I promote myself as a "salvage artist", I repurpose metal objects (junk) by welding them into benches, chairs, plant holders, garden sculptures, etc ( www.salvageartist.com ). I have done fairly well selling my art locally over the past three years, so this year I decided to branch out into surrounding states. I spent a lot of time researching shows that I thought would be a good fit for me, reading on-line about tips to doing art shows and attended many to do further research. I applied for 8 juried shows and was accepted into 6, I thought that was pretty good. I was just at my 4th show of the year - Arts in the Gardens in Canandaigua New York. Beautiful weekend, wonderful show, people were spending money! I did less than $300, my worst show yet (which is not to say that my others were good, I haven't hit $1000 yet). I put a lot of thought into how I layout my booth. I have a nice sign with my artist statement and picture on it and I engage the people in conversation. I get wonderful comments - "your work is amazing", "so different than anything I have seen before", "your art is what I will remember about this show", "Your art is priced so reasonably" but they are not buying it! I love sharing what I do with people, but these are not art exhibits they are shows and everything is for sale. My prices are reasonable because after my first two failed shows, I lowered my prices. If people walked past my booth and didn't even look at my art I would think my stuff was crap and stop trying to sell it. But they stop, they look, the love it. They pump up my ego and then they trample on my heart as they leave. I love doing the shows and meeting other artist who constantly inspire me with their creativity. A more helpful group of people you will never find, giving me tips on shows to try, web sites that are helpful and any other info they think will help me. But what I really love to do is create, which I can't afford to do if I can't sell what I have already made. SOOOO - what am I doing wrong????
