is there a way to publish a post -- either blog or discussion - and remain anonymous? if not, can that be made part of the website.
there are often repercussions when making comments ... that can back to haunt ... or that someone else comments on your comment.
thanks ...
Here are a few thoughts on the show, while they are fresh in my mind:
Manayunk, June 22, 23, 2013.
Large street show, variety of work, good quality and some ok work.
Nice area, nice atmosphere.
Interspersed in between booths- commercial booths- 5 Hour Energy, Geiceo, etc.
Also gave out tons of free yogurt near me- tons, so people were carrying entire BOXES of cold yougurt, hands full, and I would say no longer shopping as they just received some free food that had to go home and be refrigerated.
Load in is not easy,tight, but everyone seemed to be ok with it. A trailer , which is what I have, no use trying to get anywhere, we had to walk far and dolly but it went ok.
Crowd- plenty of people, people who looked like they could and would perhaps purchase a few items. Lots of younger people, ages 25-40 I'd say was the majority of the crowd.
Weather-very hot.
Hours- My setup arrival time was 5:30 am, others were 5 am, and 6 am.
I left my booth up overnight, it was safe.
Sales- here's the problem, at least for me and my area of artists. Those that I spoke to were not happy and said they could not afford to do it again.
One artist in my area was very happy with sales, 2D.
I saw people in booths, primarily the jewelry.
My sales were not good. I won hon mention, which they called 2nd place in my category, glass and clay, I also had one of my pots featured on their webpage AND in the arts fest tv commercial, so I was well received.
So I have been analyzing this.
I usually check last year's exhibitor list before I apply to a new show, and I did for this one, and that is where I took my chance. I did not recognize any names, and there were not many potters, which is normally a bad sign for me.
So, lots of people, looked like a younger, educated, middle class crowd, not much buying, at least not in my area. ????????
I should have been able to do better than I did, so that disturbs me.
I KNOW for a fact that people still buy lots of pottery, and normally like my work, and it is affordable.
So????
August 24 & 25 
Lake Orion, Michigan
Co-produced by Orion Art Center & Integrity Shows
11 am to 5 pm
Deadline: July 7
A new event in a beautiful location.
Where is Lake Orion? Click here.
The Lakeside Living Art Fair is a more relaxed fine art show suiting the pace of life in Michigan's Near North. The show includes juried artists exhibiting most every medium from Painting to sculpture, decorative, functional and wearable.
We are looking for high quality artwork that fits in to this setting. Work that feels more relaxing. All mediums are acceptable. While Oakland County Michigan is one of the most affluent in the country, we find that patrons in this area are more interested in work under $500.
Certainly you will have the traditional images of lighthouses, yard sculpture and the like. Additionally we plan to feature surprises from some amazing artists whose work reflects a community like Lake Orion, where reside
nts make a life, not just a living.
We support a three year jury rotation system. Once accepted you are assured of three years of participation as long as you confirm your interest by deadline. We believe that artists do better when they can plan their schedules and develop collectors.
Hi Friends...Here is my review of this show.
This is a one day show with no Friday set-up. I arrived at 6am on Saturday morning and checked in with friendly and helpful staff. The show is arranged with booths on the lawn of the courthouse square and then two rows facing each other on a street running across from the courhouse. My booth was on the street and I was given a parking pass allowing 20 minutes to unload the van and then move it to a parking garage. Unloading wasn't a problem, I work alone and got it done, I think in time, and then parked in the free garage about a block and a half away. I returned to set up and got the whole rig set up and polished with about an hour to spare before opening of the show. I grabbed some coffee and donuts that the show provided and waited for customers.
I woud like to address the staff at this point in the review. Each and every staff person I encountered, including the director was very nice, very helpful and very available for whatever anyone needed. I feel that the show was well organized, well planned and done very professionally. I have nothing but good things to report on this show's level of professionalism and overall operation.
The show opened at 10am and was to close at 5pm. Opening crowds were very light and thready. An orchestra set up on the lawn of the courthouse and played for about an hour, it was beautiful and ideal for an art show. By noon, crowds were still extremely light and I was finding myself bored with no sales.
In early afternoon, I sold a few pieces to one couple and a couple more pieces to someone else and that was the end of it for me. I did not sell enough to cover costs. I ended up abput $100 shy of breaking even. My neighbors were in the same boat as me, with unimpressive sales. Crowds never picked up and I felt this was a poorly attended show with more lookers than anything. I got the sense that a lot of the people there had no intention in the first place of buying anything. Maybe some of you can relate to what I am saying: I noticed women with no purses, grandparents with the grandkids barely keeping up, fast walkers and that vibe you can sense.
About 3pm, the clouds rolled in and the sky got dark. Then, around 3:30pm the rain started! It started with a vengence!!!! A tent across from me with no weights immediately buckled and went down. Everyone started tearing down, including me. At that point the show had had such light crowds we all knew it was over. I packed the rig up and loaded it in the van in record time and a very soaked artist, (me) got on the road and went home. And that was the end of it!
Due to the fact that I lost money, I will not do this show again nor recommend it to anyone else who is trying to support themselves by selling their art.
I will be at Spring Green, WI next week for that show and will review it here. Thanks for reading!!!!!
Well I finally have had time to create something that moves the tent and tent "bones" Easily and some what cheaply. I say some what cheaply because I did have to buy a two wheel hand truck at Sam's for about $90.00. This idea is by no means MIT engineering, but after finishing the build I loaded the cart and pushed it all over the hills and dales of my property... Yes I have some dales, and it seemed to work just fine. At least I hope nothing out there will be as daunting as sideways on the pitch of my leach field. I have pics and if I can figure out how to post them it should save that thousand words thing. Well I realize it must be right in front of me but I can't seem to find something that says add photos so until someone leads me by the hand there will be no pics
So am entering all my sales into FreshBooks. It is a slow a tedious process. What accounting software does everybody use and the pros and cons of each? Or should I be disciplined enough to enter may sales into FreshBooks at the show? It is a cloud program after all...
I would like to hear how many of the artists have a Facebook Page in addition to a Website? I have just recently put together a Facebook Page for my Photo business, but have not received much traffic.
Please review my page at R2Q Photography and let me know what I might do to increase traffic.
We've pulled out the big guns to congratulate John Smith on winning May Post of the Month for his solid analysis: "Top 10 Lessons Learned at our First Art Fair or Learning How to Swim by Jumping into the Pool." Helpful info for all newcomers and some of oldies who still haven't learned these lessons.
Hope you're impressed with our connections John!
My apologies to John -- I seem to have lost my tech touch and can't get this video or several others to work here. Here's the link: http://www.jibjab.com/view/vs-AZZyQQhOnkf00WbT_Yw?utm_campaign=URL+Copy&utm_content=hall_of_presidents_congratulations&utm_medium=Share&utm_source=JibJab&cmpid=jj_url
New members inducted into the honorary society of the Red Dot are Bill McLauchlan for all
his reviews, his stalwart searching for honor and truth all along the East Coast and Carrie Jacobson for her daring to ask the question, "how old are you?" and her helpful and encouraging comments and reporting back. Congrats.
These galleries are organized and operated by Debbie La Pratt, a long time exhibitor at Michigan art fairs. They are in prime locations in upscale neighborhoods.
Hi - does anyone have any information regarding the Howard Events Aspen show in July - from previous experience.
Any information would be appreciated!
Thanks all!
JS
WOW - What a great first major art festival show! Now I am a Pittsburgher, born & raise in the area so I was honored to getting into the show.
Communications were clear and easy to understand. They gave detailed maps of where to go and what was what. All the volunteers were nice and happy and helpful! They even had people to help unload and carry your stuffs to your spot. That was a nice touch. Now I had 5 friends that were there to help me unload so I did not need to use the volunteers.
I was in the Point State Park area and I got a lot of walking in during the show which was good exercise. I headed to my spot which was located on the curve of the North Walk way and started to set-up. Now this is the only negative thing I had to deal with during the show, my neighbor. Due to this curve and a slight mis-measurement and her issue with where her booth was to go, cause an issue that my booth and my other neighbor be 'off' the well marked path. I had my tent, tables and weights up and she tells me I had to move. So the next hour was filled with waiting for her to get her metal stand booth up so I could move my tent. And of course it was raining during this time!! LOL I could go on and on about the problems she created but it just not worth it. I just felt bad for my helpers having to be there an extra hour and half because of all this.
Now I have to say that I loved where I was in the park. When I first received my booth #, I was not too sure about it since I was on the music stage side. But being the second booth in the row and very near the underpass to head to the fountain, well it worked for me!
The first day of the show was an awesome start with the re-opening of the Point State Park Fountain that was under repairs for 4 years. There was a special ribbon cutting at 4 pm which a lot of business folks were their to see. Later that night the band drew in a crowd that I was not ready for!!! Now the artists hours are 12-8 but really if you want to get every dollar you need to be 11 - 9:30pm! There no way I was leaving until the band was done. So every night, I stayed until 930pm. Yes the day is long but it beats working in the mall like I used to do!
Now a little about the parking. I used a $15 parking garage Friday since I just wanted to get there and get started. And on the weekend, I had a drop off service thanks to my husband. The rest of the days I parked at the Heniz Stadium on the Northside for $6 and took the "T" (our subway system) to downtown. This part of the subway is free and takes only 10 mins! I even had my wheely cart with me so I did not have carry everything!
They have booth sitters available when you need to use the bathroom or get food. That is a nice feature. The volunteers come around and check on you as well from time to time. Everybody is happy! Speaking of food, there was a lot of choices to be had. Not all of it was great but most of it was.
There was the private bathroom the artists could use so there was not a wait line for it. I just had to walk a bit to get there since I was in the park. On the way back, I always stopped in the artist lounge to get either coffee or tea and a snack or two. That was a great touch having that available. Sunday was very hot and muggy so going to the lounge and sitting in the a/c was great.
I attended the awards on Sunday morning for my group. This is where I was able to meet Melissa, the new director of TRAF, and have so more free coffee and bagels. Also I mingled with a few artists and made some friends.
I just have to say I loved being in the show, being there period, enjoying the music, and just had a great time. It did not feel like work to me!! I was there for seven days and had great sales. It seemed everybody had a good show as well. And before I forget, I was impressed at the weather texts that I received during the show. They also stopped at each the tents the day before the "big bad wind/tornado' thing coming our way to inform us what was happening and what to do. They even used the artist lounge as a storage room for any breakables for the artists that was not staying in the hotel since the storm was going to happen over night. And thanks for everything that I read on this forum about tents and weather, I survived that terror! Also, I lowered my tent and added more weight since I could not tie down to anything where I was. Great learning experience!
Here is a picture of my booth and I photoshopped a bit since I needed a booth shot for an app last week! Any comments are welcome.
Thank you
AmyRenee
My wife and I participated in Art Market in Estes Park over the Memorial Day weekend. Unsure of where to post a review, I clicked on Art Show Reviews (what a unique concept) only to find Art Market not listed among the Colorado shows. No problem, I'll just submit data about the show and get it listed under Colorado shows. Then I can post my review. After all, I am on the Board and chair the Marketing Committee for the Art Center of Estes Park, which hosts Art Market. Silly me. That was a couple of weeks ago and Art Market is still not listed under Colorado art fairs. So, I'll post my review on this blog post.
Art Market ran May 25, 26, & 27, with set-up from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the 24th, and again from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on the 25th. Those that came in early on the 24th, as did Lori and I, were able to drive up to their space and unload. Likewise, those that exhibited patience were able to drive up to their space and load up once the show was over.
Saturday crowds were awesome. There were times when potential clients were "4 deep" in our booth. Sunday morning, as you would expect, was slow, but picked up once church let out. Nevertheless, we sold one of my high-end framed canvas photographs before the show even opened. Monday crowds were like a roller coaster - up and down.
The booth directly across from ours did well selling their home-made soap bars. A metal arts booth diagonally across from us seemed to be doing well with a steady stream of people carry off their creations. A friend and fellow photographer bombed the first two days, but had lots of traffic and a hard time keeping up with sales on Monday.
Monday morning saw, what some called a micro burst come through. Back home, we call 'em dust devils. It completely destroyed two tents and sent two ladies to the hospital . . . one requiring a few stitches. Fortunately, no other tents were affected. Otherwise, the weather was perfect with only occasional minor winds.
Let me close by saying that I am a wildlife photographer and sell to a limited market. Having said that, we more than doubled the sales during our three previous shows. Also, our sales mainly consisted of 20x30 limited edition, framed canvas prints in the $400 price range. Although we had an offering of smaller framed images, along with a selection of matted photographs for the price conscience buyer, non of them sold. The only low end items sold were travel mugs and coasters featuring my wildlife photo art, along with some of my books. Next year, my prices and the size of my offerings will increase. Although most of our clients were from Colorado, one came all the way from New Jersey.
A few months back, I made a post on ArtFairInsiders asking for input regarding slow image sales. The response was overwhelming. Much of our current success, I owe to those of you who took the time to respond. To you, my friends, I am deeply indebted.
At that time, I posted a photo of what our booth looked like. This is how it now appears . . .
All of you guys who have been sharing stories from the Eastern shows, thank you! We've always had solid coverage on the Midwest and Florida shows (and down there in the Southwest and Pacific Coast group lots of info about Western shows).
We've learned about Lincoln Center, Rose Squared Shows, Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Boardwalk, Ocean City, Jersey Shore, Washington Square, Taubman Center, Frederick, Reston -- many of these shows reviewed for the first time this year. Wow!
Many thanks to all of you, especially:
Alison Thomas, a valuable member here forever for her continued reporting on her shows and her befriending of other members. Her neighbor last weekend at the Boardwalk, Carrie Jacobson (who was on this week's podcast) couldn't say enough good things about her.
Marge Luttrell who has been adding show reports both here and on ArtShowReviews.com on a wide variety of different events and adding valuable info to other's reports. Her Lincoln Center review answered lots of questions about this once illustrious event and it brought out new names for comments including Wanda Bellamy, Andy Kearney, Linda Schwartz, Dale Norley, Sam Whitehead, Susan Thornton, David Addario and Jeanne Steck (who I haven't seen around here for awhile). Liza Norman added her review at ASR also.
Bill McLauchlan who has reported up and down the East Coast and keeps things lively and the folks who joined in on his Frederick post, Carrie Jacobson (with a great photo) and Sandhi Schimmel Gold.
Erin-Lynn McAleer introduced us to NYC, followed this last weekend by extensive reporting on Lincoln Center. Great to hear about these NYC shows, surely one of the most difficult areas to negotiate logistically.
Loving John Smith's "outsider" reporting on his shows and the people he is meeting along the way. Hey, John, next time you see Leo Charette, tell him hello. I miss him hanging out here.
It sounds like a bunch of AFI members were at Bill Kinney's Jersey Shore show. Next time let me know and I'll join you ;) Thanks Britt Hallowell (long time member) for this well balanced report and for the litany of other folks who joined in with comments, dry at last, Evan Reinheimer, Alison, Marge and Bill.
Thanks to everyone who joined in on my Boardwalk post, land of the flying tents! Alison's photo told the rest of the story.
Evan Reinheimer shared lots of good info about the Rose Squared folks and their tireless work on their New Jersey events. One person's good show is another show's dog! and vice versa. Thanks for all the discussion on this one from Kevan Breitanger, Jill Stern and Dale Norley.
Mark Turner really knows how to give "added value" to his reports. Impressive. Kudos to
the Ocean City Art League judges for having the good sense to choose him for an award.
Yikes! Almost forgot the commentary/analysis on the Reston show from Elle Heiligenstein (thanks, Elle) with comments from Vicki Munn.
Three Rivers -- don't think we've ever had a report on this one, many thanks to Laurie Leonard for getting the ball rolling on this to fill out the picture - also the comments from Annette Piper, Larry Berman, Sandhi Gold, John Smith, Patty McPhillips, Suzanne Ens, etc!
THANK YOU, everyone. I am so pleased to see all these East Coast reports and the comments. Many new names showed up in these threads and I welcome you all. If any of you don't already have our Red Dot bumper sticker email me your mailing address and I'll send it out to you.
Since its beginning in 1963, LFOA has evolved to become one of the top ten juried art festivals in the country, featuring work by more than 175 artists, including jewelry, painting, sculpture, photography, and more. A variety of family-friendly programs and activities are scheduled throughout the weekend as well.
All of the artwork is in a massive 60,000-square foot tent and in the Art Museum itself, to stay safe and dry should the elements have their say.
Stay all day to also enjoy:
Plenty of nearby parking and free shuttles are available to bring you to the festival.
Don't forget to meet Rebecca Hungerford our featured artist in booth #174.
View artists images find directions and all other details for your visit:
The Rose's run very good shows in the parks in Essex County, New Jersey. They really are passionate about their shows and their quality. I remember Janet Rose telling me at one of the shows last year that my table coverings were too wrinkled, and how it affects the 'feel' of the whole show. It didn't feel good to receive that comment at the time, however, I quickly realized that I wouldn't want anything less from a show organizer. In fact, that is the reason I believe the show is well liked and attended. Rose's put a lot of effort in marketing the shows as well.
Brookdale Park show this year seemed very well attended. My guess is that there were more people compared to the same show last year. I spoke with some of my neighbors and some did well and some did not... just like any other show. Personally I did about the same as I did last year, which I am very happy with. First half of first day, I thought customers were measuring a lot more than they did last year. I think economy is still a big issue. (Same was true with an art show that I did in Virginia earlier this year.) Things got much better in the afternoon. More people paid with cash though, which tells me customers are not spending what they don't have. What saved me this year was repeat customers and all of my new items. Folks in that area are very friendly and loyal. They will come by and say hi even if they don't buy anything. It is nice because receiving feedback is priceless when it comes to designing new collections. Interestingly majority of my sales was from my brand new items that had higher price points then my lower priced flagship collections. Usually repeat customers come in and ask "what's new?" first.
All in all, I have faith in the dedicated Rose's and friendly Essex County folks, and plan to continue doing the shows.
Here are some tips for artists coming to Colorado for summer art shows which I hope will make your trip more enjoyable.
September 13-15 
Ferndale, Michigan
9 Mile Road at Woodward
120 Artists
Deadline: June 30
"Twice as funky as the average fine art show." The Ferndale fair focuses on work that skews a little younger, a little hipper. While traditional artwork does sell here, this show focuses on less pastoral work. As many as 40,000 art shoppers attend over the weekend.
Ferndale's vibrant downtown attracts people in their 20's, 30's, and 40's. It is a lively community with varied shopping and exciting clubs and restaurants. These people have the means to purchase items that appeal to them.
The show is looking for work that challenges the mind, or simply sparks the imagination. Artwork that does not sit quietly, but invites a reaction. Overall however, keep in mind, this is a high quality juried fine art show.
Mark Loeb of Integrity Shows, takes a different approach to events than many. He creates events with a very specific focus, to help assure that everyone involved is successful. Like all of Integrity Shows events, artists are assured of three year's of participation when accepted. Why shouldn't you be able to plan your year? Loeb's shows are widely praised for the effort placed toward supporting participating artists. He understands that your success is essential and does what it takes to meet your needs.
Apply on line at: www.Zapplication.org
or visit: www.MichiganArtShows.com, for more information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looking for more shows for your season? Visit CallsforArtists.com. New shows added daily.
The storm the night before as it approached Ocean City travelling north to south. Note the clear skies behind it and on the left. To the right, the sky was black....Also note the trailing thing-ees under the wall cloud...
Saturday, June 15, 2013..... The day dawned bright, crisp and cool, as only a beach town show can. The weather had cleared out less than an hour after the wind squall which took out 7 or more tents the previous evening. While we were salvaging the painter's inventory whose tent got nailed, we both noticed that the moon and stars had shone through the few remaining clouds... Today, the sky was clear.
My wife, Carol, and I arrived on site at approximately 6 AM to get set up and to put the top back on the canopy frame. Putting the top back on took all of five minutes... My wife later alluded to her fears that we would have to drop the tent legs to get the top on as everything was still zip-tied together...an onerous task she felt would take over an hour. Since this park site is open to the public, we knew there would be potential early shoppers and didn't want to miss out on any opportunities.
So, we got busy. Once the top was back on and the sides of the tent rolled up, Carol got right to work on hanging the paintings. We had taken several images of the booth set-up and hanging scheme at the sodden and muddy (but surprisingly sales worthy) Annapolis Arts Crafts and Wine Festival....so we had a guide to setting the art. We used to draw a diagram at the end of each sales day when I was using the steel frame and peg board hanging system, but it was a whole lot quicker to shoot a couple of images with the IPhone camera... So she was able to place the hook and loop hangers on the panels relatively quickly in the right places.
At the same time, I worked to get the deep cycle LED lighting set-up prepared. One problem I have noted with using the pro-panels and their light bars is that if you are using their stabilizer bars, you end up having to pull the hook and loop closure off the top post of the panel - thereby losing the easy anchor post to hold one end of the hook and loop while trying to join the panels together. This is b/c the light bar post takes over one panel post while the 2 in 1 stabilizer bar takes over the other. If there was a bigger sewn loop in the hook and loop strips, one could then get the closure over either stabilizer bar end or light bar end and not lose the easy way to bind the two panels together. The way it is set up currently, you have to pull the strip off the post, install the bars and then bind the assembly back together. If you use a 3 light bar set up, this happens three times.... Could be easier.... Hope someone at Pro Panel is listening and is going to send me 4 or five for beta testing.. You know my name and address folks.....
So anyway, got the light bars up, track light strips installed and cord plug end pieces screwed together to the track sections. Next came setting the LED floodlights on the tracks and adjusting their set off from the panels in order to assure even lighting coverage. After this, I got the two marine deep cycle batteries in place behind the panels in their little wagon, hooked them in parallel with cables, wing nuts and lock washers, and clamped in the voltage inverter. Then plugged in the track light cords to the surge strip and the strip into the inverter.... Ready, Set, Lights On?.... well, 6 of 9 were on... Say what??
Carol in the meantime had the art more or less roughly hung and was setting the price cards in place on the frame corners... Time was passing quickly and now I had to troubleshoot the track which wasn't lighting. I figured it was either the power connector or the track conductors which were not making contact as these Pro Panel-supplied tracks are not very well made... So I fiddled with these two items for about 20 minutes to no avail... That meant that power wasn't getting to the track despite solid connections between connector and conductors... OK... Pulled the connector from the track and took the two screws out which hide the wiring connections from cord to connector... Wish I had a picture to share... Neither line cord wire end was in contact with the screws of track power supply connector.... NEITHER ONE!!!
The connectors have been used a grand total of six times and the wires came loose..... REALLY?????
The wires appeared to have not been well connected to the terminal screws...i.e. loose screws - which equals shock and fire hazard in my book. Not a very good advertisement for your products Pro Panel.. You might want to check these items in the future before they ship to customers... I had to strip the wires back a bit further and make the connections and dog the terminal screws back down and re-assemble the connector access cover plates. Hit the switch on the power supply and all the lights lit. And just in time, too as the customers were starting to converge on the exhibitor tents.
Show Time
As usual, the traffic seemed to center on the booths featuring women's apparel. Given the typical customer mix is more female than male, this seems unsurprising to many artists and craftspeople. It's also why there are so many jewelers and wearable vendors in many of the events I jury into. It's an exhibit institutional issue and it hurts everyone. More 'jewelers' means more jewelry sales, since women will often spend 20$-50$ on something to wear before they will buy fine art or craft. However, since it is spread across many more jewelers than in times past, it often results in fewer sales per 'jeweler'. But it also hurts the fine artists due to the potential spending budget amount limits of the female customer. Perhaps there should be a movement to limit fine jewelry and 'jewelers' to those who work in precious metals and precious and semi-precious gems.
Anyway, I am sure that I just cheesed off a substantial number of board members and for that I have a bit of regret since it usually results in the need to wear Nomex tighty whities...they itch and are confining...
The event moved towards noon with a couple of small sales and lots of lookers, kids in strollers, dogs on retractable leashes (which weren't retracted often enough for some), cyclists, joggers, and people totally oblivious to the art show, but wondering why 'their' normally quiet and uncrowded park was so full of people...
The judges started their loop of the vendors at noon and took several hours to cover all the exhibitors. There were three judges I saw and they actually spent time with each exhibitor to look at their work and often to ask questions about process and materials. They spoke with me and asked about my works. I had to give two quick explanations b/c I was showing my two signature styles and the process and materials differ. But, to their credit, the judges listened attentively, and then stuck their small colored dot on my booth card - signifying that they had judged my exhibit - and went on about their way.... Now this is a small event, but has some very nice prize money... Best in show is worth $2500.00, while Judges Choices are worth $500.00 and the Mayors Choice is worth $250.00. There is also a peoples choice award given on Sunday - but I can't remember the prize value... These prizes are spread over about 125 exhibitors, so just by random chance there would be a 1 in 25 chance of winning an award.
We continued through the heat of the afternoon and I started on a demonstration mixed media painting or two to pass the time and entice the customers to stop at my booth. I usually have something to work on while waiting for a nibble on a painting. So I started on some bluefish and weakfish pieces for stock. Surprisingly, many of the pieces I start on at an outdoor exhibit often sell at the very next show after they are completed... you figure that one out.
At about 3:30 or so, the judges returned to my booth.... This means you made the first cut in most shows and I fully expected to have them look again and hopefully come back....... But.... in this case.... they asked me to take one of my recently completed pieces to the artists reception room.... I won something!!!!! Wooo Hoooooo!
Now usually I go to the artists reception to hang out with a couple of other fine artists and artisans, nosh on some fine appetizers, drink some free adult beverages, and to poke fun at or puzzle at the judges choices for the awards ceremony. But this time, I was on the of people I usually puzzled about.... the horror!
So 5 PM finally arrived and we packed the art down from the booth before going to the artists reception. We never leave the paintings in the booth overnight as you never know what could happen given the limited number of security personnel, unlimited access points, and large number of booths for security to cover.... Anyway, sure enough, I received a Judges Choice Award for the painting "The Canal In Manayunk", plus some prize money!
That evening, Carol and I indulged in some steamed crabs and a pitcher of beer at Leo's - right across the street from our hotel. Back at the hotel room, I set up the charger and charged the deep cycle batteries. This took about 5 hours and one could only charge one battery at a time because too much heat was generated when trying to charge them in parallel - causing the charger thermal overloads to kick out. Carol and I did some clean-up and then Carol dozed off while I watched TV and kept an eye on the batteries.
Sunday June 16, 2013 - Well the day started a little bit later than Saturday. We checked out of the hotel after a bit of milling about in the hotel room. We arrived on site and set everything back up just like yesterday, plus added a few more paintings held in reserve.... The electrical system worked this time with no hitches.
The day was warmer than I expected, but dry, and the wind had picked up a bit over Saturday. Again, we had lots of early shoppers, but few buyers. I talked with several exhibitors over the day, and the consensus seemed to be that most of us were down in sales compared to 2012 for this event. Of course, last year, I sold a nice work which had a larger price tag compared generally to what sells out of the booth... (but still this was only 3 figures, not 4)...
We were pleased with the nearly hourly volunteer visits from the Ocean City Art League members asking if we needed booth sitting or a break.
I continued to do painting demonstrations throughout the day, but the show closed with only a couple more small sales in addition to the small number the previous day. I was thankful to have received the Judges Choice Award prize money, as this probably covered expenses and allowed for an undeserved small profit.
Carol and I tore the booth down and stowed it away in the Odyssey; saying farewells to our friends as they departed ahead of us. The drive home was uneventful except for two things. One was an intense rain squall which made it nearly impossible to see from behind the wheel. The second was riding in the rocking chair behind a group of Pagans Motorcycle Club bikers almost to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal bridge. It was dark when we rolled into the driveway. Both of us dozed off after dinner. I awoke in the wee small hours of the night and wandered down into the garage to unload the Odyssey...
After the unloading was complete and batteries set to charge, I started working on the paintings I had begun in the two previous days. As the sun started to rise, it was time for some bed.....
So, this is a very artist friendly show. It has easy load in and out, parking behind your booth, great event staff and volunteers, lots of booth sitters, a decent food concession on site and is well attended. My guess is that there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-10,000 visitors... but this includes the joggers, strollers, dog walkers and other park users. My sales were down from last year, but I saw plenty of boxes, bags and canvasses being toted about by patrons. As a fine arts painter, selling nothing but originals, I did under $1000.00 of business. However, none of my originals are over $1250.00 and my least expensive pieces are $50.00. These smaller pieces sold the best. I was interviewed and video clipped by the press on sunday. If I can find it online, I will link it. In my previous two shows, I sold over 10 pieces at each event. This show was perhaps only 6 pieces... But as my wife and I constantly tell each other, each event is a total crapshoot and you just never know what will sell. All exposure is good and each time you attend an event, you lay the groundwork for a future sale with someone...
at the Boardwalk Art Show. Congratulations to all especially popular AFI member Alison Thomas!
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