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I applied to the Paragon Dallas Festival(new venue) and was supposed to be notified on the 4th of Sept. Nothing. On the 7th I sent an email and was told that night or the next morning. Nothing. Are these guys a scam? I'm not going no matter what.

This was our first time participating in this show and we combined it with a vacation in Yosemite and had a wonderful time!  In fact this blog was delayed due to the fact that we were on vacation, I was having too much fun hiking, biking and exploring to want to log onto the computer and write a blog.   We planned this show right in the middle of vacation so we had a few days to enjoy Yosemite before the show, complete the show and explore Mammoth Lakes and continue our Yosemite explorations the week after the show.  

We had heard great things about this show from a  few artists that we knew out of the Pacific NW.  When we received our acceptance for this show we received a personal note written by the director, asking us if we really wanted to drive that far for one show.  Wow, that has never ever happened to us before.  She also did not cash the booth fee check until AFTER the event.  The paperwork indicated it would be cashed the week before, and I thought that was extremely generous to wait that long, but until after the event?  That is new to my show experience.  I really can’t say enough great things about this director, Gaye was readily available, willing to help, answer questions, rearrange booths that didn’t work due to height of the booth vs. tree branches, etc.  It was apparent that she cared about the artists, wanted us to be successful and really wanted to bring high quality arts to the Mammoth area.

The show is held in a wooded area, right next to a golf course.  You are warned at load in not to leave any food in your booth and if you are parking your RV on site over the weekend, to not be out after dark due to the bears that wander through each night.  We kind of laughed about this, but quit laughing after Saturday night when we went for a stroll after the show and as we were coming back to the trailer, my husband remarked that the "brown tree stump" on the golf course was moving.  Yep, it was a large brown bear, about 200 yards from our RV, munching on something.  So, I went to grab the camera and he wandered over to warn another artist couple who were outside of their RV, closer to the bear and preparing dinner.  They were grilling trout!  Crazy artists:)  We took a few photos and went inside the RV for the night.   The night before I thought something had “bumped” the RV, my husband thought I was imagining things. After viewing the bear he decided that maybe my imagination wasn’t quite so overactive. (BTW - no photo critique necessary, low light and I know I should have gotten my tripod out, but wanted to get the photo and get back safely inside the RV as quick as possible).

Load in was all day Friday and you were shown exactly where your booth location by the show director.  Load in for us was a little tricky due to the trees.  Since this show is held in a wooded area, many of the booths back up into the pine trees and we had to use our canopy to move a few of the branches out of the way.  We also had to maneuver carefully through the trees and rocks to set up.  As I mentioned, we had combined this trip with a vacation and had our bikes on the bike rack on top of the truck.  So, our extra tall rig was a little challenge with the trees in the show area. 

The trees also caused the layout to be a little strange in some places, but it’s not a huge show so most of the patrons didn’t seem to have a lot of difficulty navigating the show.  We did see some of the same attendees all 3 days, so it’s definitely a show where some of the patrons walk the show multiple times before making their buying decisions.

Mammoth Lakes is a popular ski destination in the winter, a popular place to have a second home for residents from the LA / Southern Cal area.  Almost all of our sales were to people who were not locals, most were the second home owners.   So, how were sales?  Well, for us Saturday was slow, very slow. We were really disappointed.  The guy across from us had a 5K day selling sculpted onyx lamps.  Sunday we more than doubled our sales from Saturday, so I was feeling a bit better about this show.  Our Monday sales were not as good as Sunday, but better than Friday.  Overall our sales for a 3 day show resembled a more typical 2 day show for us. Mixed reviews from other artists we knew, although since this was outside of our normal show area, we didn’t know near as many of the artists.  I did take the time to find James Shelago, the AFI’er who started the Southwest and Pacific Artists Group on this website.  James was having a good show, much better than we were.  Others had mixed reviews.  2 of the jewelers and a photographer we know from our Pacific NW shows all said they were down from prior years.  A few returning artists mentioned that they thought the crowds were smaller than usual, not sure if that was impacted by the Hanta Virus concerns that were coming out of Yosemite.  We had been very surprised at the lack of crowds in the park the week before Labor Day.  In fact, we felt like it was more crowded the week after the show when we resumed our vacation.

Monday morning they had a breakfast for the artists and awarded prizes.  Load out was relatively easy, we were 90% broken down when we noticed the jewelers near us getting ready to leave so my husband was able to back our truck in right when they pulled out.  We were on the road to our next campground within 70 minutes of the show ending.  Not bad for us.

Will we do this show again?  Maybe.  It’s a very long drive for us from Seattle to Mammoth Lakes, if we weren’t combining it with vacation or other shows, it’s a long drive for the sales we achieved.  We do have 2 more shows in the Bay Area, but while the map may say it’s only 300 miles from Mammoth Lakes to Mountain View, it’s a loooong drive with steep passes to climb and descend with a large travel trailer in tow.  It was an all day drive to get to the next show when we finally ended our vacation.  We will consider this show again, heard from so many artists that sales were lower and attendance was lower than last year, so it still feels like a show with a lot of potential.

Hi All:  We are Contemporary Artists traveling to Florida last January and staying the month of February.

What shows offer the rather easy set up and lots of medium income traffic between the ages of

25 and 50?   Thanks in advance for any input.  Best Robert

This is the first time I have been to Alexandria and I feel in love with the town as I was driving in.   I always get anxious when I do a show for the first time.  I worry about set up, logistics, lots of other stuff but I arrived early on Friday so I had all day to play before I had to start my worrying.    I was able to have the best tourist day  in  Alexandria and even took the water taxi over to Maryland (I  had  been to 45 of the States and Maryland was one I needed to add to my list, so now I am at 46 :)   On the water taxi  ride and from many of the rooms at the hotel you  can see the Monument, the Capitol, the Memorial and probably a bunch of other land marks I didn't recognize.  A very smart and extremely talented artist told me that I had to stay at Hotel Monaco when doing this show, so I did.  Best advice ever.  What a treat and it made my life and doing the show so much easier.  It is located on King Street in the middle of the show.  To make it even better my booth was right at the main entrance to the hotel.    The Monaco has a 5pm Wine Hour and on Friday evening the place was packed with artists.  It was great to see some familiar faces and to get some tips on set up for the next day.  What a wonderful way to start the show.

Saturday morning started EARLY.  I woke up at 2:45am and couldn't go back to sleep so I figured I might as well line up.  We were allowed to start as early as 3:30 am.  Everything was rather calm and went as smoothly as an early morning set up can go.    The booth set up is tight.  Most of the booths are back to back, with a couple blocks being single row of tents.  I was in the back to back section.   The double yellow lines of the street separated the backs of the booths (so maybe 6” to 10” apart) and  if everyone set up on their tape each person had about 18"-24" (depending on your neighbor) side storage space on one side of your tent.   No storage of anything allowed on the sidewalks and most tents were not allowed awnings.    I had a bunch of stuff I couldn't store so I grabbed a luggage cart and brought it up to my hotel room.  I was all set up and back in my hotel room showered and taking a nap by 6 am.  Thank goodness for the on sight shower because it was one of those really humid morning set ups.  Getting back up at 9am and practically rolling out of my bed into my booth was priceless.

At 9am there was already a decent amount of people walking around.  Sales started right away.   At 11:15 am I had a chance to look around and all 5 booths next to me were swiping cards at the same time.   I wish I would have had my camera out, but it was buried in the tiny storage area and I couldn’t physically get to it :)  Everything was going great, lots of people, art lover and buyers.  Even though this was my first time doing a show in this area I ran into some clients from Florida and Atlanta.  After hugs and kisses they gave me serious warnings about the storm that was coming.  All of my clients were doing this starting after lunch.   Around 3pm I overheard a police radio and asked the officer what the real report was and he told me that they would make an official call in 10 minutes but it looked bad.    About 30 minutes later the Alan team was telling us to baton down.   I was a corner booth in the direction the storm was coming so I was extra worried.  I don't know the exact time but sirens went off and the police evacuated the streets and we were told to take cover.  The sirens and the police over the loud speakers make it much scarier.  Even my cell phone was blinking red and texting me that there was a tornado warning.  The wind and rain hit fast and we all zipped up and got the heck out.   The feeling of standing shoulder to shoulder with everyone staring at their tents through the lobby windows and saying Hail Marys in my head is one of the worst.      It seemed like forever, but actually was not that long, maybe 20 minutes I guess, the tornado warning was over.  My tent and everyone else’s held!!!!! We still had some wind and rain but the worst seemed to have passed.   I didn't realize until the next day that my tent was a bit twisted.  I probably will have to replace a couple of metal trimline parts, but that shouldn't cost me more than $100.   We were told we could go back to our booths if we wanted and open up, but if we didn't want to then we didn't have to.   It was 4:45 pm, the Wine Hour was about to start, I had gotten up that morning at 2:45 am and had just had a minor  panic attack from the storm, so I decided to go upstairs, take a shower and go to the Wine Hour and most of the other artist did the same.  So the first day got cut short but it was still a pretty good day sales wise considering.

Sunday we woke up to the best art show weather day possible.  The perfect temperature, sunny and no humidity.   People came out again.  Both days the crowds were exactly what I like, lots of people but not too crowded that people can't see or get to the booths.  Again lots of art was walking away from the show.   At the end of the show everyone around me was happy.

Break down starts exactly at 5pm.  The patrons have to get off the street and you are not allowed to make any more sales past 5:15pm.  This is taken very seriously and the patrons are told to get out.  I know it is a bummer because people might have been able to make a few more sales at the end of the show but it really makes break down much easier.   I planned on staying the night at the hotel, so I was just going to break down then go to my room and wait for everything to die down but everything was going so smoothly that by the time I had broken down I was clear to drive in.  I was completely finished, had run to the store and back in my fancy hotel room by 6:45pm and I was taking my time.   It felt so civilized.  Really the whole weekend did, except for the storm. 

The only difficult thing about this show is parking.  That is tricky if you have an oversized vehicle.  If you decide to do this show get some tips from others before you go.  I was going to post some pics but if you really are interested the Howard Alan facebook pages has the best ones, unless anyone would like me to post my tourist pics from Friday :)

I've had my head down working hard for a few weeks and haven't written in my blog much. I finally took some time to write. I think we artistic types often have more than one area of interest. I draw for a living, but it's telling the stories behind the pictures that really moves me.

This story is about one example from a very challenging group of clients. I take a deep breath before I work with each one because I know it won't be easy. But very fulfilling..

http://pencilenvy.blogspot.com/2012/09/finding-noah.html

Hope you all sold lots this past weekend. It was BEAUTIFUL in the midwest... I can't believe I didn't have a show. What a WASTE!!!

So from my experience in life in general one thing stands out and that is presentation so here is a short list of what to do when presenting your art at shows.

1. Do keep a uniform idea in mind. Paintings work best if they flow together as otherwise they may clash too much and confuse the potential buyer.

2. Do have wonderful stands that you test before a show. Nothing worse then finding out a painting is going to fall over because the stand can not sustain the paintings weight.

3. Do talk to people ahead of time about a show. Nothing worse then finding out the show is terrible and has poor traffic if you can be told that by another person who has "been there and done that"

4. Make sure you have all equipment, sales tax licenses etc ahead of time.

5. Book accomdations ahead of time and if you can stay with friends great. Who knows you may even make friends for the next show and not have to use a hotel.

6. Do have a positive attitude even if the show sucks. Being negative does nothing but bring you down.

7. Do read the the art fair reviews and look even on yelp for reviews. You never know where your non biased feedback will come from.

8. Do think about your target market group ie. I brought psychadelic paintings to conservative clients. That just is not going to work. Think about who you are selling too and plan your products accordingly.

9. Never spend more on a show then you can afford to lose.

10. Have fun and embrace selling, meeting people and learning. Your worst critics sometimes can show you that your work is great if it envokes that strong of a reaction.

;.)

I had applied to this premiere event several times in the past, but this was the first time I was accepted. Marcia and I loaded up the trailer and hit the road on Thursday. After driving for six hours we were ab out ten miles short of our hotel. The sky was darkening and it looked like it might rain. It didn't (luckily), but looking in the rear view mirror I saw that a driver behind me was flashing his lights. I slowed down, he came up to my side and started gesticulating wildly and pointing at my trailer. I thought about that scene in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" when Steve Martin and John Candy were driving the wrong way on the highway in their rental car.

I pulled over to the side to see what they were wav ing ab out and found that the plastic top of my top of the line Wells Cargo trailer was gone. It apparently ripped off in the wind and all my artwork was flopping around, exposed to the elements. Being the resourceful art fair artist that I am, I dug out a tarp and some rope and hastily covered it up. We made it to the hotel without a further mishap.

Next morning I tried finding a replacement top or something to cover the gaping hole but without success. Finally, a little late, we made it to the art fair grounds and untied the tarp. In 90 degree heat and heavy humidity, we set up all afternoon and spent a good hour working on a more permanent solution to the trailer top problem. We would have to drive seven hours back to Saugatuck on Monday. With lots of rope and duct tape, I thought it would probably work. Of course, as I write this, I am still at the Hotel and haven't tested the tarp arrangement on the road home yet.

At 5pm, as I was opening up the booth for the opening of the show, one of the show volunteers informed me that the police had cancelled the show for the evening and I was instructed to batten down the hatches and leave the fair grounds within the next 30 minutes because there was a big storm on the way. Nervously, I tied everything down and we hurried back to the hotel before the rain started. I wasn't concerned about the tent. I have a heavy duty EZ up that is heavily customized with roof beams, and corner weights that all the exhibit panels rest on and are tied to. Everything in the booth is designed to act as a weight to hold everything down. This design has served me well in several past storms including the microburst in Columbus that took out several dome-type tents a couple of years ago. I was cocky about my customized EZ-up.

We made it back to the hotel before the storm it, and it was a good one. Lots of rain and wind. We were totally exhausted by that time after working all day in the heat and humidity. We slept like babies.

At 7am I got a call on my cell from the art fair. They told me my tent was damaged and that I should try to get there right away to try to fix it. No details were offered. Being the optimist that I am, I thought it was just a little mis alignment and maybe a stray side wall or something. On the way to the art fair grounds we got another call from the art fair informing us that they had ordered us a new tent and that there were some volunteers at our booth waiting to help out. Now I was really nervous. Ordered me a new tent?

When we finally got there we were astonished by the devastation. It was just a heap of panels and canvas and artwork all arranged in a random pile of stuff. Marcia cried. It looked like a total loss. Our booth was directly opposite a wind tunnel alleyway next to the county police department on Central. Several booths around us were also down, including craft huts and trimlines. The wind must have been a formidable force to do that kind of damage. It looked like a tornado had set down on top of our booth.

After the initial shock wore off, we looked around and saw a virtual army of volunteers waiting for instructions on how they could help. And help they did. We carefully disassembled all the panels and pulled artwork out of the mess. I'm a digital artist and most of my work is printed on paper, either framed behind plexiglass or wrapped in plastic bags. We slowly disentangled the mess and started recovering artwork. A group of volunteers sat on the sidewalk with towels carefully wiping down wrapped art, one pice at a time and separating the pieces that had obvious rain damage. I learned later that a couple of other artists who were on site at the height of the storm saw my devastated booth and lowered the canopy down so that most of the artwork was covered by the top.

The art fair committee was GREAT! They worked with me all morning until a good collection of artwork was saved and ready for exhibit. They brought me a new tent and the helped straighten bent display panels. They got permission from the police to allow me to bring my car and trailer in to the fair grounds and leave it there for the day. I parked it in the wind tunnel alley and Marcia spent a good part of the day organizing the destruction and loading damaged stuff into the car and trailer.

At 11am the art fair opened and I actually had a decent display set up. Amazingly, most of the artwork was undamaged and "sellable." Thanks to a very responsive art fair committee, I was able to salvage a disaster and participate in one of the best art fairs in the country.

And participate I did! Saturday was my best single day ever with sales over $5000. I couldn't believe the crowd. It seemed like everyone who came into the booth bought something. Two TV stations interviewed me and I got lots of media exposure, so some of the purchases were probably sympathy buyers.

Sunday, at the artist breakfast and awards ceremony, Marcia and I sat down to a great breakfast of bacon and eggs and fruit and watched a slide show projected on the stage of the storm's devastation. There we were on the big screen, pulling artwork out of a heap of tangled panels. I hadn't noticed a photograper while we were working the previous day, but there was our booth and an army of great volunteers pulling things together.

Sunday continued with very good sales totaling over $3000, so we wound up grossing $8400 for the weekend. These great sales helped to offset the losses of my damaged artwork and display. And my EZ up? Still works. Just a little bend in one of the legs that I think I can repair.

I can't say enough good things about this art fair. The people of St. Louis support this fair big time. And the committee sprang into action to help us artists salvage a disaster. I'm hoping to get into this art fair again next year, but I think I'll request a different location away from that wind tunnel that took me down. 

Can anyone tell me anything about the sort of shows that are put on by Paragon?  I have a chance to participate in a new show in Dallas in November and I'm on the fence about it.  I need a November show and Dallas certainly has the people to support it.  I just don't know what sort of job Paragon does in relation to bringing the people in, how they treat the artists, etc.

This show is the first of a series of new shows they're starting in Texas, the others being in Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.  Their booth fee is $395.00 which is reasonable but, for a brand new show.....................

The show is called the Dallas Fine Art Show and it may have possibilities but it comes right on the heels of Cottonwood which may hold a lot of people back.

On this one, I could use some advice from the pros!  And, thank you.

  This was my first time doing the St. Louis Art Fair, although living in town I have been going to it almost since its inception. I got to see some familiar faces from other fairs this year, as well as meet some fellow AFI'ers (including Connie) as well, which was fun.

  Typically in September it is still hot and humid, but with not much severe weather. Well this year it was the exact opposite. We were all keeping an eye on the weather as things got started on Friday. There were several systems that were moving through the area that could bring rain, but the day started off clear and sunny, and by early afternoon it looked like it may stay that way. But then reports that a big system was probably going to hit us started to come in, and by 4 the sky was starting to look kind of threatening.

   Many artists were hesitant to get everything set up, and just after 5 they came around and announced that the show was cancelled for Friday because a big weather system was bearing down on us. Sure enough within the hour the wind and rain hit hard. Most tents were fine but a few in one area did go down. I heard some people were upset about cancelling the show, but honestly even if it was just raining a bit or had turned out not to be as bad, no one is going to come to the show anyway. Even at 5 when we had actually opened no one was there because of the weather reports.

   The artists who did get damage managed to get things set back up with help from the fair staff and went on with the show on Saturday.

  The weather the rest of the weekend was great though. Sunny days in the 70's and 80's with a light breeze, couldn't have asked for better.

  The crowds were very good most of Saturday. I sold out all of my low price point things by the end of the day. Sunday started strong but peetered out kind of early I thought. I only talked to one person who said they were having a bad show. Most people I talked to said the show was good for them. My sales were good, although I was hoping to sell more of my bigger items.

  The show was ran very well. Everything was very well organized and seemed to run smoothly. The people that run the show are super friendly, helpful and approachable. I didn't hear any artists complaining about anything.

   St. Louis is of course one of the top tier shows, and I have never seen anything like crafty lawn ornaments or imported buy/sell knock offs, at least to my knowledge. I was as usual impressed with the quality of artists present. And I though the awards judging was well done also.

  Load in and out can be a bit tricky at times because the streets are a bit on the narrow side, so when the booths are set up there is just barely room for vehicles to get by with other vehicles parked along the curb. But everything seemed to go smoothly. I didn't see anyone blocking others out and unable to get around somehow.

  All in all I had a good time ans would definitely do it again.

For 44 years, the first Sunday after Labor Day means it is time for the Mt. Mary Starving Artists' Show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  

Over 200 artists show up with artwork to sell for $100 or less.  For some, this is a chance to sell their lower priced items, or 'older' pieces or slightly flawed (marked so the patron knows what they are getting) or to just get some cash as it is the end of the summer season.  

In return, patrons start lining up at 5am for a 10 am opening.  Artists who have done the show before are usually in the same booth space so it is easy to find an old favorite.  I don't get to this show on time because of the long line of people waiting to get in.   I am not a fan of stampedes.  I get there  an hour later.  This is a show where everyone is carrying packages, people make trips to their cars and return to the show, booths are crowded, sometimes 2-3 deep.  It is totally nuts.  

If you see something you like, you pretty much need to buy it when you see  it.  There is no guarantee it will be there when you get back.  I feel a sense of urgency to see as much as I can as fast as I can so it is a tiring art festival from my point of view.  I am sure the artists love it because people are eager to buy.

And these are not second rate artists.  Artists I have seen at Coconut Grove and Port Clinton are there.  I bought a vase a couple of years ago from an artist who this year was at ACE in Evanston and St. Louis this weekend.  There is also more pottery in this one show than 8 Amdur shows.  

But, before you do this show, you have to hope the NFL football schedule is already out.  This is Packer country and, I hate to say it, the success of your show may depend on when the Packers play.  This was a good year, the Pack had the late game.  By 2:45, at least 2/3rds of a very crowded show had left.  If the Pack have the early game, the place is deserted by noon (kickoff in Wisconsin).  You actually want the Pack to have a night game so no one feels the need to leave before they are ready.  

One of these days inflation is going to catch up to the show and they will raise the limit on price but it will always be a great festival to participate in, for everyone.

I have a question regarding jury photos.  What do you all think about picture-in-picture details of a smaller part of the work in the photo?  Is it distracting, or does it give the jurors an opportunity to see the details of a large piece?  I make ceramic art with sculpted elements, so the whole piece is interesting, but there are details that would be missed by an overall photo.  Good or bad?  Thanks in advance for your input.

I want to thank everyone for the warm welcomes. I hope everyone has a great day!

I searched but couldn't find anything.  I know a few AFIers did the show...how 'bout a recap?

Arrr me hearties...  

Being a rookie if you will I am learning that my delusion of grandeur are just that, delusions.  

I will be as objective as I can about this event as possible. 

The event actually starts right after the Coast Guard Festival. (which makes me curious if the people of Grand Haven are 'feastivaled' out)

Actual days of the event that Vendor/artist are apart of the event is the weekend.

Friday, Day Zero, Set up.  Wet, rainy, cold (compared to the out of normal upper 90 degree Fahrenheit upper 60's is cold)  and razor edged winds coming off Lake Michigan.  The event opened to a free day for the public at 5 pm.  However the weather certainly kept the public away. 

Saturday, Day one,  Slow,  very sparse for patrons. still windy, easy up took a hit, need to find repair parts.  though I fared better than the poor soul who lost the $800 easy up canopy that took flight on Friday afternoon

Sunday, Day two, dead until about 3pm when sales really picked up by leaps and bounds.

made excellent sales.

Upside, making bank and then some.

Down side, Had to be in some form of "Period Clothing"

All in all I recommend this to those that are actually starting out.

for veteran Merchants not so much unless dressing up is a normal thing.

I've attended art festivals just about all my life and when it comes to 2D art, there doesn't seem to be much of a variety. Landscapes, wildlife, portraits & still life. I have great respect for traditional art but it has come to the point where I have seen so many, I can't tell one artist from another. I live in Arizona but have traveled the west coast and I rarely can find more contemporary art. I don't have a problem finding quality contemporary art in high in galleries (their everywhere) but I struggle to find them in art festivals. Is it like this in other areas or am I just stuck in the wrong part of the country?

UPDATE RE. “IT FINALLY HAPPENED”

I have been simply blown away by the huge wave of support, good healing wishes and offers of help that has swept over me.  Don’t let anyone ever tell you that the artist community is not one very large extended family and I find myself being graced and blessed by support from that wonderful family.  I am truly blessed and humbled.  I feel quite embarrassed to do this, but SO many people have asked if I have pay pal account.  The account is arcsmith@ctc.net  which is our non-business email account.  The account is in my wife, rose’s name, but she is busy trying to add my name.  PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS UPDATE IS NOT A SOLISITATION FOR HELP.

About my situation – I am doing well.  I went back to the doctor last wed. for the first time since surgery.  My hand was not a pretty sight to anyone but me and the doctor seemed to be pleased, but he really “threw a bucket of ice water” on me when he said that I was far from being out “out of the woods” with the hand.  He said that the next couple of months were critical and that if I did not take good care of the hand and let it heal properly then it was quite possible and even probable that I would lose the two fingers that he had reattached.  (as soon as I got back home I canceled all of my shows –and a much anticipated fishing trip- until late oct.  there is a good chance that I will have to cancel my shows for the rest of the year.  That would be hard to do, but not as hard as losing the two reattached fingers.

(those with a weak stomach might wish to skip this part, but for those who are interested, will tell you what the good doctor did in the surgery.)  the saw blade apparently skipped across the hand – hit some of the knuckles where the fingers are attached to the hand, it mangled the little finger but did not cut all the way through the bone.  The worst cut was the one that cut all the way through the first knuckle beyond the hand on all three of the inside fingers.  The middle finger was pretty well shattered and the doctor removed it at the hand.  For the ring and index fingers the doctor removed the shattered knuckles, pulled the two ends of the bone together and fastened them with metal strips and screws, fusing them.  On the index finger the saw had ripped all of the flesh off of the top of the finger, so he filled it in with artificial collagen.  Next wed. back into surgery for a skin graft on that finger.

One interesting sideline on this –both my son and I have always been interested in biology. – he teaches biology in a community college.  So when this happened, we decided to document the whole thing, because, I told him, I certainly had no intention of doing it again.  Anyway, I took photos of the hand before surgery and then about a week and a half after surgery.  I also got my pre and post x rays.  They are really fascinating. –my wife thinks that we both are nuts.  Anyway, for his anatomy and physiology class, he is going to do a unit on the hand featuring his father’s hand.  Most of his students are nursing students so they should find it interesting.  Fyi, if any of you find this interesting, as I do, will be glad to send you photos and x rays. (did I tell you that my wife thinks that I’m nuts?)

Words simply have not been invented yet that will adaquatly reflect my appreciation for all of the kind and encouraging notes and support which you, my artist family, have offered me.  Thank you sounds so very inadequate, but I don’t know what else to say.  THANK YOU!

Archie Smith

Archie Smith Instruments

6590 hwy 73 E

Mt. Pleasant, NC  28124

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 This may sound like a stupid question but, would some of you please give me your interpretation of exactly what a contemporary craft is?  I understand the word 'contemporary' but I'm not quite sure what falls under this category when looking at art fairs.  I make Shaker boxes which have been around for 250 years.  However, rather than doing the traditional box, most of my work includes tops made of exotic/contrasting woods to give the piece a more modern look.  I've also added a few pieces of my own design that follow the Shaker style but were never made by the Shakers.  The pieces are decorative as well as functional.  I'm just wondering if I should take heart when I read that contemporary crafts sold well at a show or should I be placing myself in the flea-market group.

The price range of my work is between around $40. up to $200. and, considering the time and effort I spend on them, I would hate to think I'm in the flea-market category.  I've done well at places like the Bayou Festival in Houston, Ann Arbor and a few others.  And, I'm bombed at a few like Central PA.  So, I'm just trying to get a better handle on where I should be concentrating my efforts.  I much prefer the fine arts events for several reasons and I know a couple of people who do what I do and they seem to do very well at these events.

In putting together a schedule for 2013, I could use some suggestions on some shows that you folks might recommend for what I'm doing.  I never expect my work to be the best-selling item in a show but, if I can make expenses and put a little in the bank, I'll be happy.  And, I don't mind traveling longer distances for a show that has a decent chance of being profitable.  I'm wondering if the area of the country has much to do with it.  So far I've concentrated my efforts on the Midwest and the South.

I hope all this makes some sense and I look forward to hearing from some of your on the subject.  They say that talking to other artists is one of the best ways to seek guidance on shows and this is one way I thought I would try.

Thanks for any, and all, input.