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I used to do Howard Alan Shows.   He has “regulars” who do many of his shows.  I was one of them.  He  and Debby knew my work well.  They know the work of their regulars.   Some weekends I would call about a show I hadn’t even apply for and he would say, “Sure, I’ll find you a space”.  I liked Howard and Debby, and though their entry fees were high, they put on many good shows.  But then they implement a $15 jury fee for each and every show we applied for.   That’s when I quit applying.

When I started doing art festivals in 1981, there was no such thing as a jury fee.  Then, in the mid-eighties I saw my first one.  It was $5.  Until then, shows funded their own juries to assemble the best mix of artists they could.  Now, 25 years later, shows treat the jury fee as a revenue stream, a cash cow from hundreds, even thousands of artists they know will never get anything but a “Dear John” letter.  Good shows today get more than a thousand applications and charge upwards of $40.  Do any of us really think it costs $40,000 to jury an event?  The bottom line is we are often funding shows in which we do not participate.

Two years ago, when I was accepted to Main Street Fort Worth I was rewarded not only with a $20K show, but they reduced my entry fee 10% because they got so much money from an overwhelming  number of jury applications.  Why should we, the few who got into the show, be subsidized by the many who were rejected?  Why not reduce next year’s jury fee by $5 so all applicants could benefit?  Why not reduce the jury fee to what it actually costs to jury the show?  Then charge the lucky ones who actually do the show enough to cover the costs.  Seems like a common sense approach.

I recently sent a $25 jury fee to The Des Moines Arts Festival through Zapplication and went off on a road trip to do shows in Memphis and Pensacola.  When I got home and caught-up on my email, I found  one from Stephen King the director of The Des Moines Arts show.  In it, he said he thought my digital photography should be moved from the photography category to the mixed media category.  The email said if I agreed I should respond by a certain date.  The date was long past.  So, I thought, since I had not responded, at least my application would be juried in the right category.  Right?

Not so.

On my next visit to Zapp, I found my category had been changed to Mixed Media!  Then I got an email from the show giving the statistics of the applications.  In photography there were approximately 100 applications.  In mixed media there were over 150.  Needless to say, I recently got my “Dear John” letter from Mr. King.

What did I get for $25?

Here is what I wrote on the Des Moines application to describe my work in 200 characters or less:

“Images of wit & humor from my imagination. By blending digital files in Photoshop, I work to emulate traditional darkroom photography. All work is produced to archival standards.”

Here are several statements taken directly from the Des Moines application:

In addition to the rules of exhibiting, the following guidelines/restrictions apply to the jury process:

5. Photography may only be submitted for jury in the photography category.

Photography – The process of capturing images that begins with a camera lens, then printing the images, by chemical or digital means, onto a surface. The photography category includes traditional film photography, hand colored images, emulsion transfers and digital photography that has not been excessively manipulated to achieve results beyond what could be done in a traditional darkroom.

Mixed Media – Includes any combination of a variety of materials to create an original work of art.

In 31 years of applying to thousands of shows, I’ve never applied in any other category unless photography was divided  and there was a Digital category.

Back in November when I got Mr. Kings email, I replied that I thought he should put me back in the right category and that his email intimated I wouldn’t be switched without my permission.  Recently, I emailed him asking for my jury fee back “ for cause”.  I didn’t get a reply back then and I don’t expect I will now.

Just what is it we get for our jury fee?

Ok, I am going to draw a lot of ire with this one, but I just have to.  Unless I am completely insane, you must dress for the event if you want to succeed.  If I were shopping for Art, Jewelry, or anything of quality, I don't want to buy it from an artist/craftsperson that looks like they got dressed in the dark in clothes that have been slept in.  You are not going to the beach, you are trying to pry hundreds of dollars out of my wallet.  If the average shopper is better dressed than you are, that should be a clue.  I won't listen to "It's hot", "It's cold", or anything like that.  The only appropriate T-Shirt is an event t-shirt from that event.  Men - buy a polo.  Wear solid color, non-faded shorts.  Ladies - there are tons of loose fitting, cool shirts.  Shorts need to be modest.  

DENIM SHOULD BE OUTLAWED!  Cleavage is not needed. Flip Flops are bad - and if you are not sitting all day, which is a good way to miss sales, your feet will kill you by end of day.

Same day setup?  Bring a change of clothes to change into after you have set up.

Cold?  Sweater, not sweatshirt or hoodie.  Really cold?  Nice coat or parka.  Cold weather is the only excuse for denim.

Of course, these are only the rules according to me.  But if you are next to me at an event dressed like a bum or like you are headed to the beach, biker bar etc., please don't complain to me about your poor sales!

40 minute Secure, Weather-proof EZ-UP Tent Booth Set-up Process by Karole S. Bowlds

1. Remove tent from bag
2. Center in spot
3. Walking around all sides, extend all sides outward
4. Duck in under/inside- place Frisbee (or other similar item) on top of peak pole

     (I use an old chip/dip dish- the center fits perfect over the top of my pole)

5. Using 30x30 sheet clear plastic sheet, center between canvas top and Frisbee, extend to

       Scissor framework on all sides, clamp in place if necessary. This is your water shield.

       NO tent is completely waterproof, and I prefer prevention, rather than damage control.

6. Pushing upward on center framework, fully extend tent.
7.  Lock all ring pins at each top of each leg. DO NOT EXTEND LEGS at this time.
8. Attach sidewalls, awning (optional) and any outside banner. DO NOT ZIP SIDEWALLS YET.
9. Using 10x10 white tarp, attach to scissors framework with ball bungies, forming a ceiling. This prevents wind blowing into peak of tent, which causes tip over. This will also act as insulation, keeping your tent cooler in hot weather, warmer in cool weather.
10. Attach top hooks of 6 long bungies, one at each corner of the two sides and back walls. Leave bottom hooks loose for now. These should be inside the sidewalls.
11. Attach top hooks of 3 ratcheting tie downs, one at each center of scissor framework on sides and back walls. Leave bottom hook loose for now. These should be inside the sidewalls. (If you use any curtains for décor, attach to frame at this time also) Doing this BEFORE extending legs, prevents you having to stand on step ladders or chair later.
12. EXTEND ALL LEGS to desired height, one leg/notch at a time. Make sure tent is relatively level.
13. Attach stay bars to sides and back walls. (Run bars through cinder blocks first, if using weights. 1 per leg, two per bar, on two side and back walls. These should sit on ground, close to legs, inside sidewalls)
14. Check zippers at each corner, to assure they operate freely, without splitting, making sure walls are taught, but not in danger of tearing. Unzip til final step.
15. Using bottom hooks of bungies from step 10, attach each to the opposite leg at the bottom,

       Forming an X on each side and back wall.

      This prevents wind from blowing the sidewalls in, which will damage your displays and product.

16. Using large screw stakes (if allowed) screw into ground at center of two side and back walls.

       If not allowed, skip this step.

17. Attach bottom hook of ratcheting tie down to screw stakes if allowed, or alternately, to the stay bar.

When attached to the stakes, this prevents tent from rocking and moving, eliminating the need for weights. Ratchet til taught.

 If attached to the stay bars, it will prevent rocking, but you will need to use weights on staybars. I use cinder construction blocks on the rare occasions when I need to use weights, I just put one or two near each leg, and run my stay bar through the holes in blocks, before attaching staybar.

IF using Armstrong panels or gridwall panels, Install now.

18. Zip up all walls, and Door. You now have a dry, relatively wind proof, temporary storefront!
19. Set-up your displays and decor- this will depend on your product and preferences.
20. To secure at night for multi-day shows- Pack up all electronics, your purse, cash box and receipts, your personal/valuables for removal. Lock in vehicle. Install stay bar to FRONT of tent. REMOVE AWNING. If no security is present, PACK YOUR PRODUCT. If security will be present, secure product from weather damage. Lower tent legs to lowest possible settings (this will depend on your displays), re-tighten ratcheting tie downs. I zip all zippers, and secure with zip ties, in the closed position to staybars. Use padlocks if you feel the necessity. Have flashlight handy- unplug surge suppressor from main electrical supply. Secure Door.
21. To re-open: unlock, or cut all zip ties, remove FRONT stay bar. Install Awning. Loosen all ratcheting tie downs.

Extend legs to desired height, ratchet tie downs taught, plug surge suppressor into main electrical supply, and set up cash box, electronics, personal care stuff (lunch, wipes, tissues, etc) Set up any product you packed/stored. OPEN front wall/door- you are once again ready for business.

When packing up after show, take your time and store all items appropriately, with care. This keeps your equipment and goods in good condition, making it easier for unloading, and all will be ready for next show, saving you time later.

I am 46 y/0, 5 feet tall and weigh about 100 lbs, and do this set-up ALONE, every show. My product is jewelry.

Please note: I MOVE when doing my setups, I tend to be very energetic!

My Tent is an EZ-up Encore II, purchased on line in 2008. I have been using this set-up for three years,

My outdoor season is April to October, here on the coast of Maine. I do shows in: heat, cold, wind, rain, sleet, hail, thunderstorms, lightening storms, on the beach, in parking lots, on farms, street fairs, parks, Festivals and Agricultural Fairs. I do one day, to week-long events.  My tent has never blown over, walked, jigged or danced. It has leaked in severe rain, for the first time this year, (2011). During winter, I pack it away after cleaning, and waterproofing. I rarely use weights, UNLESS the show requires them.  I carry a gym duffle to store the sidewalls, banner, stakes, ratcheting tie downs, bungies, clamps, etcetera, and plastic sheet.

I do not use Armstrong panels or grid wall- if I did I would install them between steps 17/18.

 I do not use flooring- that is my purchase for this coming winter.

Every spring, I practice my tent set-up procedure til I can do it in 30 o 40 minutes or less.

Every time I add a new display element- I practice and rehearse in my yard.

All my purchases have been sales items and purchase during winter, when prices are lower.

I use checklists for packing- display totes, sales totes, and vehicle packing list.

My sales desk is a 3 drawer wheeled cart. This holds all my boxes, bags, office necessities, electrical, lighting, and small clamp fan. I never unpack this, just inventory and restock it. It can be stored under my worktable, or used separately.

 I plan my space layouts in advance on graph paper. However, weather and ground terrains require flexibility.

 I have an EMERGENCY milk crate, with hammer, screw drivers, wrenches, spare plastic sheeting, duct tape, wooden blocks (for shimming table legs), S hooks, etc.

 I ALWAYS load my car the day before a show. My electronics, and lunch/personal bag goes with me the morning of the show. If allowed to set up the night or day before, I do. This makes for a less hectic show, and allows me to dress more professionally, without having to change!

 With planning, and preparation, common sense and care your booth can be safe, inviting, and secure environment, without stress, major financial investment and hassle for you.

Well, did I wake you all up from your art-induced stupor?

This was supposed to be a site where people in like biz shared good info with each other.

You can have phone-sex with Siri and find out about how to weigh your booth down.  Or how to buy containers, mats, frames.  You now you can throw the damn roof in a swimming pool.  Siri cannot tell you how much space you get behind your booth at "Art in the Pearl."

So far, nary a word from the great one from Texas who did that show, and maybe Sausilito too.

So we have seen shows like:

Port Clinton

Sausilito

Bloomington

Arts and Apples

Wausau

Longs Park

Deer Path  north of Chicago

Alexandria

anything on the Atlantic Coast that Geoff Coe use to report about

WITHOUT A ZERO REPORT.

I thought this was an insider blog group.

You shared helpful info about shows.  For example, if I had never done the show before in Portland,Oregon it would be helpful to know the following:

Did you get any storage space behind the booth?  How much?

Was there space in between booths?  Or, did you have to buy a corner?

Could you drive up to the front of your booth, or did you have to schlep in from a block away with a beer cart?

What were the demographics for the show.  Mostly young-and-tattoed, oldsters with disposable income. 

Were they buying mostly low-end?

So far, I am seeing diddle.

No blogs from Parker, BJ or Coe, let alone Fulwiler who only comes on this site when he wants to whine about something.

Come on folks, step up to the plate.

I give out a lot of info about anything I blog about.  I get very little in return.  Can't ya tell me, at least, how much space I get with my neighbor behind me?

You guys are the lamest lurkers I have ever seen on this site.

Get your shit together and chip in for the common good.

I have a big broad back, throw all the darts and arrows you want to, into it.  Aint gonna hurt me one bit.

Give me some good feedback.

  Maybe you will get a real helpful review of Saint louis, I just did.  Otherwise, I am out of here.  Rather work on my putting stroke than blog to a bunch of  "LAME LURKERS."

The best blogger we have on his site right now, is Geri Wegner who buys from artists.  She is the best--where are the rest?

I've done the two Bayou City shows in Houston for the past 6 years and it seems to me that the decisions the committee members (Art Colony Association Board of Directors) have been making concerning the size, layout & management of both shows are slowly (or quickly this year) eroding the overall experience for both artist and patron.

I understand that shows need to evolve and update and stay fresh but the committee for these two has made some questionable decisions over the past several years; decisions with consequences from which they have not learned...or possibly are turning a purposely blind eye.

For example, several years ago the Downtown fall show decided to put a group of artists booths in a little park which is enclosed by a tall permanent fence with only 2 small entry points.  I was assigned a spot there the very first year they did it and when I questioned the location was assured it was a prime spot and even more desirable because I could now leisurely set up during the day instead of during the normal semi-chaotic nighttime crush. I had my doubts but decided to give it a chance. That show ended up being my lowest profit show ever. Myself and the other artists in the park were virtually a separate show. A show that nobody knew about. We sat and watched the crowd through the fence. It was a classic example of a dead spot and I made certain to explain the situation on my artist survey.

Unfortunately they are still putting artists in there...and the last 2 years the rain has turned that area into a low-chance-for-success, muddy nightmare. I have made sure my booth location was never in the park again and my show success there has returned to normal. For me, the rest of the Downtown show has been as well run and profitable as ever (despite the nasty weather the past 2 years) so I tend to view their decision to keep putting artists in the park as strictly money-motivated. It's definitely NOT a decision based on concern for the artists.

The Memorial Park spring show has always been a well-run beast in my past experience. There are a few small issues like some buy/sell sneaking in, loud stage acts and having street performers walk around but nothing terribly egregious. Until now.

To me the decision to add 150 artists stinks of financial desperation or art show-ignorant new board members...or both. Sadly, Ms. Kindred and her staff are left to deal with the fall-out of such unwise and short-sighted board decisions. I am a firm believer in decreasing the number of artists in a show when you want to raise the quality and experience for everyone involved. The Winter Park show in Florida is a good example of this strategy.

Of course, the Art Colony Board has every right to enlarge their show (no matter how poor a decision that might be) but the method in which they chose to do it in this particular case may just be the death of a formerly good show...and the taint of this seriously bad decision-making is going to inevitably have consequences for the Downtown show.

Once you betray the trust of your high-quality artist pool the end isn't far away.

I have been bemused by the way the Art Colony Board has chosen to manage their spring show and after some thought it seems to me that they must believe we artists are simply a limitless & interchangeable factor in their financial calculations. In the acceptance email back in December it stated that over 1500 applications had been received for 300 openings. I suppose that to a non-artist board member that must seem like an almost bottomless (and lucrative) artist pool and, therefore, no matter what conditions they mandate the artists and their fee money will always come begging for a spot.

If art quality didn't matter to the art show patrons that would be a true enough situation.

But art quality does matter. In truth, to be a top tier art show it's about the only factor that does. Everything else is just window dressing.

Were I a board member I would be very worried about alienating a large chunk of the best artists in the “bottomless artist pool” because once they stop coming to the show(s) the fine-art patrons will stop coming too. Sure, for awhile there will be more artists ready to pay the high booth fees and show up to gamble on the crowd but the people that comes to the show will not be there to buy art and without buyers, well...enough said.

So if the Art Colony Board is aiming for a low end, buy/sell infested, mediocre show I'd say that by behaving in such an unprofessional, erratic and downright sneaky manner they've taken a big step toward that goal. This could have been handled so differently. It's hard to imagine a professional group of people purposely making the sorts of decisions that have been made.

I wonder what the 6 people (2 of whom are on the Art Colony Board) who originally spent so much time and effort to jury this show think of the changes. It would feel like a slap in the face to me.

We juried the Royal Oak Clay, Glass and Metal Show Monday.  A few observations. 

First it amazes me every year how creative people are able to get within these few mediums.  One hundred and twenty booths and each stands out as creative and unique.

Secondly, while I did not feel that the booth shots were given more weight than the work images, the majority of rejected work had poor booth shots and the majority of accepted work had professional images for their booth.

I say majority because it is not universally true.  We accepted some work from artists with poor shots, even from an artist that had no booth shot.  For this event at least you can't entirely blame the "fourth image".

I try to be communicative with the applicants so I did send some specific notes to artists regarding their displays.  Of course those reflect only my opinion, but if you would be interested in seeing them, you could check out the posting on my website- Integrityshows.com/blog.

If you have not looked at R. C. Fulwiler's blog yet- Can the System be Improved?  I would suggest doing so.

Prologue:

Up until 2005 or 2006, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival was, by far, the best show in the country.  From the minute you got there you were treated warmly, with respect. AND, the show was a dream.  Everyone sold well.  They used to bring in the supporters/sponsors on a trolly at 8 AM on Saturday morning and those people had pre-committed dollars to buy work and they used tickets to purchase the work.  They got to see the work in a slide show and they would race to the people who's work they wanted, so, they could get the best pieces.  This was great for the artists.  I always did around $2500.  And, those buyers would come back throughout the show.  One year, I had my best show ever and it wasn't even 10 AM.  The show hadn't even started. Needless to say, they got rid of that program.  Around the same time, they tripled the show fee, started charging the gate fee, and started expanding the corporate booths.

The skinny:

I called the day before the show started and I was told to arrive after 2PM, park by my space, and check in before I started unloading. I arrived around 2:15, down 27th ave where I have always entered the show and I'm told by a smarmy 20 year old bee-atch in a green security shirt, that I have to turn around, drive a half mile, make a right on a non-existant street and come back through, even though my booth was right beyond the barricade. Of course, I can't find this entrance and I finally went down Darwin Street, ironically and appropriately named and talked the cop into letting me in which brought me past the bee-atch and right to my space.  Unloading was easy because they left us alone and artists are good about leaving room, etc., except for the cars, beer trucks, and carts zooming through. Apparently, artists needed credentials to get into the site but anyone off the street could get in, no problem.  One of these days someone is going to get run over unloading their vehicle. You can double the risk on load out. It gets worse every year. Setup is stressful enough without the added tension of worrying about getting run over.

The artwork at the show was superb, even the photographers.  The credit for this belongs to Lilia Gracia.  She picks the jurors and oversees the judging.  She has held this job for a long time and does not get paid.  If fact, Lilia and the artist liaison, Katrina do a phenomenal job. They are the jewels of this show because they know the shows reputation is built on the fact that the artists are top notch.  I was proud to be in this show. If they ran this show, in total, it would be the show it once was. No other show would come close.

Every location, in this show, has it's problems.  The first thing I noticed was that the food booths and the beer concessions were closer to the artist booths.  I felt like my space was being invaded. As far as my work is concerned, beer and greasy fingers do not mix with my work.  On more than one occasion, I've had a drunk break a piece or a greasy fingerprint ruin a piece.  However, I consider myself lucky where I was in the show.  I could have been near the Verizon stage.  In the past it had been the Verizon booth, which has expanded every year since 2005-6.  Now it has morphed into the Verizon stage.  It is the most obnoxious thing I have ever experienced at an aft fair in 30 years of doing shows.  They constantly hawked their crap, playing hip-hop so loud that it rattled the work in the booths near the stage.  Of course, they get the 4 most prime booth locations.  I know one person who lost a $1200 sale because the customer couldn't take it anymore and fled the scene.  The person who decided that allowing this obviously has no regard for the artists. There is no rationale for Verizon creating this spectacle.  I'm thinking of dumping my Verizon account because of it.  I'm sure they lost more business than they gained. Other fun things included people driving around in carts continually beeping their horns for people to get out of their way and beer hawkers that would be more at home at the ballpark than at an arts festival.  I guess they needed to be employed during the two months after football season and the start of baseball season.

In spite of this sales for some people were great.  In fact, there was no middle ground.  You either grossed over 10-30K or you did less than $1500, with a number of people zeroing out.  If you had the right work you did a bang up business. I know someone who sold everything except one piece.  3-D wall pieces and jewelry did really well, from my conversations. It's really hard to tell what percentage did well.  I'd say not more than a third.  And, it changes from year to year.  I spoke to someone who had sold only one small painting this year, who did over 20K last year.  Of course, if the show wasn't trying so hard to get rid of the real buyers and replace it with beer drinking partyers, everyone would do well, like they did prior to 2006.

So, who is responsible for the conditions of this show, that has changed since 2006 from artist friendly to beer drinking partying friendly? I put the blame squarely on the current management team that coincidentally took charge in 2006.  I was told they will be there as long as they want so don't think conditions are going to change anytime soon, unless we do something about it.  Of course, that will never happen.  I was told that for anyone who wants to give up their space near the Verizon booth there are 1000 artists who would gladly take their space.  I can't argue with that one. I wouldn't give up my space and I was promised that I could say anything here and not get blackballed from the show.  The elimination of the strong sponsor program, the increased number of beer hawkers, the food booths being on top of the artists, the rudeness of the so called volunteer security, the rudeness of those people driving those carts, and last but not least the out of control aggressiveness of the Verizon booth all took place after current management team took control of the show.  

I'm sure that the CGAF association is happy with the job management is doing because they are making a lot of money.  And, I'm sure they are all patting themselves on the back deluding themselves into believing that they have the best show in the country.  The only way they can believe that is by ignoring the artists because 99% of them would echo what I have written, here.  In fact, I'm just reflecting what I heard from others.  A little thing happened the other night which I found to be so telling, from the artists perspective.  After the awards dinner, around 6 artists were going to another artists room at the Residence Inn, to have a shower party.  They were taking showers in this persons room because they were staying in their vehicles.  This is a very common thing at this show.  I'd say over half the artists doing the show sleep in their vans. Now how is it that the artists participating at the show that is supposed to be one of the best in the country have to stay in their vehicles because they can't afford a proper place to stay? If it were my show, I would be embarrassed by that fact.  Yet, if you read the coming press reports in the Miami papers will be extolling the success of the show and grossly inflating the amount of money spent of the artwork. You will never hear about the conditions of the artists that do the show.

I never give a review or make a criticism without giving solutions to the problems that I have talked about.  And certainly, it would only take minor changes to make this show the model for all shows, that it once was.  First of all, train the security staff to direct people to the proper entrances and paths to the booths and make sure they welcome us and treat us with respect.  Secondly, move the food booths and beer tents back 20 feet. Give us some room. Third, tone down the Verizon stage.  There is no reason why they can't lower the decibels and get their point across.  Make them play music that is complimentary to the artwork.  Hip-Hop? Come on!! Make the show classy again. Get rid of the schlock. Fourthly, bring back the trolley with the buyers.  Fifth, how about more wine booths instead of beer tents. Sixth, keep the vendor trucks out of our way during set up and take down.  Make it safe for us instead of dangerous and make no mistake, it is dangerous.

Epilogue:

Every corporation reflects the style of the officers that run the operation.  I think it's time for the CGAF to get back to being a sophisticated event instead of the shlock fest that you are so desperately trying to become.  Try creating an atmosphere that is commensurate with the artwork.  Lilia and Katrina are doing their part.  It's time for the rest of you who run the show to step up to the plate.  You think that the way you are doing things is maximizing your income.  I can assure you that if you went back to taking care of the artists and making this the sophisticated event it should be, that you will dwarf what you make now.  I guarantee it. 

I'm a painter who occasionally does large format paintings (i.e. 40X40, 60x20 etc..) and I'm looking for the most economical and practical vehicle for traveling to art festivals. I am admittedly a foreign car lover; Honda, Toyota and Nissan and I like a vehicle that is reliable and gas friendly. 

I'm looking for used vehicles in the price range of $8K - $12K... but would like to spend less than $10k.

My thoughts are the Honda Element, a minivan, or a car which can pull a trailer. If I get the Element or a minivan I plan to build a platform so I can store stuff on top and on bottom, then the platform could double as a bed so I can sleep in my car during two or three day festivals. If I get a car with a trailer I'll just plan to camp out or stay with friends, family or a hostel I suppose.

Any packing tips would be helpful as well. this will be my first year doing festivals full-time. I still trying to figure out the best way to package my paintings for minimal wear and tear...and prints for that matter.

Thanks

Erik

www.leiferikjohansen.com

Well, we art show exhibitors quickly learn about how to deal with the vagaries of Mother Nature. Rain, cold, heat, high winds...I've seen 'em all...or so I thought.  But I never expected to have to deal with swarms of "Love Bugs".  And while it's important to keep things in perspective, given the ravages of tornadoes through Alabama this past week, there's no doubt that these amorous insects put the kibosh on festivities--and sales--this past weekend. 

For those of you who don't live in the South, "love bugs" are medium sized insects--a little bigger than fireflies (which they sort of resemble), and 'way smaller than locusts (which also travel in hordes).   What makes them unique is that...hmmm, how to put this, exactly?...once they get it on, they can't get it out.  So they live the rest of their lives (up to a week or so) oddly conjoined, splattering on auto windshields and everything else in their path. 

According to my Internet sources, they're attracted most by four things:

1) White surfaces

2) Asphalt

3) Heat

4) Nectar

All of which made the unfortunate artists and patrons of Howard Alan Events' Siesta Fiesta this weekend pretty much Ground Zero for the little #%*(@s.  Although both days dawned with surprisingly cool temperatures and low humidity for this time of year in Florida, temperatures heated up quickly both days, and by 11 a.m. the bugs started coming in waves.  Although a few of the artists I spoke with eked out a decent Saturday, most did not...and by early afternoon bugs outnumbered customers by, oh, several orders of magnitude. 

At the end of a long, long day--this is perhaps the toughest setup in the HAE stable of shows, with tents back-to-back along the center of a single long, narrow street, necessitating long, repeated dollys--we scraped bug residue off our vehicles and headed wearily to our hotel rooms, hoping that stiff breezes and clouds would  miraculously save our Sunday. 

Alas, Day 2 brought both more of the same (sun, bugs) and less of the same (sales).  For whatever reason, the critters seemed especially dense in my area most of the day, but no one was immune. By lunchtime bugs were rampant--on jewelry, on artwork, crawling in the browse bins, and shrouding the seas of white canopies.  Customers and artists valiantly tried to conduct business, but it was pretty much futile. Artists were surrendering their tents to the flying armies, and customers (if they entered the tents at all)  wouldn't browse the bins.   When I did make a sale, I had to sweep them off my invoice pad to write up the order. In mid-afternoon I was spotting handkerchiefs tied around faces to keep the bugs from getting swallowed. 

Never was 5 PM more eagerly anticipated.  Breakdown was surprisingly cheerful and efficient, given the extra work everyone had to clear the intruders off their artwork and canopies.  (The bugs are acidic--so as to be distateful to birds that would otherwise munch 'em--and it's important to get that glop removed as soon as possible.) 

We were about halfway through breakdown when Mother Nature had one more surprise in store--a pretty strong, but thankfully brief, dust devil that swirled up from nowhere and targeted my tent and about a half-dozen others nearby, flipping my neighbor's E-Z Up into the air and capsizing my canvases stacked on browse bins, pinwheeling my blue 10x10 tarp to parts unknown, and scattering some jewelry and artwork in at least two other tents.   Folks reacted quickly to hold down what they could, and luckily, there didn't seem to be any damage.  And as I finished packing, I thought about last week's Tuscaloosa twisters and decided to count my blessings. 

Yes, the show was an ill-timed financial disaster, and I'll be scrambling to get the mortgage and insurance paid this week.  But the tent and the vehicle will be clean again by Monday night, and  I've still got a home and a livelihood.   And as I drove home, I was really proud to be an outdoor artist, and prouder still of everyone else at the show, who just did what they could, and what they had to do, with a minimum of complaining and a lot of humor. 
(Check out the jewelry counter and the canopy behind my neighbor Brenda)

(By midday on Sunday they were all over the browse bins.  If only I'd used black
mats, I might have avoided this problem!) 

(I'm not sure if my neighbor Dave is ducking to get out of their way, or
attempting to clean them off the white pole)

(The final straw--they were attracted by the citrus in
my unopened bottle of Gatorade!)

...Unbelievable.....

Guess they have not been reading here about unreasonable costs to enter and exhibit at juried exhibitions......

This is from the call for entry I just got in my inbox:

"As you review the Artists’ Market application for 2014 you’ll note changes to our fee structure. We’ve worked hard, to maintain level costs for program administration and equipment rental to our exhibitors, particularly during the economic downturn. This year‘s increased costs reflect the incremental increases that the festival has absorbed over the past five years. We believe that these fees are competitive with arts festivals of similar caliber and that participation in the Artists’ Market at Artscape is a tremendous value to exhibitors."

"NEW Artists’ Market Fee Scale:

• Application Fee: $60
• Standard (10x10x7) Space Fee: $700
• Taller (10x10x10) Space Fee: $750
• Double Space Standard (10x20x7, limited availability) Space Fee: $1400
• Double Taller (10x20x10, limited availability) Space Fee: $1500
• Table and Chair Rental (2 each): $50
• End of Group Location (limited availability): $200"

This isn't what I would call a "high - end" event.. Guess it is high end cost, though

nels%20booth.jpgIMG_1079.jpgIMG_1086.JPG For some reason you have to click on these, others show in my blog  (WTF! Connie)

Well, what a pisser, not only did my booth get destroyed, but this blog I was writing, (and I was halfway thru it) just mysteriously disappeared off my screen.

So, back to square one.

Maybe you saw a brief post of mine on Facebook about it, maybe you did not.  Here is the full Monty.

Ellen and I went to Bluffton,SC last weekend for the their Seafood and Art Festival.

It only has 100 booths all along seven blocks on a main drag with some houses, restaurants and bars on it.  They have police security at both ends of the show.  Nothing in the middle.  I guess they let some cars in, even after the show is over for the day, if they got biz on the street.

We shut down Saturday night with $550 in sales for the days and visions of crab cakes and wine that night.

Sunday morn I woke up with dreams of having some Starbucks robust roast coffee while reading the NY Times, and enjoying mouthfuls of savory Low Country shrimp and grits.

My darn IPhone kept ringing .  Three times it was a caller from NC.  I ignored it.  No voicemail, no foul, I aint answering it.

Finally, a fourth time there was a voicemail.

"Nels, you better get down here fast.  Your booth has been seriously damaged and mine is too."  It was my show neighbor, Kathy Oda, calling.

Well, I hurried as fast  as it took Ellen time to apply lipstick and makeup.  Never hurry a beautiful blonde, beautifying herself.  Some wise man told me that years ago.  I married one, so I took those words to heart.

When we turned the corner onto the main drag, I realized three things, pronto.

First, I would not be swilling any Starbucks that morn, two, I could forget about the NY Times and three, there would be no shrimp and grits in the future for  me that morn.

My booth was still there.  Just not in the condition I had left it the night before.

Kathy's booth had already been cleared away.

I had hoped I would be seeing just a panel or two pushed in, slightly bent, maybe a few frames on the ground and some scattered sprinkles of photo-glass calling from hither and yon.

Not.

In 40 years of doing shows I am used to seeing severely damaged booths.  I have seen ones blown over a bridge rail in Columbus.  I have seen some blown into the seawater at Images in New Smyrna.  I have seen booths blown and scattered apart all over the park in Vero Beach.  I know what nasty winds and pummeling rain can do to our temporary show rooms (Some people, not very smart ones, think that these show rooms are also our bedrooms at shows.).

Well, mine fit into anyone of those scenarios.  Without water.

As we like to say in the biz, "Parts are parts, pieces are pieces."

It was barely standing on one side.  Twisted and leaning like a mean drunk that had had 25 shots of tequila, and was going to have another 25.

Shards of glass pointed menacingly at us.  Bent frames stuck out under the tarps.

The roof was laying low as to say, "Thats it, Jack, I aint carrying this load no more.  I am taking Social Security and you are on your own.  Go get a pretty orange top.  I am out of here."

People stood around respectfully.  They were waiting for that IPhone moment.

SO I complied.

Whipped it out and shot pics of the damage.  I would continue to do it as different levels of damaged exposed themselves.

Obviously, this would not to be the moment to do the booth shot for Cherry Creek.  Although, if they had a Sympathy  category I was a lock to be in.

About ten artists and bystanders offered to help.

We gently unzipped the twisted front awning and tried to work our way back, panel by panel, truss by truss, while dodging shards and sharp edges.

Miraculously, none of my photographs were cut.  Mats were trashed, frames twisted and glass broke.  Some bins took a hit.  Same with a table.  It was not very pretty.

Finally, we had worked our way to the very rear and cleared all the damage to field behind me.

I profusely thanked all and then went about deciding what I could do that day to make some moola.

I had a Newtons Porto-Canopy, made in 1986.  It has eight display panels, wire, with four trusses that span the width,  Comes with a canvas roof, skylights in, and rear and front awnings.

Four of the eight panels were trash.  Same with two trusses.

I managed to cobble a booth together using four bent panels joined together, using bungees and duct tape.  I managed to put up one table with print bins, and one 16x20 print bin.  No roof, but I fashioned a shade awning off the rear to sit under.

During the day, I assiduously picked broken glass out of frames while conducting biz.

I managed to pull $1K out of the day.  A miracle in itself.

While this had happened, a fellow artist, Christine Reichart, took up a collection for me from my fellow exhibitors.  She presented me with a manila bag stuffed with fives, tens and twenties.  Enough to buy a new table and replace all my broken glass and frames.  What a doll! What a bunch of great fellow artists.  I was speechless and amazed.

I went around and thanked everybody at the show for their contributions.

We have a wonderful family of fellow artists.  We are so fortunate.

Then, the Art Association that helps run the show told Kathy and me they were going to reimburse us for new booths.  I was again, speechless.

I then had at least ten artists tell me they couldn't wait for somebody to bump into their booths.  Hmmmm.

We tried to figure out how this all happened.

Kathy says, that when she first got there, my booth was dragged into hers.  One of my John Deere anchor weights was a good 50 yards down from her booth.

Oh.  I guess I forgot to tell you.  Whoever hit my booth also stole three of my pieces off the front panel.

So here is our reconstruction of what may have happened.

Somewhere after 10 PM that night, a vehicle got let in by security and drove down the street.  My booth was near the middle of the show.

They may have been looking just for my booth to take some art they spotted earlier in the day. Isn't that so special.  I was chosen.

So the Midnight Rambler unzips and steals the pieces.

Then, when making his getaway, he snags one of my front anchor weights with his car.  Zoom,zoom, he is gone.  Bang, bang, our booths are down and gone.

They never caught the guy.

This event may cause them to consider putting security in the middle of the show next year.

So, I am now shopping for a booth.  Maybe a LightDome, maybe a Trimline.

In the interim, Lou Garofalo has graciously lent me a spare LightDome.

I get by with a little help from my friends.

My birthday is Saturday.  I turn a really big number.  I am happy.  I am married to a beautiful blonde, and she is a great artist too.  What more can a guy ask for.

I went to see the Tempe Festival of the Arts this weekend. I went on Saturday (2nd day) afternoon and went into a painters booth and she had several works on her walls with a large sign marked sold. Her paintings ranged from $3,000-$8,000. My wife didn't think she may have actually sold them but put a sign up to get people talking and yes I saw people wispering about the sold signs. Now I don't think any artist would mark a painting sold if it wasn't really sold but my wife thinks people may do that to make people think that their art is hot and selling well. Has anyone done this or know anyone that has done this? I'm not accusing anyone of doing this, I was just curious if this was a marketing strategy or not?

Appleton Art in the Park has a well established show and it should ,,, this was the 50th annual event. This years show was marked with some new features. But not exactly what the organizers were planning. Art in the Park ended up being "Art in the Street, surrounding the Park." Because of high amounts of rain, the show needed to move the event off the grass. On Friday, we received an important email from Art in the Park, explaining the at the entire show could not use the park. I am sure they had to scramble to figure our a new layout for all the artists.

Not knowing what to expect, I decided to arrive extra early on Sunday morning to the show. I got there at 5:30 a.m. About half the artists had put tents up on Saturday evening. To my surprise there were a number of artists already working on their booths, at 5:30 a.m. The park had standing water in spots and much of the grass was "spongy". There is no way they could have had the show in the park.

I found my booth location on the street. I was able to drive my car right up to my spot and unload. (Always a good thing) The layout was arranged on four streets that formed a square, around the park. This resulted in a very good traffic flow for shoppers.

By 8:30, I was all set up and ready to go. And just in time, as the crowds started to show up. I was not sure how the flow of traffic was going to develop. But quickly it turned into a counter-clockwise flow.

Most shoppers and artists liked the new arrangement. Although it was quickly put together. I and many others prefer being on the street, to being on grass. My only suggestion would be to move the food vendors to one of the side streets, instead of being part of the regular flow around the park.

The weather was perfect. My neighbors were happy. My sales were up, from last year: 24%. Once and a while the art-gods do pay attention. Thanks to the Appleton Art Center for pulling the show together. It was an exciting way to mark you 50th Anniversary.

I thought I would wait a little bit.  Sort of bide my time before I put my two cents in.  Here it goes.

I have done this show for 25 years.

First the State Street show in the 80's and early 90's.

Then, finally after waiting ten years, on the wait list, the Guild finally called me up.  That was norm back then, you could join the Guild, start with a waitlist number that could be in the high six hundreds and then wait for it to slowly come down.

In those times, Ann Abor was the show to do in the summer.  

Michigan economy was super.  Everybody waited for the A2 shows and then they turned out and bought like crazy.  It was win-win proposition.

Then something unique happened.  About the time the Michigan economy started going south, the A2 shows raised their booth fees from $450 to where they are now--$750.00.

Ironically, his was when our grosses went down, and the booth fees went up.

This is the White Elephant that sits in the room and nobody wants to talk about it.

Nary a person who has blogged about the A2 shows has mentioned that $750 booth fee.

Well folks, I am discussing it, and I will tell you what.  It is a blatant ripoff.

The A2 shows are worth about $450 and should be a three-day show at best.

For ninety percent of the exhibitors who show there, they are making $2.5K-$5K at best.  The other ten percent are doing better.

Trouble is, when you add up that booth fee along with auto expenses, along with parking, along with hotel and along with food--you are up to $1.5K-$2K for that show.

Add in the long hours, the always extreme heat and the dwindling number of "good shoes buyers" who attend--you end up with a poor business number for a return on your investment.

Oh, and we did not mention cgs or time invested.

For most, it is a bad gamble, a bad investment.  And, it will only get worse.

That is why, for after doing this show for 25 years I am giving it up.  

It finally went under a set number, for sales, that is unacceptable for me.

The good customers that attend are very slimmer.

 It will only get worse, each successive year, as more of the quality exhibitors drop out.

The shows will gladly take your money and fill the slots.

Trouble is, the majority of newbies who get the spots will not be up to snuff like the ones who left.

Increasingly, more good buyers will come, and the sales will tail towards the low-end.

It is a downward death spiral.

I mentioned this in my 2011 post on the A2 shows.

Did not do A2 last year, because of heart problems.

Came back this year with fresh new work at reasonable price points  and saw it be blissfully ignored by most of the crowds.

It was reminiscent of the  Arts,Eats and Beats crowd.  Most of them were going to the county fair.  Very few were looking for art.

Why most of you are willing to accept, and pay, $750 for this show--and then be happy if you pull $2.5K-$4.5K eludes me.

Your time and money is not getting a fair return.

You are better off going to Petoskey, Sheboygan or anywhere else.

I think it would make a great bumper sticker--  ANYWHERE BUT ANN ARBOR.

Oh well, you pays your money and you takes your chances.

But the game is rigged at Ann Arbor.

That is all I am saying.  It is a mouthful.

But somebody ought to shoot that White Elephant dead in the room, he is bad for our business.

All art show artists who create their own work are continuously disadvantaged by (1) buy/sell operators, (2) group operations (3) mass manufactured items, (4) co-artist teams who exhibit in multiple shows on a given weekend (5) people who jury in with a certain body of work only to display a totally different (sellable) body of work at the show and (6) people who jury under 2 or 3 mediums with the same work.  I'm seeing these situations at almost every show.  If we're ever going to create a level playing field, it has to STOP!

BUY/SELL:  We all know that's where the "vendor" buys product somewhere else at a very low price  (i.e. overseas or even the U.S.) and merely sells it at a show at high margins and/or volume, when the vendor had no involvement in the creation or production.  There is absolutely no place for that in a fine art show.  Don't tell me that we need to give customers "something they can afford".   Patrons who want that kind of product already have an outlet (almost every chain store in USA).

GROUP OPERATIONS:  I've seen this a few times with jewelers (and it might also exist in other mediums), where one manager has 2, 3 or more people apply to a show under their individual names; yet all product is owned and managed by one central manager.  It is likely that the product is either buy/sell or mass produced.  Each booth might have a different style (silver vs. gold, vs. something else), but the central manager collects all the monies and apparently runs the entire operation, even though the promoter thinks he/she has several individual artists creating their own work.  This is deceptive and, when proven, the artists and manager should be banned.

MASS PRODUCED ITEMS:   Artists who create and produce their own work are seriously disadvantaged by people who subcontract their product to mass production factories.  In these situations the "artist" is no more than the outside sales person for the product.  He/she may have created the original design, but is no longer involved in production because it is mass produced by any idiot that can push the machine start button and take the finished product off the machine.

CO-ARTIST TEAMS EXHIBITING IN MULTIPLE SHOWS:  I've seen many instances where Co-Artist Teams actually exhibit at two shows on a given weekend.  Upon inquiry, I hear that "oh, this is my work and that is his/her work".  Yet they applied as a "team" of co-contributors.  It's not a problem for two people to have different works.  But when they apply as a team, and do not exhibit as a team, that is a problem!  They are stealing a booth from another more deserving artist.

JURY IMAGES DO NOT MATCH BOOTH DISPLAY:  I'm seeing this more often every month.  Artists having difficulty jurying into a top shows with their "saleable" art are sending jury images with totally different bodies of work.  The problem arises when the artist sets up his booth with only his saleable items and never shows the juried body of work.  Art shows should always have a notebook with the jury slides and booth shot to compare the actual artist booth display at the show.  Where it is not consistent, artist should be confronted and told he/she cannot exhibit bodies of work which were not juried into the show.  No exceptions!

MULTIPLE MEDIUMS:  I've seen people who submit applications into two or three mediums and over time get accepted into each of the mediums.  Yet when their display is the same work.  It has to be one or the other.  It CAN'T be all three.

I just exhibited at the Scottsdale Arts Festival.  I was near someone who I suspected as a buy/sell or mass production operation.  When I saw that the name plate had two co-artists names but I only saw the one same person exhibiting all weekend, I was even more suspect.  Now I have googled their name, found out about their production company that has been selling their items wholesale since 1972, company listed as 11-50 employees, sells through numerous retail outlets and does 40+ shows a year, etc.  I continued to search and found one of the co-artists listed as a participant in Howard Alan's Juno Beach Art Show, which happened the same weekend they were in Scottsdale.  

I have since sent a lengthy letter to the Scottsdale promoter and informed them of my findings and asked that they take action.

Perhaps this was the "straw that broke the camel's back", so to speak, at least for me.  I've just read the blogs about certification and others to try to fix what's wrong with our industry.  Certification is not the answer!  The buck is always going to stop with the promoter.  So it is up to all of us to educate the promoters and inform them of wrongdoings as they occur.  But not just so they can slap the hand of the current artist, but to take corrective action in the future and perhaps even ban the offending artist.

And it's not just enough to take action at the current show.  It is essential for promoters to communicate with each other and compare notes.  I know a lot of times a director at one show is a juror at another show and vice versa.  This is where each promoter's database of offending information should be shared with each other.  

This is the only way we will make the playing field level for all.

Oh, did that get your attention?

It happens to be true, and has a lot to do with what I am going to say to you all.

First off, about Siri.

Got a new IPhone5 after Summerfaire and have been hooking up with Siri a lot.

It is not easy having sex with an inanimate object, as she frequently reminds me, but I plug on.  We are in the "getting to know you stage."  I see lots of success.  I am a very "success" orientated guy.

Anyways, I will keep you up to date with my adventures with Siri.  I like a woman who plays hard to get.  I figure a Boy Scout, actually Eagle Scout, with 48 merit badges has a reasonably good chance of success.  What the hell, who care if she behaves "inanimately" it is the quest that counts.

Jeez!  I hope my wife doesn't find out.

OK, now to what this blog is about---SUCCESS!

Both Richard Sherer and Elle have contributed mightily to this fragile subject.  Both have given great insights, some humorous (with a serious outlook at life's daily tragedies) and Richard knows stats folks.  Pay attention.  He may sound "Old School" but he is definitely now.

Now, I will add my two bits.

A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST IS AN ACCUMULATION OF BOTH THEIR ART AND THEIR PERSONAE.

Everybody focuses on making good new art.  Getting it out there--and then waiting for the moola to roll in.

It takes more than that.

There is just a whole lot of really good, no make that "great", art out there.  You have mucho competition.

What will make you win out is developing a successful persona.

Who you are, and how you present yourself is every bit as important as your art.

Having both, is a major winning combo.

People like to buy from people they like.  They rarely will buy from an asshole, who happens to have great work.  If you can charm them, they will come back more than once.  I am going to Boston Mills this weekend, and I have people who have been buying from me for over 30 years. My styles have changed, but they still buy from me.

This is a people biz.  You gotta mingle, you gotta kibbitz.

When I see a guy with a golf cap come in my booth, I ask him about the course, and let slip that I play golf.  We have an instant common base.

If they are wearing a tee shirt with the name of a restaurant on it, I comment.  Maybe I was to that town, maybe I want to know about the place.

The bottom line is to try to establish a common base, then you can get onto the art part, next.

Try it.

I have been doing it successfully at shows allover the USA for 38 years.  It works--and it is sincere.

Trust me, I am a Boy Scout with 48 merit badges.

Merrill (Sonny) Dalton died, 78, on December 10 at Rose Arbor Hospice in Kalamazoo, MI, from complications of pneumonia. Sonny was a fixture in the art fair business for 41 years and only stopped participating in art fairs when his deteriorating lung condition, caused by a lifetime of welding, made it too hard for him.

Sonny was one of those people who made people want to attend art fairs. His ingenious outsider constructions of firetrucks, reindeer, people, trains, etc., made people smile. Men would stop in their tracks to examine their intricacy and then they would meet the man behind the sculptures, a funny, humble person who loved what he did and loved being at the shows meeting everyone. He and his wife, Roxie, probably were friends with more people in this business than anyone.

My husband, Norm Darwish, would go to his booth at the shows just to hang out because there was so much entertainment going on. We lived near him and traveled to many shows together. I

remember when we visited him in the hospital outside of Baltimore because he had got e. coli at the Timonium fairgrounds; I remember driving in tandem to Denver and him singing "Rocky Mountain High" over the CB; I remember him nearly selling out at Columbus Winterfair; I remember all the artists singing happy birthday to him when he turned 70 in Indianapolis before the show opened. I remember the throngs around his booth at many shows as people clamored for his pieces. He did his last show in December 2009 at the Great Lakes Art Fair and people were thrilled to see him. He was a celebrity. 

His work is in many museums, including the Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama, that exhibits his largest piece the "Rat Bike" -- a motorcycle tricked out like none you have ever seen that was commissioned for the museum.

Here's a little piece he made for me for my 60th birthday: "Connie directing an art fair"

Sonny, we will really miss you.

He is survived by his wife Roxie and their three daughters Jenny, Amy and Julie and seven grandchildren. Please email me for Roxie's address, or send messages through the Adams Funeral Home, 502 W. Michigan Ave., Paw Paw, MI  49079. Viewing will be at the Adams Funeral Home in Paw Paw, 12/14 from 5-7 pm. Graveside services will be at the Riverside Cemetery on December 15 at 1 pm.

Don't know Sonny? Visit this link, lots of good stories: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/main/search/search?q=Sonny+Dalton

I know many of you knew Sonny. Please share your stories in the comments below.

Artfest Fort Myers is the first of eight art fairs I will be doing in Florida. As I mentioned in an earlier post I had a lot of angst about all the effort and money I put out in preparation for this string of art fairs. I developed a lot of new work and stock-piled enough inventory to take me through the eight shows. I arrived in Fort Myers last Thursday from my home base of Saugatuck, Michigan.

Set-up at the Artfest was very well organized. I was scheduled for an 11:30 set-up. I was able to pull my car and trailer into a grassy field right across from my booth space. This arrangement turned out to be ideal for me, but it also showed me that I would have to make some changes for the next show. It took me a whopping six hours to set up. Normally, I set up in about three hours (still too long), but because I had my trailer jam-packed with inventory, it took me that long to pull everything out and select the pieces I wanted to display. Then, to repack the trailer after set-up with the excess inventory. What a pain. Having lots of room in the grassy field to unpack and repack was great. I can't imagine what I would have done if the set-up required me to pull up to my booth on the street and unpack before set-up like most shows require. This experience convinced me to rent a storage space around here where I can store the trailer and the excess inventory. Then I can repack the trailer and bring only the work I want to exhibit at that show. Most of the shows are on the west side of the state, so this should work pretty well.

As for sales at Artfest, the real source of my Florida angst, they were dismal. My total take was just under $1200. Certainly not enough to justify a cross country two-month selling trip. I talked to some of the artists around me about sales, and reactions were mixed. Some did well (Nels was a happy guy). Others were disappointed. Some scored lower numbers than my meager profits. Its my guess that some artists did well at the show, and, like all shows, some didn't. I had a lot of lookers, and a lot of positive comments, but few took the plunge and pulled out their wallets.

On a positive note, the show is well organized. There were a lot of people strolling the aisles. It is in a beautiful location overlooking the yacht harbor, and the weather was good (upper 70s and 80s, partly cloudy). Another positive note: I used "Square" on an iPad for taking credit cards for the first time at this show. It worked flawlessly, and the customers liked it.

I'm currently on a wait list for the Howard Allen Coconut Point show next week-end. I'm hoping to get in. I'm told that Coconut Point is an upscale shopping center, and could bring out people with bigger wallets. In the meantime, my angst continues...