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I think as creative people, most of us artists like to be in charge of our businesses because we know how we want things done.  I've heard many a couple packing up at the end of an art show, bickering about how things should be put away for next time.  The non-artist helping partner doesn't think it is a big deal, and the artist feels strongly about making sure it's done right and the helper is doing it wrong.

I get it.  Five years ago, my mother retired and offered to help me with my business.  After a couple years, I discovered that having my mom be part of my business was a bad, bad idea.  I gently redirected her into just keeping me company.  Even so, she's at my house up to three or four days a week for most of the day.  I wrote a blog about her and we had a great talk today which ended up with her coming over only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

http://www.pencilenvy.blogspot.com/2012/07/ed-mcmahon-and-golden-corral.html

So if you're having a problem with a family member, write a blog about it!  Or you could just have a talk without the blog, but I prefer to do things the difficult way.

Hope you're keeping cool... it was 105 in the Chicago area yesterday!

My second year for this show, I’m glad I went although sales were down.  Emily Kanine works her butt off to accommodate the artists and has an easy-going, common sense approach to any glitches that may come up. 

Sales were half what they were last year for me, but I was still ahead at the end.  Several other painters I talked to reported the same thing.  I think lower price points did better, but I talked to a few of those artists too, and everyone reported a slower than expected crowd and lower sales.  Some speculated that it may have had to do with the 4^th falling mid-week and the show being prior to the fourth instead of the weekend after.  Also, it was very, very hot and I heard lots of folks say they were heading to the lake.  My average sale is $500, and I had several.  Another painter friend of mine sold a 5K piece, so there were some higher priced successes.

This fair does have some buy/sell and some trinkety stuff and I talked to next year’s promoters about it.   I hope other artists talk to them about it as well and that they address it. It really is a nice show, but they could eliminate some of the buy/sell and be a little smaller.  Too many iron-on decal tee-shirts and jewelry from where-ever pretty, shiny, mass-produced jewelry comes from. 

This is a two day show in a lovely park, and set up can begin on Friday.   Load in and out is easy; there is a dollying involved, but not great distance.  There are parking spaces available before and after the show that are not far from all the booth spots if everyone is patient.  Double parking on the side streets is possible too, so everyone gets in and out without much trouble.     

We artists can be our own worst enemies... I was surprised to see so many artists that park their vehicles right outside their booths during the whole fair, instead of leaving that space for the customers.  Seems like a no-brainer to me.  Parking is an issue in Ludington and we were asked to park in a couple of other areas farther away, so the customers could park closer to the fair.  How many potential customers drove around looking for a space and left, because they couldn’t find a spot close enough to wheel Aunt Millie and her oxygen bottle in?  Duh...

They keep all the food vendors in one area and the music in my opinion was appropriate and not too loud.  I was not too close to the stage though, so I don’t know how it was for artists that set up closer.  

With our Keurig coffee maker, our Starbucks K-cups, and a couple of rolls of Northern Quilted, we checked in to The Nova Motel, which should have been named, the No-Sleep, or the  No- way, Are You Gonna Believe How Much Your Body Will Ache After Lying On Our Mattress All Night, Motel.  Honestly, I need to figure out how to get a good night’s sleep at these budget motels.  Isn’t there some sort of travel temperpedic mattress or something?  My husband tells me I should just google “portable mattresses for narcissists”.  He’s not called my Administrator of Strategic Solutions for nothing.

Most likely I’ll do this show again, especially if they address the bs. 

This is the second year that I have done the Brainerd, MN Art show.  The setting is nice and set-up is easy and enjoyable.  That seemed to be where it ends, though.  This show is not for artists anymore.  If you do buy/sell, crafts, and crap, you will do well here. 

The attendance was down from last year.  Last year the show was on a Saturday, which I think was much better.  This show was on Sunday, so many that attended were in their church best.  I found I was talking much less to people vs last year, and the crowd was mostly interested in those big bags of popcorn and corn dogs.  It must be like going to a movie, whereas people need something in their hand to mouth.

My sales were a flat ZERO.  Last year was completely opposite, as it was a very good show for me.  I spoke to many other artisans to get a read of the show, and I heard from one jeweler (that I recommended to this show) that she BOMBED!  Sorry.  Another artisan next to me that does wall hangings using wools (nice stuff at good prices) also mentioned that his sales were rather dismal, although he broke even.  I heard the same at most of the booths.  One photographer was also not happy, as he did zero dollars as well.

I did spend some time with a couple that makes wood items like turntables and napkin holders, and they said they were happy with the show.  Their items were nice, but again priced below $100.00.

I think my disappointment with the show is it seemed that it was just "there".  A lot of buy/sell was evident, including the people that do the letters thing, paintings from China, tie dye shirts from overseas, and a lot of crap.  There were also some good crafts and lower priced art, but it was pretty much the same. 

The judges in my mind didn't have a clue what art was, and judging on who won, their was personal reasons for their win.  Congratulations to them, but there were better artists representations there.  I spoke to one person that helped with deciding whether the product was buy/sell or not.  He didn't have a clue.  I saw a minimum of fifteen...that's fifteen vendors with overseas crap.  Being an importer from the past, it is easy to spot.  Obviously the judging crew doesn't have a clue, or they just let people in to fill space.

One other thing that I noticed at this show is that there are women artists that take your time trying to extract information so they can do it themselves.  These people detest me, as it has happened over and again.  To those cheap skates that haven't a creative clue of their own, I'm getting better at spotting them and telling them to get the h*ll out of the booth. 

Anyway, Brainerd, MN will never be on my show list again.  I hope other real artists get the clue.  I know that there are several others that will never show their again either...they will be replaced by another Chinese vendor.

October 5-7

Lee's Summit, Missouri
90+ artists
Deadline: July 18
Fri.: 3pm-9pm; Sat.: 10am-9pm
Sun.: 11am-5pm

Find your way to the event.

Summit Art's signature event is the annual Longview Art & World Music Festival. We collaborate with our partners, New Longview Foundation and Gale Communities. The event is presented by Saint Luke's East, Lee's Summit.

The event is held in the New Longview neighborhood-shopping district. This is a high quality fine art event which was awarded Missouri's Arts council most "Creative Community of 2010".

The event parking is free to the artists and the public. The event management, Summit Art, New Longview Foundation, with Gale Communities, plus regional media and businesses are providing an unprecedented level of support, including advertising, for this event. Recognized national, regional, and local artisans represent most art mediums.

Continued in our 4th year, electricity will be provided to each booth, enabling extended evenings until 9pm for patrons, and enhanced artist support services. The mix of fine art, non-amplified music, a food/beverage court lead by R.A. Long's and the New Longview Foundation will complement the atmosphere of the exciting weekend fine art festivities.

Beyond the extraordinary artist booths in the street, this event offers two pavilions. A "Summit Art" artist's pavilion, a Lee's Summit R-7 School District, grades 7-12 pavilion, Chalk Art, face painting, and historic hayride tours.

The New Longview area has become one of Kansas City's fastest growing neighborhood communities. This area originally was the Longview Farm, built by R.A. Long, which opened in 1914 and was hailed as, "the world's most beautiful farm" which has become a neighborhood shopping district, elementary school, civic building and public spaces. All this integrated with the preservation and restoration of many of the original historic Long View Farm buildings.

For more info: www.longviewartmusicfest.com
Apply at: www.zapplication.org
Email: info@longviewartmusicfest.com
Mailing Address: 18 SW 3rd St.
Lee's Summit, MO 64063

I  am curious about the Paragon Fine Art Fests.  Has anyone ever done any of the
Texas shows?  How about the Florida shows?  I am looking for feedback to decide if they are worth appling for.

Thanks,

Douglas Farrar

First off, where is Boston Mills?

First time I heard it mentioned it was by my buddy Jeff Jackson, a great glass artist who lived in Micanopy,Florida at the time.  It was 1986.  He would come back from the show with a solid $8-10K in his wallet.

So I got a Massachusetts map out and started looking around Boston for this place.  No such animal lived there.

So I wanted to apply one year and I asked Jeff, "Where the hell is Boston Mills?"

Down in the valley, dummy", he replied, "Just south of Cleveland at a ski resort."

So I applied in 1988, got in and made better $5K, I was elated.  I have done it more than 15 times since then and it was always a money-maker, but it has been sliding slowly downward last three years.

This year it hit rock bottom.  I didn't even do three thousand.  Others barely made expenses.  As always, there were a few happy campers.  I may need to give this show a break.

There were two big factors that hurt sales this year.  Horrible heat in the low 90's everyday.  And of course our wretched economy that is squeezing the middle class badly.  That coupled with less good shoes folks, who have the moola to buy, showing up led to dire consequences.

It is held at the Boston Mills Ski Resort at the bottom of the Cuyahoga Valley, south of Cleveland.

Two weekends, always before and after or during July4th.  I was doing the first weekend.  Some think the second weekend is better.  Guess what?  They are going to roast just like us.

It is well organized,advertised and staffed.  They are pros and do a great job.  Nobody has power over the weather.  It is always hot here, this year was one of the worst.

They charge a gate fee.  They have a wine preview nite for sales and alcohol before the main show dates.  You have a choice of being in large tents, with electricity (bring fans) or outside with no electricity.  I am always in the tent.

They are scrimping on things at the wine preview.  No good foods like shrimp, or crusted mushrooms and nice steak tidbits.  It was mostly cheese and fruits and cheap cuts of meat--not good.

Used to be the Ludwigs owned the resort and got all their high-flyng friends to attend.  Think Good Shoes people.  Now you have a large group that owns the resort and is not so hands on.  They don't do a good job of getting the Good Shoes there.  Too many were dressed like the Walmart Crowd.  Honestly, that is just my take on it after doing it for 15 plus times.

With the horrid heat and failing economy, the crowd was down.  Most sales were zip after  2pm.

Ironically, they sent us all a bulletin bragging how the attendance for wine preview was record-breaking.  They must be drinking too much of that stuff--because it was bull-----.

Setup and teardown is bearable.  Everybody gets out quick.  This used to be a great show, but it has seen better days.

That's all I am saying.

BTW, saw the Cardio doc today, we do an exploratory procedure this Monday, THEN I FIND OUT IF THE VALVE IS REPAIRABLE OR REPLACABLE.

ALOHA, NELS..

After a less than stellar tour of seven Florida shows in February and March last year, I'm considering a more abbreviated Florida tour in the fall this year. My only unqualified success last winter was Winter Park, which I will be delighted if I get into again. But, I'm also wondering about Fall Florida shows. I'm curious about two shows, especially: Dunedin on November 3-4 and DeLand on November 17-18. I did DeLand several years ago with limited success, but that was 8 or 9 years ago. I know its too much to ask, but, wouldn't it be great to find a "Winter Park-quality" show, with a good rep for sales and community support?

I'm also thinking Armand Circle in Sarasota on the 10th and 11th (the weekend between the two shows mentioned above). And, a related question to those who have done Armand Circle: Street or Park? Park is attractive because Friday setup is possible, while setup on the street is Saturday morning.   

Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Jefferson, Iowa.  Did you notice my absence?  We were vacationing.  And it was great.  Even the add on.  Now that part has you curious, right?  That "add on" bit?  But first we need to highlight a word from the title of this post.  Promotion.

Promotion - yes, you could erroneously assume that I am going to give you a sales pitch on some paintings today.

Promotion - yes, and you could also erroneously assume that my job status has been elevated.  That I am now CEO of karencooperpaintings.com.  Oh, wait, I already am.  (Heheheh.)

But what I really want to do here is tie "promotion" in with that "add on" bit.

On our way back from way up north, the map lead us through Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  Population:  more than Jefferson, but not 15,000 either.  We knew that Leinenkugel Brewing Company was in Chippewa Falls, and we thought, well, that 'd be something to do on our way through.  We were getting tired of driving, you know.  So we cruised around town, and accidentally found "Leinie Lodge", which turned out to be their "meet and greet the world" facility.  We walked up to their information desk to ask about tours.

Terry was the guy who greeted us.  Yes, they were getting ready to close for the day, in ten minutes, give or take a few.  But Terry was still hustling.  No lean on the counter and whine about the long day with this guy.

So, tours were done for the day, we had already pretty much assumed they would be.  We were planning on staying in town for the night, we just wanted to check time schedule for tours the next day.  Terry let us know that tour reservations were a really good idea, their time slots were already getting full.  He added our name to an open spot.  And could have left it at that, right?

But he continued.  What else do you need to know about Chippewa Falls?  We've got great places to stay, all kinds of restaurants, a stellar park.  Terry filled us in on all the local places.  And yes, he did mention the chain hotels and restaurants out on the interstate.  But he definitely highlighted the locals.  He pointed us toward an old-school style inn, just up the road from Leinie Lodge. called the Glen Loch Inn.  Probably a 50's era place, but almost impossibly meticulously well cared for.  Continental breakfast was simple but served on white table cloths.  The inn keeper was just absolutely gracious and friendly.  Does her own gardening, and it's as meticulous as everything else on the property.  The patio was perfect for the continental breakfast.

But Terry the tour guy also noted our bicycles strapped to the back of the Jetta, and mentioned if we enjoyed riding, that Chippewa Falls has a great park, with trails.  300 plus acres in the middle of town, beautiful trails, a band stand, a waterfall, even a small zoo.  We enjoyed.

And Terry also pointed us toward a great local restaurant on the lake at the edge of town, called (of course) The Edge.  Perfect.

So where's this all going you ask?  Promotion.  Terry's job was to promote Leninkugel.  And he did that very well, as a Leinenkugel host.  But he also promoted his peers, his neighbors, his fellow Chippewa Falls-ians.  Terry seemed to know that every bit of promotion he did for his neighbors, was going to come back around and be good for Leinenkugel.

Not all of us in the art world, especially the summer art fair world, understand that concept.  I see artists being protective, even secretive, about information that would benefit their peers.  It's not hard to find an artist based forum on the net, where artists are talking about who's copying who.  And "that was mine, and they copied it!"

Here's the thought to ponder:  everyone does better when the community is well.  Helping your neighbor is just another way of helping yourself.

So we're already planning an autumn trip back to Chippewa Falls...

Later, Cooper

I'm a promoter in the Chicago area, Debbie@D & W Events.  I'd like to educate both myself and upcoming jurists/judges so we can all be on the same page.

We have another jury coming up for our inaugural ARTumn Harvest at Deer Park Town Center, September 15 & 16, and I'd love to hear from anyone who has hints, tricks and information about buy/sell artists.  There are obvious buy/sells, like earrings in palm tree shapes that say "Made in China" and massive quantities of embroidery selling for $45/piece.  

What about the subtleties?

How about inlaid wood that the artist designs but has a small shop that builds product?  He supervises and it's original designed work.  Two pieces would never be the same due to nuances in the wood, cutting etc.

Where can we draw the line?

Any and all help/comments are appreciated as this will only improve the quality of an over saturated Chicago market.

Thanks!

Debbie

dwevents@comcast.net

I am director of a 7 artist show in Ann Arbor during the art fairs. It is located at E. William and Maynard, at the base of Tower Plaza,The Harmony Hollow/Tower Plaza art fair.Smack dab in the middle of the whole giant art fair and geographically in the center of the State Street Area art fair,with their fair going in all four directions from our corner.On private property,adjacent to the sidewalk,with shade,electricity,and security. On the safe side of Tower Plaza,not where all the booths have blown down in past years. I have been doing art fairs as an artist since 1979, and directing this one for 15 years. 2 spaces available for this year, 1 at $600 and 1 at $400, Call Bradley Cross for more information, 734-645-8969

I know many of you will be traveling all over the place this summer to shows.  I thought this piece of info may help some of you travelers. 

The bridge crossing over to Louisville, KY is being worked on right now.  Everyone had to funnel into two lanes to cross the bridge from Indiana into Kentucky.  We crossed it on a Sunday and had a good half hour delay.  I just thought some of you might like to know about this little piece of info.

I bet the delay will be much longer during the week and especially during rush hour.  I will be crossing back over the bridge on Friday.  I will let you know what it looks like during the week. 

On Sunday, the crossing didn't look as congested if you were traveling in the direction from Louisville to Indiana.

I hope this helps.

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This is a newbie question... could someone tell me what type of pen is used for signing/numbering canvas prints.  I've seen Windburg use some type of a red pen that looked like a felt tip but that would smear if it gets wet.  Is there such a thing as an oil based pen?  Any help would be appreciated.

Jim

July 5, 9 am ET, please join us as we discuss they perils of buy/sell to the art fair business with solid information and support for art fair organizers to help them greatly reduce the incidence of this occurring at the shows. Guests will be Carroll Swayze, an artist who has spent over two years researching the issue and putting together a paper documenting the problem with many useful leads and Carolyn Edlund, executive director of the Arts Business Institute, blogger at ArtsyShark.com, a jeweler who ran a production studio for 20 years and who has been "in the trenches" at large wholesale shows will share her experiences.

We're gathering additional data that will be presented also. If you know someone who can speak authoritatively on the topic please have them contact me: info@artfaircalendar.com.

This show will deal only with buy/sell issues. A second show is in the works dealing with dealers and reps of small businesses, drawing the line (or not) on production studios and partners splitting shows.

We welcome your input in the comments below.

I know that I am not speaking for every patron but I noticed some interesting things happening last weekend at the two art festivals I went to.

There you are, beating yourselves up trying to make wonderful pieces of art that talentless people like me will want to buy.  Well, I am pretty sure that at this point, there is no real formula for success, it is a crapshoot so make what you love, display it as nicely as possible and bear with us civilians while we wander through an art festival, hoping to find that special something that we can't live without. 

My cousin cannot wear rings very easily, they bother her fingers.  But, somehow, this weekend, she ended up buying three very thin stack rings.  She had no intention of buying rings at the festival.  These very cool rings were laid out on a table in front of the jeweler's booth, easy for anyone to try on.  Maybe that is what did it, easy accessibility.  This delightful man also showed her a thin twisted silver cuff.  My cousin wears link bracelets, others get in the way.  Well the bracelet fit perfectly and the jeweler made her an offer she couldn't refuse.  So maybe it was price that got her to buy all these things that she normally doesn't wear.  

We were walking past an oil painter's booth.  I am totally color driven when buying most art.   I saw this abstract, saw the price and decided to buy it in about 35 seconds.  The price was right for me and it was already framed so all I had to do was hang it when I got it home.  (the fact that I have about 8 unhung pieces is irrelevant).  While talking to the artist, it turns out that he is from  Florida.  Asked him if he has shown in south Florida and he is pretty much a fixture at all three Las Olas festivals.  Basically, this means that I have walked past his booth atleast 10 times in the past 10 years but never noticed him before.  This was a case of his placing the right picture in the right place for me to notice it.

Clear as mud isn't it!

I am  a fan of Layl Dill, an AFI member and polymer clay artist extraordinaire.  What she is able to do with this clay is amazing.  She goes way beyond making the canes and then using them for jewelry.  Check out her website: http://www.claysquared.com/index.php/layls-silly-milly-art   and see for yourself.  

I bought a light switch plate for a  bathroom with a sealife theme.  I took the plate out of the box and went to install it.  I noticed the white screws stood out a little and thought about painting them.  As I was throwing out the box, I noticed a little plastic bag with screws that matched the light plate.  She had thoughtfully  included them to 'finish' off the piece. 

A couple of years ago I bought a bracelet made of amazing beads.  I fell in love with the colors and had to have it.  As I tried it on, I noticed a little silver tassel hanging from the end of the clasp.  A nice touch that isn't normally found on commercial bracelets.  

I have a 3d piece and the figure is on the lid to a small box that makes up the base.  An added touch that helped sell me the piece.

These are the things that customers notice when they are buying your work.  We like buying things that aren't found at Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel  etc.  

Whether it is a new type of wire for an earring, an extra design on that ceramic piece or something special added to that watercolor, these thing are noticed and appreciated.  

Look what I woke up to this AM, a new Atlanta art show on my front lawn!

Hi Friends,

Can anyone recommend a decent/good Florida show I can do in December? Unless something unforeseen happens, I'll be doing a show in November and since I'll be traveling from Tennessee,  I'd like to add one or more shows to help make the gas spent more profitable. Last year, I did Market Days in Tallahasse, and it had a lot of buy/sells. It was great for some, but not great for me.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Subject, hotels. A couple of things have come up and I wanted to share them with the group. David Haun posted on apps he uses which prompted this posting. Recently I went into a Days Inn, or something of that class hotel. The person in front of me on line walked up and was cited a rate. I walked in with my Hotels.com booking and his rate was actually lower than mine. I was perplexed. The counter person said they often have a rate cheaper than hotel.com since they make a bit more on the room? Next, we walked into a similar hotel at midnight in West Virginia. I paid a $100 per night rate, higher than I was anticipating. When I checked the bargain Priceline last minute discount app and the hotels.com app. both offers were well $20 above what I paid?

I use hotels.com because you can shop hotels and still get credits toward any hotel room. I have friends on the circuit who use La Quinta for example and build up points toward stays at a particular hotel.

Comments???????