This show will be special!

Our botanical artists' group is preparing for the show opening on Feburary 3. I'm proud to have one of my paintings on the promotional postcard. There is so much artistic talent in this group!

The Dead of Winter

I'm doing some re-framing of some original art in preparation for the ASBA show, and because I've finally accepted that good framing makes a definite difference in the appearance of artwork. It also helps that I work at a custom framing company, and have access to excellent materials, especially the $1.00/ft discount specials. The old reliable metal frames just don't do justice to original art, so I'm making the transition this winter. Time to get the printer ready, too.

With a whimper

What if they gave an art fair and nobody came? You'd have Arts and Riverwoods. Why is it the show with the highest booth fee had the fewest visitors? I'll refrain from analyzing this and other questions in this space. The show organizers were tireless and the committee may have raised a lot of money from the Preview Night, but we artists were lonely standing at our booths listening to the blaring PA system that night. Most of the rest of the weekend, there were more vendors than customers in the big tent. I'll stop now.

The official art fair season is over for me. I've decided not to pursue the "Holiday" shows. They're mostly for gifts, decorative or practical, and most shoppers aren't looking for fine art. However, if you're interested, you know where to find me!

Student Show

Congratulations on the fine work displayed by the artists at the Chicago Botanic Garden! I am inspired by your dedication to representing botanical subjects. Many of your works made some not- so- beautiful plants have a definite beauty to them.

A Really Big Show

The Reed Turner Botanical Artists (a group of which I'm a member) are planning to hold a group show at Brushwood, at Ryerson Forest Preserve, in February and March of 2008. It's the same place I held my exhibit in April. Since there are at least 10 of us who plan to participate, we'll have the entire building to hang our work. An opening reception is planned as well. We can dress up, hold wine goblets, and discuss various arty subjects. We will also have a group exhibit at the Ela Library in July. I'm already looking forward to these shows. After Arts and Riverwoods next month, the paintings otherwise would be stashed in their containers for 6 months.

Six Down, One to Go

Here's the post- Wilmette Arts Festival report: The weather was ideal, the crowds were smaller than I would have liked, the location was good, and the Wilmette Arts Guild, who organized the event, were tireless. They are generous, too. I didn't win an award, but the dollar amounts of the awards are not small! Maybe next time!

I'm assuming that the community wasn't yet aware of the new location and time of year. Being in a visible commercial area has potential, though it seemed that there was an invisible barrier between the Saturday morning farmer's market (very popular and well-established event) and our show. Produce shopping and art shopping are not necessarily compatible, I guess.

All in all, I enjoyed the weekend, though sales could have been better. It's a relief to setup and take down in cool weather for a change. Oh, and a certain coffee chain has just moved into the vicinity, always convenient!

All's Well That Ends Well

I'm in the process of reorganizing my stuff after the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Artisan Guild show, as I do after every show. Here's how it went: NO RAIN!!!! Besides that fact, I enjoyed it, and had my best sales of the season so far. We were very close geographically to the Deer Path show, which confused some customers, but allowed my regular customers to find me when they couldn't find me at the other show. This happened a number of times, though I tried to make it clear in my mass e-blast, many people either don't get my e-mails, or just forgot.

I do believe our much smaller group siphoned off a small bit of sales from the very well-known (and quite excellent) Deer Path show. At first, I was still annoyed that I wasn't in it, especially since I was informed that there was a space available for me there a few days before the show, but I declined the offer due to having made the commitment to the Artisan Guild earlier. On Sunday, though the weather was great, the crowds were small, and it was discouraging. Monday, also with perfect weather, brought more people, many of whom were existing customers, and more sales.

We had live music, which was very enjoyable and conducive to enjoying the art, and a food vendor. I believe they helped attract attention to our location. The organizers were diligent and welcoming. All in all, like every show, it was exhausting, but, unlike every show, I feel this was a worthwhile experience!