Hi all, here goes again, does anyone do western and cowboy art shows? I do alot of horses- I know- horses are so passe', but these are so different so I am hoping there is a market for them at the right shows. (I will be updating my website in 1 week with 20 newer paintings so you can't really see what will be in my booth yet), anyway, anyone doing those shows? I am moving to Big Bear, Ca., there's a big cowboy show in Santa Clarita first of May and a big one in Sedona in July and one in Monterey in Dec. Any input? Thanks.
Sedona's National Dy of the Cowboy was cancelled this year and I don't have hopes for it next year. We did it the last two or three years and sales weren't very good. Since we now have to buy a city sales tax license besides the state, we won't be doing it again.
Thanks, I looked at the Las Vegas Show- $1200 booth fee, a little steep, I emailed the Monterey Cowboy show and I can still get in for the same date. (I don't know the fees yet) This might interest Larry, in Dec., it's the Cowboy Art Festival in Monterey, Ca. also Larry there is a Big Cowboy show in Santa Clarita Ca. they haven't posted dates yet but it is at the beginning of May: and Sedona has National Day of the Cowboy in JulyI will research Vegas for the National Rodeo and see if there are smaller venues to try. Thanks for the input, christian.
Hello. I've been to the cowboy show in Las Vegas a few times. I can't remember the show name, but i think its Cowboy Christmas. It coincides with the rodeo. Its a good size show. Vendors sell boots, leather/suede clothes, hats, furniture, jewelry, cow hides etc. The show seemed well attended, but i cannot vouch for sales. Many of the items were high end. Have you checked out the prices on cowboy boots? Way too high for my budget. the furniture sold there was rustic and lodge style. Lots of cedar. I don't recall seeing paintings or photos. But i had my heart set on buying a pair of boots or a hat to wear to the Brooks & Dunn concert, so my focus was narrowed. I believe the show is held in 2 different locations. One at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and the other at the Sands, in case you are interested. I'm not recommending the show, just bringing it to your attention. Its a huge market out west.
I'm in the process of researching the same thing. I'm a wood sculptor and have a western theme to my work. I carve some horses along with mountain men, indians, cowboy boots, Civil War busts, etc. The last two shows I've been in artists have told me to go west of the Mississippi and I'd sell a lot more art. They also told me to look for the bigger shows which are harder to get into like Fort Worth and OKC. I'm also looking at some in Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona. So not so much specialty shows as shows in western states where things more cowboy or western would have a greater chance of selling. In the Chicago area I've found there are a lot of horse lovers, but again you have to get in the right shows. The ones I was in this year got me a lot of compliments, but those don't pay the bills. It's also a smaller market so some shows you sell smaller price items others you sell large price items. It has to hit the people just right. I've been fortunate this year to be able to sell some of my work that is in the $500 - $1000 range, but this doesn't happen every show.
I'm also looking at some of the speciality horse shows in the area along with Kentucky and Tennessee. Although at these I've been told the buyers will be the people coming to see the shows not the ones participating in them. That being said the participants are also good candidates for custom work.
As I learn more I'll share my experiences as this is my first year. It's been quite a learning experience.
I hope cowboy shows are different than hot air balloon shows and teddy bear shows and the experiences I had. I shot pictures at a hot air balloon festival in Battle Creek and took a booth at the Albuquerque hot air balloon festival to try to sell them. Learned the hard way that people who attend hot air balloon festivals only buy photographs of hot air balloons if they know who owns the balloons in the picture. Tried selling my teddy bear photographs at two different teddy bear shows. Though the pictures were best sellers at art shows, they didn't sell at all at the teddy bear shows. People who attend teddy bear shows are collectors and you have to design bears and be written up in Teddy Bear Magazine. I should have sold the teddy bear photographs at the hot air balloon festival.
I learned two things from those experiences. The first is never to do a show in a theme park because they aren't there to see the art. The second is that it's not the people who go to specialized shows that buy items of the same type of content as the show, but people who know that their friends like that stuff buy it for them.
Comments
I'm in the process of researching the same thing. I'm a wood sculptor and have a western theme to my work. I carve some horses along with mountain men, indians, cowboy boots, Civil War busts, etc. The last two shows I've been in artists have told me to go west of the Mississippi and I'd sell a lot more art. They also told me to look for the bigger shows which are harder to get into like Fort Worth and OKC. I'm also looking at some in Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona. So not so much specialty shows as shows in western states where things more cowboy or western would have a greater chance of selling. In the Chicago area I've found there are a lot of horse lovers, but again you have to get in the right shows. The ones I was in this year got me a lot of compliments, but those don't pay the bills. It's also a smaller market so some shows you sell smaller price items others you sell large price items. It has to hit the people just right. I've been fortunate this year to be able to sell some of my work that is in the $500 - $1000 range, but this doesn't happen every show.
I'm also looking at some of the speciality horse shows in the area along with Kentucky and Tennessee. Although at these I've been told the buyers will be the people coming to see the shows not the ones participating in them. That being said the participants are also good candidates for custom work.
As I learn more I'll share my experiences as this is my first year. It's been quite a learning experience.
I learned two things from those experiences. The first is never to do a show in a theme park because they aren't there to see the art. The second is that it's not the people who go to specialized shows that buy items of the same type of content as the show, but people who know that their friends like that stuff buy it for them.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100