Blog

Yikes!

I just remembered I never did a blog on this show that happened last July.

So here goes.

This Show is always held around the Fourth of July.

Last year it was the weekend after, this year it will be the weekend before.

This is a two day show held at a lakeside park in SoutHaven.

It is a small show due to the size of the park and that is a good thing, otherwise not many exhibitors would make a lot of moola.

Setup is the day before, very mellow. Or you can do the setup the day of the show. That can be a little frenetic.

Overall, this is a very mellow show to do.  You are dealing with a beach crowd, most of them hail from Chicago.  So you never know who is in for the weekend. Some are high-rollers and most are your average Joe.

That said, sales can be hit or miss here. For me, if I get $1500-$2000 from it , I am doing good.  I can sleep in my own bed because this is only thirty minutes from our summer home, Saugatuck.

Crafters usually do better at this show then fine artists. The crowd is not looking for serious art.  Also, they buy very conservative here.  The tried and true always reign.

The wonderful two women who run this show are very artist friendly.  They will listen to complaints and suggestions, how rare in our exceedingly corporate-Run art show biz these days.

I highly recommend trying this show if you are nearby in this area or if you are doing a run of shows all near this area.

For example, you have Grandhaven the weekend before, you have Krasl (St. Joseph) the weekend after, and Ann Arbor a week later.

Plus, SouthHaven has some very cool bars and restaurants and their beach is fabulous. Also the booth fee is very reasonable.

You gotta love Michigan, especially it’s coastline, in the summer.

Being accepted at Florida's two biggest shows can be the highlight of an artist's winter brining in income for the current time AND if you win a prize that can mean $$$ and a highly desirable invitation to next winter's festival. Who were the winners?

COCONUT GROVE ARTS FESTIVAL
Feb. 16-18, 2019

Best of the Best Award: $5,000
Purchase Award: $1,000
Director’s Choice: $1,000
Best Booth: $500

1, 2, & 3 in each category: 1^st - $1,500; 2^nd - $1,000; 3^rd - $500

Total prize money this year: $46,500

sculpture by K. Willcox & K. Nordausen

Best of the Best - Kimberly Willcox & Kevin Nordhausen, 3D Mixed Media
Best Booth - Carlos Montanaro, Jewelry & Metalwork
Myrna & Sheldon Palley-Award of Excellence in Glass - Wesley N. Rasko
Director's Choice Award - Ummarid Eitharong, Painting 

Jana Epstein, 2D Mixed Media 1st Place
Daniel Lai 2D, Mixed Media 2nd Place
Joseph Bradley, 2D Mixed Media 3rd Place

Dakota Pratt, 3D Mixed Media 1st Place
Stephen Palmer, 3D Mixed Media 2nd Place
David Burton, 3D Mixed Media 3rd Place

Glenn Woods & Keith Herbrand, Claywork 1st Place
Marvin Blackmore, Claywork 2nd Place
William Kidd, Claywork 3rd Place

Pottery by Marvin Blackmore

Lissa Hatcher, Digital Art 1st Place
Tanya Doskova, Digital Art 2nd Place
Ed Myers, Digital Art 3rd Place

Bounkhong Signavong, Fiber 1st Place
Amy Gillespie, Fiber 2nd Place
Robert Stadnycki, Fiber 3rd Place

Richard Ryan, Glass 1st Place
Scott Gamble, Glass 2nd Place
Kit Karbler, Glass 3rd Place

Kristin Holeman, Jewelry & Metalwork 1st Place
Kate Rothra Fleming, Jewelry & Metalwork 2nd Place
Adrienne Gaskell, Jewelry & Metalwork 3rd Place

Ken Orton, Painting 1st Place
Marc Anderson, Painting 2nd Place
Rey D'Alfonso, Painting 3rd Place

Painting by Marc Anderson

Lisa Kristine, Photography 1st Place
Don Donelson, Photography 2nd Place
Doug Cavanah, Photography 3rd Place

Richard D. Wilson Jr., Printmaking & Drawing 1st Place
Abdiel Acosta, Printmaking & Drawing 2nd Place
Jacqueline Roch, Printmaking & Drawing 3rd Place

Lewis H. Tardy, Sculpture 1st Place
Gary Traczyk, Sculpture 2nd Place
Nnamdi Okonko, Sculpture 3rd Place

Carmen Lagos, Watercolor 1st Place
Witha Lacuesta, Watercolor 2nd Place
Blanca Palian, Watercolor 3rd Place

Ray Jones, Wood 1st Place
Derrick Crossland & Danielle Long, Wood 2nd Place
Steve Uren Wood, 3rd Place

wood boxes by Ray Jones

Alex & Christi Lamier, Digital Art Honorable Mention
Michael Braun, Digital Art Honorable Mention
Darren Olson, Photography Honorable Mention
Leslie Peebles, Printmaking & Drawing Honorable Mention

Lawrence Packard, Printmaking & Drawing Honorable Mention
Copper Tritscheller, Sculpture Honorable Mention
Tyler Stinson, Sculpture Honorable Mention
Greg Stones, Watercolor Honorable Mention

The 60th WINTER PARK SIDEWALK ART FESTIVAL
March 15, 16, 17, 2019

• BEST OF SHOW ($12,000 Purchase Award) Helen Gotlib, Dexter, MI - Printmaking
• EDYTH BUSH CHARITABLE FOUNDATION ART OF PHILANTHROPY AWARD ($5,000 Purchase Award) Amy Lennard Gmelin, New Port Richey, FL - Sculpture
• MORSE MUSEUM AWARD FOR A DISTINGUISHED WORK OF ART($2500) Marina Terauds, North Branch, MI - Printmaking
  

Helen Gotlib - Printmaking

10 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE ($2000)
Ummarid Eitharong, Orlando, FL - Painting
John Herbon, Saint Ignace, MI - Clay
Richard Judd, Belleville, WI - Wood
Ronna Katz, Albuquerque, NM - Printmaking
Claudia Melchiorre, Cape Canaveral, FL - Jewelry

Woody Patterson, Birmingham, AL - Mixed Media - 2D
Cameron Ritcher, Richmond, VA - Mixed Media - 2D
Suzy Scarborough, Columbia, SC Mixed Media - 2D
Robinson Scott, Anoka, MN - Glass
Ken Tutjamnong, Philadelphia, PA - Painting

Kathrine Allen-Coleman - Printmaking

20 AWARDS OF DISTINCTION ($1000)
Kathrine Allen-Coleman, Jackson, GA - Printmaking
Gaston Carrio Houston, TX Mixed Media - 2D
Matthew Cornell, Orlando, FL - Painting
Mark Gardner, Saluda, NC - Wood
Stacia Hollmann, Deland, FL - Mixed Media - 2D

Aletha Jones, Madison, WI -Watercolor
Brenna Klassen-Glanzer, Minneapolis, MN - Jewelry
Birgit Kupke-Peyla, Salinas, CA -Jewelry
Rick Loudermilk, Austin, TX - Mixed Media - 2D
Amanda Outcalt, Norfolk, VA - Printmaking

Shirl & Jim Parmentier Mars Hill, NC Clay
Dennis Peterson St. Marys, OH - Wood
Luke Proctor, Mt. Horeb, WI - Metal
Melissa Schmidt, St Louis, MO - Jewelry
Bounkhong Signavong, Secaucus, NJ - Fiber

Cheryl Mackey Smith, Fairview, NC - Clay
Andrew Sovjani, Conway, MA - Photography
Mark Sudduth, Cleveland Hts., OH - Glass
Thomas Wargin, Menomonee Falls, WI - Sculpture
James Whipple, Winter Park, FL - Mixed Media - 2D 162

Raku pottery by Barry Bernstein

30 AWARDS OF MERIT LIST ($500)
Jennifer Ardolino, Homosassa, FL - Watercolor
Bert Beirne, Flowery Branch, GA - Painting
Barry Bernstein, Marquette, MI - Clay
Elizabeth Borowsky, Andrews, SC - Clay
Michael Bryant, Atlanta, GA - Photography

Lisa Burge, Taos, NM - Painting
Roxane Chardon, Hollis, NH - Drawings and Pastels
Sarah Collier, Wilmington, NC - Mixed Media - 2D
John Costin, Tampa, FL - Printmaking
Rey D'Alfonso, Greenville, SC - Painting

Leslie Emery, Sun Prairie, WI - Mixed Media - 2D
Robert Farrell, Venice, FL - Metal
Brendan Fuller, Redmond, WA - Clay
Michael Hayes Spruce Pine, NC - Glass
Charles Hazelaar, Cape Canaveral, FL - Sculpture

Aaron Hequembourg, Monticello, GA - Mixed Media - 2D
William Kidd, Lakeland, FL - Clay
Robin Kittleson, Geneva, IL - Glass
Heather Laurie, Denver, CO - Fiber
Phillip Michaels, Miami, FL - Painting

Mixed Media - AB Word & Barry Bryant

Mike Nemnich, Indialantic, FL - Printmaking
J Nielsen, Minneapolis, MN - Jewelry
Kyle Osvog, Jackson, GA - Clay
Sean Parrish, Dunedin, FL - Painting
Corey Pemberton, Spruce Pine, NC - Mixed Media - 2D

Dahlia Popovits, Boston, MA - Fiber
Steve Rogers, Ormond Beach, FL - Watercolor
Kristin Schillaci, Santa Fe, NM - Photography
Radim Schreiber, Fairfield, IA - Photography
AB Word and B L Bryant, Kirby, WY - Mixed Media

What about you? Did you win any awards? Do you have any comments on these awards?

Every year Marcia and I head south for February and March to do art fairs in Florida. Lets face it, there are not very many opportunities to make money in the frozen north during the winter. Is it worth the trip? For me, it is worth it. In fact, the trip has become essential for us financially. We would have a lot of unpaid bills in the winter without the Florida art fairs. How did it go this winter? Results are mixed, but we were able to pay the bills, and we are coming home with some money in the bank account.

I'm a digital artist. I sell prints on paper and canvas. My price point is $45 for small unframed prints up to $695 for large prints on canvas. I work on environmental themes with images that use surrealistic imagery and humor. Our best show was at Jupiter ArtiGras where we grossed $8600 and won an award. Our worse show was March Bonita Springs where we made $2700. We grossed a total of just over @28K for the tour and averaged around $4700 for the six shows we did. We scheduled the shows back to back, and did six in a row, every weekend so the schedule was a little strenuous. 

Last year our average was over $5000 per show and the year before we averaged $6K, so, it seems that the shows are becoming less profitable for us. But, we were in better shows in past years. This year I applied to many of the shows with new, unproven images and was rejected from a couple of good ones, Gasparilla and Winter Park. We also got snowed in during the Polar Vortex in Michigan and we missed doing ArtFest Ft Myers on the first weekend of February, a traditionally good show for us. I think if we were able to do Ft Myers, our average per show would have matched the 5K we did last year.

The weather for all the shows this year was spectacular. Sometimes a little hot, but no rain, no windstorms.

My wife, Marcia is an important member of our two person art fair team. She keeps me calm and she is an excellent navigator, helping me find the sign-in booths and the artist parking lots. We have a rather complex setup that takes 4-5 hours, and she is extremely helpful in setup and take down. She is also a good sales person and (usually) has a smile on her face. Having said that, she would rather be somewhere else. These art fairs are a lot of work, and I agree that a little pampering between shows helps to keep her involved. So, we don't try to save money on accommodations or restaurants, She deserves it. This year we rented a house in Ft Myers Beach with a close friend who we have been traveling with for years, splitting the outrageous cost. From this base we were able to commute to two shows in Bonita Springs, Naples National and a show on Sanibel Island. So, we paid lots for the house for our two months, but saved on hotels at these four shows. We did cross to the Atlantic side for Jupiter and Vero Beach, so we had to pay additional lodging for those two shows.

I don't know whether it is significant, but the four shows we did on the Gulf side were well below average in revenue, while the two shows we did on the Atlantic side were well above average in revenue. The shows we did on the Gulf side were heavily attended by retired people while the shows on the Atlantic had a lower percentage of retirees.

Will we do a Florida tour next year? Yes. We already booked the same house in Ft Myers Beach for February and March. But next year we can (hopefully) get into Gasparilla and Winter Park. And next year we will try to plan the schedule so we don't have six shows in a row, every weekend.  

Juno was this past weekend and it is a Howard Alan Show.

The Show location is an artist’s dream. Booths are on a narrow two lane strip of Highway A1A right along the Atlantic Ocean.

Booths on the east side of the road are setup on grass with luscious trees and vegetation that are a barrier to the beach and the ocean which is about 30 yards away from booths.

 Booths on the west side are setup on the road with a sloping terrain behind which is surrounded by trees and vegetation.

The Show is held in a Loggerhead turtle preserve park.

So imagine about 225 booths lining the road with immense crowds walking down the middle.

This Show is a major money-maker for many artists.

I saw a constant flow of large panoramic pieces go by me each day.  Some were photos and many were paintings. Many were in the four to six foot range.

Juno is right by Jupiter so you get a large migration from the northeast here. I call it a New York State of mind.

They are well dressed and many bring their dogs, in baby carriages.  Some actually stop and go into the booths and look at the art.

A lot of them give you about a three second stare at the work— and then they spin away. It is hard to get them to actually look at the work in the bins.

This is mostly a decorator art market.  They want splashy Florida colors but don’t want anything really serious.  If it matches the couch they are in there.

Florida Dreck sells best here.  They like the surf washing up on the beach.  They love their lighthouse scenes and basic images of flowers do ok.  

Original, out of the heart art dies here.  It simply not what they want.  Keep it light and let me have leftover money for a $12 martini with that good cigar.

I finally met Howard and Debbie Alan.

We both we’re impressed by meeting each other.  Now we can scratch that one off the bucket list.  On to Thahiti.

They are a charismatic couple.  And they support their artists and that is why he has such a loyal following of artists that do his shows.

Because of the location on a narrow strip of road, things must be micro-managed in a professional way.

I give them an A-plus in doing that.

We got to set up in daylight on Friday.  It was a mellow affair. This is only my fourth HAE Show I have ever done. I do not like setting up at 5am in the morn—it is against my religion.

Sunday teardown is precarious, but efficient.

They give you two options.  You can dolly out shortly after the show closing at five. For many, it is a long dolly to the van.  The lots are not right behind the booths except at some places of the south end.  The north dolly is long.  You better be in great shape.

The second option is this.

Tear down the booth.  Get everything on the ground.  Then take a picture of it on your phone.  Show it to a show official, then go get your van and get in line.  Then you will usually be at your spot within the hour or less.  I waited 30 minutes. I got to my spit at 6:45 and was out of there by 7:15 not bad for a 74 year old geezer.

That said, it was not a good show for me. Cannot blame Howard, he did his job.

The crowd that comes does not respond in kind like what I get on the Florida west coast or Texas or the Midwest.

It is a New York State of mind and they do not like me enough.

I have body of humor which usually always sells and brings me lots of buckos—not here.

They are humorless.  They smile and laugh at it, then they move on.

My Florida landscape and seascape work did not win them over.

I barely sold $1500, that does not cut the mustard.

But, that is just me.  The rest of you, especially newbies need to give the show a try.

I mean early March, by the ocean in Florida, with big crowds, it is an artist’s dream.

Aloha, Nels.

I have three killer shows coming up.  I am making about 500 pieces of art to sell at these three—one of them is Main Street Fort Worth.

Stay tuned for future blogs.

Nobody out there, and that includes ArtFair Reviews, gives you the real skinny like I do.

PS.  Howard was not sure it was really me, the real Nels.  He was thinking of me giving him a blood test.  I told him to go see my adopted son, Steve Vaughn, and he would verify me.

Jeez! I hope that works.

Have you been to any art fairs lately and asked yourself, "what am I doing here?" Have you spent four days including travel time and you've barely broken even? You know I'm talking about art fair alternatives and learning to use online tools to show, share, sell your fine art and craft. 

What if instead of going to that marginal event you put as much time and energy into creating an online fanbase? How about Facebook with all its free tools? Heck, you're going to be home anyway, instead of searching for an iffy show to keep the cash coming in, you sit down at your computer. You've already got your lodging and probably plenty of food nearby. 

Our recent podcast addressed step-by-step how to build your business online with free Facebook tools plus how to use Facebook to bring people to your next art fair. This was probably the most informative podcast we've done. Our guest Dave Emmons is a good teacher. 

Learn more at these links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hangingwatergardens; Strategies about Facebook marketing: https://www.daveemmons.com/p/artist-marketing-formula/  

Were you listening? What did you learn?

September 6, 7 & 8
50th Annual A Fair in the Park
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
110 Artists
Deadline: March 16

Booth Fee:  $395,  Corner $445

We are excited to celebrate 50 years, this season, with additional celebratory activities. This event is held in the affluent city neighborhood of Shadyside, in a lovely park beside the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

The Fair is free to the public and draws strong community support. Outstanding live music, artist demonstrations, children's activities, plus a variety of food choices are featured throughout the weekend. Make A Fair in the Park part of your 2019 show schedule. 

A Fair in the Park is held in the lush surroundings of Pittsburgh's Mellon Park. An estimated 20,000 dedicated visitors enjoy the opportunity to interact with over 100 regional and national artists working in a variety of mediums including clay, fiber, wood, jewelry, glass, metal, mixed media, and two-dimensional art.

What to expect:

• Rated one of Sunshine Artist's Top 100 Art Shows
• Drive-up loading and unloading (weather permitting) 
• Amenities: free parking, security, booth sitting and more
• Four awards for Best of Show Artist, Artistry/Creativity, Craftsmanship, and Originality  
• Saturday Night Artists' Party with complimentary drinks/food and awards presentation