Rainy Weekend

It has been a rainy weekend and I have been busy in the workshop getting things a little more ready for next weekend. The show season starts in earnest with a show on the road at Elmhurst IL. I'm glad for the rainy weather as maybe it will mean that next weekend will be nice. One can only hope as last year the weather was not very cooperative at all.

I will be going back out to finish a project in a moment and hopefully come in to make some prints this evening. Mitchell says "You can't sell from an empty shelf" so I better have some product for the show also!

The Woman and the girl went out for lunch - I'm done at the Red Cross ( those guys never give up on taking my platelets ) so put on a sweatshirt and work!

Art Fair Insiders

One day I saw a link on Facebook to a site for artists - www.artfairinsiders.com The site is similar to Facebook with some exceptions . Everything that you post isn't seen by all your contacts ( with some of the posts that I've seen on Facebook this is a good thing) The other is that you are encouraged to join groups and discussions that are going on on the site that are pertaining to the business of selling art - specifically at art fairs.

I joined and have since been expanding the "friend" base as that is your net that you cast the wider or larger the network of friends the more information that is available.

I got a random e-mail about a show that I had never heard of around St Louis in October - Close enough - nothing else going on - ouch - they want 300.00 to do the show - do I take a chance?

I went to the site and asked the artists if they had any information to help with the decision.
I got some responses - some for - some against- the one that help the most was an artist that told me they charge admission and the crowds were light - I have found that admission is a detriment to my sales - I know the logic it keeps out the "tire kickers" the lookers - the non serious art buyers - Well I myself like those types and sell enough of they that I want them there. So I saved my entry fee and will be at home in October - I may drive down to check out the show for next year.

I encourage everyone to sign up for this site and get connected with other artist through out the country - They really are the coolest people around!

Life Happens

Since the last post I have had a frantic run of activities that have needed attention or time.. Too many deadlines to name for art shows and festivals ( along with all the entry fees ) you see you don't just apply to a show and that's the end, they want your entry fee ( sometimes several hundred dollars)

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not so much complaining about the money that I have to pay to shows ( Unlike some of my artist friends that think that the 35.00 jury fee is too much money to spend on a show ) I have found that in the art show world you get exactly what you pay for. The more the show cost the more people and hopefully the more return on the entry fee will be. There are always exceptions to the rule but for the most part this the way of the art fair world.

The problem that I have with the whole process is that they are all seemingly due at once. The pen and the checkbook are both screaming stop!!!

So if anyone is reading this and feeling pity on a poor ( and getting poorer ) artist, throw me a bone - go to my web site buy a print - help a brother out !

Oh well I at leats have a light at the end of the tunnel as my first show is May 1st and 2nd in Elmhurst IL - maybe the kids don't need to eat until then.