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Turtle Creek Arts Festival in Dallas Texas is the second weekend of November.  This was the inaugural show.  The show takes place in Reverchon Park next to Katy trail.  Turtle Creek is a very high end area of Dallas, in the middle of the city.  Many artists won’t do a first year show but I have had success with new shows when they are in the right area.  Downtown shows, especially in high-end neighborhoods,  are the exact market for our work.  So we decided to go for it even though that meant driving all the way from Atlanta.  It didn’t hurt that a single booth was only $225.  The show is run by FFPS based out of Atlanta.  Some of our top shows are put on by FFPS and we like working with the team so this was another big factor on why we decided to go. 

Set up was on Friday with about 100-125 artists.  This is a park show with one road.  Everyone had to dolly.  Some dollys were easy and close and some were a bit of a hike.  I have seen worse but be prepared.  When you arrived you checked in and then parked on one side of the road to unload.  After you unloaded you went and parked your car near by then went back to set up.  Set up went very smoothly and even though the road in and out was tight there was never a problem.   Every booth had lots of space especially in the back.  The booths were along a path and completed a circle so all booths were visited.   There was a kids area in the middle of the show next to the playground.  It didn’t interfere with the show.  There were about 4 food trucks and music that were placed appropriately, close to the show but didn’t interfere with the art.  

The show was Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 11-5.  The weather was great on Saturday.  Lots of sales going out, big sales, right away.  We did 10x booth by 11 am on Saturday.  I heard many artists asking the director if they could have the same booth spots next show before noon.   The crowds were good, not packed but good for a first year show and we had interested and knowledgeable people in our booth the entire day.  The patrons were not sure what to expect since it was the first year and they were all very excited to see real art.  There were a lot of great artists and overall I was impressed.  

Sunday morning we made our deliveries from the day before and went to open up the booth.  It was a rainy day, nothing heavy, mainly a mist for most of the day until around 3 pm I think.  The crowds were not as strong on Sunday.   Rainy days often bring out the real buyers and I saw a lot of art walking out.  Luckily the rain ended early enough that the tent was dry and we wouldn’t be breaking down in the rain. 

Breakdown started right at 5pm.  The deal was you had to breakdown, dolly your stuff to the curb, get a pass then get your vehicle.  I was worried about breakdown and getting everyone in and out but it went so smoothly since the show enforced the rules.  A couple artists tried sneaking in spouses vehicles ahead of time but the staff was strict and made them move.   

I really enjoyed this show and will definitely  return if accepted.  There are always challenges with a new show.  This show will need to work on parking options.  On Saturday the artists were told to park on the streets of the neighborhood so they could save the parking in the park for patrons.  It was easy to find street parking in the morning but got harder later in the day.  The show got a parking lot at the hospital next to the park on Sunday for the artists.  This helped everyone.  I know next time it will get even better.  Hotels  downtown can be expensive but there were a ton of very affordable air bnbs.   If you are a foodie you will love this part of Dallas, we celebrated at Trulucks,  one of the best meals I have had in a long time.   Can’t wait to come back.  

Call for artists: Residency program in Budapest, Hungary in 2018
We are pleased to announce Open Call for Artists: Hungarian Multicultural Center residency program in Budapest, Hungary.

Subject: “Environmental Project”& ‘BookArt”

Deadline: December 20, 2017

Session 1: Tuesday, May 15 - Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Session 2: Tuesday, June 12 - Tuesday, July 3, 2018
Session 3: Tuesday, July 10 - Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Session 4: Tuesday, August 7 - Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Session 5: Wednesday, December 26 - Friday, January 11, 2019

HMC International Artist Residency Program, a not-for-profit arts organization based in Dallas, TX / Budapest, Hungary - provides national and international artists to produce new work while engaging with the arts community in Budapest, Hungary. 

For more info and application form write to: Beata Szechy
bszechy@yahoo.com
http://www.hungarian-multicultural-center.com/id105.html

Just a review of my feelings and comments.

This had been a year with so many up and down. The consisting topic for sales this year is there is no reason why things goes well or bad. The consisting act it was playing catch up with the bills. I personally believe, that this is the first year where I feel I pick up good shows with potential and no regret of the outcome from any of my choices. This is the first year that make certain that I was over prepare for each show. There was no reason to doubt myself if the show went south on me.

I remove myself from Facebook groups and did not review any show because I wanted to see where I was standing at the end of the year and to not see too much negativity. It seems to be a very hard year to many of my friends that started about the same time as me and do not have deep pockets to cover bad shows. It was important to me see other people struggle same as me but even more important see friends with the same problems and learn from them how to keep going.

Let me share what I finally understand but there is no guarantee this may work next year.
Figure out my budget per month and including a savings account. That budget should be the goal set for each show. I need to be part between 24 to 30 shows that have the potential for being good for me. I can aim to the stars but need to be realistic where I am as an art show artist. At slow shows look around at the display of other artists and see that will work for me. This year because I took an advice from friend to print big I realized that my standard tent is to small to display my work properly. Those that means that affect my sales I do not know but want to see my work as I will see at a house. What does that mean for me is to rise the wall 22 inches and eliminate the center wall. I understand that presentation is what you stand out from the rest. I am adjusting my pricing of my items because I need market what I believe is the proper price and have confidence that they will move at that price point because I am as good as the next photographer in next booth we just have different vision in our work. Until this day I had not seen any art show artist doing work that has not been done in the past and is like any other skill job we have some skills better than others but nobody is light years ahead of anyone. Anyone that believe that is just arrogant artist and good for them.

When you apply to show just not apply for applying. Black and white photography specially the one still done in the darkroom it consider to be better. Using film is consider to be better photography. Advance manipulate photography is consider better art. Photography is not consider real fine art. Those are the assumption going in. Jury process is the first step in our industry. Know what shows use this assumptions are shows that wont apply. Yes they tell us that we get different jurors each year but guide line for the shows are the same. The art shows are no different that a gallery. They have an idea what they want at the show. That process I may be not apply to certain shows any more: La Plaza, Winter Park and St Louis Art Fair. This is a honest observation of my work vs what I understand about the show. Still to this moment I am upset with friend that I told this and consider my point that is stupid and childless. This shows had produce a lot of income to people that get in but the key is to get in which it brings back to my observation. I believe that all show started in some place and those shows can become very good for me because I will put the work and effort. At the shows that you are in keep a positive perspective and know that hardest thing is deal with the fact that may not have enough to cover bills if the show does not produce. Regardless what people said we all have that problem.

I am applying to shows that fail in the past. Why I am doing that, well it had been a while since I did them. My work and presentation had improve. I believe that should give them another try if those shows still had good recommendations. I hope to be back at the sows that did well in the last two years and keep improving my work.

The biggest lessons are not to doubt your choices and keep improving your craft and marketing. I personally do not have a big budget to start this adventure and paid as I go. I do not have a spouse to cover the bills when thing go bad. My biggest fear is to be homeless and that is a fear I face with outcome of each show. Some people will understand others will take this wrong way. There political factor that affect the economic environment. There are people at lot republican artists as well as democrats so do not assume things. Being a minority in this country sucks and people wont understand that so why to even bother to explain.

For all these I am grateful for my friends: Adam Egenolf, Thomas Harris, Anita Melling Baldauf, Stephen Baldauf, Mark and Wendy Zoschke, Chad Jerzak, and crazy Tanya Leslie.

Happy Thanksgiving.

The 2018 Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival will become a three-day event, opening on Friday, from 10am-5pm, and thereby provide access to an entirely NEW buying audience: the approximately 10,000-person workforce in the Town Center!

It is an audience we have not truly reached in the past (we used to open on Friday night, but by then the workforce had already left). Making the very significant logistical investment in a Friday opening provides A NEW, BUILT-IN, AFFLUENT BUYING AUDIENCE looking for world-class art for their offices, homes, for gifts, and more. It reflects our relentless focus on investing to grow our audience (and we typically draw tens of thousands of visitors already) and driving sales, explaining why ArtFairCalendar.com has described this as a festival where "the 'art stars' of the outdoor art fairs vie for spaces."

Added bonus: we will now move our Festival Party, to Saturday night (7-9:30pm) and use it to announce our Artist Awards ($500 cash prize for our ten awardees, a blue ribbon to display at their booths, and automatic acceptance into next year's Festival). By making the Artist Awards the focus of the evening (something we could not do when opening on Saturday; not enough time for judging of booths), we will shine an even brighter spotlight on our participating artists and your work. As always, our artists and their plus-ones are our party guests, FREE, another of our nationally renowned artist amenities.

These major changes will make the 2018 Festival bigger and better than ever! Artists applications for juror review are required by Sunday, December 10, through the Juried Art Services website. http://www.juriedartservices.com/index.php?content=event_info&event_id=1319

Artist set up will be on Thursday during the day and Festival operating hours will be 10am - 5pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Garage parking will be free all three days.
The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is the Greater Reston Art Center's (GRACE's) largest annual fundraiser. www.restonarts.org

January 20 & 21

• Soccerdogs.org is our non-profit outreach.
• Food truck rally
• Expanded kids area
• Classic and European car shows

In the midst of all of these “for sale” blog postings, I thought I should get a discussion going on a topic of interest to us all.  So here goes:

Despite historically low inflation, the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) has increased by 18% in the last ten years (from 207.3 to 244.3).  Have you increased your prices by 18% as well?  If not, why not?

I've been accepted to the Old Island Days Art Festival in Key West on February 24-25. Any opinions out there about the wisdom of doing this show? Of all the venues for art fairs around Florida, Key West (and the Keys in general) seemed to be the hardest hit by hurricanes. I just wonder if vacationers and visitors are even going down there yet. I've got Images in New Smyrna, then Fort Myers, then Jupiter before Key West comers up

Denver, Colorado

* Average artist sales $12,345 (as reported from the 2017 artist survey)

* Over $1 million in marketing and advertising the visual artists

* $30,000 offered in artist purchase awards

* 350,000 annual visitors hosted over the festival weekend

* Projection jury process

" I appreciate all the work the entire arts festival team puts in to make this festival what it is. It is obvious at every level how much goes into this show and it makes cherry creek such a fantastic show to take part in!"

At Frame Destination, it's a privilege to create unique and high quality custom frames for our customers who are largely amateur and professional photographers. From custom frames, mats and mounting boards, to acrylic, glass, and museum-level archival storage, let us custom build the perfect work-of-art to display your next work of art. Now's the perfect time.

 

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 I have a single diamond pop up. I sell acrylic paintings. I was invited to a juried show so I have confidence that my work is worthy. I NEED a professional looking set up. I have a tight budget right now so I am looking for used mesh panels for my tent.    Help?

If I did metal, I'd see if a carbide scribe would leave a good signature...

Hello!

Does anyone know of a pen that writes well on glossy metal prints without smudges or blotching? I am a photographer who prints on metal and have been wanting to get into putting my signature on my prints. I agree with a post I saw earlier how having it digitally printed doesnt have the same effect as hand signing it and I have already tried the DecoColor liquid silver and was not impressed, it scratched did not keep sharp edges at all.

With gratitude,
Jon

Well, I am back.

Been gone from blogging for a while, spent more time on golf, less on writing. But I got the itch back, so here goes.

The main thing you need to know about Daytona (DB) is that it is all about bikes and tires here. That means car racing and motorcycles. Art is not truly appreciated here. This is an old show with about 250 exhibitors plus an add-on crap market. Way too many artists for way too few of patrons.

The local museum runs the show and they think their shit stinks better than others. Very generous awards given here. Best in show gets 5K, second award is $3K, than five 1K awards, finally there are 22 merit awards worth $500 each. So lots of talent looking for prize money. I saw at least 30 great painters at this show which is ten times better than I have seen in my last ten shows.

Booth fee is around $250. I was hoping to do $1500 for this two day show. Ended up making ten times my booth fee due to a lucky fluke. Will explain later.

The show is two hours away from my Ybor home. I stayed with my great jeweler friend in New Smyrna and took him out to dinner nightly, so it was not an expensive show. You can set up the afternoon before, it is very mellow. Thankfully, the show closes at four pm on Sunday, and the breakdown is mellow, I was out in an hour, not bad for a 73 year old.

Gee Nels where is the show located?

Thought you would never ask. We set up on Beach Drive right downtown in Daytona next to the Intercoastal Waterway. There is a wide grass median down the street with the booth’s rear facing the median. You are on concrete. Plenty of storage behind. The show started at 10am on Sat. But the committee said that if we wanted to be judged for awards we had to be open by 8 am. How fricking dumb is that? Guess what! I never saw the first judge til noon and the other around 1pm.

Now comes the classic move by this committee. Usually when shows have award ceremonies in the morn at a breakfest, everybody comes. Not them. You had to be invited to the breakfest, which meant only award winners got breakfest, let the rest eat day old pie. Gee, I did not get an invite.

Daytona attracts a mix of locals and tourists who come there. The locals are very cheap, most are very old and they do not really care a lot about art. When they buy it is usually generic, regurgitated art. Dreck that has been done a million times before.

The tourists are more savvy, trouble is, there are not of them to go around for all of us. There are bars and restaurants across our booths. All packed, while the street is half filled. I sold little precious pieces of paper on Saturday and almost did 1K. Talked to about 40 artists Sunday morn. Most were lucky if they did $500. One lucky individual did $1500, they are buying sushi for us.

Mind you, the show has lots of circuit pros here. Most are looking for an easy award, but most like me, are hoping to grind it out for $1500. It’s the fricking fall in Florida, there are not many art fairs to make serious money at. Serious money to me is $4K and up, otherwise you are just grinding it out.

Anyways, back to Sunday. Got there at 8am, position A for tear down. Someday, after I am well retired from doing shows, I will explain Position A and the machinations that are involved with it. Until then, you are on your own. It is a big jungle out there, and I always get Position A.

Btw. A little story about Position A: A legendary painter on the circuit named Renee (damn, I am having a senior moment, cannot remember his last name, if it comes—oh shit, I just remembered-Rene Marchetti) Anyways, he and I always were competing for Position A at any show we were at. He always beat me to it. But he had an advantage, his wife, Sandra. He could slink away from his booth while I had to stay, because I had no equal to a Sandra.

We were doing the old Peidmont show in Atlanta, and as usual he beat me to it and had numero uno Position A at tear down. Naturally, we positioned our vans and went back to the show, to do final sales in the last hour. Renee died at this show. It was like almost every artist dream. He had sat in his director chair, he had a smile on his face, and in his hand he had a $5000 check. He died from a massive coronary. But, he died rich, and he always got Position A. I like to think he passed it on to me.

Oh well, that is my post. Nobody writes about art shows like me. Stay tuned for future reports.
Later Gators.

I've just relocated to Santa Fe from Colorado and no longer have delivery of framing glass to my studio in Santa Fe.  This is critical for me as I frame my own work for sale and to ship to galleries.

The only vendor listed on the Tru Vue website in my area was Larson-Juhl, but they don't create accounts if you're not a brick and mortar storefront.

If any of you New Mexico artists who also frame work know of a resource for Tru Vue framing glass, I would appreciate you sending a reply with that information.  I currently have enough to frame for my Boulder gallery, but after that, it might get to be a desperate situation.  

Thank you for any assistance you can offer.

Like some other old timers, I've  been doing shows for 30 years and after some breaking in, sales during the 90s and early 2000s were great!!! Sausalito, Ft. Worth, Sun Valley, about 17 per year and sales were booming. Then 9/11 and later the recession of 2008 I noticed my sales were HALF of the usual. I also noted that the booth fees did not dip, nor the hotels, or gas or food. So each show was a gamble after that time. Dave Piper may have had it right- Bayou City may be dead in a few years. How can a show in a city of 2+ million (+ surroundings) get a gate crowd of only 20,000. Yeah no parking. Well solve it!!! Bayou City should get at least 100,000 many with oil money. And after Harvey, people's walls will need clothing so to speak. If I'm right, I think most artists are hurting for great sales again. If I heard this once I heard it a zillion times, "My walls are full, I can't buy more art." Hey let me come to your home and take some of that awful shit you have and put mine up!" Needless to say the sale did not happen. So if the seniors are not buying wall art (art on a stick? give me a break), what are the millenials buying and from where. Well I hear the millenials are buying prints online for cheap with frames or at shows they buy cutting boards, bowls, hard stuff that is useful.

It is very discouraging to see a national trend go south like this. Is this true for you? And as art fairs do worse, other bright eyes start a new one to entice us but then the old adage, "Never, ever, never do a first year show (unless it is free)". 

At Bayou City in Memorial Park, out of 20,000 attendees I see virtually 25% as teens and volunteers with no money just dorking around.

It makes me start to consider money laundering or campaign finance so I could retire.