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Let's hope this show becomes another holiday tradition!

Here are some thoughts :

1)     The Elegant and Central location of the Highland Park Country Club was a superb selection.  The Club itself is beyond lovely and on high traffic roads.  I feel the site and hostess details will be keys to drawing our friends back again and again. On Friday night, there were spotlights circling the inky darkness and trying to draw the Friday Shopper’s attention.  On Saturday and Sunday evening, there was a pianist playing at a baby grand in the entrance way, which set a scene of chic charm as clients made their way into the warmth of free hot chocolate and the laughter of easy conversation. There was an open bar for patrons. But the massive fieldstone fire place, natural wood floors, glitter and gleam of huge chandeliers, entire walls of windows, the circular bricked entrance driveway, heavy linen and silver…..well, they define elegance. It may have been this Art Fairs first year but it will not be the last!  

2)     The crowd was nicely knowledgeable, compellingly friendly, warmly witty and low-keyed affluent. More traffic was needed. I think that comes with time and word-of-mouth…..tradition….etc.

3)     We had free access to electricity and it is my own fault that I did not bring more strobes. Live and learn!

4)     The set up was wonderful. Across from each row of booths were a number of linen clad round tables with a center Christmas decoration where you could take the customer and sit down with them. People could just rest there also.

5)     Amy, as always, treats her artists well: we had a Continental breakfast and hot lunch available with gallons of coffee/soda/water available at all times.

6)     Check In/Out was clean and fast, as usual, at Amdur.                                                         

7)     It was loverly. I hope to see you next year.

8)     We took in over four times our entrance fee, did not have to pay for breakfast or lunch and danced a jig when we got rooms at a 5 star Marriott Suites on Groupon for $49 a night.

9)     It was heatening to hear how many of my clients expect to see me this summer. Wow!

I had fun!

We participated in the 31^st annual Gig Harbor TideFest event on December 3-4. Gig Harbor is a small town in northwest Washington, just across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and is an affluent community.   Having participated in this event for the past 2 years and the Gig Harbor Summer ArtFest for 5 years, we’ve built up a following and several repeat buyers in this community so we went into this show with reasonable expectations.  The event is  the main funding raising event for the Gig Harbor High School and is very well supported by the students, faculty and the parents.    This was the first year with a new director in charge, Brad has worked as the assistant director for a number of years and while the previous director said she was going to retire, she was still very visible and continued to provide her expertise to the festival this year.

One of the highlights of the show was getting to meet Joe Clifton in person.  On Sunday morning he spent several minutes reviewing our list of California shows we were interested in for 2012 and giving me his honest and frank feedback.  Many thanks Joe!!

When all was said and done, we breathed a huge sigh of relief, our last show of the year was over and for the first time since July we were up from last year’s sales on a show that was a repeat show for us.  While several of our spring shows were up from 2010, summer and fall shows were all down with the exception of our show in late July, so it was a nice way to end the year.  That being said, this isn’t a huge show for us and I don’t think it’s one where many artists had huge sales.  Sales were okay, this was our 3^rd year doing this show and our sales were slightly above our first year, way above last year, but overall not as good as I expect for a show in this community with a  $220 booth fee. 

The student support at this show is awesome.  I don’t think our truck has ever been unloaded so quickly, we happened to arrive when there were 20 kids standing around waiting for work and the assistant director sent them all over to our truck.   My husband just kept handing things out of the truck, I went into the gym with the first load and never came back out for a second load, everything just appeared right in the booth space so quickly it was amazing.   Load out we also had a lot of help, the students were more than willing to help break down, pack, etc.  There were plenty of volunteers available for booth sitting, food was available and the students were willing to deliver it right to the booth for lunches. An artist breakfast was provided on Sunday morning that was great, real food, not just coffee and donuts!  During the show they had carts with snacks, beverages, coffee, etc that were coming around constantly, if we had partaken in all that was offered they would have been rolling us out the door at the end of the show!  Beware – this is a show where it’s really easy to overload on caffeine and Christmas cookies!

Some of the noticeable changes for 2011 included less booths for the show, which might have helped our sales since there seemed to be less jewelry than past years. The aisles were wider, booths did not extend all the way into the corners of the gym and the smaller, wrestling gym which probably had 10-12 artists in prior years was closed off this year.  There were also several empty booths due to “no shows” so I’m guessing there were at least 30 less booths than last year. Communication to the artists was not very efficient, it was all done via the website, this year they had more issues than normal with the website, it was up and down several times and down for most of November until the Monday before the show.   There was not a list of participating artists  or booth assignments on the site this year like there had been in the past. No emails are sent to notify artists of acceptance or booth fee deadlines, we actually missed the deadline by a couple of days but that turned out to be a non-issue. 

I don’t have the attendance numbers to validate this but the show seems to steadily be decreasing in attendance.  Artists who have participated in this show for 10 years or more all commented on the same trend at the artist breakfast.   Instead of advertising it in the paper, they sent out brochures to the local community.  I did see at least one reader board with info right off the highway, but issues with the website and reduced marketing seemed to have impacted attendance.  There was  never a very large crowd and the buying energy that we saw during our first TideFest event never materialized. 

Overall, it’s a very easy show for us to do, 20 miles from home and more help from the students than we could utilize.  Hoping that for next year they rethink some of their marketing and start getting the attendance numbers back up.  If it truly is going to remain the largest fund raiser of the year for the school, they need to focus on making sure enough people attend to keep the artists coming back.

Okay, now that I've gotten some sleep I can think more clearly. Just finished the 3rd time around in Tempe. The first time I did this show was probably over 25 years ago, I was parked on the side of 6th Ave where hardly anyone showed up to see my work. I remember the streets being so crowded you could hardly move around. As it was the first time I had done a big show I was fairly starry eyed and on overwhelm. Last year was the second time I did the show and had moved up the street to 3rd Ave which was better visited but still crowded but only because the street was narrower. This year I was on 5th avenue, much wider, better lighting, the sun actually hit the street, and room to wiggle around when you got restless. The crowds didn't seem as overwhelming to me, maybe that is a function of time, memory or there just weren't as many people out as the first time I did this show? 

The show is very well run logistically speaking, you check in on Thursday down the street from the fair but you've already gotten so many communications from the staff in advance that they hardly have anything more to add to your knowledge of what to do, maybe last minute details, and then you can purchase off site parking for $25 for the three days (much less then the city lots which are $10-12 per day and large vehicles can't get into the high rise lots anyway). As for load-in...you wait till after 9 p.m. there are three load-in time segments, the further away you are from the entry the earlier you get in. I had to wait till after 10 and then, because I didn't scout out the numbers like I usually do, I drove past my booth area and had to drive all the way out and around just to come back in again and start all over again. All said I still was able to  park not too far from my booth space along the curb for set up. A lot of vendors waited till the next morning to come in, maybe a better strategy but I needed the extra time for my set-up as did my neighbor.

Show amenities? There is an artist hospitality booth with drinks and treats throughout the three days and they run around on a golf cart in the morning with coffee and the afternoon with water. Very thoughtful!

We arrived in Tempe a little later than anticipated. Winds were high through eastern AZ and driving into Flagstaff on I-40 we ran into the storm that had flattened much of southern CA with high Santa Ana winds. It was snowing hard and southbound, as-well-as north bound I-17 were at a standstill with ice and snow covered roads. A little patience and slow driving were required. Those that were driving a little too fast found out how icy it was! After they had shoveled the tipped over vehicles off the road and pulled people out of the medians who were going too fast for driving conditions we were once again on our way. I was anticipating 70 degrees at lower elevations! Oh, what fools we mortals be. What I heard from a visitor to the show is weather in Tempe always seems to conspire against the show though last year it was mild (trying to lull me into a false sense of euphoria!) this year the storm that blew in from CA turned the thermostat down considerably and threatened rain on Fri and Sat. Sunday the sun was out all day but it never got to 60. (It's snowing at the 3000 ft. level as I write!)

Despite the cloudy and cold weather the crowds did show up. Maybe, because it was still part of the work week, Friday seemed like everyone was asleep trudging along the rows of artists with no sales for me and most others around us but my neighbor whose creative woodwork was very compelling sold a few pieces. Saturday was the coldest with nary a sign of the sun but the people came out, sales turned up a bit. Sunday the sun was out all day and the crowds seemed more enthusiastic and engaging but sales were still dismal. Meanwhile my neighbor had a steady stream of sales, though he reported being off about 50% from last year. Other artists he talked with reported few or no sales as well.As a reflection of the level of buying at this show there was a lot of popcorn and yard art things that you poke in the ground walking around (not that there is anything wrong with popcorn!)

People were very appreciative of my work and I earned the show prize for photography, the acknowledgment, plus the cash prize, helped salve the disappointing sales from this show. Parenthetically, the awards were hand-made by a fiber artist and very impressive, not the usual trophy store variety! I've heard harsh reviews from other artists about this show and I noticed it was quite a mixed bag in terms of quality. There seemed to be a good mix and balance of media of the fine art type, whereas in some shows there may have been too many of one type vs other types. Many artists that I've seen at other shows with high end art were there mixed in with more crafty novelty type items (walking puppets on sticks and dog hats).

All-in-all, the show is well run, the crowds were there despite the weather and the sales were disappointing. What else is new lately? We move on down the road...

• The prestige factor
• Dollars are easier to measure than beauty
• The thrill of the hunt
• New money skews the market

December 1-4 Miami Beach hosts Art Basel, the US's largest contemporary art fair, where the art sells in the $1,000,000 range and the elite meet to hang out and "out-status" one another. At the nation's fine art street fairs we often debate prices with one another and I laughed out loud when I read this (heard often at the shows):  “If I can’t sell something, I just double the price.” That’s what Ernst Beyeler, the great Swiss dealer who helped found Art Basel, reportedly said. Some people actually prefer to pay more than makes sense.

Learn more about this high flying festival, a review of the event by Blake Gopnik in the Daily Beast:  http://www.thedailybeast.com//content/newsweek/2011/12/04/why-is-art-so-damned-expensive.html

Wow! There was even a squatter show that brought out the police to shut it down:  http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/02/2529410/south-beach-art-fair-shut-down.html

Interested in more gossip-y commentary on this "Art Bacchannal", "Guests dipped giant communion wafers into fountains of white and dark chocolate that streamed from the penises of two gleaming silver putti in Angel Otero’s sculpture “Pissing Contest.”

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-05/a-rod-cages-owen-wilson-amid-ugly-art-hookers-at-miami-basel.html

I'd love to hear your comments on this theme.

I am just completing my second full year of exhibiting wood art and sculptures.  It’s time to line up next year’s shows and I was hoping fellow wood artists (preferably) or other artists could give me their personal feedback on the following: 

• Tinicum Arts Festival – July - Tinicum Park, PA
• Covered Bridge & Arts Festival – October - Bloomsburg, PA
• Wheaton Arts Festival of Fine Crafts – October - Millville, NJ (I did read Jacquelyn Morgan’s post but I’m looking for feedback from more people – especially other wood artists.)
• Oktoberfest – October – Demarest Nature Center, NJ
• Crafters’ Marketplace – November – YMCA, Princeton, NJ
• Holiday Craft Show – December – Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, NJ
• Tuckerton Seaport – December – Tuckerton, NJ 

Thanks so much

Bob

My local art group Mudgee Arts, had its annual Xmas market yesterday. 

The town has a population of about 8000 and is in a winery area so popular with tourists on weekends and holidays.  They have 4 regular monthly markets - a farmer's market in the church grounds in the main street, two anything-you-want-to-sell markets - one in the town park and one in another church near the main street, and a craft group market in the old railway station.    At Easter, in our autumn, Mudgee Arts members join with the Farmer's Market in the church grounds with centre of the street location.  I participated in it this year and along with fabulous weather there were huge tourist crowds and locals out and about.  

For the Xmas market, however, since we often get summer rain/winds and quick storms, they prefer to have it indoors and the only venue currently available is 2 blocks from the centre of town, in a community centre called "the stables" (perhaps it was stables once - its layout is pretty much like it!).  There is a small carpark in front of the building  and if there is fine weather it is blocked off and the members can erect tents there. 

Advertising was for a couple of weeks prior - radio mentions, newspaper advert every paper a week before and the odd sign.   The weather was perfect - for some reason we're in a winter weather pattern at the moment - so it was cool, clear and no more than a light breeze (although it was very windy the day prior).     I had hurt my back the day before so decided a tent would NOT help my back, so stayed with my inside location. 

(NB  All snaps were taken during set up...apologies for the poor images!)

6-7 tents set up out in the carpark although it would have looked a lot better with more - although they were probably limiting numbers people to who could cram inside in inclement weather.   The building had 2 long rooms one in front of the other, with the doors in the centre of the building at the front and between the two rooms.  The first room is quite light and airy with white walls and light flooring, and the second room is brick, carpeted and a little dark but with lots of overhead lighting and a couple of windows.

The mix was crafts and art and I would think at least half of them do this as a sideline/hobby.   Set up time was an hour and a half and the event itself was only 4 hours duration.  Outside we had a fibre artist (majority of felting), a local winery, mosaic, a woman with fabric items - children's dresses, handbags etc, and a candle maker.

First room had a silversmith, lino prints/cards, ceramics, alpaca wool knits, soapmaker, artist (oils), fabric bags and accessories, children's clothing, hair accessories.

Second room had me (jewellery), wine fudge (yep, right next to me - not good for the already burgeoning waistline!), a quilter who also dabbled in pastel drawings, an artist with small acrylic paintings and ink drawings, a crafter with the cutest tea cosies, a photographer with local photographs, mostly on cards/postcards, a knitter with scarves, and another ceramics artist.

Unfortunately it never really got busy, probably not helped by one of the other markets in the church grounds (a anything you like market) being on the same day and closer to town.  Advertising if only briefly seen would have registered 'market' and the date and seeing that one many people would have only gone there.  

Nevertheless, there was a steady trickle of people and for an outing of only 4 open hours and a cost of only $20 (not a money making venture by the group, just to cover the cost of the venue hire) I had 10 sales from $25 to $160.   Unlike recent events, every sale was just a single item and apart from two customers searching for a particular item, every other sale was an impulse buy.  People were just out and about having a look and some weakening and buying!

A couple of the members did OK, one I heard was very happy with their sales, and overall so was I, I guess, even though it was quieter than recent shows - it was only an hour from home and didn't cost much in time or effort to do.

I was pleased to see some art finally - I need to get these people out more LOL.

Public Art Project on Tour in Basel, Manfred Kielnhofer

Shared by Austrian artist and designer Manfred Kielnhofer. The “Light Guards” project is further developed and become a ghost car touring in Basel art show during June 15 – 19 2011.

http://artobserved.com/2011/06/ao-on-site-art-fair-news-summary-and-final-photoset-art-42-basel-2011-in-closing/

Eccentric art was also at Basel, if not as dominant a presence as the traditional buys. Ghost Car by Kielnhofer was a large white van with hooded figures driving outside the fair, and the Bleifrei (which translates to Lead Free in German) Art Collective told Art Info: “Art is like Jesus; it died and it’s coming again.”

Manfred Kielnhofer, Ghost Car (2011) Basel, via Kielnhofer.com

The grim seeker after truth
Anyone wondering why these grim reaper style figures were seated on this white van - look no further than the latest installation from artist Manfred Kielnhofer. He is from Haslach an der Mühl, in the district of Rohrbach in Upper Austria, Austria, and is an artist and designer whose work usually centres around the human anatomy. His recent piece of art is the Ghost Car, which is a product of the developing ‘Light Guards’ project. This project surfaced from the theory that humankind has always been able to boast having guardians in different ways, in potential danger from only themselves. This idea intrigued the artist Kielnhofer, who approached it with his artwork, intertwining the theme of longing for security harboured by all humans. The Ghost Car portrays a sizely white van driving, seating sheet-covered figures. Perhaps this reflects individuality, exploration and recognition of current events in society, as it seems to interpret the theme by suggesting the hooded figures are looking to the drapes and car for protection as they are possibly ghosts, who are afraid of the life after death, and long for safekeeping.
By Alessia De Silva
http://austriantimes.at/news/Panorama/2011-08-06/35422/The_grim_seeker_after_truth
http://kielnhofer.com

A year ago in July, I lost my sister and mother within 9 days.  My sister was 44, a doctor, and died just 10 months after being diagnosed with oral cancer.  My mother had been in relatively poor health for some time, and I believe she just could not handle my sister’s death.  It was just three months until my first big show.

Their prodding had encouraged me to explore art shows in the first place, my mother always my biggest fan.  My sister supported local art festivals for many years and thought I was finally good enough to give it a shot.  Near her death, she introduced me to one of her favorite artists, a painter (among other things) named Ken Swinson.  I had seen his signature on a number of pieces she had.  My sister’s illness brought us together, and I am forever grateful for the gift.  He was very encouraging and supportive of me and my art at a time I really needed it.  He even photographed my work to help me get in a show.  He said in times of stress he worked harder at his craft to stay distracted.  I followed his advice and immersed myself in my work, getting ready for the show.  The night before setup, I was nervous and excited, and just wishing my mother and sister were there to share it with me. 

But gone is not forgotten.  I decided to take them with me in spirit, my mother in the form of a goofy wire and fabric purple flower she had loved, and my sister as a bookmark the funeral home had provided.  And the mojo worked!  During that weekend, I had fabulous neighbors, a painter from Michigan and a potter from New York.  They were seasoned show veterans and offered valuable advice on anything I asked them about, and then some.  I had fabulous customers who loved my bright colors and designs.  The weather was awesome!  I was absolutely thrilled with my sales, but thought more about how proud my mother and sister would be!  And more than once, I regretted not being able to call them to tell them of my successes. 

At my next show the following May, my mother and sister again came with me.  I would smile inwardly as I noticed folks reading the eulogy on the bookmark or looking quizzically at the goofy flower that seemed so out of place.  I was talking to a visitor about cancer sucking or something similar, and that my sister had died of it.  A lady standing close by overheard our conversation and said her doctor had died that past year of cancer.  I knew immediately it was my sister.  I directed her to the bookmark, and eventually offered it to her after a few tears (luckily I had another one at home).  I don’t know which of us were more moved by the experience.   

So at each show, I put up the flower and bookmark as soon as I get my tent up.  They remind me how fortunate I was to have had their love and support as long as I did.  And they give me strength.  They have become my good-luck charms.  What are your lucky charms?  And is there an artist who supported you in a time of need that you will never forget?

Lenny Lyons Bruno and her husband Gordon (Rick) Bruno are photographers we met at our first art fair in Ann Arbor in 1979. Both of them were very restless in their media and continued to push their imagery. When you saw them at an art fair you never were sure what they would be exhibiting as they were serious about exploring the creative life.

Lenny left photography behind probably about ten years ago and has worked in mixed media and painting in recent years. They both left the art fair business about five years ago and settled in Lexington, VA, to open a gallery and get off the road. I recently received news about her recent work. The oldies among us are pleased to hear what she has been up to and the not-so-old may be inspired by her story.

LEXINGTON ARTIST APPRECIATES LOCAL SUPPORT
 
Lexington artist, Lenny Lyons Bruno, would like to say thanks for the enthusiastic support she received from so many Lexington-area residents over the past several years while developing the "Coal Camp Series," a collection of contemporary mixed-media paintings. "I was profoundly encouraged by friends and visitors who viewed the progress of the work at the former Lexington Art Gallery."

Part of the "Coal Camp Series" on display at the the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, West Virginia. Photo credit Jenine Culligan.

The "Coal Camp Series" is currently featured in a one-person show at the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, West Virginia. The official exhibit opening coincides with the Museum's Holiday Open House on December 4th from 1-4 PM. The artist will be present and the Open House will benefit the Huntington Area Food Bank. The "Coal Camp Series" will be on display at the Museum until February 19th, 2012.
 
  Lenny's memories of growing up in a West Virginia coal camp were the inspiration for the "Coal Camp Series." Her hardscrabble childhood experiences are also the subject of a recently published book, titled Blackberry Winter. Written by Beverly Tucker (also a Lexington resident), the book features Lenny's art, excerpts from her mother's journals, and the story of her childhood.

Lenny Lyons Bruno at work in her Lexington studio, 2009. Photo credit Celeste Simon.

In appreciation for the encouragement Lenny has received, she and Beverly are making the entire book available online, free of charge. If you are interested in seeing Lenny's art and reading the story behind the paintings you can access the book at:  http://www.blurb.com/books/2525500
 
If this hyperlink doesn't work, copy and paste. The thumbnails at the bottom of the screen will allow you to browse through the story, paintings and sculptures. To comfortably read the text, click on "view" at the top of your browser, then select "zoom" from the drop-down menu and reset to 200%.
 
The "Coal Camp Series" also has a Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/coalcampseries
 
The page contains links to articles written about Lenny's work and more photos of the "Coal Camp Series." If you are a Facebook member, please "like" the page to receive periodic updates. 
 
For more information about the "Coal Camp Series" or Blackberry Winter, please contact the Bruno family at lyonsbruno@mindspring.com.

Congratulations, Lenny, on all these satisfying ventures. Your friends wish you well.

this past week i sat down and wrote emails to a handful of potential shows.  we have several issues:  •  jay uses a wheelchair so we need to be sure that the venue is accessible and there is a fairly flat area for us that is within the venue (and not off to the side); • universal spiritual messages that i design use the hebrew alphabet (much easier to manipulate) - so, for example, the word 'teacher' in hebrew is embedded into an apple - and then the piece is 'an apple for the teacher.  messages are love, light, peace.  because of our designs, we need to have a strong jewish population and 'church population.'  tatoos are not our venue -- nor is a fundamental venue - because we are too out of the box.   

this is my email:

              Miami Beach Convention Center 

Would you like to reach the Miami market without the high prices?

The Miami Home and Outdoor Living Show, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, has set up a special artist and crafters section with booths starting at $333.00, that's a 66% DISCOUNT.  This event is FREE to the public.

To complete your application, log onto:

 
or call Brad at (954)270-2187 with any questions. 

Are you open this weekend and live near Miami? This might be the ticket for you. Imagine an indoor event and an audience that is shopping for home goods. For you?

I was just in NYC for Thanksgiving, I was so excited because the ONE OF A KIND Show in NYC was supposed to be going on Nov 11-13 and Nov 17-20.This is a show  I had always wanted to see and this time it was finally going to  happen.  NOT!!!  

While at my sisters house in Riverdale NY I double checked the show information online. I   was somewhat surprised to find that the event was not posted consistently throughout the web. Some posts had both weekend dates listed and some posts only listed the November 11-13 date. There was no phone number readily available either but my sister and I  went to the address given.  GUESS WHAT ? NO SHOW! The doorman to the building said the show was canceled. It would have been nice for the sponsors of the show to post it was canceled.  What if I made a special trip to see it.  

In the meantime I remembered that the ACC show was also going on this weekend so we jumped in a cab and off we went. We were going to have our art show experience after all. 

 However and  I hate to say this , (because  I thought one day in  in the future I might want to try to jury in the NY show, since my sister lives there)  the show was not up to standard. My sister and I both felt half of the items displayed in the fair looked as if they could have been at a flea market.  What a disappointment! There were a few artists whose work was noteable, so I was glad to see that, but .... I certainly expected to see great things. It is NYC, after all.  

I asked one exhibitor if she knew what happened to the ONE OF A KIND SHOW, she answered that the booth fees were so high very few people could afford to do it. 
This post address the same subject as the higher booth fees article.  These promoters may just run themselves out of business if this keeps going on. 

This has been out for a few days, but I just found some of the details.  Reason I'm posting this is that we've been using a 'dial-pay' merchant account for years, but NOT on a smart phone.  We've been planning on getting one and moving to Square - which is certainly more cost effective save for the data charges.  Best I can figure we'll save a bit, but it'll be much more convenient. 

My bio includes over fifty years in IT and data communications, so this article kind of waves a red flag in my face.  The folks that brought us all that compliance stuff will probably jump onto this fairly soon - and it could be very justifiable, but also very inconvenient.  The article doesn't get into how much information is sent to the carrier other than "logs every text message".  Don't have a clue what the fallout will be, but I keep remembering all the PR about how tech makes lives SOOOOO much easier (NOT!).

Please enjoy the first episode of our new Art Fair Artists' Success Show podcast. 

The premiere episode, "Online Marketing for Artists 101," features an interview with Scott Fox, my son, author, Internet marketing expert and host of his own community that encourages online entrepreneurs, www.ClickMillionaires.com.

Scott has been instrumental in the birthing of my websites and grew up in the art fair business, working for us (my husband Norm Darwish is a photographer), and learning the art fair business by attending more art fairs than he ever hoped to attend.  His inside perspective makes this interview even more compelling and useful to artists.

Listen to the episode here online by clicking on the player widget below.

If you can't see the player widget above, click here to visit the show page at BlogTalkRadio.com.

Click here to download a free MP3 of this podcast to take it with you when you are traveling and share it with your friends. (Right click - Save As to save a copy to your PC's hard drive.)

Listen to this free podcast to learn:

• tips on cheap and easy website building
• email marketing strategies
• building your online "social media" presence
• the online asset artists can build as an "electronic retirement plan"

Many thanks to presenting sponsor EntryThingy.com and FrameDestinations.com for sponsoring this podcast.

This is the first in a planned continuing series of podcasts about the art fair business.

Episode 2 will be a discussion with Amy Amdur and Howard Alan in December.  Please click here to email me your questions for Howard and Amy.

Please click below to "like" and "share" and "+1" this podcast
if you'd like to hear more like it?

A beautiful sunrise on Saturday morning

strong crowds both days

I've participated in this show for 4 years and it is always a strong show for me, this year was a little off in sales but not as much as all of my other shows this year. This 48 year old show has a very loyal following among locals and tourists alike. The organizers do a great job advertising with roadside digital signs, printed programs in every hotel, flyers and prominately placed banners. Artists ammenities include boothsitters, continental breakfast, generous spaces, easy set up and breakdown, and quite an awards program.  I was going to list all the award winners but there were 52 of them and I have jewelry to make. There are 10 catagories  with 1st. 2nd. & 3rd in each with awards of 1800, 1200, & 800 respectively. There are also 20 merit awards at 500 each. Best in show carries a purse of 3000 and went to Gillian Kemper. If you would like to see a list of winners go to Spacecoastartfestival.com .

This show is a festival with music during and after show hours and alcohol and in years past there have been problems with drunken vandalism. The festival organizers listened to the artist complaints and this year decided not to have nighttime activities and to my knowledge there were no problems.

This show is always Thanksgiving weekend and is a fun,  well organized and profitable show to do.

Man do I miss those warm winter Florida days, but my wife and I decided to come home to Vancouver, Washington for the winter and I'm off doing some northwest shows.  Over the next few weeks, I'll be updating posts on several shows.  So let's talk about Winterfest. The show is held in two gyms at Peninsula High School in Purdy, Washington.  This is a community about six miles north of the very affluent Gig Harbor, Washington.  The show is put on by the band as a fund raiser and is in its 30-something year.

Set up was a breeze.  They had at least 70-80 young people on hand to help unload, and they unloaded my metalwork out of my trailer and into my booth in about 10 minutes.  Nice!  My only complaint is that they have a mandatory Friday set up.  It would have been nice if it was optional.

The show has no jury fee and a $100 booth fee.  There are about 200 booths, and they advertise hand made by the artist.  They did an excellent job in diversity and quality of what was there.  Very little buy and sell. There was a number of decent woodworking booths, lots of jewelry, several nice functional potters, a nice mixture of fabric artists, and three metalworkers (hey, that's my category so the only one I count).  Unfortunately, I believe that this is about 100 booths too many for the number of patrons.  I had a decent day on Saturday (for a school show) and Sunday sales were about 20% of Saturday. It's not a show to drive any real distance, but it's only two hours from my house, and our son lives about 15 minutes from the show.  So it's a free place to stay and I get to visit him and my grand children.  My thought is that this would be an ok one day show if one has family they can stay with.  Also, I'm starting to foster a clientele in this area and plan on doing the summer fine art show in  Gig Harbor that I understand is pretty good. 

In the days of less is more at the shows, the folks that put this on was great.  They are very attentive and constantly are walking around to see if the artists need anything.  They had coffee, water, diet pepsi, and regular pepsi, muffins and cookies for us each day.  They even made two trips by all the booths with carts of everything for us.  Really nice.

Well I finally did it.

No, I have not gone to doing my images on canvas--that will come later--I dread it, it is just not right for me photographically.  

What I did was take earlier advice from Parker and then from Stern and create my website on Weebly.

It is somewhat easy, but there is still a hell of a learning curve.  It took me all morn and part of the afternoon just to get a home page, contact page and some images on another--and I consider myself pretty computer-literate (although I felt illiterate when I somehow deleted my Home page).  Oh and then I somehow deleted all my contact info.  Then I couldn't get captions under the photos.

Well, of course now that I have a website just like the big boys, I am gonna sit back all day and sip margaritas and just watch all that fabulous moola come pouring into me.  Just kidding.  If I sell one photo via that site I will probably faint.

Anyways, check me out

                                              www.nelsjohnsonphotographer.com

I still have to add three more pages of images for certain portfolios.  I can see me up til 3 am trying.  I will probably delete them too!