No Show

Heidi Maiers · 03-08-2005, 03:56 PM

I have hardly peeked into the forum in the past few months and see I have a lot to catch up on. I have been busily preparing for the past 6 months to do my annual show in the Valley. This year, I was finally accepted into the Carefree Fine Arts show and was pretty excited about that.

The show is now over and regretfully, it was a complete and utter disaster. It has been unusually rainy here in Phoenix

Mary Sparrow · 03-08-2005, 05:04 PM

Heidi, I'm so sorry that happened. I know if I had invested $500 dollars and had a no show I would have been upset, I can't imagine 10 times that.

I have never done shows, so I can't really comment. And no I don't think you are selling out, the bills have t be paid some way, and even if doing something other than portraits isn't the ideal situation, it is still WAY better than some office job right?

Kimberly Dow · 03-08-2005, 07:11 PM

I agree with Mary. Selling out is only quitting. I've had the same thought about the western stuff since I live in Texas. You do what you have to do to be able to do what you love. I am sorry you lost so much...that really bites.

Michele Rushworth · 03-08-2005, 08:27 PM

I've only done two outdoor shows and despite some crummy weather for one or two of the days, I got one big commission from each show. Each of those clients led to one or two other commissions afterwards too. So I've had good luck.

The show didn't cost me anywhere near $5,000 though. Was that including all your booth walls and stands?

Sharon Knettell · 03-08-2005, 08:45 PM

Heidi,

Ouch! As a painter who has seen MUCH promotional money go down the drain I can emphasize with you. Not that much all at once though but a very rapid flow that was more than that.

Southwestern art? So many are doing it. You might be an also ran rather than the wonderful individualistic artist that you are. I actually think it is the modern day souvenir, not unlike the trinkets we picked up as kids when our parents took us to see real "Indians ".
I think the stuff is trite, hackneyed, sentimental and derivative and I include ALL of the so called "Western artists". I hate to see artists making 'paintings' of the 'colorful' remains of a people and a culture for their own benefit and not for the people they are portraying.

A very good friend of mine and other sculptors can make extra money making toy prototypes. He has knocked out gift items as well, for large gift companies. The Franklin Mint and other companies like that use freelance sculptors.

I understand they pay well and you don't have to kid yourself its art.

I can try and find out more if you wish, but just look in the magazines and papers for the companies and get their contact information and requirements. Some want baby angels sculpted for Christmas etc.

Just some ideas until you can make a name for yourself, which I am sure you will!

Heidi Maiers · 03-08-2005, 09:46 PM

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Mary, that's the point - I DO have a desk job and would like to be able to sculpt full time. As I am the main breadwinner for the family, I'd have to be doing pretty well sculpting to be able to give up my day job.

Kimberly, quitting isn't in my vocabulary. If it was, I would never have gotten this far.

Michele - you are right, you never know where the right lead can lead! The 5k included show cost, I made all new pedestals for my display plus bought an area rug, and the main cost was material and foundry costs for making the pieces I had on display. Of course I will recoup those costs if I sell any of those pieces, but it's hard to sell them when they're not on display anywhere. The galleries around here are zipped up tight and I haven't even been able to even get an appointment with any of them to show them my work.

Sharon, I agree with you completely which is why I have resisted doing the trite stuff. I am not Indian and know nothing of their culture, so it doesn't make sense for me to start making Indian art. The area is saturated with it as is and all I can say is "ho hum" when I see it. People keep telling me to make it because that's what sells around here. Hard to know what to do. I did get the name of the head art director at Franklin Mint a while back and sent him a letter. That was quite a while ago and I never heard back.

Well, persistence pays off and eventually, I'll find my "niche". In the meanwhile, I'll just be glad I don't depend on my art to make my house payment.

Michele Rushworth · 03-09-2005, 12:39 AM

Anyone jumping into the art show scene for the first time has a lot of up front costs. The good thing is that now you are set to do many more shows, at very little incremental cost. I wouldn't give up on them. Many artists do VERY well that way.

One local artist here does our biggest summer show that lasts three days and sells moderately priced pastels. She sold $30,000 of her work the first day last year and I understand that is fairly typical for her. I don't know how many other artists at that show did that well, though. Maybe many, maybe not.

Advertising in all forms is a roll of the dice. There's a saying, "Half of all money spent on advertising is wasted. The problem is, you never know which half!"