Have you had some larger than life clients?  I've had some wonderful ones, some difficult ones and some REALLY interesting ones.  I wrote about one of my most memorable clients in my blog today. 

http://www.pencilenvy.blogspot.com/2012/05/mood-swinging-with-biker-chick.html

I think most of us artists are open minded, but if you are squeamish about language, this one is a little bluer than usual, due to my need to quote my client accurately.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Be paid to have your work exhibited! Who ever heard of such a concept?

June 22-24
Detroit Riverfront
Deadline: May 20

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, sponsors of the River Days Festival, is hosting ArtScape, June 22-24, an open art competition in which winners are awarded more than $15,000 in cash prizes. Every artist whose work is accepted will receive a cash award of $500.00.  Jury fee: $20

The purpose of the event is to promote arts and culture in Detroit and showcase the Detroit Riverfront. The new attractions is intended to raise the already renowned quality of programming and culture at River Days, as well as to promote the Arts to the Metro community and specifically the 100,00 people that annually attend the River Days Festival.

All work submitted would be judged by a panel of experts, who will select 10 pieces of artwork, to be shown at the Detroit River Art Scape 2012.

PRIZES AND AWARDS:

• Each selected finalist will receive a $500.00 award for displaying his or her winning artwork at the Detroit River Art Scape 2012.
• Other awards are $2,500.00 first place awarded by the jurors and another $2,500.00 will be voted on by the public.
• $1,500.00 second place awarded by the jurors and another $1,500.00 will be voted on by the public.
• $500.00 third place will by awarded by the jurors and another $500.00 will be voted on by the public.

There will be a drawing from the Public Choice voters, and the selected person will win $1000.00 worth of prizes.

Learn more:
www.juriedartservices.com

Susan and I have been exhibiting at this event for 10 years or more.  The art section is considered secondary to the music lineup.  But what we have found out over the years is that the crowds are strong and there are many loyal art buyers that attend Sunfest for the art first and the music 2nd.  The event is located on A-1A right on the water.

The jury fee is $30 with the booth fee being $300.  Any corner location is an additional $50 and there are many more requests than available corner spaces.  We are one of the few lucky artists to obtain a corner space.  The music starts on Wednesday with the Art Show beginning Friday at 5:00 pm.  Art show hours are Friday 5 - 10, Sat. 12 - 10 and Sun. 12 - 9.  Yes these are long hours and there are times during the afternoon where the customer traffic can be light.  But once 4:00 comes each day the customer crowds pick up and continue to grow the rest of the evening.  Be prepared to have booth lights for the evening hours, especially from 7 - 10 pm.  Sunfest includes electricity to all exhibitors which is included in the booth fee cost.  They also provide free parking in a local parking garage about a block away for the 3 days.  Looking for a hotel/motel shouldn't be difficult as many options are available and relatively close.  We were able to find a special Sunfest rate at the Holiday Inn for $79/night about 5 miles away.

Set up starts on Friday at 10:00 am and goes on till 4:00.  The set-up is pretty smooth with very little hassle. Sunfest offers art exhibitors a nice dinner at 4:00 pm friday before the art show starts that consists of Lasagne, Salad, italion bread and your choice of water, lemonade, ice tea or beer.  Snacks, fruit and water, ice tea or lemondae are offered throughout the show at the artist oasis.  Btw I love their lemonade and drink it all weekend.   I heard that over 2000 cups were used by the artist and volunteers for the weekend.

Judging starts on Friday around 5:00 pm and the judge does enter your booth and reviews each artist body of work, even asking questions if need be.  Total prize money is $13,500 with overall best of show being $2000.

I counted 160 artist exhibiting.  The category breakdown is:

Glass  -  9 (5%),  Jewlry - 28 (17.5%),  MM 2-D & 3-D  - 22 (13.75%),  Painting - 37 (23%),  Watercolor - 5 (3%),  Woodwork - 9 (5.5%),Pottery/Ceramics - 7 (4%),  Fine Art Sculpture/Metal 10, Drawings/Graphics or Printmaking - 8 (5%) (6.25%),  Fiber/Textiles - 7 (4%), Photography - 11 (6.9%)  and Fine Craft - 7 (4%).

The art show chairman Will White and his vice chairman Phil Barbee are seasoned veterans.  They assemble a solid support staff that will help you any way you need including booth sitting and stocking the artist oasis with snacks, fruit and beverages throughout the event.  Everyone is friendly and prepared.  Will and Phil are on site the entire show and do whatever they can to make sure the artist have a pleasant Sunfest experience.

Sales can be very good at this event. It is my opinion in order to optimize your sales you should have something that is either tropical, contemporary, very unique and a wide price range that are $25 -  originals.  There is some extremely high value, tremendous art being sold here.   You have a mix of young people to wealthy socialites.  It amazes me each year how many young kids buy art.  I don't know where they get the $$$$'s but as long as they spend it on art work, I don't really care.  We even had George Hamilton come to our booth and strike up a conversation with Susan while she was demonstrating.  I did speak to a photographer who has been a loyal exhibitor for 28 years at Sunfest and he stated that sales had been good for him this year.  Another photographer didn't faire as well.  A metal clock sculpture was busy with sales all weekend.  Our neighbor a mixed media artist/painter did very well.  Both Susan and I had another stellar Sunfest.  We sold two originals to a wealthy West Palm Beach socialite and two one-of-a-kind pieces as well as other framed and mounted pieces.  It was the 3rd weekend in a row we had a "home run" art show. There is hope in Florida.

Sunfest concludes on Sunday night at 9:00 pm. with a 20 minute or so spectacular fireworks display on the water.  Susan and I take this time to relax in our booth observing the fireworks.  When the fireworks conclude the tear down begins.  We managed to get all packed up and on our way home by midnight.  Everything went smoothly as Will and Phil and their staff always do a bang up job facilitaing the tear down.  By the time we arrived home it was 3:05 am.  I can't say that we are an advocate for the late Sunday hours, but I know it's just one time a year so we accept it and sleep in till we wake up  which in this years case was past 1:00 pm Monday.

There is plenty of opportunity for artist to make $$$ at Sunfest.  Come to exhibit with an open mind, be prepared for the long hours and all types of art customers.

This was the first year for this event, and I know lots of artists won't do first year shows...I, however, choose to support new shows and events when I can (they have to start somewhere, don't they?)  As a stained glass artist, my customer base is different from the canvas artists, sculptors, etc, just as their customers are different from mine. so my experience will be different from other artists.  There were about 70 artists, I think, representing a good variety of media.  All of the booths on the main street were far enough apart, so that 3 sides of the booth had visibility, for those of us who chose to  open our booth completely.

There was a TON of advertising for this event, and signs all over town, even an electric sign just off I-4 heading into town.  They TV and radio ads and spots, as well as print media.

The promoters are very artist oriented, in that they and their volunteers (which were plentiful) made the rounds regularly to be sure we had water or soda, or needed a short break.  There was a breakfast both days of breakfast bars and sweet rolls, bagels, and fresh fruit to go with our coffee. They even brought a nice sandwich and soda for lunch on Saturday!  Restrooms were plentiful and nearby.  Parking was plentiful and close.

I always choose to set up as early as possible.  Load in on Friday afternoon was smooth and unhurried.  My booth space was on the street (they all were), and I was fortunate enough to be under a tree, which made the 90+ degree heat a little more bearable.  I got there early on Saturday to arrange my work in the booth.

Over the 2 days there were never any huge crowds, but there was a steady flow of folks all day both days.  I did not notice many purchases going by my booth on Saturday, and my sales were slow.  My immediate neighbors commented theirs were, as well.  Sunday I noticed more purchases passing my booth, and one neighbor said she had good sales on Sunday, which redeemed the show for her.  I was alone in my booth, so could not get out to talk to other artists, but I did hear reports of other artists doing quite well.  I did not make expenses, but I can't say I thoght it was a bad show.

Load out on Sunday was a breeze.

All in all, I understand that the Florida shows this year have been disappointing.  This new show, in my opinion, is one that has potential for future years.  I probably won't do it again, only because the 8 hour drive, and the cost of diesel fuel added to hotel  and the fees to do the show just make it cost prohibitive for me.

This week in New York City there is a big art extravaganza taking place, the Frieze Art Fair on Randall'sIsland, where they've erected the "world's largest tent." It is a temporary architectural piece that is holds the exhibits from international galleries, hoping to cash in on the important art auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's.

Actually, there was some flap on this, as the Frieze was accused of treading on already established art fairs in NYC, including the trendy Armory Show just two weeks ago. Imagine such a concept! It doesn't happen only at our events, folks.

Can't resist including this link from the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/really-you-call-this-art_n_1477854.html

Hope you'll enjoy these images and maybe post some of your own!

More links about Frieze:

Saltz: Why the Frieze Art Fair Could Solve the New York Art Fair Problem

Occupy pledges to ‘un-Frieze’ art fair

This is my review of the just concluded (Paragon) Silver Spring art festival. I got there the morning of saturday so load in was a breeze, although I heard it was hectic for those who set up on Friday.

Saturday started with a bang, Sold one of my biggest piece to the first lady that walked in my booth then felt I will be a rich man by the end of the day at this rate. At the end of the day I sold mostly small framed and unframed pieces at a steady pace, was very impressed with my earnings.

Sunday started slowly but sales continued, by 3pm I was happy with my gains, having just come back from NO jazzfest with an exceptional gross sales, I wasnt expecting what Silver Spring had to offer. The crowd on both days were steady and buying, most of those I spoke to were having a good show. Weather was good with a little threat of rain. On my final hour a lady that had spoken with me on Saturday contemplating my biggest ticket item came back with her husband I guess to approve the purchase, he raised his nose and I think disapproved based on the price of the piece, $2500, they walked away and I saw them coming back with a big piece of art work in his hands, I thought for sure the sale was blown. Then I heard them arguing  and she came in alone with him walking away refusing to turn around when she called onto him. She shouted $^%&#@ and turned to me saying she is taking it. I was very glad to make the sale I guess I can call it a defiant sale,  at this point I am just hoping I dont get a charge back.

Overall it was a very good show for me,  just sent in my application for the fall version and will be hoping for similar gains if accepted.

Im looking to buy a good quality pop up tent as a backup for my lightdome for shows that have same day set ups or are one day shows. I know ez ups tent to leak but this company (vitabri) claims that thier v3 canopy,  in addition to having good quality structure the top is made of 1000 denier fabric and is totally  waterproof. its about $900 (not including walls) but I really am looking for a quality Ez-up type tent that doesnt leak and I can use sparingly.  If anyone has heard or experienced this canopy please let me  know. Thanks!

Piedmont Park, looking south towards downtown Atlanta

I'd been trying to get into Dogwood for several years, so when the acceptance letter came in November, I was excited. The Dogwood Festival is an Atlanta tradition, held in midtown Piedmont Park, mid April most years. As most urban shows, it comes with its share of challenges. 

First challenge: the setup. Most of the booths are along a path that winds through the park, and borders a large open space. There is also a spur that leads off towards a public parking deck on the opposite side of Lake Clara Meer. This seems like artist hell, but many of the best talents in the show had spaces on this side of the show.

Dogwood Festival Map

To get in and setup, the organizers offer a choice of setup times, either on Wednesday for local Georgia artists, or on Thursday. Staging the artists in a large parking lot south of the show at the Civic Center, we were greeted by Lanna Knapp, the Festival Coordinator and her staff. I chose to setup as early as possible on Thursday, to avoid congestion with my truck and trailer.

Stephen Baldauf adjusts a painting before the show opens on Sunday

The paths are narrow. The artists vehicles are queued up, in booth order, and led to the site by Atlanta police on motorcycles. Like a funeral parade, only more cheerful, Lights flashing, we got to blow through every traffic signal to the entrance of the park. Once in, we had about 90 minutes to unload and park the vehicle. This brings me to challenge number two.

Parking is an issue in this downtown show. There are metered spaces along Piedmont Avenue and 12th Street, but it's pretty tough to fit a 40' truck and trailer into these. There are also several paid parking garages, but these don't take a trailer height vehicle. Luckily, there is a surface lot near the Midtown Hotel that allows trailers to be parked on the lot. You MUST pay in a timely manner, though, or you will be ticketed and booted. There is an automated machine that spits out $10 parking passes, good for 12 hours. Not cheap, but it works. It's about a ten minute walk to the park entrance, and if you are on the opposite side of the park, heaven help you. I moved the trailer and went back to my spot to finish my setup. The weather was blustery and cold, but it never really rained.

The show itself is fairly well-juried. Many nationally known artists do this show every year. A glance at the list tells you all you need to know about the quality of the show. I was set up next to Donald Krebs, a wood-turner from North Carolina, and Pui-Lan Cockman, a water-color painter. Our friends Anita & Steve Baldauf, and jewelers Marc & Wendy Zoschke were all the way across the field on the other side of the park. Another Michigan artists, Cherie Haney, of Shadow Charms, was just down the row from me. Fellow photographers John Hartung and Steven Daniel were there as well.

John Hartung and Steven Daniel, in John's booth

Friday, we had just a few sales. The weather was iffy, with chilly breezes and the constant threat of rain. There was a steady stream of potential customers, and a large mix, demographically. But the show didn't quite seem to live up to the hype. Saturday, there was more of the same. We were supposed to get heavy storms in the afternoon, but the rain held off until well into the evening. I was glad that I had paid for electricity, as the gloomy skies warranted a little extra help. My booth backed up to a hill, with zero space behind it for storage. But the organizers, thinking once again, stagger the booths in a single row, so that we were able to put some items in the wood chips across the walkway from the booth. I had my desk there, too, which worked out well come Sunday.

Sunday crowds in front of my booth

Saturday's sales were disappointing for many. I had an average day, with a few framed pieces and a few matted works going home with happy customers. But Sunday, the weather finally broke, and with it came the buyers. We were slammed almost all afternoon with browsers and buyers. I sold some big pieces as well as a good selection of smaller mats. My average transaction was well up from previous shows, and I was encouraged. Florida basically sucked this year, so to have a good show was, well, good.

Don Krebs talks to two potential buyers in his booth on Sunday afternoon. (He sold his largest piece that day)

My neighbor, Don Krebs, and I moaned about the lack of sales up until sometime Sunday afternoon, when neither of us could stop wrapping and ringing up sales. We both left happier than when we came. The gouache painter down the street from us brought some hard cover books with him, with his lovely cartoonish zombies -- I think he just about sold out of them at $10/pop. I even bought one. They were a fun souvenir. His painting were inexpensive and quite humorous, too. I think he did well. Cherie, my friend from Michigan, was happy at the end of the show, too. She sold her three largest wall pieces, (and several cartons of whimsical magnets, picture frames and other functional pieces). So the crowds were there, as well as the collectors. This show has them both. 

Challenge Number Three: we expected a hellacious load-out on Sunday after the crowds left. The art festival itself was over at 6PM, but there were many people lingering in the park, enjoying the sunshine and the atmosphere of the park. There is the usual drill: break down completely, get a pass, get the vehicle, wait in line to get back into the park, try to get past other vehicles down the narrow path, load up, go home. But it went surprisingly smoothly for us. I was amazed that we were able to pack up and get loaded and leave the park in 2.5 hours. It helped that our section managed to all break down at the same time, and get into the park more or less in the correct order. There weren't a lot of artists on our leg of the path, either, and we had an entrance and an exit close by.

Headed to the music and the carnival

Challenge Number Four: Competition for eyeballs and ears. One of the things that brings people to this festival is that it is a festival, not just an art show. While I didn't see any stilt-walkers or clowns, the music from two different stages was loud and intrusive, even midway into the park. The show tries to keep the music acts separated in another area of the park, but it's just too damn loud. I would not have wanted to be on the southerly stretch of park which bordered on the music area. 

There was also a carnival, with rides and stuff. Need I say more about that? The usual food vendors, and some restaurants border the park: Willys has good Mexican if you don't want corn dogs and turkey legs. I heard they ran out of turkey legs. And did I mention the dogs? While dogs are not allowed in "Dog" wood, there was a frisbee contest, and so some dogs did creep into the show. Not awful though. 

Lodging is expensive, if you try to stay near the show. You may have to pay for parking if you can't find a metered spot on the street and keep feeding it. Hotels on the perimeter are less expensive than the Midtown hotels. It's not a long drive in from I-75 and the perimeter freeway, either -- maybe twenty minutes.

All in all, we enjoyed doing the show. The weather held out, which if it had rained significantly, would have made this a muddy mess. The people showed up on Sunday and bought lots of stuff, both junk and treasure. 

Karyn Kozo and Anita Baldauf, photo-bombed by Steve.

As I said last year, everything bad they say about this show is true.  It is huge and there is serious junk here from air plants to nerf bow and arrows.  Load in and load out are difficult.  If you are in the treed area, which seems like the best spot to me, you will be dollying across uneven grass and big tree roots.  And those huge beautiful trees are all sweet gum trees.  If you know sweet gum trees I don’t need to say any more. If you don’t know sweet gum trees well, it’s best to wear hard soled shoes.  It can be dirty although this year it was quite damp so it wasn’t as dusty.

Spaces are exactly 10’ x 10’.  You can usually manage a storage box or two beside your chair across from your booth but there is no space beside or in back.  Bring a rug to keep the dirt down in the booth.

On the plus side this is pretty much the only major art show in Richmond all year.  People attend in droves.  They buy but they want to see everything first. 

This year the weather really destroyed Saturday for me.  My work is large and somewhat fragile so unless I get someone who wants to pay for something and pick it up on the way out my sales really don’t start until 3:00 as people are leaving.  It was fairly hot in the morning and I had many people seem really interested.  I made one sale before 3 and then at 3 really big black clouds rolled in and the people disappeared.  No more sales.  It never really rained until 5:00 (for the drive home) but most people park at the stadium and take a shuttle bus to the show so it is a long trek back for them. Sunday was better and I managed to pull out about 75% of last year when it was one of my best shows of the year.

This is a sleep in my own bed show for me so I can’t say anything about restaurants in the area.  There are the pretty standard food booths and they are away from the art.  At least for the women there are artist only bathrooms.  Coffee and doughnuts in the morning.  They are just glazed doughnuts but you don’t need a ticket and you can take as many as you want.  The food booths get mobbed so it is probably best to bring your own lunch.

I am not a very religious person, although I have a great deal of respect for faith.  Do you often have people come into your booth and tell you that your talent is a gift from God, that you are blessed?  Artistic talent is a wonderful blessing, but sometimes these conversations can be a little uncomfortable for some of us.  In my booth, I also display drawings of historical figures, including our current president.  This seems to be an open invitation for many visitors to share their very negative political opinions, too.  While we're in our booths, we can't escape the conversations around us.  How do you navigate that kind of thing?

In my blog today,  I've shared some stories about this kind of thing and the religious birth of one of my very favorite portraits.

http://pencilenvy.blogspot.com/2012/05/holding-my-ham-hostage.html

I'm a little nervous about broaching a very personal, complicated subject.  As artists we all express ourselves differently and we're very different people.  But when our talent is on display for everyone, the subject of God can come up a lot, can't it?

Have  a great week!

July 14 & 15
Warren, Michigan
Warren's 32nd Annual Art in the Park
Halmich Park, 13 Mile Rd.
   between Ryan and Dequindre
10am-5pm
70 Exhibitors
Deadline: May 10

This is an artist friendly show about helping artists sell their specialties in one of Michigan's largest communities.  Warren is the largest city in Macomb County and third largest in the state with a population over 134,000.  The fair is held in Helmich Park where you will find plenty space for artists and patron parking.  Easy setup for artists; setup times on Friday and Saturday morning.

Warren's  top employers include General Motors who just posted record earnings of  $7.6 billion, other top employer's in the city include TACOM, Chrysler,  St. John and Henry Ford Hospitals.  The show main sponsors are: Warren Cultural Commission and Warren Tri-County Fine Arts Association.  We anticipate 5,000-7,000 visitors to the show this year.

We hold hourly drawings during the event for gift certificates that patrons can use to purchase art.  At the end of the day artists redeem these certificates for cash from Warren Art in the Park.  We also hire a juror who will judge and award cash prizes and ribbons on Saturday. There are several food vendors.

Booth Fees: $125.00 outside; $135.00 pavilion
Application fee: $25.00

For more info. and applications:  www.warrenfinearts.com.warren-art-fair/

Michael Peychich: (248)259-2315
email: MGPPhotography@gmail.com
Paula Wild: (586)795-5471
email: wildart@wowway.com  

I've had a busy autumn (fall) with five shows in five weeks in March/April - I was a bit frazzled at the end, considering I'm meant to be a "regular" mum in between the particular days the shows are on.  

Here's a quick rundown with a few quick pics (when I remembered to take the camera!)

I started with a trunk show hosted by a friend in the central coast area of NSW, about 3 1/3 hours drive from home.   We were staying the weekend with the kids and she was kind enough to offer to host the show as so many of her colleagues commented on her jewellery (that I made).   We sent the hubsands and kids to the beach and for a 2 hour period it was flat out - women almost fighting over the same item and afterwards,  the table looked as though someone had grabbed everything and tipped it upside down!  But sales were decent and everyone had fun.

Next was a brand new handmade & homegrown quartlery market in a town called Scone, about 1 3/4hours drive away.  Just a hlaf day and I was invited along.  The night before was wet and wild and I drove there in the early morning dark very worried since it was supposed to be a rather stylish outdoor event.   The organiser valiantly arranged for us to occupy the lovely cafe on the site (with reduced space naturally) if we wanted to stay and I managed to get allocated to a good spot with substantially more room than some (helps when you've drived a fair distance obviously).   My stet up wasn't ideal as I hadn't brought lights which  I always do for indoor shows but I made do, and the customers didn't seem to mind, as they came out in the weather in droves.  I made my first sale (albeit a small one) at 8.30am which for me is unheard of - I don't usually sell any jewellery till after 10am, perhaps people need to be awake to consider a purchase of this type!?   I had a decent day out well worth the trip and gained a few new clients.

The entrance to the cafe

Part of my set up in the cafe.

The following weekend was an ag show at Dunedoo, about 40 min from home.  I've beed doing it for about 5 years now and each year my sales have slowly increased.   Located in the ladies pavillion along with the cakes, handicrafts and art, I have become a regular sight there and people look forward to seeing what I have.   There were 30 odd booths outside as well and 4 others inside the pavillion with me that had been invited by the head steward as being of interest to the "ladies".   This year was mind-blowing in the sales dept, perhaps the good seasons lately have helped and confidence for my rural clientele was up.  Whatever the reason, they bought and kept me busy for the 12 hours  I was open.

I stopped for a couple of minutes on the drive to Dunedoo to take a photo of the paddocks in the early morning

I went a town 40km further along from Dunedoo to another ag show the next weekend, to Mendooran.   A much smaller event I'm the only booth located in the ladies pavillion and have no trading whilst the judging is going on - and this year it went on, and on  and on!   My selling time was reduced to just a few hours because of this and this did impact on sales.   But I still had a good day... until I got a speeding ticket on the way home!  One of those annoying areas that they've kept the speed limit low even though everything has closed down at the edge of town and all houses are on access streets.  Pure revenue raising... but I digress!

The old cafe in Mendooran is covered in murals - a bit of a tourist attraction for this tiny town.

To finish off, I had the Art Vine Makers Market in Mudgee.  This is a yearly event in a town about 100km from home with a large tourism interest (wineries) with lot of people from Sydney visiting on weekends.  Another half day event, it was an early start and I had chosen to go indoors in case of poor weather.   However the weather was spectacular, the people turned out in droves at about 9.30am and I was busy, busy, busy till it suddenly stopped at 1pm.  This was my second year there and I had people seeking me out that had bought from me last year.     Sales were up on last year and the only downside was one pair of earrings that appear to have been stolen as I was the last to pack up indoors and there was definitely nothing on the floor and I've been through all my things looking for them.  A bit disappointing as theft at shows is quite rare here.

The crowd at the Art Vine Market , Mudgee

After all this, I had to go for a holiday to the beach with the kids to recover :)   

Back home now and 2 one day shows to do next weekend, a private school's autumn fair that I have attended for the last 5 years or so, 2 hours drive one way then home and the next day a new Art Festival, 2 1/2 hours drive in a completely different direction.    Perhaps I'll need another holiday after that LOL.  Or maybe I'll just hide for winter!

For nearly three decades, Howard Alan and American Craft Endeavors have allowed more than 10,000

Welcome to Chicago

artists to exhibit their original work to millions of art fair patrons across the United States.  When our company began, our art and craft shows showcased a handful of exhibitors.  Today, a typical Howard Alan or American Craft Endeavors event features 100-300 talented artists and fine crafters.

No matter where you are, you are sure to find one of our stellar events nearby.  Our shows take us to destinations like Aspen, Chicago, Alexandria, Vail, and Fort Lauderdale ... just to name a few!  Our great outdoor venues, fantastic crafters, and talented artists allow us to consistently be ranked among the top art and craft shows in the country.  Visit a show and see for yourself why we are the very best!

A May Highlight

May 18-20 Kansas City, Missouri 5th Downtown Art Annual Kansas City Art Fair Fri. 5-9; Sat. 10-8; Sun. 11-6 Free Admission Kansas City: Boasting over half a million square feet, The Kansas City Power & Light District is the premier epicenter of the Midwest. 150 Fine  artists and crafters will be on hand to display at this first class  affair. With mediums such as paintings, sculpture, jewelry, photography,  pottery and much much more there is something for everyone at this top  notch event. The Power & Light District creates the perfect setting  for this event featuring fine dining, retail, and live entertainment! There is something for everyone at the phenomenal free event. We look forward to seeing you in Downtown Kansas City!  More info: www.artfestival.com/Festivals/Kansas/City

A July Premiere Event

July 28-29 Aspen, Colorado    Downtown Aspen Art Festival Sat. & Sun.: 10am-5pm Free Admission Aspen: 10 years of sweet success at this year's Downtown Aspen Art Festival.  Swanky and affluent Aspen, Colorado, welcomes us each year. Aspen's scenic  Wagner Park plays host yet again to this fabulous, free outdoor art  festival. Showcasing an all-star line-up of the nation's finest artists,  the Downtown Aspen Art Festival will provide you an exclusive  opportunity to experience a broad range of phenomenal creations ranging   from life-size sculptures, photography, glass, paintings, ceramics,  one-of-a-kind jewelry, and mixed media. Take in fabulous views of  Downtown Aspen, grab a delicious bite at a local eatery, and purchase  original artwork from the artists themselves. See you at Wagner Park! More info:  www.artfestival.com/Aspen

September's Premiere Event

September 8-9 Alexandria, Virgina 10th Anniversary Alexandria Festival of the Arts Deadline: May 1 Sat.: 10am-7pm; Sun.: 10am-5pm Free Admission Alexandria:  This show is rated as one of the top art fairs of the country by The Harris List and Sunshine Artist Magazine. Voted one of the top 100 art festivals in the country by Sunshine Artist magazine.   Discover spectacular paintings, life-size sculptures, jewelry,  photography, ceramics and more. This popular outdoor event will feature  art for every taste. More than $15 million in art will be on display and  visitors will have the opportunity to meet the artists behind the work  and hear first-hand what inspired them to create their pieces. Artists travel from California, New York, Maine, Florida and New Mexico,  as well as throughout the state of Virginia. Selecting artists based on  quality and originality, an independent panel of judges chose the  exhibiting artists from more than 1,000 submissions. The show is set up along King Street in Alexandria's Old Town, a quaint,  historic town with many different shops, restaurants and more. The show  stretches all the way down the street to the Potomac River.    More info: www.artfestival.com/Alexandria

November Highlight

November 24-25 Delray Beach, Florida 13th Annual Downtown Delray Beach Thanksgiving Wknd Art Fest Sat. & Sun.: 10am-5pm Delray Beach:  The artsy neighborhood of Pineapple Grove in Delray Beach, Florida, anxiously awaits this show each year.  Expect large buying crowds during this holiday weekend. Walk off that  turkey and pumpkin pie at this annual Thanksgiving Weekend tradition.  Pineapple Grove, a fabulous arts district in Downtown Delray Beach is  the spot for uniquely created and inspired fine art and crafts. From  sculptures to earrings--there's something for everyone on your holiday  gift list! More info:  www.artfestival.com/Delray/Beach

Hey all! 

   I am headed to Richmond, VA for Arts in the Park this weekend!  It's actually the first juried show I've ever done so if anyone has any general or show specific advice for me, I would love it! Thanks so much!!

        -Paige :-)

Is it only me, or do your feelings get hurt at art shows?  Do you find being an artist a little lonely sometimes, especially if you had a corporate job?

I used to love to write and while drawing for a living has been very rewarding, I'm finding I've really let my writing muscles go slack.  I'm misspelling words or even using the wrong words.  I think sometimes the visual focus takes over and the verbal skills can atrophy a bit, at least for me!

To combat my degrading writing skills and to entertain myself, I've started writing a blog about being an artist and what it was like to make the transition to a full-time corporate career: http://www.pencilenvy.blogspot.com/

 I'll bet that some of my fellow artists can appreciate my experiences, especially in today's post, which is partly about the pain of watching busy jewelry booths get all the attention while wonder if you'll break even:

http://www.pencilenvy.blogspot.com/2012/05/boo-hoo-water-balloons.html

A warning... I have a rather juvenile sense of humor and my language can get a little bit dicey.  Also, let me also say that I buy jewelry at almost every art show... I mean no disrespect to jewelry artists! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful outdoor art season... mine is just starting and I hope I have less crying fits on the way home than I did last year.

I am an art to waer artists with prices ranging from $160 to $ 320 , my customers are over 45 years old...Do you think it could be a good show for me???

Thank you so much..

This past weekend (April 27-29) we participated in the Astoria Crab, Wine and Art festival for the 3^rd time.   This is a show put on by the local chamber of commerce and is very well organized with good communication prior to the show.  Astoria is a small town in far Northwest Oregon that attracts a lot of tourists who are passing through town on the way to the Oregon beaches.  It’s located  very close to where the Columbia River dumps into the Pacific Ocean, so seafood and fresh fish are wonderful treats when visiting the area.  This festival has been operating for 30 years and attracts local residents primarily on Friday and Sunday with out of town visitors on Saturday.  The show includes local Oregon wineries, a couple of breweries, artists and gourmet food vendors.  Art is NOT the primary focus of this show, this is not a show that works for everyone, but jewelry is small and easy to carry so we’ve had good results from this show in the past.  The 2D artists who do this show and offer shipping seem to do better than those who do not offer that service.  It is a show I hesitate to recommend to other artists because results can vary greatly.

Friday the show doesn’t start until 4 PM so you have all day to load in, or you can also opt to load in on Thursday.  The Friday night crowd is not there for shopping, they are there to sample the wine and party.  That being said, we did have our best Friday night thus far at this show, but just by a mere $50.  The show runs until 9 PM by which time there are numerous patrons who need to be poured on the shuttle buses to go home.  For the attendees there are some challenges for the show, shuttle buses run from the local high school and is provided for free.  Parking at the fairgrounds costs $10 for the patrons and is somewhat limited.  The lines waiting to get out of the parking lot on Friday night were quite lengthy making us grateful that our RV was parked on the outside of the parking lot and we didn’t have to deal with driving anywhere that night.  The shuttle / parking situation does discourage some patrons from buying large artwork unless they can have it shipped or delivered after the show. 

Saturday the show runs from 10-8 and is the day for sales for most of the artists who participate.  Our sales were good this year on Saturday, but not nearly as good as last year.  I feel I need to add a qualification here in that last year on the Saturday of this show we achieved our highest 1 day sales total EVER, so we weren’t going in with the expectation that we would top that.  In fact our sales for just Saturday alone last year were higher than our overall total show average, so I was trying not to be over optimistic this year.  So, while our sales were good, we were surprised at what seemed like a lot lower attendance than usual.  I could actually see some of the other booths across from us for most of the day which has not been our experience the last 2 years.   The last 2 years have been wall to wall people from about 11 – 3 on Saturday, not the case this year.  Also, the sales we made were more evenly split between locals and out of town visitors, in past years the majority of our sales on Saturday have been from visitors from Portland and Seattle.  Made us wonder if the high price of gas was taking its toll.  Another measurement of the smaller crowd, lines at the women’s restroom was generally shorter this year.  Sorry, I know some of you could care less about that,  but with all the wine tasting, usually the lines on Saturday afternoon are way too long.

Sunday the show only runs from 11-4 and is a very quiet crowd, mostly local.  In the past Sunday has always been our lowest sales day and by about 3:30 on Sunday we were beginning to think we were going to hit a new show low with 0 sales for Sunday.  Our first and last customer of the day came in at 3:45 and bought 3 pieces causing us to breathe a sigh of relief that we didn’t have a 0 day.  So a few hours of total boredom on Sunday with one customer in the last 15 minutes of the show.  What a way to end the show.  End result – we were up about 10% over the first year of doing this show but definitely down from last year’s stellar show.

Load in / load out is fairly easy with a little bit of a crowded parking lot, but a very flat load in / load out for dollying your stuff.  Some vendors park around the building but then you’re parked on the grass or in mud and that adds a little more challenge to the load in / load out.  We opted for a little longer walk to our booth, but it was all flat and on concrete.  The show is held at the local fairgrounds in a large building with pipe and drape already provided as part of the booth fee.  This is our last indoor show of the year and given that it’s held in late April on the Oregon Coast, it was great to still be inside, out of the rain. 

The show provides the option for RV parking on site, however, we park along the perimeter of the gravel parking lot, in the grass, at the end of April so it’s a somewhat muddy camping experience at the end of April in Oregon.  This year they pointed us to a spot that was impossible to level our RV so we spent the weekend feeling like our equilibrium was a little off.  However, it’s great to have the option, the parking lot is across the highway from the show facility with a foot bridge over the highway so we never have to deal with driving anywhere once we’re set up and be concerned about patrons who have sampled too much wine.

Is this a show we’ll do again?  Probably, it’s a relatively easy show to do, 4 hours from home and decent early season results when we have limited options for shows in this part of the country in April.  Is it  a show that works for everyone?  No, I know of at least 3 artists who say they won’t be back, this was their 2^nd or 3^rd attempt at this show and the results just weren’t good enough for them to feel like they want to come back.  There were also a couple of artists who have been there in the past that were noticeably absent this year, so again, not a show that works for everyone. 

Now we’re enjoying a quiet week in a campground outside of Portland before we take off on Friday to continue our Oregon road trip to 2 new shows for us over the next 2 weekends. 

I'd like to hear from anyone who has done the Santa-Cal-Agon Festival in Independence in August.  I haven't been able to find out a whole lot about it except for the fact that it seems to have huge crowds, long hours and they allow buy/sell.  I'd especially like to know if there is any indication of fine crafts being sold there or is it more of a "canine sunglasses" sort of festival.  I have read that they have watermelon-seed spitting contests and root beer chugging and that sounds sort of scary.  Sunshine Artist had some pretty nice things to say about it but price points seemed to be on the low side of the scale.  Any comments would be appreciated.

So many of you have been generous and helped build this site that it is time to do some serious recognition of the people who have made it happen. A volunteer editorial board of members has sent me nominations for the most important people in the community and we are rolling out our first AFI Community Leaders.

These people can be identified by the "Red Dot" insignia on their pictures on the site. This first group have been members here for three years, in fact, Geri Wegner, was member #51, and she is still here explaining the business and shopping at the shows! Way to go, Geri.

One of the editors said:

    ...let me say that there are several who would be at the top every time.  They always respond.  They always give their opinion, not always agreeing but that is what makes reading those topics interesting.

And another said she made her choices because she liked, "their insight, conversation starting and willingness to show their vulnerability and strength as artists and businesspeople."

And the Leaders are:

• Larry Berman - joined March 2009 - always ready to answer, teach and learn, over 1600 discussions!
• Barry Bernstein - joined February 2009 - participated in 275 discussions, occasional blogger, our resident curmudgeon
• Geoff Coe - joined July 2009 - excellent reporting skills, over 50 blog posts
• Nels Johnson - joined January 2009 - his writing is one of the reasons to turn on your computer in the morning
• Linnea Lahlum - joined January 2009 - quietly helping and sharing in the discussions. Count on her for thoughtful questions and generous answers, over 400 discussions
• Munks - joined September 2009 - watch out when he shows up, straightforward, honest answers that can make you cry or laugh
• Jim Parker - joined January 2009 - friendly, useful reporting. Makes you want to be next to him at the next art fair; nearly 500 discussions
• Geri Wegner - joined in November 2008 - personally making the rounds of the Florida and Illinois shows and reporting back; probably has more friends in the business than anyone
• Diane Wright - joined July 2009 - practically a one woman welcoming committee on AFI, greeting the newbies and bringing them into the fold; over 400 discussions

Many thanks to all of you for their generosity. May your kindness return to you in the same beautiful way it was offered.

Every month we will be choosing a few people to add to this elite list. I'll be looking for your nominations. We all really appreciate those who contribute to this community and help the rest of us make sense of this peripatetic life. What makes you get up and visit this site? Who do you love?