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After a number of weeks playing out the string in the Sunshine State with craft fairs (with mostly small to mid-sized, sweltering crowds) and a "play weekend" at my college reunion with fun that would do Nels proud--not that I'm going to blog about any of THAT!-- I've finally arrived in the Northeast for the summer. 

First up: Art's Alive in Ocean City, MD, a show that I visited last year at the end of a "shooting vacation" in the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia peninsula.  It's a modest-sized show--fewer than 100 artists--in a pretty setting, a wide-open, well-maintained city park with wide walkways weaving through athletic fields and a lagoon. But, as several show veterans warned me last year, sales results are heavily influenced by the weather, and that seemed to be the case this year. 

Setup was anytime after noon on Friday, or early morning on Saturday.  And although nearly all artists opted for the day-before option--a logical choice given the show's early 9 a.m. start--in hindsight there were a few that wished they had waited.  The reason?  A series of strong thunderstorms blew in at 9 pm Friday, and a small but violent downburst, with 50 mph gusts followed about three hours later, toppling not only a few E-Z Ups but even a Craft Hut.  Troupers all, the artists affected did what they could to salvage the day on Saturday: Several were selling al fresco from under beach umbrellas in the near-record heat , another--shades of the Sixties!--leaned their work against a chain link fence.  But with rain in the forecast for Sunday, all of them left at the end of Day One, I was told.

Show director John Sullivan said that his security crew immediately responded when the storm hit, gathering work and supplies that had been scattered by the winds.  But none of the artists said they got a phone call, and all were shocked when they arrived and saw the damage. I suspect we haven't heard the last about that. . .

And for the crowds?  If not for the absence of palm trees, I would have thought I was back in Florida.  Perhaps due to the 93-degree heat on Saturday, crowds were sparse all day.  I had a few buyers of my Florida wildlife photography but all cash, and all small.  Sunday featured moderate rain to start the morning, but temps were 15 degrees cooler. By 11 a.m. or so the rains let up, and a few more folks came to visit.  Crowds in the afternoon were up slightly, compared with Saturday.  And for me, anyway, they were buying: in contrast with Day One, NO sales in cash, and all over $150. Go figure. Disappointingly,  both of my neighbors were 'way down from Saturday, and generally other artists I spoke with reported that this was an off year.

In addition to the weather, theories abounded:  This is the time of year when vacation home owners typically come down for long weekends or vacations before the July 4-Labor Day rental season commences.  And yet there are lots of vacation homes down here that are in foreclosure and/or undergoing "short sales" (I stayed for the weekend with a Realtor who specializes in them, so I know this for certain).  Then, too, Saturday is "flip day," when one weekly rental ends and another begins.  First-day arrivees, the theory goes, won't spend Day One at an art festival when it's searingly hot and the beaches beckon.

The quality of work was, in my view, fairly middle-of-the-road.  Lots of beach-themed 2-D, as you might expect, some very nice functional art--glass bowls, pottery, and such--and about 30% jewelry.  The show seemed to have a lot of photography, too, which I'm told is pretty common in Northeast shows. (I'll be up here all summer, so we'll see!)

I can't let this review go without huge kudos for the artist amenities.  Although personally, I never consider them when opting whether or not to apply to a show, the fact remains that you can't do them better than the folks in Ocean City.  The Saturday night artist party was in a large, air-conditioned room--how great is THAT, given the heat?-- and featured catered hors d'oueuvres, veggie trays, wine, beer, and sodas.  Artist awards ($500) were given to the top winners in each category.  Volunteers offered booth-sitting throughout the weekend.  In what had to be an art-show first for me, I returned from a 20-minute lunch break to find that a be-back had actually returned and promised the booth-sitter that they'd return to purchase one of my $350 canvases.  And they did!  (So what's the protocol here?  Does she get a tip?)

Anyway, it was that kind of weekend.  I was happy that Day 2 sales saved my weekend, and I learned that many homeowners here also have homes in Florida (and some of them had seen me before).  So that's good news.  I'll plan on doing this show again next year, based on my personal results, but I'll be hoping for better weather, an improving economy, bigger crowds, and--as they say along the harbor--that a rising tide will float all boats.