Norcoss Art Fest 2009 - day 2

...was even better than day 1.  This from a post I just sent to Mary McBride, my regional SAQA rep for the GA/FL blog:

Good News! - Given the right venue and weather, the public is coming out to the shows and buying Art! I had a booth at The Historic Norcross Art Festival (Norcross Georgia) on sat & sun and it
was a very successful weekend. I won't put a toe into the debate between the imagined controversy between the Art and Crafts camp - this was a juried show and there was no controversy this weekend just great camaraderie between the vendors, amazing support by the organizers of the show lead by Frances Schube who could teach a master class on the proper organization and running of this kind of venue. Imagine volunteers there to help you set up and break down you booth. Volunteers wheeling around wagons of cold free bottles water. A hospitality center conveniently located for the artists with clean rest rooms, free breakfast on the first day and  fruit snacks the rest of the show. Heaven!

I brought everything that was wasn't nailed down in my studio (this venue is only 15 minutes from my home) and I sold pieces that had become a part of my life.  I had everything from fiber art postcards to my gallery pieces that lined the walls of my pop-up tent. I brought a few utility pieces and had great fun explaining that the smaller unframed pieces (the majority of my show) were not potholders or place mat but if you wanted a $25.00 pot holder, I was happy for you! Better than 50% of the crowd already knew unframed art when they saw it and were captivated by some of my older pieces in ways that made me look again at my own work with fresh eyes.

The booth was paid for by noon of the first day largely due to the amazing response to the affordably price fiber art postcards, hand dyed rayon scarves and the dyed, crocheted cusspots which I put out where the kids could fondle them first and lay off the rest of the stuff. People were drawn into my space by the sheer explosion of color I laid out for them. I let people know that A. I was a local and this was the only show I do each year and B. Everything that I brought with me would be available for sale at http://randomactsofdyeness.blogspot.com/ in the coming weeks. I have my work cut out for me making good on that promise.

All and all it was a very successful and satisfying weekend and I encourage everyone to take a shot at selling in person to a public who seems weary of being wary about buying anything. Retail therapy seems to be the order of the day for the American Economy but folks are looking for a new shopping horizon. Could it be your booth or website? Only if you get out there and wave your brave flag.

Norcoss Art Fest 2009

I can't say enough about what a great show this has been so far. The organizers and volunteers have made the comfort and safety of the artists a top priority. I keep telling everyone that this is the ONLY show I do but Frances will be  doing a new show in nearby Roswell in spring and I'd be a fool not to participate.

One of my customers (who knew that the fabric postcards were art before they were postcards) bought a frame from another vender and came back to show me how great it looked.  Thanks so much!
aI was flanked on both sides by glass artists so my booth was easily identified as family friendly - absolutely everyone who ducked in felt everything within reach, those who didn't wanted to and I encouraged them. I loved watching peoples faces as their gazes went from the postcards (my biggest sellers) to the crocheted cusspots (kids loved these) to the scarves, small art pieces and then to the pieces lining the walls. I saw a lot of looks of amazement. Seems like what I brought to this show was unique to most of the visitors experience.     
I got to talk a lot about techniques. There is no tyedying or batik going on here.. This piece and Cellular Seizure drew people to them almost hypnotized.

Time to get ready for day 2!                                

October..

...is my birth month and my favorite. The entire month can span all  the seasons. I can recall swimming on my birthday and trudging through six inches of snow on Halloween, of course that was in New York.








The trouble with going through one's stash for things to sell is constantly running into exquisite little chunks of fabric that you want to hoard for


yourself, or worse, sit right down and start  working with when so many other things are pressing, or need pressing.

I am really looking forward to packing my river grass basket with scraps and needles and thread and sitting in the October sunshine for two days just stitching and considering the full Moon.

  I may pretend I'm just tent sitting for the artist who just stepped away for a minute.

an (over) reaction...

...to fatigue and frustration, but I'm going to like working with it. It's half a vintage queen-sized percale sheet in a (Heavy!) weight that is no longer available.

I love dyeing but hate doing it under time constraints and for vending purposes. The scarves came out okay, fashion forward I suppose. Only time and the venue will tell. Still would have preferred the silk velvet to the rayon but that was a screw-up that there was no time to undo.

I've been ironing since dawn. Now it's time to start piling up the UFOs that I'm taking along. It's looking like I may have more UFOs that FOs. Oh, damn, well. Here's to a fun day working the street with the rest of the Art Whores!

dress rehearsal (in my mind)

I have two whole days to go from
chaos to commerce. yawn.