Scenes From My Weekend

Well,  another  good  weekend--not  like  last weekend,   but  not  bad  either-- and  the  most  perfect  weather too.  These  last  2  weekends  have  restored  my  faith  in  art  and  craft  shows.  The  economy  seems  to  have  bounced  back  just  a  little  bit,  and  when  they  can,  people  are  supporting  us  artists--all  good.

I  took  a  few  photos  on  Sunday  morning  before  the  festival  started  (it's  the  only  real  time  I  could  get  out)

Love  those  carved  tree  stumps!!

And  here's  a  fun  booth--

These  taller  moose  were  about  6  feet!

Okay,  so  remember  the  tables  from  my  last  post--well,  I  still  have  them!  It's  not  easy  to  sell  furniture  at  this  time  of  year,  when  shoppers  have  the  mindset  of  Christmas.  The  only  furniture  that  sold  was  a  smaller  table  and  5  chairs--all  for  Christmas.  I'm  still  happy  though,  and  I  have  one  more  show  to  try  to  sell  these  2  pieces.   Plus,  I  did  get  to  make  2  more  art  pieces from  them--

These  pieces  are  fairly  quick  to  make.  Once  you  have  your  original  art,  you  can  just  play  around  with  prints  of  it.  I'm  planning  on  going  into more   detail  about  how  I  use  my  art  to  make  new  art  in  my  next  post.

And  like  I  said  before,  the  weather  was  perfect,  but  it   was  pretty  cold  in  the  mornings.  I  have  to  say  that the  best  investment  that  I  made  this  year  for  this  show  was  my  fingerless  gloves  that  I  purchased  from  Theresa.  They  really  work!!  My  hands   actually  stayed  warm   while  keeping  my  fingers  free--so  Theresa,  if  you're  reading  this--thank  you--I  really  love  them  (and  they're  cute  looking  too  : )

Scenes From My Weekend---I Kinda Had a Feeling

Okay,  first  let  me  tell  you  about  my  weekend.  On  Friday  we  went  to  set  up  for  the show.  It was in  the Warren  county  fairgrounds--of  all  the  fairgrounds  that  I've  been  to,  this  one  is  my  favorite.

Great  country  setting--this  backdrop  is  what  surrounded  the  whole  festival.  So  this  photo  is  from  Friday  afternoon  and  the next  shot  was  taken  on  Saturday  morning.

No,  it  wasn't  raining  over  even  cloudy--as  a matter of fact  it was clear blue skies--this  was  fog.  It's  pretty  much  like that  here every  morning  until  about  10:00.  This  is  a  good  sign  here--the  foggier it  is,  the  day  usually  ends up  being  sunny.  So  we  had  to  finish  setting  up  in  the  fog.

Lots  of  tents, plus  most  of  the  barns  were  filled  with  exhibitors--

There  was  another set  of  barns  behind  these  also  that were  filled--I  think  there were  about  180 exhibitors  in  total.

And  I  had  to  show  you  all  this  one  exhibitor's  booth--

This  lady  was  offering  hand-spun  and  dyed  skeins  of  yarn  supplied  by  these  guys--

Alpacas  from  her  alpaca  farm!!--all  freshly  shaven,  or  is  the  word  shorn?

And  my  favorite  booths  at  this  time  of  year--

I  just  love  what  Fall  has  to  offer  us.

And  I  had  to  get  some  of  these--

I  making  me  some  peach  pie!!

And  these--

Look  at  the  background--this  was  the  line  of  people  waiting  to  get  into  the  show.

Okay,  so  what  was  the  feeling  that  I had?  Well,  I  brought  my  artwork  with  me--

But I kinda had a feeling that this wasn't going to go over real well with this folk art country type of show, so I made some wreaths to fit in a little more--

But  this  was  only  a  small  part  of  my  display.  I  did  get  a lot  of  compliments,  which  I  always  appreciate,  BUT  I  didn't  get a lot  of  sales.  This  was  definitely  more  of  a  craft  show with  a  different  type  of  customer  base. However,  it is  an  excellent  well - run  show  with  a  great  variety  of  crafts,  great  food,  and  entertainment  in  a  wonderful  setting--I  just  don't  think  that  I  fit  into   this  type  of  show.  (always  a  learning  experience  with  art  and  craft  festivals)

And  a  little  while  ago  in  one  of  my  posts  I  had  showed  everyone  a  piece  that always  sells  when  I  take  it  to  a  show  with  me,  and  I   kinda  had  a  feeling  that  it  wouldn't  at  this  one,  and  I  was  right!    AND  I  said  that  if  it  didn't  sell,  I  would  be  giving  it  away  on  my  blog---so  next  blog  post--a  giveaway--stay  tuned!

P.S.   BUT....... I  did  sell   my  magazine  rack  on  Saturday  morning!

A Much Needed Break

Hi Guys, I'm back from a very hot, fun, exciting one-day show.  This show was in Willoughby, Ohio--just outside of  Cleveland.  And doesn't  it  sound  like  the   name  of a  town that  you  would  read  about   in a  story  book?  Well, it's  that  kind  of  town.  And  like  I  said  in my  last  post,  it  was all  along  the  main street  and  in the cute little  park that was  there  (everything  was  cute there!)

Here's  everyone  setting up   in  the morning.  The  weather  wasn't  too bad,  as far  as the heat  and  humidity,  but you could  tell that  that  the  day  was  going   to  be a  scorcher!

You  can  click  on  any  of  these  photos  for  a closer  look.

And  you  know,  you  can  always  tell  when  the  residents  support  their  town  by   the  types  of shops that  are  flourishing  there.

The  town's  downtown  area  is only  a  few blocks,  but  it's  pretty  much  filled  with  local  businesses like  these,  not  to  mention  the  great  restaurant  selections.  I've  never  seen  so  many  restaurants (with such great food)  to  choose  from  in  such  a  short  distance  from one  another,  except  in larger  cities.  (forgot  to  take  photos of  the  restaurants!)

So,  seeing  all  of  this,  you  can  imagine  how  many people  showed  up  for the festival,  despite  the  high  temperatures  and  humidity.

And  yes,  these  people  supported  us  artists,  by puchasing  art.  Needless  to  say,  you can see why   this is one of   my  favorite  shows--great town--very  friendly people--and  an  added  bonus  of  excellent  sales.  I  made  as much  money  in  one  day as  I  did  in 3  days from  the show  last  week.

Plus,  I  forgot to mention that they had  a  very  impressive  farmer's  market  there  (which  is  weekly).

A  large  variety  of   produce  and  a  BIG  selection  of  Amish baked  items!

 

I  was  even  able  to get a  great  photo to  use  in  my  artwork--

Loved this house!!

And  my  intuituion  was right.  Remember  the boxes,  the mirror, and the embossed  metal  piece--ALL SOLD!  I  was  only able to  make 5  of  the  boxes, but   I  know now  what  I'm  bringing   for  my  fall  shows--they're great  for Christmas  presents.

And  there  was  one  more  tip that  I  wanted  to  share  with  you  about  selling  your  art  at  shows.  This  goes for everyone.  Alot  of  times  you'll   sell  out of something--everyone wants  one.  So  you'll  always  make  sure  to  make  a  TON   for the next  show, and  when you  do,  not  a  one will sell--this  is  very  common--just  ask  any  crafter  or artist.  In  this case, though, just the opposite  happened--my boxes went  just  like that!

So now I  don't have a  show until September--I need this break--it  was becoming very hard to do this  all  the time.  I  think that  I  would  actually  like to  clean  my  house  now  if  I  can  remember  how to.

To Sum It Up

In these last couple of posts, I've just given a general idea of what is involved  in  selling  your  art  at  shows--there's lots more, but  if  anyone  is interested in more, just  let  me know. So to sum  it  up  about  shows--you're always learning  new  things  about  them  no  matter how long you've  been  doing  this.   Anywhere from set up, what to bring, how much, and the list goes on.  So  what  have I  learned  this year so far?  Well, I found that people like mirrors!

I guess you could call this functional art--right?  People have to check themselves out before they leave the house.  (Boy, did I have a hard time taking this photo.  I ended up putting a piece of wax paper on the mirror, but it worked.)

And embossed metal is very popular--

Along  with  sun faces or a flower face--however you want  to look at it.

And, also to my surprise--Hippie art!

Everytime I take this Hippie girl with me, she never comes back--somebody always takes her home. I think that she might be getting a little tired of going alone from show to show--I think she needs another  Hippie   friend--what do you think?

And  I've  also  learned  not  to  put  my  wood  blocks  on shelves, but  hang  them all  up so  people stop trying  to  open  them!  I'm  leaving  tomorrow for just  a  one  day show on  Saturday.  It's  a tough set-up  in the morning, but it's  a  good  show.  I did  it last  year for the first time and  I  loved  it.  I  hope  to take photos, because  it's  right  on  the main  street,  and  it's  such  a cute  little  town.

Selling Your Art in Person vs. Selling Online.....PLUS A Bob Update

I would have to say that one of the advantages of selling your art at a show is the feedback that you get from potential customers.  For example--remember the wood blocks that I made?  Well, I  received a good response from customers, but I didn't sell as many as I thought I would. Most of  the  blocks were   displayed on shelves that I had in my booth.  And  if  I had a nickel for every person who came up to them and tried to open them, I'd  have  some  decent  pocket  change now.  And another nickel for ladies saying to me that they wished  they were boxes-----so,  I took their advice, and went to the local craft chain  (Pat Catan's--if you're ever in Northeast Ohio--go to one of these stores--excellent prices), and bought me some small boxes.  They're the  exact  same size  as  the  blocks, but a little deeper.  So  I'm  making some for the show that  I'm  in  this weekend.

Another good tip--functional art sells very well, because not only is it a piece of art, it also has a purpose.

But the best reason, I feel,  for  displaying  your artwork  at  shows,  is that  people like to see the art in person.  They love to touch it.  This is what I want.  I want people to touch and see the colors up close, and ask me questions like   "what is this, or how did you do this".  I love when my art puts a smile on their face, because it puts a smile on mine.  You can't get that when you're selling online.

And there's one more thing that I should mention about shows.--Juried vs Non- Juried shows.  With the non-juried shows, all you have to do is fill out the application with the required booth fee and send it in.  They just require that your work is handmade, but you're going to see alot of non-handmade, anywhere from Tupperware to Home Windows--this is just how it is.  And you're  also going to see crafters that are not really making their craft--this is very common.

Now in the juried shows, they want to see photos, slides, or a CD of your work, and sometimes your display.  The fee is usually quite a bit higher, and 9 times out of 10, there's a non-refundable jury fee from $10.00 to $30.00.  But in the long run, they're worth it, because  for  the  most  part,  sales are  always better in these types of shows,and the quality of arts and crafts are much better.  And every artist who does the show circuit as had the dreaded "rejection" letter.  It's not a reflection on you--really--it's just that some of these shows get way over the amount of applicants that they need,  so they have their pick and choose.  It's a bit of a blow to your ego, but in the long run, it's an advantage, because it pushes you to go farther with your art.  I consider it a challenge, and I don't give up year after year   until I finally get accepted, which is a great feeling.

So enough business talk--What About Bob?  Well, my daughter told me that the night he came home from getting his tooth removed, his mouth was swollen, and he was "gently crying" all night--Awwww!  But, the next day, he was fine.  And she also told me that before they had  found out  about the cracked tooth, he had been mopey for a quite a while.  She thinks that the tooth was hurting him all along--Awwww!  She says that  he's a very happy dog now!!

But he's too cool to show it : )

Help For Anyone Who Would Like To Start Selling Their Art At Shows Part 1

Hi everyone--back from my long weekend at my art show.  It was in Westlake, Ohio--just outside of Cleveland in a lovely setting on the grounds of St. John's Medical center.

Lots  of  shoppers  and beautiful  weather.

And you'll always see all kinds of "shoppers" there too--

So, first off, I wanted to thank everyone for your wonderful comments on my last post,  and I also wanted to reply to some of you asking me if I was going to start selling my work online.  Well, I'm thinking of starting an Etsy store probably in November--I'm not quite sure about how to set  it up, but I know that everyone will help and give me advice when the time comes.

Plus, a few of you have asked  me  for any  help or advice I could give  about getting started at  selling  your art  at  art/craft shows.  So I decided to tell you how I got started and what I've learned  throughout  the years.  I know that it sounds a little  intimidating  if  you've never done this before--but if you just take it in baby steps, it's  not so daunting.

The First Step

I started in 1990, and  way  back  then, I didn't even know what a paintbrush was.  My craft was florals for many years, which  I was very successful with, but after a while, it started to become  a job, not a passion. But, that's another story.  The first thing I did, and what I feel everyone should do  is start small--local craft show in a school or church--a craft/ bazaar show.  It really gives you great experience of display, how much you should make and bring.  And before that, you can visit the show/shows that you're interested in.  Look at the customers--are they just walking around or are they shopping-- and talk to the crafters about the show (are they happy with it) and  their overall  experience.   All  crafters  are very  generous  with  their help and advice.

Pricing

You can also find items similar to what you sell, and check their prices to stay competitive.  I've heard  alot  of  different  formulas  for pricing, but I feel it depends on where your selling and who you're selling to.  Obviously at an art show, you can raise your prices as opposed to a craft show. The customer base is different. I tend to keep my prices on the lower side.  I want my art to be affordable so people can purchase it and enjoy it for their own home. It  thrills  me when people are thrilled to be able to purchase my art.  And before I go any further--if you want to start selling your art hoping to support yourself with your sales, then stop reading this, because most likely, you won't.  The term "starving artist" is SO true. If  I was just doing this for the monetary reasons, then I wouldn't be doing this at all.   I'd be in another line of business.  All  I can say, is  that   I'm very grateful  that  my husband  has  a good  enough  job  to support my "job"! 

Display

Another good reason to visit art/craft shows is to get ideas for your display and presentation.  It's all about the presentation.  Look at the booths that are more crowded.  It has ALOT to do with how the artists display their work.  I read somewhere that people's attention span is only a few seconds, so you need something to grab their attention, or else they'll just move on to the next booth.  The best way to do this is to have your biggest, most impressive piece  right out in the front of your booth displayed in a creative way.  Some of the display items that I've used throughout the years, I've found, where else, at garage sales and flea markets.

vintage suitcases, shabby small benches covered with linens, preferably vintage

And this is my "check out" table that I purchased from the wood factory.com

This is a great website if your looking for display items--they can be a little pricey, but they will last forever and they're all collapsible.  Here's what the table looks like without anything on it, front and back--

I've had it for almost 20 years--it's the best investment I've made.

And earlier this year I had decided to upgrade my display by getting the artist panels that you see all the time at art shows--a MAJOR investment, but I decided to stay with the lattice panels that I've always used. They just seem to suit my type of  art, and I like them.  I spray painted them a cream color lightly so they have a white-wash look to them.

Another way of attracting people to enter your booth is to demonstrate your art or craft whatever it may be.  People LOVE to watch artists at work, and they'll ask questions, which makes them appreciate what you do that much more--to see what's involved in your art process.

Best Time to Start Out

And don't give up if you're sales are slow.  In these times, people just don't have luxury money anymore.  Some barely have enough to pay their bills and buy food for their families.  Case in point--the show that I was in this weekend was not  that  great  for  sales.  It  was  like  that  pretty much  for all of the artists there too, but this is how it is--you  never  know what  to  expect  anymore  with art shows.   But like I said, I'm not in this for the money--I just enjoy the whole art show experience. Don't get me wrong, you can do very well at a show--you just have to find the right ones for you.  When I first started out---shows were amazing.  It didn't matter what you had to offer  (especially in the fall), sales  were  excellent.   But  the  fall  was  and  always  will  be  the best time to start, because that's when sales are the best.

So I hope I've helped everyone who is thinking about selling their art  in art shows.  There's more I want to share, but I'll save it for the next post.  Remember to email me any questions you might have.  My email is on the top of my sidebar.

And on another subject, I want to thank Cheryl Richards from Artella  for publishing my metal embossing tutorial post in her online magazine, The Art Journal Journey.  This is very cool to see an article in a magazine written by me with my name , Diane Salter,  right there on the page!--I love it--Thank you Cheryl!