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I've reviewed this show several times before, so I'll keep this one short.  (You can read earlier reviews, including details on the area demographics and show logistics here.)

If you like to take your art without side orders of carnival and kettle corn, the Estero Fine Art show is a good way to go.  Run by Patty Narozny's HotWorks LLC, this is the fall installment of her biannual shows at Miromar Outlets in Estero, FL (about 15 miles north of Naples).  Over the last four years, the event has developed a nice following among fine artists and local show-goers.  It's not a big event (only 75 artists this year), but it's high quality, with a good mix of local and international artists, a wide variety of media, special programs for youth and disabled artists, and solid awards programs ($1500 in artist awards, plus several purchase awards). There's a lemonade stand, but no food hawkers (and they're not needed, with a plethora of mall restaurants within easy walking distance.) The music is pleasant but mellow. And the artists are well cared for, with ice water and booth sitters available throughout both days.

Patty puts her marketing savvy to good use in promoting the show, with good airplay of a 30-second TV spot, good media placement, and nicely designed glossy postcards, 

And it seems to pay off.  We've all done shows in shopping malls and seen "patrons" strolling the show with armfuls of bags from mall retailers, but none from artists. But as the show unfolded this weekend, I noted that although attendance was moderate, a large percentage of visitors were actually stopping in to browse, converse, and (sometimes) buy.  Saturday sales were more than respectable for me, under brilliant blue skies and coolish (for SW Fla) temperatures.  Sunday was unseasonably hot and a bit more humid, and a bit uncomfortable in my tent for this time of year.  Buyers enough, but more small purchases, making for a lower sales volume.  I was down about $350 from the previous day, but given that my home is only 15 minutes' drive from the show, I can still chalk this one up in the "Win" column.

Most of the artists I spoke with were satisfied with their sales totals.  A husband-and-wife mixed media team reported that sales were up 40% over last year's more-than-acceptable take. One well-known local painter sold two of his large (roughly 4x5 foot) acrylics on Saturday;   Several high-end jewelers said they were happy enough with their totals.
Two photographers, new to the show circuit, made enough sales to be encouraged. "Decent, but not gangbusters," said one jeweler, and that seemed to be the prevailing sentiment.  With the economy in SW Florida still lagging and the seasonal Green-bucked Snowbirds just beginning to arrive, that's not a bad commentary.

Upsides:

* Patty and her staff stroll the show frequently.  And she goes out of her way to find out how artists are faring, sales-wise, and is generous with her suggestions on how to improve booth appearance and saleability of one's art.  In my view, this makes her shows particularly desirable for emerging artists who are talented enough to be juried in, but eager to improve their quality and marketability.  

Downsides:

* As in years past, some patrons were heard complaining about how hard it was to find a parking space near the show.  (Some of that blame can be laid on artists who chose to ignore the artist parking, about five minutes' walk from the show venue, and park close in to the tents.) 

* Despite fewer artists this year, the show had a tighter layout: Booth space was reduced from its previous 12x12 foot dimensions to 11x11, which made for one tight setup.  There was sufficient space behind your booth for your inventory,  but unless you were on a corner space or had a back door in your booth it was difficult, if not impossible, to squeeze between tents and get to it.  I'm already looking forward to the January 2012 installment of this fine show, but I, and especially my sore back, hope that it will mark a return to the 12x12 layout.

(Postscript: In a post-show thank you email, Patty explained that the tighter space was due to her desire to avoid a repeat of 2010's "split show" layout (which was a concession made necessary by the owners' redesign of the area in which the show was held). "Therefore, we have a smaller area to use, because we want to remain on the front part of the mall with high visibility from the roads," she noted.)