New Website Organization | New Products | New Approach

The journey continues. 

I dropped off the face of the earth immediately after the Lazy Daze art festival, traveling to parts unnamed to get away. It was a well-timed escape. I did not realize how frenetic my pace has been and how many crazy expectations I had heaped upon myself. The Cary show was my most successful after that initial Carderock show. The prints sold moderately well; I sold an original (an 8 x 10, but still--so happy about the decisiveness with which the buyers chose the Marshfield sunrise piece); and I sold several magnets. 

I went into that weekend essentially done with the whole art show routine. I was tired of schlepping all of the equipment and paintings across the east coast only to wrap them all up and bring them home. But I had a shady spot at Lazy Daze, the attendees were plentiful and friendly, and I met another potential friend. And then I went AWOL. I took two weeks off to forget about the process and gather my sense of balance. Now I am relaxed and ready to move forward. The following items are on my list.

First: I need to ditch the ProPanels. They work as advertised and are clever and endlessly useful. I love them in theory and in reality, but the truth is that I cannot rent a minivan every time I go to a show. I have no buyer's remorse over my Toyota Camry because in my everyday life I don’t want to drive and park a small boat. However, minivan rentals are expensive and not currently worth it. 

Second: I need to ditch more than the ProPanels: I need to ditch A LOT of extra stuff: the clumsy and huge browse bin, the carpet-covered side table, the blanket ladder, the decorative wooden crates, and certainly my favorite touch—the real Boston ferns. Maybe even the table cloths, but I think I can get those into the car.  My new display will include one 6 foot table, easels for 3 large paintings and several smaller paintings, a basket for magnets, a crate for prints…and my logo sign. That’s it.     Simple and light. If I can get away with that, and I can travel in my own car, I am much more likely to continue to attend these shows.

And I haven’t quite given up on them. I am still learning and adapting. I will be attending at least two of the fall Carderock Markets this fall, and I will travel to St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, for the Art Under the Trees show (September 26-27) and to Wilmington, North Carolina, for the Art in the Arboretum show (October 10-11). I have a local show on November 5th at Grub Smokehouse in Wake Forest. my initial plan was to continue the experiment through the holidays so we will see.

Third: the website has CHANGED!  Please explore the website and see the new organization.  Now if you like a piece, you can click on it and see all of the options for buying it--at multiple price points.

NOTE: This is a personal operation. If you see something that you would like to have in a different format but it is not on the site, contact me and let’s make it happen. If you have a photo of a cherished place that you would like to have in painted form, let’s talk. I am happy to work on commission to create the piece that speaks to you or your loved one. 

Fellow artists, how was your first six months?