This Sunday it’s going to be 65 degrees and sunny…the perfect weather for the Hyde Park Square Art Show. It’s held at the intersection of Erie and Edwards Roads just south of Rookwood Commons. Parking spaces get hard to find…so park at Rookwood and walk the two blocks South to the show. Hours are 10am-5pm. Look for me in Booth #150 on Edwards. This is one of my favorite shows all year.
Category: Art Shows
Sep
28
Hyde Park Square Art Show
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Sep
15
Loveland Art Show
The Loveland Art Show is being held this Sunday September 18 from 11am – 5pm. It’s in Nisbet Park right on the Loveland Bike Trail…..lots of people take a bike ride and stop at the show to see the artist’s booths. This is one of my favorite shows to do because….people who attend are friendly and love to talk to the artists about their work.
I recognize some of the artwork used in this poster. The abstract landscape in the top right is a painting by Shannon Godby who won Best In Show last year. His website is www.shannongodby.com. And the misty photograph of a tree on the bottom right is a photograph taken by Patricia J. Johnson of www.pjcabinart.com. My friend Melanie MacArthur will also have a booth there. She’ll be glad to create a colored pencil portrait of you or your pet…or you and your pet.Her website is www.macarthurportraitart.com.
Oh, by the way…I’ll have a booth there, too….so look for the booth with the really large figure paintings in it. Stop by and spring for one of my new laminated bookmarks. For $6.00 you can’t go wrong!. You need a picture of my friend Myrtle hanging on your refrigerator…..
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Sep
12
Indiana’s Nicest Day
The Penrod Arts Fair bills it’s self as Indiana’s Nicest Day. And on Saturday it almost lived up to it’s billing…..we noticed that the attendees actually seemed very excited to be there. The show is held on the beautiful grounds of the Indianapolis Art Museum….it was as if we were in the gardens of some magnificent mansion. That said, it’s also a very large show, very spread out, and it could get confusing when you ventured onto the garden paths looking for other sections of the show.
I tried out a new booth set-up. Large paintings on one side and prints on the other. Not completely successful.
I loved the way my paintings looked hanging side-by-side…it looks as though they’re hanging in a gallery. Normally I would have hung them a little higher with other smaller paintings underneath. I like this uncluttered look, but it doesn’t really maximize wall space. I’ve read that Mid-Westerners prefer being in a booth that’s crammed full with stuff….maybe the clean lines of an art gallery intimidates them.
I probably need to buy several more print racks. I’m now selling original paintings, large prints on canvas, smaller prints on fine art paper, and very small laminated prints. Those are suitable for bookmarks, refrigerator art, or to hang on a bulletin board. Wow, I’m actually developing a product line!
I was told that the crowd was only about half the size it usually is……which surprised me because I thought it was a pretty good sized crowd! The weather probably kept some people away…it started out damp and humid, then it turned cold, and finally the sun came out….I really should have packed several outfits to change into during the day. The show stared at 9am (the earliest I’ve ever done) and there were people there and shopping even before it officially opened.
The show closed at 5:00, but we weren’t out of the park before 8:30….which is a very long load-out time. It was due to the fact that the roads within the park are very narrow and only a few cars were allowed in at a time. Thank God for the Penrod Boys. The Penrod Society is a non-profit, volunteer organization established for the support of cultural and arts educational activities in central Indiana. There were well over 100 Penrod Boys directing traffic and helping the artist to load up their vehicles.
One of the exciting parts of the day for me was seeing people rushing from the opposite side of the show directly into my booth. My large paintings do attract attention and I enjoyed talking to people about my artwork….that doesn’t happen at every show. One person who liked my work promised to talk to a friend who owns a shop/gallery in Indianapolis. I liked the fact that she said my artwork isn’t mainstream…..that explains a lot. I know that there’s a place for my art….but I haven’t quite found it yet.
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Aug
24
What was I Thinking?
I’m really tired of hearing the phrase “during these tough economic times…”. However, due to these tough economic times Tom and I decided to stay in town and do as many local arts/craft shows as possible this Summer. It’s hard to make a profit doing out-of-town shows when you have hotel and food expenses. Makes sense, right?
It was damp and very foggy at 7am Saturday as we drove across town to set up for the Covedale Arts and Crafts Show.
By the time the tent was set up it was hot and sunny…the temperature was in the 90′s for most of the day.
We tried to stay in the shade as much as possible.
Really now…who ever decided that trying to sell arts and crafts on a black topped parking lot during the miserable heat of Summer was a good business idea? The exhibitors were miserable and the crowd was thin….as in not many people showed up.
I need to start selling my artwork in higher class venues…..we had a row of stinking garbage cans right behind our booth. This show did me in…..I’m no longer going to waste my time doing small shows where the attendees are more interested in buying dish towels and strung beads. My artwork isn’t selling because I’m trying to sell it to the wrong people. ‘Nuff said.
Gratuitous cute dog photo….hey, I had to keep myself amused somehow……
My next show is Penrod in Indianapolis. It’s held on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Museum and is one of the top rated art shows in Indianapolis. We’ll see if a better venue brings better sales. If it doesn’t then…..maybe I need to start making better art….or hamburgers at a fast food joint.
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Aug
22
Alexis Meade’s Human Canvases
I was blown away when I read an online article about 24 year old artist Alexa Meade. She paints living breathing people to look like they stepped right off a canvas…..it’s a combination of extremely realistic body painting and performance art.
This is a photo of her painting herself to look like she’s half real and half painting. How creative… how wonderful… how imaginative.
And this is her sitting next to a woman she’s painted. Kinda merges the real and unreal, right? I just have one question….Alexa graduated from Vassar College…..do they teach body painting in college? For more of her work visit her website www.alexameade.com.
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Aug
19
Covedale Center For The Performing Arts
The Covedale Center for the Performing Arts
Presents
10th Annual Arts & Crafts Fair!
August 20, 2011, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Covedale Center for the Performing Arts is located at
4990 Glenway Avenue in West Price Hill
The Arts & Crafts Fair is a free-to-the-public event, held every year at the end of the summer! Artists and crafts persons will display/sell their wares outside in the summer sun! Don’t miss this chance to see AND purchase the works of our local artists!
66 local artists will be on hand to display and sell their original works at this OUT DOOR EVENT! Mixed media will include: pottery, jewelry, enamel painted iron tiles, woodworks, oils, water colors, graphic art, fiber art, acrylics, photography, ceramics and so much more!
The jewelry in this photo:
Ametrene gemstone heart wrapped in gold-filled wire
by Linda Ray, Artist
For more information, or to visit the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, call 513.241.6550
Oh, and I’ll be there, too……..imagine that.
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Aug
18
Art On The Commons
We lucked out with the weather on Sunday…the predictions were for 40% chance of thunderstorms in Kettering, Ohio. Fortunately we got nary a drop. It was overcast and extremely humid all day, but no rain. Lincoln Park Civic Commons is a wonderful setting for an art show.
The grounds are immaculate, the pond cools things off, and they treat the artists to some really good muffins, donuts, orange juice and coffee before the show starts. The air was so thick with humidity that that I actually sweated (gasp!) and my hair got wet during set-up……so much for the life of an artist being glamorous……
Fortunately I brought a change of clothing…..and deodorant……and hand wipes, so I cleaned up pretty well.
Look…. People in my booth! In fact, throughout most of the morning my booth was packed. The crowd seemed to turn out early and then it dwindled later in the afternoon. One woman recognized my artwork from a show we did in Washington, D.C. two years ago…..that kinda made me feel famous!
There were several people who came back to my booth at least three times to look at my artwork….which always makes me feel good. I would have felt a whole lot better if they’d bought a painting! I had lots of requests for The ABC’s of Dayton (Kettering is a suburb)….but I don’t think I’ll paint it. My goal is to do more figure paintings and start approaching galleries.
Message to the Universe: Hello, I’m ready for success. You can send it my way any time now!
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Aug
16
Would Jesus Hand Out Carmel Corn?
One of the most unusual promotions I’ve ever experienced was when GameChurch.com walked through the Gencon Gaming Show and handed out free bags of Carmel Corn. Delicious Carmel Corn, I might add.
Yes, the label on the bag says What Would Jesus Do? Hand Out Carmel Corn, duh. It was a very unexpected, humorous, and memorable way to advertise their website. As best I can figure…they aren’t hawking games….but rather….it’s a place where people interested in Games and who have Faith can connect with similar minded people. There are game reviews, blogs to read, and a forum…it’s an interesting website. And no one is preaching Religion….they even have a tag saying yeah, we hate religion, too. But you can hate religion and still have Faith.
I’ve set out a bowl of Werther’s Hard Candies at a show to try and lure people into my booth. Mostly I get people who want a Werther’s instead of artwork. Maybe I should take a clue and hand out Carmel Corn…….after all, that’s what Jesus would do, right?
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Aug
13
Art on The Commons : 8/14/2011
Sunday August 14th is the date for Art on the Commons held in the city of Kettering, Ohio (nice suburb of Dayton). Admission is free, entertainment is scheduled all day, and there will be 100 artist’s booths (including me!) The show is 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and is held at the Lincoln Park Civic Commons, 675 Lincoln Park Blvd, Kettering, Ohio. For more information go to www.ketteringoh.org. It’s a beautiful park and the show is well worth the drive. See you there! I’m in Booth #053.
And here’s a map with directions:
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Aug
09
Strangest Art Show I’ve Ever Done
Just returned from having an art booth at the 4-day long Gencon Gaming show in Indianapolis. This was a case of I should have attended the show before I had a booth there. When will I ever learn? The show was wild and wonderful and so full of many many things I’d never seen before…….
What ever made me think that I could sell my artwork to someone dressed like that?
People liked my artwork….they said it was beautiful….and several men said it was cute….kiss of death……CUTE???? That was really a blow to my ego. However,I was approached by a gaming company about possibly using some of my characters as Avatars. Yeah, okay, they passed out business cards to all of the artists……but at least they asked me.
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