Art Fairs?

[Karin Wells]

I am looking to compensate for the recent economic slump in my portrait business. Some of the artists that I spoke to recently at a local art fair assured me that they are able to generate enough money to support their families by doing these fairs and not selling through galleries.


They say that giclees and smaller original works sell well. Figuratives, landscapes and still lifes appeared to be selling.

Has anyone had any experience with art fairs? I am tempted to try this venue.

[Michele Rushworth]

Nice booth, Karin.

I did one of the very big fairs here last year and I will do it again this year.

I show half a dozen portrait samples, framed, on easels. I also demo the start of a new painting (more exciting to watch than the finish work and doesn't take as much concentration.) Doing this keeps me from getting totally bored over the two days of the fair. I also have my portfolio book and cards out on a table.

Of course I don't sell anything at the show. I get names in a guest book and last year got one big commission out of it.

I'm located in a section of the fair away from most other booths but near where families bring their kids to play on those giant inflatable rides. Since a large part of my market is parents of small kids, I think it's a good place to be. The parents wait in line with their kids and they watch me demo.

Also, the booth fees are a fraction of what they would be along the rows with hundreds of other art and craft booths. My only other cost is the canopy and signs which I bought last year. I figure I'll do this fair for three years and then evaluate whether it's a good use of my time. (That one big commission from last year certainly made it worthwile, but it could just as easily have been zero.)

Because portraiture is such a big ticket item it's not something people decide to do on the spur of the moment at a fair, of course. I think people who saw me last year may have started to think about it and when they see me again this year they may be motivated to act. We'll see. It's in early October so I'll let everyone know how it goes!

[Karin Wells]

The above picture is not my booth but one that I saw that I liked.

What kind of canopy did you purchase? Where? And are you happy with it?

Do you have to take down your tent and paintings each evening or is there security at your site?

What did you hang your paintings on? Panels?

[Michele Rushworth]

I thought it was your booth since the paintings look, at first glance, like some of your lovely land and sky-scapes.

The canopy I bought was pretty much the same as the one in the photo. It doesn't have side walls though I wish I had bought some to cut down on wind. Costco had a 10' x 10' booth-type canopy with walls this spring for about $200. Mine was almost that much from a sporting goods store, without walls, last year. Buy one that is all white with no manufacturers logos or writing on it. Many art shows are picky about this.

I put the paintings on very inexpensive wooden display easels I bought from ASW. I will wire the paintings to the easels and stake the easels to the ground to keep them more stable in case of wind. (If it gets too windy, I'll just take them down, of course.)

My booth location last year was kind of out in the open, visible from three sides (which was good for attracting customers). Because of that, I clustered the paintings in the middle, facing outward.

I take the paintings and anything else of value down each evening but leave my canopy and card table in place. There is security of a sort but I still wouldn't leave my paintings there. I may leave the display easels there overnight this year. It's a pain to do the set up and take down twice, but I wouldn't sleep if I left it all in place overnight.

[Michael Georges]

I do a lot of these types of shows - 6 in fact between now and the end of August. They can be very profitable IF you get in the right ones. It is a hit and miss game and you have to do a show to really evaluate it properly. I go for the higher end shows that seem to have an "art" emphasis rather than the "craft" emphasis. It has to do with people's expecations - they come to a "craft" oriented show to buy country ducks and soap doilies and just don't know what to do when they run into "fine art".

I also try to do shows where the attendance is very large and where people pay to get in - if they pay $10 to get in, they are there to buy stuff. I do one show in November that draws 120,000 people over 5 days. They pay $10 to get in and it is a good show for both getting commissions and selling smaller originals and limited edition prints.

I have a canopy from Caravan. It is their top of the line with all four sides. I think I paid about $650 for it. It is very heavy duty with marine zips and completely water proof. I have used it during a 4 day show in the mountains where it rained and blew for 3 of the 4 days - not a drop got in and it was very sturdy in the wind. If you plan on doing outdoor shows, get a good sturdy canopy - it is worth the extra cost.

If the show is outdoors, I will leave my canopy and display frames up, but will take my originals with me at night. Even the best security is not guaranteed and most of these shows have no insurance in the event of theft or loss due to weather, etc. If I am not there, then my originals are not either. I have never had anything taken from my booth overnight, but I know others who have.

[Karin Wells]

Michael, how does the Caravan canopy compare with the EZ-up? Where did you find it? Can one person (namely me) put up this kind of canopy by myself? I have enough muscle to lift a brush...

I do want a canopy with sides. How about light - is a "skylight" an advantage or does a white canopy provide enough light.

What size is your Caravan? 10' x 10' ? Is that the standard "art fair" size? Is it the Aluma or Classic model? Standard or pro?

What are your display panels, or can you put your pictures on the inside walls? How much weight will the walls/display panels hold?

[Michael Georges]

The Caravan Canopies are a little more heavy than the E-Z Up kind. They assemble quite similarly. I can put mine up by myself, although it is a bit heavy to lift in and out of my vehicle. There are always people around at shows to help with some lifting if you need help getting it to your space. Mine is about 70 pounds in the sack.

I recommend getting a 10x10 size which is the most standard. I liked the Caravan over the E-Z Up because of the thickness of the material, the poles are more sturdy, and the whole thing seemed to my eye to be better put together.

The white fabric lets plenty of light through.

One thing to look for is sides that actually zip rather than just having four panels of fabric that just velcro to the corners. The zips keep the whole thing better enclosed in case of rain or overnight winds. I have actually camped in mine for about 10 days total with some bad weather and have been real pleased with how sturdy it is. I anchor mine with 3 gallon jugs of water (two of them) which I either fill on site or bring them with me filled. It keeps the whole structure well anchored.

My panels are separate from the canopy. Have to go, more on them later.

[Michael Georges]

You might want to investigate buying professional art panels. There are a couple of options out there. The best artist display panels, IMO, are Pro Panels - http://www.propanels.com/

I have panels that are an aluminum mesh - not as nice as the others, but they are light and they break into two pieces each allowing me to pack them into a car trunk with the seat folded down.

Mine are available from Graphic Display Systems:

Here is their contact info and a pic of the panels:

Graphic Display Systems
308 S.1st St.
Lebanon, PA. 17042-5427
1-800-848-3020
717-274-3954
FAX 717-274-2710

[Karin Wells]

Do you use fabric covers for your panels? Are the covers removeable?

How tall are your panels? i.e., How high is the ceiling on your canopy?

How many of the 1/2 panels do you use. Are all three walls covered as in the picture above?

[Michael Georges]

Karin:

My panels are wire frames and don't have fabric covers. I stretch some 60 inch wide cloth behind them so you cannot see through and that works pretty well. The Pro Panels are covered in carpet and they are pretty much the top-o-the-line. The GDS panels are cheaper, lighter, and they have the advantage of breaking apart in the middle so they will go into a smaller vehicle and store a bit easier.

I have 10 full panels (20 halves - 10 tops and 10 bottoms). This is enough to easily cover three complete walls of my booth. How I set them depends on where I am in the show. If I am on a corner, then I leave two sides open and put panels on the other two. If I am in a row, then I will put panels on most of three sides leaving me space to put my easel in one back corner. I like to work during shows as it really draws people into the booth and gets them excited about your art. I work on charcoals as painting is just too much to do and my paintings always have that "difficult" stage which I am not too happy to have people see. The charcoal is easy and it looks finished as you do it.

The panels are about 3'2" wide and they are about 6 feet tall. I put work down about 2/3s from the floor so nothing is so low that it escapes notice. The pic above is from the GDS website and is not my art.

The canopy roof goes up to about 8 feet. I usually keep mine at about 7.

I don't sit right at the entrance to the booth as it keeps some people from wanting to come in. I try to sit off to one side if I am not inside working.