Peace and One.
Bobbie Kop
MoodSwings...Creations for each of your
moods
Maria -
I had the pleasure of meeting you an at art show a couple
of years ago in
Scottsdale. I had seen you on That's Clever [or Crafters
Coast to Coast]. I
decided to ditch the "regular" career at 52 and
started doing art shows
myself about a year ago.
I bought your book a couple of weeks ago and read it
on the way to an art
festival [oh, my husband was driving] 11 hours away. I laughed
like crazy,
your observations are so on point. Also, I got some GREAT
info on booth set
up, selling, etc. I sold a $2000+ painting at that show thanks
to one of
your great ideas.
I enjoyed reading it so much I thought I should tell
you. You're right, the
art fest thing is addictive. I'm sure I will see you at a
show one of these
days - I'm at the Carefree show and Fountain Hills... and
will probably
never do Mill Ave again... but I know our paths will cross.
Best of luck on your way to 1000 woodcuts and thanks
again for writing a
funny, inspiring and helpful book!
Sandy
http://www.schimmelart.com
Hey, Maria!
This is Les & Mary (she's the artist)--
#1. WE LOVE YOUR BOOK! the
nice people at Flourish suggested it as we began to talk
to them about 4 weeks ago (10x10 with mesh and ProCovers
arrived Monday...:), BEST $20 we have spent
in our new journey to enjoy Festivals...
we could go on and on about all the good stuff
in your book...BUT, we need some help, please...smile
what are your suggestions for floor coverings?? Mary
does impressionistic 2D art
I've attached our FIRST set up ( in a freinds' yard...)
Mary & I have been in 3 "art" festivals
in the last 6 weeks (if you're willing to think
that people coming to buy avacadoes and then buying your
art, constitutes an 'art' festival", for 2 of these
venues...3rd one was "Birmingham Artwalk", which
is pretty big here in Birmingham..we were wait listed and
got in with 37 hrs to go... Mary sold $1300 in 11 hours over
the 2 days...showing us that the potential is there if we
can just get people to wak past her art...in a grid of streets,
3 blocks wide and 5 blocks long...we were in the FAR BACK
RH CORNER...:-)...Hey! We got in!!!!! that's what counted...
and we know we both think that having the booth floor
covered sets a great tone...I just cannot find anything that
seems workable, on line (given the uneveness we expect
we'll find in outdoor locations...)
Maria, Your book would have been enjoyable to read
even if we wern't planning to embark on this journey...!:)
thx for writing it,
Les & Mary
Maria,
I can see why your book was so strongly recommended. I
just finished reading it and appreciate the time you took
to share your ideas. Next week we are doing our first "real" show
- the 3-day Harvest Festival at the Cashman. We have
been slightly prepared by a couple of First Fridays and a
4-hour craft fair at the Mirabelli Center. We have
have also signed up for Steve Power's show at the Cashman
in November. The difference in the 2 is very striking. The
Harvest Festival has a whole book of rules and Steve's festival
sends you a 4-page letter that says they take care of pretty
much everything. It certainly is scarry trying to figure
out the type of display we should use for our jewelry and
how much to spend.
I hope to meet you in person at a festival something
and thought about looking for you at these shows, but you
made a good point in your book about wanting to reserve
time for your customers, not other vendors, during a festival. So
this is just a note to say thanks.
Don
Hi Maria,
It appears my email window is encouraging brevity (just wrote
you a lengthy email which was swallowed up).
Thank you for your great book! At the urging of the folks
at Flourish tents, I got your book before investing
in a bunch of art fair canopies and whatnot. I did my first
two fairs this year, and was able to read one chapter of
your book before the events and the rest of hte book afterwards,
while detoxing. I'd gotten advice from some friends, but
your book was a really great way to think about the fairs,
and consider what I'd like to try in the future.
live oak fair: http://kibart.blogspot.com/2007/06/art-in-park.html
marin fair: http://kibart.blogspot.com/2007/06/marin-arts-fair-07.html
Your writing style is entertaining and the topics are a great
- especially for a newbie like me.
Really like the:
* booth layout suggestions
* financial tips (folder suggestions, etc)
* advice about detoxing from event. (walks, not-making decisions
about art production immediately in response to event).
* advice to try fair more than once to see if its a keeper.
* musings on sales strategies and the range of prices to
try out.
Overall, its great to read that you are making a living as
an artist.
all the best,
Robin
--
+
(paintings) http://robinkibby.com
(designs) http://kibbymega.com
Maria:
Recived your book yesterday and started 'skimming'
it last night. A wealth of information - thank you.
I am about to enter the Art show arena and your book
and the 'forum' have been/will be of great benefit. I
have some photographer friends who are into art show and
one calls it an exercise in humility.
I've owned/operated a photography studio for 37 years
and have done quite a lot of nature/landscape/travel photography
as well. Art shows may well to of benefit too.
I have been into the Lulu website and am thinking
of also publishing some of my works there. What has been you
reaction to their operation. Your input would be appreciated,
when you have time.
Good luck with your shows.
Ray Valentine
Valentine's Studio in the Woods
Hello Maria
I am embarking on my first Art Festival July 14 and
15. We
purchased your book "Art Festival Guide" from Floursh
when we purchased the mesh panel. My husband Don is
my biggest supporter and he is working with me to get this
new venture off the ground. We want to tell you how
valuable your book is to us. We still have much more
to read, but you certainly have put us on the right track. We
will get back to you after this first Festival.
thank you
diana and don reimer
Hi Maria -
Thank you so much for the wonderful book, Art Festival
Guide. As a newbie just about to jump into
the world of art festivals, I ordered it off of Amazon.Com. I'm
only in the 50s (page-wise), and already I am astounded
at how much information you have shared.
I said to my hubby, "Wow, I'm only on page 50ish
in this book, and you wouldn't believe how much I have
learned! Wouldn't it be great if I could go and work
with this woman through one of her shows? You know,
be a freebee helper to set up and tear down and to
help her sell her work."
He said, "Why don't you ask her?"
I said, "Well, as a starving artist myself,
I cannot afford the trip."
He said, "Hey, we have the American Airlines
miles you could use......"
I said, "Reeeally?"
So here I am, a painter and a person who has never
in her life done an art festival. I am booked for two
in the Fall - one a Jazz/Art Festival in Fort Worth and
the other a Peddler Show in Arlington. What would
you think of having me come up and just be a helper-person
for the learning experience?
Now, if you have a hundred of these requests like
this each
day, I will understand completely. If, however, you
feel you can use an extra set of hands and an enthusiastic
student, well, hey.......????
Whatever your decision there, please know that the
book is a Godsend! You are so greatly appreciated!!!
God bless -
Cindy Norris
(Arlington, TX)
Maria,
I want to thank you so much for writing your Art Festival
Guide book. I
can't tell you how much it help us prepare for our first
juried fine art
show ever!
My husband and I are recently married, and before
meeting me, he had no
exposure whatsoever to any kind of fine art show, or art
really of any kind.
I have been going to show for years as a patron, but until
the last year, I
had not entertained being an exhibitor myself. I enjoyed
what I saw,
occasionally purchased things, but, I never looked at what
it took to "set
up shop" and had no idea the preparation it took.
Your book was invaluable and I am also going to send
an email Luke at
Flourish thanking him for recommending it.
In the weeks leading to up the show we did a lot of
traveling by car, and I
literally would read the book to my husband on those trips,
so that way we
both received the same information, and, as we progressed
we could talk
about ideas you presented, and devise applications to my
unique style.
Honestly, thanks to your book, I would like to think
you saved me from a
couple of years of "trial and error" and, I was
able to get started out of
the gate ahead of the game compared to many artists.
As a tribute to all the valuable information you provided,
I received an"Honorable Mention" at my very first
art show and among other things,
received compliments from the judge about my presentation
being exceptional.
You are definitely on my short list of people to credit
for that accolade.
I have included a photograph of myself in my booth.
I hope that you own show season is in full swing and you
are having your
best season ever!
Warmly,
--Kimberly
Kimberly Blom-Roemer
HighTraverse Gallery
HighTraverse.com
Hi Maria...
I recently bought your book and am half-way through
reading it...girl, you tell it like it is! I get
a kick out of your writing style...funny, honest and detailed. I
have been taking photos for about two years with a digital
SLR camera...before that I tried my hand with a SLR. My
main interests are nature and abstracts, but I love to
create "digital art" with some of my pictures. I
really want to find a venue to try and sell my work and
I hope that art shows will work for me. I am not
one to just jump into something...I have been researching
suppliers, types of equipment needed, credit/debit card
merchants, visiting art shows when I can and reading, reading
and more reading for almost a year...I have three notebooks
of research/tips, etc. I think 2008 will be
the year I start. I lie awake at night thinking about
some of the things you wrote in dealing with art fairs
and if I can do it or not ...is this normal? I'm
not leery of the traveling...I use to work for a major
carnival company from 1990 to 2000 and I traveled nine
months out of the year...they furnished a travel trailer
(nice...with 3 slide-outs) with a 1-ton dually to
pull it with and I drove it (can't back-up though...forward
driver only)...talk about some adventures. I worked
in the office doing the bookkeeping, payroll, etc...so
I was not someone your average fair-goer would see...and
I never considered myself a "carnie", but I love
to travel and it suited me well. Now I have a "normal" (translated:
boring) job and would really enjoy doing art fairs...though
I think it would be a few years before I could do it full-time...or
no-time if no one likes my work! Anyway, I am rambling...I
just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you putting
it all out there for us future first-timers. I'm
still undecided about art shows...most of the time I think
I can do it...then I read s omethi ng you say about the
weather, sprinkler systems, rude/weird customers, etc.,
and think maybe I should not subject myself to the frustrations
at this point in my life. I hope you are having a
spectacular year so far and may all your art shows in the
future be extremely prosperous!
Sincerely,
Terri Corley
Maria, just wanted to take a sec to thank you for your
book.
I bought my canopy and walls last year but was so
overwhelmed by my
enormous lack of knowledge that I chickened out of even
applying to
shows. Inquiries directed to exhibitors at shows yielded
a big fat
zero (I know that asking your competition for advice
is never the
best policy:)
Your book has been instrumental in getting me off
my duff and
applying; I'm in 4 shows so far this year and have several
other
applications pending. I love your writing style; very
encouraging and
upbeat, and the insider info is worth it's weight in
gold (or some
semi-precious metal).
Thanks for being so generous with all that you've
gleaned over the
years, I couldn't have gotten going without your book.
Hope your shows are all stellar, and that your book
sells by the
truckload (just not here in Milwaukee where the competition
might get
the same advantage:).
All the best,
Gordon Nicholds
Nicholds Photography
artfestivalguide.info