event like a blues fest or seafood fest. Art is not for most.  Too bad.

My main gripe with the committee is their lack of caring where the event is held.

Too many of us were on black dirt, not a blade of grass near.  This is very disrespectful to the artists. I know of no other show of this stature that allows this to happen

I do not think things will change.

So, if you come, now you know what awaits you.

Nobody else gives you a blog with this kind of info--Nobody!

July 23 & 24
Shelby Township, Michigan
4300 Main Park Road
Saturday & Sunday 10am-6pm
75 Artists
Deadline: April 24

The Stony Creek Art Fair is in a beautiful setting next to a lake. The large parking lot is within 100 feet. Close to large homes and wealthy patrons, this show should be good for most price points.  Stony Creek is a popular park in northern Oakland County near Rochester, Birmingham and other high-income cities. Millions of people visit the park annually. 

The show is run by the Bonita Springs Art League.  Held three months in a row, I already blogged about the January show.

Longtime promoter Barry runs the show.  He is very good at it, has lots of experience.

The show is staged at a beautiful park on Old 41 in Florida, just north of Naples.

You can leisurely setup the Friday before.  It is a two day show.

The patrons are well-heeled and dress quite trendily. Lots of them are from the Midwest and have their winter condos here.  Also there is a sprinkling of New Englanders with some New Yorkers sprinkled in.

Shake well and mix it all up.

Oops! Was thinking about a top shelf margarita.

Well, same applies for sales.

They buy big stuff here, traditional as well as abstract.  Gotta be big and full of color.

What hurt this show this year was the hot weather, same effect hurt Winter Park.

Customers are spoiled down here.  They escape the snow and expect perfection down here.

When the heat screws things up, they rebel, big time, they do not buy.

Last year, my show here was fantastic.  This year, it was 50 per cent fantastic.

I saw some big art go out, just none of it was mine.  Very Lowend, most sales under $100.

Sunday, brought out the "tire-kickers".

And they were kicking and not buying.

This show and the other two here were troublesome with operating costs figured in.

Unless you booked a room months in advance, you were paying higher rates than I have ever seen before.

Baymont Inn over $250 a nite, give me a break.

Booth and jury fees amount to $500, figure gas, time, food,etc. a $3K does not cut it.

All three of mine down there were way less.

Time to cut back.

Sorry, short blog for me.  When a show is not good, I do not waste words.

Rather suck down tequila at the beach.

Later, Gators.

Next blog will be about my old hometown show, Mainsail, middle of April.

The best art fairs work very hard to attract publicity. They may ask you for a bio ahead of time, they may have talked to you ahead of time ... busy as we all are, taking time to work with the event is the best way we can repay the festivals working hard to be a success. This popped up on my Facebook feed the other day and I want to share it with you. The artist is painter Julia Gilmore being interviewed at the Bayou City Art Festival in Houston, March 19-20, 2022. 

Yes, we're always happy to have the media show up in our booth and we make them welcome, but Julia knocks it out of the park. She lets the interviewer know she is thrilled to be in Houston, thrilled with the event and loves the art fair life. Why am I sharing it with you? Because this is an excellent example of how you can partner with the festival you are participating in. You may not be totally happy, you might be exhausted, your sales might suck ... do you tell this to the press? 
You spent all that money and time to be at that particular art fair -- this is the time to knock it out of the park. Let the festival know you are so happy to be there ... be their partner at bringing people to the show. 

When was the last time you had a chance to be featured like this?

Photographing in the arctic presents its challenges. Namely, the lack of cover to hide oneself behind and the bitter cold. Most photographers can get relatively close to these animals or watch them through binoculars. Unfortunately, not many can get too close, especially without the added camouflage of a cover. The added cold, which can reach -56 °F, makes it difficult for anyone to endure waiting for these timid creatures to show.

Once the snowmobile was packed and heading to town 8 hours away, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks. The elusive arctic wolf appeared on the horizon. Almost to bid me goodbye, as I was giving up my expedition of arctic wolf images for wolf decor. What’s your favourite arctic wolf photography from Ejaz Khan fine art photography?

A MIRACULOUS MOMENT

Divine intervention or poetic justice, this find was the highlight of a week of adversity and terrifying loneliness in our attempt to get arctic wolf pics. Waiting to take pictures of arctic wolves for wolf decor was taking a toll. There are times that one marvels at the magnificence of a solitary existence. This was one of those times. I have been so fortunate to learn to make myself one with my nature and surroundings to capture these pictures of arctic wolf and arctic wolf art images.

See our short film on how we took pictures of the arctic wolf.

Shrinking Numbers Leads to Elusiveness

The overall numbers of these animals have also been cut down due to human advancements. Deliberate interference from humans has reduced these animals’ habitat to about a third of what it was originally. Most of this comes from fear of arctic wolfs preying on livestock and attacking humans, which are rare. Much deforestation takes place to make room for cattle farming. This encroaches onto the natural woodland habitat of the arctic wolves, pushing their territories to be smaller and smaller. Interested In burying Arctic wolf prints? or want wolf wall artideas for your home or office? check out our website Ejaz Khan Earth.

Last week we had a lively meeting which actually ran for 90 minutes. Over a dozen new artists (who thought it was to be the mock jury) signed up to attend the meeting every week because they found it contained a lot of good information.

Under the Oaks(UTO) is held on an oaked park adjacent to the Vero Beach Art Center.

It is beachside, next to the intercoastal.

Use Juried Art Services to apply, not Zapp.

This show is part of a money-making trio for artists in March in Florida. The trio being Gasparilla, Vero and then Winter Park. The trio can make an artist a lot of money.

It is also a difficult show to get.  It is run by the Vero Art League.  A lot of regulars get in, because they are very good. I seem to get in two out of five years.  When I do, it is a Winner,winner,chicken dinner.

One of the show's bonus is you can park your vehicle behind your booth, or very close depending on trees. The show is shaped in a big circle and the crowd easily visits all booths.

The patrons lean towards being mostly older than 50 years in age, and, they are monied.

They mostly buy traditional here. So birds, beaches and florals sell well here.

It is a three day show with a Thursday setup. You can stake down and there is plenty of room for rear storage.

As you know, I like to give a little history of a show. After 48 years of shows, I have lots of history lessons.

The story I am going to tell, has lots of relavence to this year' show.

HISTORY LESSON. 
Hurricane in March--Say What?

So in 1993 I did the show.

Back then it was a two day show with  Friday setup.

Friday was a beautiful, sunny day, temps in the low eighties.

We kept getting weather reports that a major storm would be coming through sometime Saturday morn.

Most of us thought nothing of it.  We got forecasts like this all the time.

I had my booth corners tethered down dogstakes in the ground.  I had a Newtons Portocanopy at the time.  They are well built, I could usually weather 35 mph winds, no trouble.

So me, and mostly every other artist,ate a great meal and slept tight, dreaming of the big sales to come Saturday.

Around 4:30 am I was awoken by the sounds of heavy winds and pelting rain bursting from the sky.

I got up and drove to the park. A lot of others did the same.

Upon arrival I was confronted by a surreal scenario. Twisted booths littered the grounds. Canopy's were hanging high among tree limbs. Artists bins, and art, were strewn as far as the eye could see.

I only saw one booth standing, because the artist parked his cube truck in the front of the booth.

What happened was a freak hurricane swiftly hit us and many other parts of Florida with 85mph winds.  We were all toast. A well known jeweler had all her glass cases smashed.

My booth was in broken pieces. Back then my Newton booth had four aluminum trusses, ten foot long, that supported my roof.  Two were twisted and rendered obsolete. The other two were slightly bent and I was able to repurpose them.

I had matted and framed photos flung all over the park. I was now a watercolor artist.

As we cleaned up our mess, people kept bringing me some of my photos.

"Hey Nels, found your flamingos over by the water fountain, guess they were thirsty."

Back then I had a humor series with plastic flamingos in famous settings, like on the rail overlooking Niagara Falls.

Well, they cancelled the show Saturday and scheduled us for a one day on Sunday.

We rescued what we could. About four enterprising artists called Newtons in Fort Meyers, then drove over, picked up new booths and returned for the Sunday show.

Local jewelers who lived on the island put on a big party at their house.  They had hotdogs, pizza and beer.  Also they had a great ping pong table. I played mucho games against artist Samuel Rudder, never beat him once, maybe it was the beer and tequila. Nope. Sam was just too good.

Finally, Sunday came.

I stacked up my wire display panels on the ground to form a pyramid. Leaned my frames and mats against them. So did others.

Then I held my breath, hoping for sales.

Crowds turned out in enormous numbers. I think they felt bad for our misfortune.

Anyways, I made over 2K that day, and so did others.

Now I will tell you about this year and why there were some parallels to 1993.

 The weather report for the show said we would have a rainy Thursday setup, a warm,83 degrees, Friday with rain starting that night.  Saturday, a cold front would blow thru with gusting winds 20-25mph and some up to 35mph.  And it was only having a high of 62 degrees.

This was recipe for disaster.

So Thursday setup was sunny,warm and breezy and it never rained on us.

OK, I WILL CHANGE THE TYPEFACE.

Friday was hot and sunny, sales were just ok.  The serious buyers would be coming on the weekend.

Most of us took the forecast seriously. I double weighted all four corners plus my rear canopy.

I noticed the Tents for Events guy, Joe, showed up at my neighbor who was renting one.  He added extra weights for all corners.

I had great meatloaf at the Southern Social Restaurant and slept fitfully concerned about Saturday.

Heck, I woke up to 45 degree weather. The wind kept slowly increasing by the hour.

Around 10am I heard the clattering of crashing pottery and saw my neighbor across the path scrambling to save collapsing pedestals. She should have known better with a wind like that.

Sorry neighbor, you just learned something very important.

We we're getting sudden big gusts, some over 20mph but not 30-plus.  Thank God!

A lot of canopies were swaying, but they were holding.

The heavy rain was predicted to hit us around noon to 1pm. Radar showed a lot of nasty red and gold colors.

By noon, I had barely done $500. I knew what was coming. So I took all my art off the walls.

Checked all my stakes and zippers. Collapsed the rear canopy and tied down.

I drove out and parked at the restaurant under the bridge to the beach. The Riverside Cafe.

I sat at the bar, eating a great snapper sandwich, with tequila and a beer, and waited for the storm to hit.

Around 1pm the sky got ugly purple to the west.  The front was running like freight train right at us.

People eating on the outside deck got hammered with rain coming sideways. Cups and plates transformed into flying saucers. The rain plunged into the waterway and then flew, bucketsful, at the restaurant building. I was inside, never felt a drop, just kept on eating and drinking, hoping my booth was still standing.

It rained and blew hard for about 30 minutes, then stopped, the front had moved on.

I drove back to the show to see if everybody was ok.

A few people had stuck it out, but most booths were closed--but they were all standing.  No knockdowns that I could see.

I tried to drive in and park behind my booth but the committee had posted people to block our return. The ground was too wet and they did not want us tearing up the ground.

My roommate Phil,the jeweler, rode out the storm in his van rear parked by his booth.  He reopened but closed up by 3pm because there was nobody to sell to.

I returned to the hotel, napped, watched movies and went out to an early dinner followed by an early night snooze.

I dreamed of booming sales to come on Sunday.

Sunday was cheerfully cool and sunny.

I wore a vest most of the day.

Crowds were slow to come. Noontime, after church, they showed. And they started buying.

First, I was worried.  I had only done sales of $200 by noon.  Not good.

Then I popped a $200 framed sale, then another, then a 30x40 metal sale.  It was off to the races.

Suddenly I saw patrons carrying big pieces to their cars.

The photographer down from me sold a large framed canvas photo that was at least four by eight foot.

There were lots of purchases in plastic bags going by.  Most imagery was traditional.

The show closed early at 4pm which I like.  Also it was the weekend of DaylightSavingsTime.

Light later.

I stayed over for the night and celebrated with a great sea bass dinner at Bonefish Grill. Always a winner.

I made it back to NSB early and started cranking for Winter Park which I have already blogged about.

It is great tale, like this one.

Hope you all enjoyed the tale within a tale.

Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival--Always a Biggie, A Moola-Maker

Did it this past weekend.
I am behind on blogs, have three others to do.

But heck, let us start with the best.

This is, in my humble opinion, still the best outdoor show in Florida, will take it over Naples or the Grove.

First, a little history.

I have been doing shows 48 years and have only gotten into WPSAF six times.

I first got in the show 1983, then got in 1984.

Then got juried out the next 20 years in a row. Sent new work every year and they said, "No go, Joe."

Got in 2004 and 2010. Then in 2021 and 2022.  I am persistent.

Ok, this is what happened this year.

It is a difficult show to get in, everybody on the circuit knows and the competition is enormous.

It is a medium sized show with about a third of the booths on a paved street, Park Avenue. The rest are in a treed park.

Plenty of rear storage and most have room to hang on at least one side.

I had a booth on the first spot of an aisle that ran off Park Street.

I had two mega giant artists on both sides of me- JohnCostin, an intaglio etcher specializing in birds from all over the nation, we just call him John Audubon. 
On the other side I had David Bjorstrom, a faboulous graphite pencil legend.

Saw lots of people walking out of their booths with work.  Also both received Awards of Ecellence.

And their was I sandwiched in between with my Bad Dog! And other fun images.

The show is three days with a Thursday setup for artists in the park.  The street artists have to setup the early morning of the show and be ready by 9 am for the show to open.

I never ask for a street spot. I like the park.  Love the tree shade which really helped this year.  We had a record 89 degrees on Saturday which really affected sales for a lot of us.

I got to stay with my old photo pal, the legendary Steve Vaughn,at his home a mere five miles from the show.  He has retired from shows and now devotes his time to shoot every square inch of the "Econ" River which is north and east of Orlando.

So on Wednesday, the day before setup, I drove over to Steve's place.  But before going over, I took Ellen out for an early dinner on the water in NSB, my hometown (New Smyrna Beach). We had just set down at the covered Tiki bar when a big storm blew in from the south, bringing hail the size of golf balls. We thought we were safe under the Tiki roof.  Then the wind turned horizontal and pelted us, our drinks and food, with the hail.  It hurt, and ruined Ellen's freshly washed hair. We survived.

Now, about the show

For setup we had slotted times to setup with 8:30 am being the earliest, which I had selected.  They only give you one hour to unload the van of all contents.  Then you park it and come back to setup.

Luckily, being an old timer, I knew I could come earlier, which I did, 7:30.

There were already nearly 50 artists setting up.

I parked curbside and only had a 20 yard distance to my booth. I got it all out in a hour, then took three more hours to get the booth set, the inventory hung, outer awnings set and then everything tarped up.

Then, I went to Steve's and crashed for a serious two hour nap. I am almost 77 years old.It gets harder and harder each year, to setup.  I go to the gym three days a week for an one hour workout using the treadmill and twelve different weight machines to stay in shape.  Believe me, those 45 pound John Deere tractor weights that I use to anchor my booth seem to get heavier every year.  But, they work,my booth stands rock solid in the windiest of shows.

Friday--First day of the show

At a big show like this, there is electric anticipation flowing in the air.

We have done these shows before.  We know it attracts the true collectors with bucks to spend. We know they like to get there early and acquire the good stuff before the crowds descend.

We make serious moola. One show like this easily equals 3-4 ordinary shows.

I know that I am going to get waves of sales, sometimes three at a time, and that they will repeat over and over.

Artists who sell big pieces have to patiently wait for the right one to come along.  It is like fishing, you have to know when to set the hook. The sale is always fruitful.

They did surge in promptly at 9am.

I did $500 right off the bat.

You get a well dressed elderly crowd.  The wage-earners are working.

Many have their favorites and rush to see their newest work.

It was crisp cool morn followed by a little,growing heat as the afternoon beckoned.

Sales tapered off a bit after noon.  It was getting warmer and lots of people were complaining as they sought some shade.

Lots of major pieces still went by me--in all media.

My sales picked up after 3pm and I finished with an impressive Friday.

Saturday was a whole other kettle of fish.

This is a strong selling day. People have walked the show for two days and now they want to spend.

But, this Saturday was different.  It got hotter than hell.  Went to a record high 89 degrees--and it affected sales for many, including me.

Younger families were out, complete with carriages and dogs.

Never have I talked so much, and got so little.

I had one of the worst Saturdays in my career for a major show. Usually, it can be $3-6K.  I barely broke OneThousand.  I was not alone. Lots who I talked to said they were off by 50 percent.

Several artists, especially painters and mixed media, sold impressive originals and went home with serious moola.

People were wilting from the heat.

Artists whose booth's back walls were solid had slack attendance. The heat builds up and has no way to go, creating sauna conditions.

I always leave an opening in the middle rear. The air flows through and keeps the booth cooler, especially if there is a breeze. People hung out in my shade, it complimented my art, then left without a sale.

It happened over and over. I went home very discouraged.  "What happened to Winter Park?"

All the shows previous this year had been strong, especially on Saturday.

That night I drowned my sorrows in sake and sushi.

I woke early on Sunday and got to the show parking lot before 6:30.

The load out when you are carting out is a bitch at WPSAF.

You have an elevated push up the concrete to the rr. tracks.

The rails and indentation make for a perilous trip across, things can spill."Oops! Here comes the train."

Then you have to wind down into lot to your van.

The closer you can, the better.  Everybody knows that.  It is called "Position A."

Ihad breakfest with Janet and John Costin.  They were having a massive show.

His work is impeccable and he makes the moola.

He is one of the very few artists I know who carry a solid $100 German level.

All his panels sit square. All his frames sit square.  He will not tolerate anything less.

Later in the day he brought that dang level over to my booth.  Gave some pieces a measure and we both concluded that I was not very square. I told him I attributed it to being left-handed and imperfect. My customers love me for that, as I laugh all the way to the bank.

John deserves the success, that is why I call him Saint John of Audubon.

Well, Sunday was way cooler.  I wore a vest til noon.  The day never got much above 74.

My sales zoomed. I sold a metal piece at 8:45 for over a grand, and we were off to the races. Sold solidly all day.  So did all of my neighbors.

Thank God!  WPSAF reaffirmed itself.  Still one of the best in Florida.

I ate a great dinner with Steve that night, and drove home Monday morn to NSB, a happy camper.

Happily I have the next two weekends off, then Mainsail in St. Pete on Easter weekend.

I have done a run of four shows and need the time off.

I still have blogs to write about them.

I see a lot of golf coming up.

Later,Gators.