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First off, let me say that I spent over an hour writing this post. Then the browser crashed, and took everything with it. No, I did not save a draft. So it was all gone. So now I'm starting over from scratch. So it may not be as good as the original post. But then, again, maybe it will be better.

Many times, art shows are more fun behind the tent than in front. What the patrons see are our public faces, happy, shining, creative artist faces. At Winter Park, there was much happiness spread around. It doesn't hurt that the weather this year was sunny and warm, with no hint of a thunderstorm anywhere in the forecast. The load-in starts on Thursday, with the artists in Central Park dollying in from wherever they can find a parking place. Some will park in back, along the railroad tracks. Some find spots on busy Park Avenue, which doesn't close for the artists on the street until 5AM on Friday morning. Some drop in by helicopter. (Just kidding about that one -- wouldn't it be great?) The layout is confusing, with spots along concrete paths in the park and a long row of booths down Park Avenue. Some booths have the dreaded wood chips instead of concrete paths -- it can get very dusty. Try to close that sale the first time, because the customer may not be able to find you again without a breadcrumb trail.

The crowds were good, from before the starting bell at 9AM on Friday morning, until well past closing on Sunday evening at 5PM. Lots of love, lots of interest. Even some money changing hands. I set out on Sunday morning to shoot some happy smiling artist face, trying to emulate Travis lovely iPhone shots from Bonita. I failed miserably. If only I had spent less time talking to friends, and more time shooting. A photographer's life is tough. Ya gotta get up early in the morning to get those magic hour photographs! But I did capture some of the happiness being spread around Saturday and Sunday, and had a great time doing it.

Sunday morning, the award ribbons were flying on my aisle. There were four of us all told. Bruce Holwerda, first on the left, won for his imaginative paintings. Down from him, Barbara McLaughlin was a first-time winner for her jewelry. And across from Barbara, Kate Beck also took a prize for her fiber wearables. Congratulations to all the winners!

If there's one thing Winter Park does well, it's definitely the awards. $67,500 in prize money, all told. Friday, three judges visit every booth, and choose one piece for judging if you are lucky. I had two pieces chosen, and then the judges had to duke it out to determine which one better represented my entire body of work. On Saturday morning, those artists with chosen work take the representative piece to an off-site room for final deliberations. Award winners are announced with great fanfare on Saturday afternoon.

The committee comes around with balloons, and a ribbon to post in your booth. Checks are handed out at the lovely artist party on Saturday night. As you can see, I'm a happy artist (I'm the one on the right)!

The artist party is up there, as artist parties go. We were busy in the booth with customers until almost 6:30, so didn't get closed up and to the party until almost 7. There was plenty of food and drink, served buffet style outside the Winter Park Historical Society. The presentation started at 7:30, at which point the 30 Awards of Merit ($500), 20 Awards of Distinction ($1000) and 10 Awards of Excellence ($2000) are handed out. They also show slides of each of the artists work. Very classy and well-done.

Barbara McLaughlin won for her jewelry, and posted about her experiences early in the week. She had come by the booth to introduce herself earlier in the day, and was super excited to meet me, and to win that pretty red ribbon. I guess you can tell from her amped-up grin! 

We saw lots of friends, both artists and old friends from the area. Mark and Laura Pooser dropped by, and we had dinner at the marvelous Winter Park Fish Company. Service is stand-up at the counter; they deliver your food to you at a table of your choice, if you can find one. Lines are usually out the door. Mark and Laura have lived in Orlando for years, and their restaurant choices are usually spot on. Try Fuji Sushi, if you like sushi.

Sharie Rocker (on left) and JD (wisely avoided photo opp) came in on Sunday. Sharie and Karyn (on right) worked together in Michigan, and Shari has recently relocated to Orlando. Shari watched me try to convince patrons to buy more photographs, and I'm sure she had a hoot doing it. JD tried to get Karyn and I to go to the bar to watch Michigan duke it out with Duke in the NCAA March Madness, but common sense prevailed. Damn you, common sense! 

And fellow art show photographer Rob Coomer and his wife Tabby came by to say hello. Rob was in town on a busman's holiday, visiting relatives and shooting some wildlife in the area.

As a photographer, I usually get a lot of wannabees coming in the booth, asking advice, wanting to talk about cameras or how to get into art shows. Rob is the real deal. His passion is spelunking, and he has some great cave pictures. 

Other photographers came and went, and I dispensed advice. I've been thinking about putting a sign in my booth that says," If you want to talk about my work, that's free. If you want to talk about your work, that's $100/hr." Do you think that'd make any difference? Nah...

I did meet two lifelong photographer friends, Sherri and Melanie. They were very nice, and didn't want any advice. They did admire my work, which is of course, de rigeur when you are in my booth (otherwise I may kick you out, but that's another story). I'm sure that they will like this snapshot I made of them. If not, oh well. To paraphrase my Dad, we're not in the art show business, we're in the happiness business. 

And then there are all the customers. Most of the show, we were mobbed. Friday and Saturday, the serious shoppers come early. They also show up later in the day on Sunday to nab bargains, and to pick up some happiness that they earmarked earlier in the show. One of my favorite moments in the show was when Stephanie, a previous customer, came by. She said that she reads all my marketing emails, and that she loves my work. She and her new boyfriend Chris were shopping for artwork for their condo, and they must have spent over an hour looking at every single piece. Gotta love folks like that! They ended up purchasing several images, after much deliberation. And she actually printed out a coupon that I had mailed over a month prior, and brought it to the show. I looked up, and thought I saw a pig go by overhead.

For me, that's what makes the show circuit fun. People who enjoy your work, are respectful of what you do, and support you by actually paying you for their own share of your passion. And we have a lot of laughs. 

Show sales were good for me, this year better than last. Of course, last year we had a cloudburst on Sunday afternoon that closed the show and left three or four inches of standing water in everyone's booth. This year, the weather was perfect, and the crowds kept coming and coming.

This Sunday was a bit more tire-kickers and browsers, but sales were still okay. Not great, like Winter Park great, but okay. The load-out was organized and went smoothly. It always amazes me that artists can get themselves in and out of a tight setup with little or no bickering. Even with my oversize trailer and truck, I was able to get close to our booth on the street, so the dolly out was less painful than dollying in from the parking lot. Some artists can get their rigs down the narrow railroad right of way, but mine's too big for that. Parking is easy, too. They reserve an entire field behind the park for artists' vehicles; you can also park in the Amtrak lot. 

Winter Park wouldn't be Winter Park without the wail of the Amtrak locomotive. A few freight trains rumble through, and everyone stops talking until the train noise subsides. Somehow I missed shooting the lineup of portapotties in the train station -- you can see them on the right. Lots of them, and pretty clean, too. There are bathrooms in the train station for those who hate porta potties, and most of the restaurants along Park Avenue will let the artists use the facilities. Some people I know rate shows on the quality of the bathroom facilities...

I'm sure I've missed some important items. That's what happens when you pour your heart and soul into a piece of fiction and then your computer blows it away. You forget things. Your mind slips. Oh well. Next time. Did I mention YogurtLand?

Bye bye Winter Park. See ya next year.