Outdoor Art Show Success! (Mostly)

Well, it was a fun and interesting weekend in Gilford, New Hampshire, where I distributed my wares at the Gunstock Weekend Craft Village. There were about 25 vendors there, along with Segway-ers, hikers and tourists of varying levels of zaniness throwing themselves up and down mountains via slides and suspended cables.

If you were outside at all, you know that the weather was not the best. But it also wasn't the worst. Moisture was limited to a minor inconvenience, and there weren't any strong winds which might ruin peoples' tents and wares. I met some nice folks: customers, of course, but also vendors who had a few too many quiet minutes available due to the spare attendance. Many of them were very disappointed with the crowds. Perhaps I'll look back after a few shows and realize how lackluster it was, but…

My goal was to make my money back, plus a bit more, to justify the time and effort it takes to do such a show. Mission accomplished. Though I didn't get rich, I at least put a good chunk of change in my pocket, and moved some metal prints, which I had trouble with last time.

Lessons learned from my first outdoor show:

• Without doubt, the outdoor summer crowd is different from the indoor spring/fall crowd. Pretty is pretty, so I didn't move a completely different set of images, but I did move different media. The Summer people spent more on average, and were less interested in the very lowest-priced items.

• The tent worked perfectly, especially since I had practiced putting it up and taking it down a couple of times. I had a set of weight bags in place, but need to have my second weight set ready for more blustery days.

• Big magnets sell! I was pleasantly surprised that my new addition was well-received.

• Vacationers like to buy images of places they've recently been. It's not exactly my forte, but it certainly would pay off to have, in addition to my Hidden NH images, photos of spots that the customers had just hiked and visited.

• Metal prints get a lot more attention when they are set off the wall and people can see how thin they are. I did well by adding a 1 inch backer to my metals, though they were a bit wobbly in a breeze. I need to order all future metals with a backer already affixed.

• I need a bigger car or a cargo carrier. It's nice to have a sibling whose house serves as a base of operations for the Lakes region, but I need more universal solution so I can say "yes" to any nearby fair.

I feel great about meeting more people, learning more lessons, and doing better than breaking even. Let's see if I can get into a couple late-season/autumn shows in 2015. I hope to see you all there!

Brave New World (again)

I've been away from my blog for too long.

At least it's because I've been busy. I've been doing some freelancing and a lot (A LOT) of work on the Hidden New Hampshire Calendar for 2016. It's going to be awesome and full of nice touches. More on that later.

The other item that's clogging my workdays lately is getting ready for my second craft fair. And this will be my first time outdoors.

If you're in the area (or even if you're not), come visit Gunstock Resort in Gilford, NH this weekend from 10-4, for the Weekend Craft Village.

Free Admission! Music! Crafts! Mountains! Lakes! Weather!

My tent is purchased (a very nice EZ Up model that came with zippered sides included), supplies are restocked, and my metal prints have been given a one-inch foam backer to pop them off the walls. I'm very much looking forward to selling my stuff again. And I will be more so after I practice setting up my tent one more time in the backyard.

I only wish I my calendars were ready. Next year, I'll get them done a bit sooner, in time for the heavy craft fair season, which seems to kick off around Independence Day. But I do have a new item for this show - magnets! Let's see how they do.

I hope to see you there!

Do I like this photo?

I'm not sure exactly what it is about this image. Why do I keep coming back to it? Why am I still changing it? Is it even flawed? Yes, it is, but I can't seem to put my finger on the problem in order to fix it.

Obviously, when I took this photo back in 2010 during my trip to Amarante, Portugal, I saw something worth capturing. Something besides the town's interestingly-shaped cakes (careful). There was a lovely wall. The water was still and reflective. Nearby was the hustle of the city market and the solemnity of the town church, yet here was a solitary man doing some quiet fishing down by the river – the simple pastime of a normal man.

And I keep getting sucked into that stone stairway on the right side that I can't make sense of, even five years later. How are those steps part of the wall? Why does their orientation look backwards? Why does the reflection look more correct? Shouldn't reflections look wrong?

I saw this photo upside-down today, (this is a handy trick for evaluating one's own work with fresh eyes) and noticed something new: the converging lines on the right side of the photo caused by the stairs, shoreline, and tree. I added a little contrast to the area to make it more noticeable and liked how that looked, but it gave the photo a secondary focus away from the man.

And maybe that's the biggest issue with this photograph – there is no proper focal point. Not that you have to follow every photographer's rule each and every time, but you need a good reason to stray away from normal. So, rules be darned; I'm choosing to compound my eye-confusion by showing selective color only in the fisherman's reflection. Umm, does that make it better?

Or am I just reflecting my own disorientation? Am I fishing for answers in an upside-down world?!?
Heh.

I'll just keep blaming those crazy stairs.

What is it about bridges?

There is something rustic and romantic about old bridges. I don't need to wax overly poetic about such things, as I did in my last post, but i'll just say they make wonderful calendar covers. I'll fight the urge to put another one on next year's edition.

New Hampshire has a lot of covered bridges, too. Not as many as Pennsylvania. One thing New Hampshire does have, though, is the last remaining covered railroad bridge in America. It's known as Sulphite Bridge and can be found in Franklin. Built in the last years of the 19th century and used until 1973, it was damaged by arson in 1980. It's also known as the "Upside-Down Covered Bridge," since the main deck of the bridge was not used for transportation. Instead, the trusses were covered for protection and a railroad track was built on the roof!

Winnipesaukee River Trail Association

The bridge crosses the Winnipesaukee river where a thriving paper mill stood decades ago. Thanks to a successful rail trail conversion, the bridge and remnants of the mill can now be found near Trestle View Park, along the beautiful Winnipesaukee River Trail.

Because of the dense vegetation along the river, photo opportunities are a bit hard to come by. That is, unless you're a tiny bit crazy, and are willing to risk life and limb (or a wet shoe) by climbing down embankments to whack some bushes and balance on slippery rocks.

And, I couldn't think of anything more fun to do on a gorgeous afternoon.

The noblest pleasure…

…is the joy of understanding."
– Leonardo Da Vinci

Sometimes artists are robbed of their own joy. They are unable to experience their art the same way their audience and customers will. While it's true there is a distinct joy to the creation of that art, and the work of many other fellow artists to enjoy, one's own art becomes both too personal – and too foreign – to appreciate properly.

Creating art is a bit like singing a song that everyone but you can hear.

In my own artistic niche of finding special locations that comprise Hidden New Hampshire, I am lucky – I discover these places for myself first. On a recent trip to the Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region, I stumbled across yet another concealed gem that my state seems to have in abundant supply.

Driving with eyes wide open north on route 3A through Bristol, Bridgewater and Hebron on my way to a few potential calendar outlets, I noticed a sign for "Sculptured Rocks State Park." Huh? Another place I'd never heard of? I stopped at my next destination and looked it up on my phone. I found a few fascinating images, but not much else. Exploring seemed like a wise idea!

I was not disappointed. After a short side trip into Groton, I found big, magnificent boulders carved into odd and fascinating shapes by the Cockermouth River as it rushed into Newfound Lake. It was a beautiful and almost jaw-dropping discovery. I clambered over boulders, snuck under branches and carefully hopped across river stones to attempt to bring photographic justice to this place.

"Water is the driving force of all nature."
– Leonardo Da Vinci

I'm not sure I had as much fun as the pack of college grads who were jumping into the chilly water to cool off, but discovering another hidden treasure in my home state gave me exactly the kind of thrill I hope to bring to others with my calendars, prints and cards.

A better example of doing what I do

I scolded myself in an earlier post for not making the most of an opportunity when I should have.

I wanted to share a brief story of a more successful venture. Because it illustrates at least part of the life I imagine living in the near future. Certainly, my future plans will shift based on clients' needs, my success at craft fairs, and other things that the future tends not to reveal in detail.

Spring for photographers: the best of times, the worst of times.
Good: Flowers, sun, warm weather and those bright, shiny new leaves.
Really Good: Going on day trips with my wife to uncover beautiful spots throughout New Hampshire.
Bad: High, flat light from the sun for much of the day. Very early sunrises and very late sunsets. Rain.

No, I'm not going to get the best light for many of my photos, because I'm not going to wake up in the middle of the night, rouse my wife, travel some distance, then hope capture the golden light of sunrise (which might be clouded over anyway). I'm also not going to keep my wife out late, some distance from home, just to utilize the golden hour at sunset, either. Job one is visiting some locale which gets too little attention, to help celebrate this beautiful region. So I resign myself to compensating for that bright, flat light during post-production. If it means spending a very nice afternoon with my wife driving winding roads and seeing interesting things, I'm OK with that.

This time, I planned well, and we had a great afternoon.

The Old Carr bridge in Hillsboro

There are six stone bridges in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire, some of which are still used for vehicular travel. This very handy website transformed a couple anecdotes that I'd heard into a feasible day trip. I carefully mapped a route that included a retail store I wanted to visit. When the afternoon was over, I had photographed all six stone bridges and may have added another home for my Hidden New Hampshire calendar (and other merchandise?) come Labor Day.

From all perspectives, it was a success. Spring is a great time to photograph streams and waterfalls because of the snowmelt, so I got some lovely and dramatic pictures, conducted some commerce, and had a nice time driving pretty roads with my wife.

Look for the stone bridges of western New Hampshire in the next Hidden New Hampshire calendar!

After the First Craft Fair: The Learning

Well, my stress level has gone down. My first big craft fair/art fair is done. All-in-all, it went pretty well, and I probably prepared about as well as I could have, given my inexperience. Now I have to learn my many lessons before preparing for the next one.

Aside: about that next one…I've been blessed with up to seven weeks of jury duty starting in mid-May, so I am unable to make any commitments to shows taking place before mid-July.

So, how did I do? Not too bad! My strategy was to suck people into my booth with a two-pronged attack: First, put a few of my best images on an aisle-facing wall, and the rest of my best stuff in large format on the back wall, which is what people see the most. Second, put my art bins right up front, to provide every shopper with that familiar experience of flipping through lots of matted images. I chose not to have a table filled with items, which is a tried-and-true tactic, but one that didn't suit me, as I had very few items that might work there. I instead used my table space for email sign-ups, business cards, brochures, free post cards and some decoration. I did sell my calendar and the smallest of my matted prints there. In the future I may find myself with lots of magnets and coasters, and my calendar will be prominently displayed, but I may opt for wall shelves instead of cluttering a table.

Once interested, I was hoping to provide easy-to-reach price points for the expected throng of shoppers who didn't have a ton of money. (I noticed another novice artist selling their items at gallery prices. It wouldn't take many sales to justify that strategy, but given the crowd at this particular event [generally moderate-spending locals and not freespending tourists], I wonder if it actually worked.) Volume rather than big ticket was my approach. And my biggest sellers were not a surprise: 5x7 and 8x10 prints, and notecards, especially my 3 for $10 deal. I only moved a couple of large units (both canvases), and just a few of my smallest 4x6 prints. My prints on aluminum… well, I'll get to that.

Other successes:
• I was very happy with my credit card reader, which worked perfectly.
• I had a squishy fatigue mat for the long hours of standing. I love that thing.
• I had shopping bags, business cards and brochures ready, and people appreciated them.
• I got about as much traction from my email sign-up sheet as I'd hoped (but PB, JM and SW, if you're reading this, you either print terribly, or my eyeballs are shot, but I really, really tried to figure out your email addresses! Shoot me a note and I will get you on there!).
• I handed out about 80 free postcards with a coupon code. We'll see if that leads to any sales.
• I put enough price stickers and tags on my works that almost no one had to ask what something cost.
• My rugs looked damn good.
• I got a lot of compliments on my work, even from people who had no intention of buying.
• I got to talk about a lot of my prints with curious shoppers (mostly, "where was that shot taken?," which I found fun). One woman even saw her house in one of my photos! (sale!).

And of course, there were some failures.
• The weather was too nice for an indoor show, and Saturday's turnout was abysmal. I was expecting traffic similar to last year, when it was mobbed, but this year's event was held too late in April, and people didn't want to shop indoors on the first beautiful Saturday after a harsh winter. I can't blame them. I'm sure there was a lot of lost revenue that many vendors weren't anticipating. I need to carefully consider the weather and venue for my next show.
• Without a developed strategy for arranging works on my walls (Should it be by similar colors? Shot location? Print medium? Dimensions?), I simply made my best stuff most prominent. Going forward, I think it's probably smartest to also separate the Hidden New Hampshire images from photos taken elsewhere in the world, as it confused some. They would see a photo of the White Mountains on one wall and Greece on another, and feel compelled to tell me "That's not in New Hampshire!" Yes, that's true, and I'm not trying to deceive anyone, and I am sorry (But my branding of Hidden New Hampshire was working!).
• A Hidden New Hampshire book (basically an expanded version of my previous calendar/s) would probably sell, so I need to find a way to create and publish them inexpensively.
• Too many people wanted to know where something was shot, but my labels only provided the name of the image and the price. I need to include locations going forward.
• I brought with me some extra images, mats and frames so I could replace prints that sold. Pipe dream. They took up too much space, and I had no time to make replacements. If I need to, I can replace one or two in the evenings after the show and avoid hauling all that stuff around.
• My presentation of the metal prints was inadequate. While shoppers may have been curious and impressed, they did not buy. Metals cost more than matted prints, but they also go home ready to hang without the extra expense of frames, glass and hanging hardware, bringing them closer to an equivalent price. I could have made that more clear to my customers. Also, the way I affixed the metals directly to my walls was unimpressive. Many metals are "float mounted" with a 1/2- to 1-inch thick backer that makes them appear to "float" off the wall. I can retrofit mine to do that. And if I back light a few with fairy lights, I will greatly increase the wow factor.

One shopper, an experienced photographer, came for a visit and spent a good 15 minutes critiquing each of my works. And by critiquing, I don't mean pointing out which photos he thought were good and which he thought were bad. He pointed out the flaws in EVERYTHING. But, since I have a thick skin, I stayed right with him all the way, discussing my works objectively and using our conversation as a learning experience.

One of many. And I loved it.