Posted by Nels Johnson on February 7, 2017 at 1:30pm
John Leben just wrote a beautiful blog about this show, check It out.I am just going to give you a little more perspective, plus, talk about places to eat and drink at there.I lived in NSB for six years in the eighties. I have done it many times, and done well.This year was one of the worst shows there that I have ever done.On Sunday I made a whopping $40 sale at 11am, then did zero the rest of the day.I sell a certain amount of humor in my photos, unfortunately, most patrons had no humor.This is a three day show with Friday being a total waste of time. You have to spend another day in a hotel while you barely make $300-$600 for the day.Saturday brought decent crowds around noon. You sell to a lot of seniors at this show.Not a lot of the younger people have disposable income to buy art.The show is too long to walk, so you do not get a lot of "be-backs".There are 240 artists here. That is too many for the size of this town. The show will never downsize it, they love renting out temporary 10x10 spots.They have an excellent patrons program which has grown better every year. This year I got zero patrons awards, usually I pick up three to four.Face it, I just sucked there. They did like my art. Others did very well like Leben, Vaughn and many others.Traditional, conservative art is king here.Now let us talk about the pluses for this show.One, you can drive your car on the beach here. It is a thrill to do. It is one of the coolest rides to do.Second. NSB is a very mellow, beach town. It has finally come into its own in the last ten years. There are tons of good restaurants, and they all serve great fresh seafood. Try Off the Hook in the Publix shopping center on the beach. On Sunday's you get a dozen raw or steamed oysters for $10. The grouper sandwich is awesome for $14.Third. You can find very reasonable lodging choices there. Just ask John Leben.Fourth. The show committee is very artist friendly. They give out quality lunches, snacks and dinner, they have a great awards program.Fifth. I just love New Smyrna Beach.I just had a sucky show this year, that's my fault.The rest of you should try this show--and, ride on the beach!
I really, really wanted to like it. Everything was great but there was no buying energy. Nobody was toting anything and the artists around me weren't very happy. And, three days is two days too long.
It was nice to meet you in person on Friday and see your work. [I know I probably seemed like a bit of a crazy stalker] Sorry it wasn't the best show for you this year. Keep up the great posts, I always enjoy reading them.
Comments
I really, really wanted to like it. Everything was great but there was no buying energy. Nobody was toting anything and the artists around me weren't very happy. And, three days is two days too long.
It was nice to meet you in person on Friday and see your work. [I know I probably seemed like a bit of a crazy stalker] Sorry it wasn't the best show for you this year. Keep up the great posts, I always enjoy reading them.