New and improved hanging system from http://www.propanels.com/hanging-systems/

I have been struggling with hanging my art work at shows for years and my thick canvas walls are very difficult to put the drapery hooks into to secure my paintings to the walls.  After several years of pinching and stabbing myself with them, I finally took the plunge and got an amazing new hanging system of cables and grips from propanels.com that is phenomenal, easy to use and store, and looks very professional.

The fully opened cable caddy that keeps the grips and cables neat.

Detail of the grips (hooks) that slide up and down the cables with the push of the button on top.

The rubbermaid hook that goes over my 1 1/2" diameter pipe on the showoff canopy system.

If you already have pro panels you won't need these hooks from Rubbermaid but I do since the 1" hooks won't go over the top of the canvas wrapped in 1 1/2" pipe. There is a perfect hole to put the hooks into and the part that goes over the canvas is padded in black so the canvas won't get damaged from the hook.

Side view of the hooks that can be found at Home Depot or Lowes.

What's really amazing is that the cable caddy rolls up into a neat roll that takes up very minimal space, yet stores those very long cables for you when needed later without having them turn into a birds nest from some fishing rod nightmare where the line just blows up on a cast on the reel. This system is not for everyone but its right for me.  You can get the cables and grips from: http://www.propanels.com/hanging-systems/.  The cables cost around $16.00 each and it takes at least six cables per booth side to hold your work.  It's not for the faint of wallet but it sure does make your display look professional and speeds up the hanging process.

The cost of doing business

I've been asked a lot lately about how much it costs to do an art business and just how one goes about pricing their work.  These tips should be helpful to those that are interested. Art has never been a "hobby" with me and even as a teacher for 34 years I maintained my business license and practiced my art every day, as well as enter shows outdoors and in galleries. A hobbyist is one who pursues their art at their leisure for pleasure or entertainment. An artist as a business person/professional pursues their work seriously every day, has a business license, and shows regularly. This article is pretty much spot on in regards to merging from "hobbyist", to "amateur", and on to being a Professional Artist:

http://emptyeasel.com/2011/02/01/hobbyist-amateur-or-professional-artist-which-are-you/

http://skinnyartist.com/9-warning-signs-of-an-amateur-artist/

Pricing Your Work

Those who know me know I work at a madman pace and don't stop until the job is done. The not so simple answer is I researched a lot over the years and have come up with a formula for "Sizes" that fits much better than the "hourly rate". It's a good thing I don't charge like my lawyer does at $175.00 per hour or no one could afford my work. After seeing what other artists charge for specific sizes for similar amounts of detail, I have come up with a variety of sizes and prices that I keep very consistent.

Sizes and prices:

•8" X 10" is between $150.00 and $175.00

•12" X 16" is $250.00

•18" X 24" is $650.00-$700.00

•24" X 36" is $1,100.00-$1,200.00

•30" X 40" is between $1,500.00 and $2000.00 depending on the details involved

•36 X 48" is $2,500.00

• 36" X 60" and 40" X 60" run around $3,000.00 to $3,500.00

I hope this better helps you understand how artists price their work and can give you a better appreciation for what we do. There are tons of other costs involved that would take too much time to discuss here but I think you get the idea that my work is fairly priced for original art and I am committed to the highest level of quality in all that I do. I also provide shipping and free delivery locally in my area. You also have to consider what galleries charge per piece as well, with most taking 50% of the sale. If people buy directly from artists like me they save a considerable amount of money. That is why I do so many shows and so few galleries any more. I meet people directly and sell in person to them, developing long lasting relationships through personal contacts with the actual art buyers.

Related costs to art as a business:

•Legal fees, including annual LLC fee to accountant and city, business license

•Sales tax monthly to VA and quarterly to other out of state show departments of taxation

•Federal quarterly income tax on all art income

•Rents and show fees

•Frames, Matts, and boards, hardware for frames, chop saw, matt cutter w/blades

•Various tapes including acid free artists tape, double sided sticky tape

•Shrink wrap machine and shrink wrap materials

•Photography and printing costs

•Office supplies

•Miscellaneous costs for business

•Canvas, Cleaners, Paints, brushes, varnishes, and all materials involved with the painting process

•Bags and containers for transporting and selling the work (at least 3 different sized clear bags small, med. And large.

•Packing materials for the transporting of art works to shows

•Exhibition materials including a professional tent, reinforcement stablizeer bars for tent, tent bags, tool box with assorted pliers, hammer, sledge hammer, wire cutters, hole punch, twist ties, etc., weights, dolly, boxes and containers, bungies, ratchet straps, shrink wrap, jack for trailer, assorted locks for trailer, marine battery, inverter for battery, lighting system and racks, hanging tools, equipment and materials, print racks, ladder, chairs, two different sized tables with professional custom fit cloths, framed artists statement, assorted tarps for inclement weather, boxes for extra inventory, table easels, portable shrink wrap, white duct tape, sectional black foam flooring, indoor out door carpet for when on grass with stabilizer hooks that go into carpet and grass, heavy duty clips to hold tarps to walls top and bottom (at least 8 per side=24 clips).

•Plein Air set up that includes all paints, brushes, paint box, water supply, umbrella with stand, extra canvas primed, drawn and ready to paint, backpack, easel, palette.

•Up to date computer (must be replaced every 4-5 years) with the latest software from Adobe, Apple, and Quicken.

•iPhone and iPad with square app and hardware for business (replace every 1-2 years)

•Epson printer, inks and papers

•Marketing materials including flyers, business cards, calendars, show notices, etc.

•Mobile phone fees for phone and internet usage

•Internet fees for web site hosting and business name

•Art Insurance (I use USAA’s RLI insurance company)

•Digital camera (point and shoot type)

•Go Pro camera with KNEKT trigger system for water shots

•Pentax water camera for video and stills

•Surfing equipment to get the water shots to include surfboards, fins, wetsuits, boogie board, vests, leashes, and various other related water equipment to shoot waves for subject matter.

•Any and all software related to the business to edit photos of paintings

•Monthly fees to galleries

•Postage and shipping

•Travel expenses including air fare, lodging, gas, food, rental car

•Boarding of pets while at shows

•Property taxes on art supplies and equipment, trailer, and van

•Dues for professional memberships in organizations and publications

•Donations

Video of my interview with Chris Reckling, from "Reck On The Road"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awRVTk2ym40

Video of me setting up the Showoff Canopy from Art Display Central, FL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8iFBqwBvqc&utm_source=sendy&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news-email-2015-video-contest-update

Learning experiences on the Art Show Trail

This has been a marathon year for art shows with so many surprises and learning experiences at every one.  I just did the June shows starting with the Artist's Gallery show indoors and then on to the Va. Bch. Boardwalk show.  

The small table allowed me the room to paint in the open yet gave the viewer room to move.

It's always an incredible honor to get into the boardwalk show and this year was no exception.  The judges were incredibly polite and informative and genuinely showed an appreciation for "your obvious uniqueness, dedication to laborious painting technique, and passion for your art".  It was really nice to actually hear that for a change when so often I feel like a Klingon with my cloaking device activated as they go by without a word.  These folks were genuinely concerned about each and every artist.  The heat was unbearable for many but we persevered and sold quite well.  This was in fact my very best boardwalk show ever thanks to some local supporters and several small paintings that I did in the 8" X 10" range with deep canvas edges in the $175.00 price range.  This strategy worked very well and it also filled the gaps between the bigger pieces. Finding the right sizes for your booth is one of the more complicated things in this business but once you figure it out, sales go much better and so does the load in and out with the display.

My booth at the Under The Oaks Show, Whalehead, Corolla, NC

The very next day after my five grueling days on the boardwalk was in North Carolina at the annual Under the Oaks Show at Whalehead, Corolla.  This was by far the hottest show I have ever done which is not unusual this time of year. I nearly passed out the first day while painting because of the heat. This was a Plein Aire test unlike anything I have ever done.  The paint dries so fast in this kind of heat.  The promoters treated us very nicely and my accommodations were well worth the cost at the Inn at Corolla Light. I plan on doing a whole series of paintings of that place soon based on my photos.  They are also very dog friendly and that made for a good time for all even though it rained during one of the two days.  It was great having an air conditioned place to keep Rusty and Raven during the show.

The Inn At Corolla Light

What a great place to have a glass of wine after a long hot hard day!

The view from the Inn looking out on the sound.

I was truly appreciative of my sale of one of the OBX series of paintings I did this year during the final minute, of the final day of the show.  I was literally packing up when a customer fell in love with the OBX piece.  Thank you!

Today, the very day after the whale head show I am setting up on Knotts Island, NC for the Peach Festival.  This turned out to be a real winner for me last year inspire of its remote location.

I have learned so much this year about doing art shows and of course, always want to pass on information to the "Newbies" who are trying to "figure it out".  Keeping a cleaner and less cluttered booth along with unifying the sizes and frames of the work is really a big step forward. It just makes the overall presentation better and increases sales while impressing the judges.

I also got a lot more "waitlisted" notices this year.  Unlike many artists who apply to several shows the same weekend and then choose the one they want, I apply to only one and if I don't get in then I have an open weekend to surf or paint which is just fine by me.  I really don't see the point of paying to board the dogs, a hotel room, and then showing up at some bizarre hour of the morning for a "maybe I can get in" situation.  I just can't afford to do business like that.  The hotel room and the boarding are nonrefundable and if I don't get in the show that's a huge waste of money!  I know a lot of fellow artists and juror/board members out there will disagree with me on this but I refuse to be someone else's puppet in this life.  I plan on making a difference through my actions and good deeds and will not be a slave to bad vibes that get tossed my way.  With that in mind, I encourage all of you to continue on showing your work, applying to shows, and learn along the way to improve yourself and not be manipulated by others and their narrow perspectives on this business.  Stay positive and open minded to new ways of doing things and all will be just fine.

Lessons From Gosport

I just did the Gosport Arts Festival in Portsmouth, Virginia and I have to tell you, I truly look forward to this show for one reason, it's not about the artists as much as it's about the cause, EDMARC Hospice for children.  I hold this pretty dear to my heart because my father was in hospice for a very long time and the pain and suffering our family went through was huge!  I can't begin to imagine what that must be like for parents with children going through a similar journey into the next life.  It is for this reason that I do this show and donate one to two works of art to it every year with pleasure.  It just gives me a giddy feeling to donate something that will truly make a difference and make this world of ours a better place.

Sadly for most of us, sales were pretty low, no doubt because of the tolls being placed on just about every entrance to this wonderful city of Portsmouth.  The venue is drop dead gorgeous and I really thank the promoters and volunteers who treated us like royalty with amazing healthy choices for breakfast, and of course some of the not so healthy but incredibly fantastic donughts (especially the chocolate peanut ones!  They came around gleefully with carts overflowing with oranges, apples, crackers, bottled water and a host of other great treats. What more could you possibly ask for!  Also a huge thanks for that amazing awards banquet and congratulations to all the winners!

I also learned a lot from previous shows about mud, wind, rain, and weather in general.  We need to always be ready for that by the way we set up our equipment with proper weights and walls that showcase our work.  It's also pretty important to bring the tarps and bungies so that in the event of a surprise downpour, you can take immediate action.  Packaging your art work into plastic bags and then into cushioned foam bags or cardboard boxes is super helpful.  I stopped using cardboard because they get wet and weigh more, and I found the foam bags I made a whole lot lighter and weather resistant overall.  Another good thing about foam as opposed to cardboard, those pesky palmetto bugs in Florida don't find them very attractive so I don't end up bringing them home with me in the winter show months.

I thank you EDMARC Hospice for Children and the Childrens Museum of Portsmouth for such a wonderful weekend.  I for one had a great time and hope to be invited back again next year too!

God bless you.

Playa Venao, March 2015

Just got back from our trip to Playa Venao Hotel and Resort in Panama and wow!  I wished for big surf and got some big time, more than I could handle at times for sure.  This was some of the most inspiring and terrifying surf for my art I have ever encountered but I survived to tell the story, thanks to some very good people like Nicole Columbus who came to my rescue while taking photos in the lineup, only to be carried outside well beyond view of most everyone in a ferocious rip current from hell!

Follow the foam to the outside where it comes to a stop. That's where I was when Nicole and two others came out to help me.  The four of us had to paddle a lot to get out of that rip while I held onto their leashes and kicked with my flippers.

A classic Venao Barrel shot with my Pentax.

Our journey began in Panama City where we met my good friend Alex Valdes who drove us the five hours to Playa Venao.  On the way, I visited my dear friend Ivan Marquez whose photography has inspired many of my paintings of surf art from Panama.

I left Ivan with a few pieces of my limited editions and a calendar of my paintings.  He has decorated his beautiful restaurant with his photography and prints of my paintings!  What an honor to be a part of such a great place.

Typical peeler by the pool at the infinity pool.

Painting Plein Aire by the pool.

When we arrived the waves were about 3-4 feet and rising.  After surfing a few days of that size, I did a few Plein Aire pieces like this one above. Both sold on location along with some of the prints I took with me.  One of my goals was to paint on location to see how it would go and develop a plan to take other surf artists on a journey to Venao to do the same.  I was pretty pleased with the preparation and pretty much remembered all things I would need. Painting in the wind with pinstripe brushes is pretty hard, especially when the wind is blowing the tips all over the canvas!

One of the many gorgeous sunsets each day.

The sunsets in march are just amazing.  Last time I was here in July, the sun was at a different angle so we did not get to see that much of a sunset each day but this year was amazing.  There will be a lot of great paintings coming out of this journey!

One of the many overhead sets that just came over and over.

Almost no water at the bottom of this wave.  So shallow!

This guy Deric Munn who drives this van is just a super human!  He rides his bike up and down the mountain five miles a day to get his wind right so he can handle these huge waves.  At nearly 70 years of age, he surfs like a young boy!

I definitely have my batteries charged for making a series of paintings about this epic surf trip and am so ready for the show circuit this year.  Thank you to all who helped us out in Panama to experience everything!  A special thanks to Jesus Christ who saved me not once, but twice and gave me my life back so I could make a difference.  Know thy limits!

Fear and Loathing in Florida!

What an amazing journey we had at ArtisGras in Palm Beach County, FL!  The town of Jupiter was amazingly beautiful and the weather was 78 degrees and perfect every sunny day of the show.  The load in and out was second to none and I certainly plan on coming back if they will have me.

My booth #305 at ArtisGras

They gave me tons of room to paint and lots of storage out the back too!

The journey down to Jupiter was phenomenal surf wise!  The surf was so big the beginning of the swell just before the show, but I opted to go further south to see if it would be bigger.  As they say, be careful what you hope for, and was I shocked!  The size was beyond humanly doable in the water even with the strong off shore winds.  There was no one in the water from Melbourne, Indian Harbor, south, with the exception of Sebastian Inlet and Monster Hole which was not for the faint of heart.  At my age, monster hole is out of the question.

Monster hole with just a couple daring the intense drift/current and triple overhead size.

It looks so easy but is so deceiving.  The shore break at Sebastian was terrible and the current was pulling you into the jetty.  Not a chance.

We left Monster Hole and headed to Juno, stopping to witness the massive swells along the way.  When we got to Jupiter, I went right to the inlet and the waves were insanely huge breaking out as far as the eye could see.  Only Juno Pier looked somewhat doable however there were no takers due to the intensity of the rip currents and massive sized swells.

Monster Hole looking so inviting!

Juno looking out of control.  If I had the time, I would have gone down the road to Reef Road for some doable surf, but time would not allow it.

Outside set at Juno Pier

All the hotels were booked in Cocoa Beach so I chose the "Faulty Towers" which is actually a really cool little getaway next to Ron Jon's.  They take Whimsical to a whole new level.

On the way home the ice in Southern NC was just amazing!  Entire streets were covered in it!

Ice trees on the I95 route

Reflections on 2014 as we move into 2015

As I embark on the show circuit I did in 2014, I cease to be amazed at the quantity and quality of events that came to be.   After nearly 36 art shows I still have lots of energy to move forward in 2015 with even more shows.  This life is absolutely addictive and the amazing artists and places we see along the way have been so rewarding.  Thank God for life as an art gypsy!  My beautiful wife Kris is always at my side making it all happen as she sits humbly in the shadows but we all know that she is my secret weapon!  Her keen observations and feedback have catapulted us forward into even more challenging venues with stiffer competition.

The Coastal Virginia Winefest and MOCA January Show

Some of my new work created in January for the MOCA show

January fired up pretty good with the MOCA January show, which was a real surprise. When you do an art show with alcohol involved, you are usually playing second fiddle to that.  Chances at sales can be very low, unless you make a huge effort to engage everyone who enters your booth. Several of us did just that and were rewarded with surprisingly good sales! I even sold a large 30" X 40" piece a few days after the show.  My client wanted to make sure that it was not just the wine that made the piece look so impressive!  I was totally stoked when she was happy upon seeing it in my home studio and took it home right away.

Why would an artist do a show in January that could have poor sales?  Think about it for a minute.  You can sit at home and have your art not sell there on this cold blustery month; you could go to Florida and hope for sales and pay huge costs for gas, lodging and food; or you could just bring your work to this fun event (which we were going to go to anyway since we love good wine).  I am so glad we did!

Hearts A Bustin, No. 2, © 11/23/2014, 18" X 24", Acrylic on canvas

Next I am doing the Virginia Beach Flower and Garden Expo with my garden art. We love gardening and I do as many garden pieces as I do surf art so this will be a great opportunity to share that with the public in a venue that focuses on that subject very specifically.  Once again, in this kind of situation, I don't really expect much in the way of sales but the exposure is terrific.  We always go to the event anyway and the best part is we will get a reduction on entry because of our participation at the event.

Owl Creek Pelican Series, No. 1, 18" X 24", Acrylic on canvas © 01/27/2015

I am very excited about a series of Pelican Paintings that I am embarking on this year that were inspired by the sensational photography of my friend and collaborating artist, John Wright.  This is the first challenging piece that I completed in the series and look forward to doing many more where I push the envelope technically by forcing myself to do a painting with the smallest brushes I can find.  There are many other ways to accomplish doing this piece faster with other tools, but I find the challenge of doing it with such a small rigger/script liner to be more exciting. It also gives the canvas an etched appearance which I really like a lot.

Artigas coming up in a couple of weeks!

My next out of state show will be ArtiGras in Jupiter, Florida in Palm Beach County! This was a tough one to get into and we are hoping for great things!  Everything I have heard from my fellow artists has been thumbs up!

Be sure to check out my exhibition schedule to see where I am headed next on Kris and Ed's big adventure! It's right on my menu bar on this web site under "Exhibitions".

Report from the Florida circuit experience

Christmas at Miromar Outlets was different.  With temps in the 80's, it felt quite strange with the lights and all the trimmings, but it is a beautiful place.

I just returned from one of the three shows I am doing this year on the gulf coast of Florida near the Naples area.  This area has always intrigued me since it is so warm and the reputation of the area has been pretty impressive on all the forums.  I must say here and now, be careful what you read and try to talk to some other artists who have done shows in out of state areas before you just jump in.  I did my research and felt pretty confident this was going to be a pretty decent experience.  The promoter took great care of us and provided all the amenities one would need at a high end art show.  The artistic quality of the work presented by my fellow artists was amazing and in most cases, off the charts in regards to originality, wow factor, and booth presentation.  Those are the three key ingredients to success in this business for awards.  Since the rewards were not too high, I went for sales with my presentation as you can see from my booth shots.

If you are going for an award, keep the art to a minimum and stay with just one subject.  Here I have mostly surf art however, I did include a garden wall too.

The mall parking lots were huge and packed every day with cars and people coming in and out of the show.  The biggest surprise was that virtually all of the people coming in viewed us as their weekend entertainment and bought little or nothing.  I spoke to several artists who said that they had done two or three shows in a row in the area and had "zeroed out", which means they sold nothing, not even small items!  I personally only sold a couple of prints the last hour and that was it.  My overhead was massive after traveling nearly a thousand miles each way just to get here, not to mention the cost of the hotel (which they gave us a generous discount on and treated us royally) and the cost of meals.  The food was pretty high end too as were the prices but they were incredible and well worth the cost.

My artist assistant Kris modeling in front of our rig.  I am so lucky to have such a beautiful hard working wife!

I've pretty much chalked this one up to a learning experience and totally understand why there are so few sales on the west coast of Florida.  They have an art show almost every weekend in that part of the state and the area is just totally oversaturated with them.  With that in mind, I headed back to Cocoa Beach to at least catch a few waves and as luck would have it, the swell was gone and the cold front arrived as soon as we got there.  I got to surf some of the smallest surf ever but at least it was warm until Tuesday when the rain and wind hammered the place and the highs were in the low 50's and the lows in the record breaking 30's.  Welcome to sunny Florida.  The waves were not due to get better until the following weekend and I was not about to wait that long to be reunited with my yellow labs so we hit the road and  came home in a marathon 14 hours.

I have two more shows in Florida and I do hope they are better than this one.  I remember living in Florida and the waves were so  incredibly inconsistent all year, especially summer when they just pretty much go away.  I am super thankful to live in Virginia so close to the outer banks where the waves are endless most of the year.  It's trips like this that make you realize that the grass is really not so green on the other side at all, it's just a fantasy that one keep chasing after as they get older.  Right now, the grass is looking pretty green right here in good old Virginia and that's where I plan to stay for the rest of my life.  Thank you VA!

Purchase Award!

I went to the opening of the Halls Of Art XIV at the Hampton Roads Convention Center last night and much to my surprise, I got one of the $1,000.00 purchase awards.  I've been wanting to get one of my pieces into their permanent collection for some time.  While the award is no where near the total worth of the painting, it is a huge honor to get a piece into their permanent halls of fame.  Thank you to everyone who supported my work and helped make this wonderful opportunity a reality.

FYI, this painting was inspired by a photo shot by Sean Davey fine art adventure Photography. I altered it dramatically and also included several symbolic images that are concealed and revealed at the same time.  The overall painting is a tribute to Van Goghs "Wheat Field With Crows", famous for its three paths that have been interpreted in many different ways.  On the top left of the lip is an abstraction of a bull going to the left. Superimposed on the bull is a horse going right with a very thin elongated head.  In the top center of the painting is a ballerina dancing on the lip.  There are 3 clear paths going up the face of the wave that lead your eye to the surprises at the top.

Why the animals?  They are anologies to how Surfing can be a very bullish sport and the pecking order is fierce at many of the crowded surf spots I frequent.  If you watch surfers, they are incredibly graceful and powerful, much like ballerinas performing on the dance floor or horses racing to the finish line to beat the firece power of the lip of the wave from crushing them to pieces or holding them underwater for terminal lengths of time!

Art show preps for 2015

DISPLAYS TO GO!

http://www.displays2go.com/C-0/Largest-Selection-of-Display-Products-POP-Displays-Online

Searched all over the place for a decent, affordable and lightweight floor system and these guys are the ticket.  When you consider a floor for your display, and you definitely should, you will need to have one type for the hard surfaces and another solution for the rough terrain kind of surfaces like grass, sand, etc.  I went with a lightweight foam instead of rubber which is extremely heavy and a lot more expensive.  Time is everything so search for a product that you can easily set up, yet have it light enough that you can manage it.  They have pretty much everything you need for your displays from easels, tables, signs, etc.

Getting ready for the 2015 art show season and things are moving very fast!  You have to really stay on it to apply for all the upcoming shows in advance.  If you don't subscribe to sunshine artists, you should. They are a tremendous resource at a very affordable price.

Several of you have asked me where to get your art work photographed and printed into a "giclee" format and my man Jeff Diener is the go to guy for that purpose!  I just had him shoot one of my pieces and he was insanely meticulous about it and the end product was perfect in every way.  He's easy to work with and surprisingly easy on the wallet!  You can reach him at:

http://www.jad-photo.com/about-j.a.d.-photography.html

"You'll figure it out eventually..."

Yes, those were the words I kept hearing over and over during the years I have been doing shows, but how nice it would be if there was a book or article to point you in the right direction.  It could be like a "Dummies Guide to the Show Circuit", for artist "wannabes".  I've been trying to do just that with this blog, so that others won't have to go through the same trials and tribulations that I have over time.  If you look at my booth at the next show, you will see a huge difference in one thing in particular and that is the framing and presentation of my work.  So often times the jurors refer to "the body of work" as to why they chose a specific artist for an award.  This connectivity of individual artworks as a whole in your booth can be achieved by doing one or several things to unite each separate piece as part of a group.  I have chosen to do only minimal black wood frames for virtually every piece or if the rabbit depth is deep enough, do painted edges.  If doing painted edges, make sure that all the pieces have the same rabbit depth (that's how thick your canvas is).  Minimizing the variation of sizes is also helpful and that helps with the packing up time too!

This is a pic of my booth at the most recent Seawall Art Show in Portsmouth. It still has a ways to go in terms of limiting what I want the jurors to see.  The clutter on the table for example is way too distractive and when doing a booth shot, I leave that out.  Also, the print bins on the table add a vertical element that is distracting, however, I need the table to store things for when I make a sale and want to package it up in inclement weather!  The fitted tablecloth is essential so that it does not blow apart in the wind too.  Notice that almost every piece is lined up with formal balance on the top of the booth to give a clean flow and line of sight.  Whenever possible, I move my demonstration area to the left of the booth and outside the booth if allowed by the promoters.

This is the front view of my booth.  Notice almost every frame is black.  The loose edge on the front of my carpet also will need taping up with blue duct tape.  When that does not work, I inserted grommets into the carpet so that I can use twist ties to hold it in place.  I will also take all the print bins off the table and lay down small originals on the table.  The small prints will go into another stand alone bin like the one on the left from propanels.com.

Here is a view of my outside wall with all those pretty wood frames from Italy!  I chose them because they match the pieces well, however, as a body of work, you can see how disconnected they are!

This is my outside wall and I chose an animal and garden theme for the most part.  The backs of my interior paintings are also showing as well as my cooler so I will have to work on a solution for that too, but, "I'll figure it out eventually..."

I hope this little tid bit of information is useful to some of my fellow artists.  It's always a work in progress so I will keep you posted on the next learning curve.

Playa Venao Panama, Paradise Found!

As I sit here watching some of the smallest waves on earth in Va. Bch., I can't stop thinking about our trip to Playa Venao, Panama in July.  I had no idea that there could still be places like this left on the planet and am so grateful to our hosts at Playa Venao Hotel and Resort and all the newfound friends we met while there.  I am eternally grateful to all of the locals who shared their precious, yet plentiful waves with me every day.  There was an off shore wind blowing virtually every day at some point in time, and there was rarely a day under head high surf!

This was the typical view every morning in front of the pool.

Our resort had virtually everything you could ask for including an amazing breakfast included every day and an incredible infinity pool.

The beautiful infinity pool in front of the break!

The cottages were five star with massive high ceilings to accommodate the long or short boards, AC, exotic sheets and beds of the finest linens and fabrics.  Needless to say, the wife was quite pleased and on a surf trip, that's a very big deal!

The quality of the surf goes without saying and so I leave you with these few shots of some of the best surf I have ever gotten.

Nice backside out front

Kris checking out the river after the storm.

Every day was filled with new adventures and new friends.  The positive energy of the locals was amazing.  I want to thank everyone who purchased one of my prints too!  It's nice to have my work going around the globe and I promise to return with even more images of Playa Venao soon!  

Thanks to my bros at the Beachbreak Hotel next door too for giving me the opportunity to pinstripe the numbers on your doors while I was there.  Nathan has a first class operation that he has personally carved out of the jungles of Panama.  A huge thanks to my hosts at the Playa Venao Hotel and Resort whose staff met and exceeded all of our expectations for service.  Thanks also to Alex for transporting us from Panama City to Playa Venao and to Richy Arosemena, the local photographer who has inspired many of my latest paintings.  

Last but not least, thank you to Owen Rayfield, my former student and successful restaurant owner of "Mantaraya" Mexican food.

Reflecting on the 2014 Boardwalk Art show

Reflections on the MOCA Boardwalk show: "Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you". This time he got me. Sales were definitely down for me and I did not make booth. Not even close. I will of course do the show every year considering how much talent there is from all the applicants. It is truly an honor just to get into this show, show sales are not the main reason for doing it. I personally will do this show every year because I live here and support the local MOCA arts scene. I was very proud of some of my fellow artists who won awards too! They threw a terrific party on Saturday with great food catered by Steinhiblers restaurant which is top notch and then some! The coordination and effort that goes into this show is fantastic. Last year I lost my tent to some bizarre straight line winds and did not even set up Friday after Thursday's total wipe out in the wind tunnel on 25th street. Saturday and Sunday last year I exceeded making booth and made a hefty profit. This year not so much. This year I purchased the water barrels which I would highly recommend and got a booth in the center of the block. Try to avoid the end streets! Doing the Boardwalk show is an annual badge of honor and I was proud to be a part of it. I have found that often times its not at all about the sales for some shows, but rather the cause, whether it's for the Edmarc foundation in Portsmouth, The Hope House Foundation in Norfolk at Stockley Gardens, or shows like the boardwalk. Met some terrific future clients and artists and as always, had a profoundly wonderful time in my home town. Thank you for having me. My cup is half full and I am pleased to be a part of such a rewarding experience hosted by MOCA!

Packaging tips for load in and out at shows

I always seem to be the first in and nearly last out at these outdoor art fairs and continue to learn something new at each one.  For example, I have these very expensive Italian wood frames that damage so easily.  I had the perfect protective covering with custom made bubble wrap bags that I created and card board corners.  After that I used the black split foam used on PVC (without the adhesive) to put on the long parts of the wood frame edges and it worked fantastic.  Perfect for shipping, not so much for outdoor art fairs, because it took forever to remove, store, and then reinstall the packing materials.  Another down side to bubble wrap and black foam is that if left in the sun, each little bubble acts as a magnifying glass and melts the black foam to the bag.  That was a painful learning experience!

Note the time consuming corners, bubble wrap and foam insulation.

I have moved on to a totally new system where I create the plastic bags from heavy duty vinyl film you buy at home depot.  I duct tape the edges inside and out so they don't stick to the painting or the plastic bags as they are inserted into the newly created 1/4" inch foam envelopes I make.  I get the foam in rolls from ULINE in the 48" width and they are like crazy big! They were so big, I had to take the two rolls and unwind  them into four rolls so they would fit through my front door.  The cost for those two rolls was just a bit over $200.00 but I have enough foam now to do about a bazillion paintings, at least!  What's really nice is that once I slip the painting into the vinyl bag, it glides into the white foam envelopes really fast!  The plastic protects the canvas surface too.  The foam cushions it when they are stacked in the vehicle.  It used to take me three to four hours to take down my show at these events.  We now have that down to about and hour, or an hour and a half.  I also have my smaller pieces in foam envelopes and put a lot of them in standard boxes I got from ULINE.  With the similar shape and sizes, they fit well, load in and out surprisingly fast, and add an extra layer of cardboard protection when stacked.

Note the velcro tabs installed to keep the plastic from flying in the ever present winds and rains.

You have to tape the inside seam so that the plastic bag does not stick to the tape, or plastic bag.

I also added velcro tabs to keep the loose vinyl from flapping in the ever present wind and rain that you can expect at almost every show!  Better prepared than sorry.

Finished 1/4 thick foam envelope.  You're gonna need a lot of stamps for that one!

Good luck out there this year at your shows!  Kris and I are living the dream and loving every minute of it!  Make sure you keep your shows positive and upbeat and always remember, many of them are not about making a profit, winning awards, etc.  Sometimes the shows promote a very worthy cause that is much greater than us and you are very much paying it forward just by being a part of the event, so be proud of that, even if your sales are lackluster.

See ya on the road!

Ed

"Weather or not?"

Soooo....here I sit after loading up my van for my next show, and with it being the month of April, we all know that April showers bring Mayflowers, and of course, Mayflowers bring pilgrims.   No matter what you do, the weather is bound to go south at spring shows and the earlier the show is, the greater the chance that it will be a bigger surprise than you have prepared for.  That's because here on the east coast of the United States, we get very big cold fronts that meet very big warm fronts and the two weather systems collide and form powerful, damaging winds of all sorts along with the possibility of tornadoes too!  Let's not forget about the lighting and hail, two of my favorite weather friends!

 I am pondering this carefully because last year there was virtually no warning in the long term and even short term forecast of what was to come, and come it did, in the form of straight line winds in excess of 85 mph!  Almost 40 tents went into the ocean that evening shortly after I had put my last painting into my van, and mine was one of them.  It was loaded down with hundreds of pounds of weights on each corner, ratchet cabled to the boardwalk rail, and I even had 4 buckets of sand on each of the front legs in addition to the 4 cement weights per leg.  Each of those was 75lbs each!  One of the main reasons mine and others went flying through the air with the greatest of ease was that I chose an end corner in a wind tunnel so I could have more room to paint at the show.  Wind tunnels are nasty banshee beasts that gobble up tents with malevolent forces that exceed any violence you could possibly imagine!

My labs Rusty and Raven were a huge help at picking up the pieces of my tent that went for blocks!  Notice the huge barrels that were filled with water to hold my neighbor's tent.

You can prepare for this nightmare experience and weather the storms by doing some very simple things.  Listen carefully for the weather and if it appears to be rather ominous, then simply lower the tent or take it down altogether.  My wife and I have gotten pretty fast at setting these things up and it's a lot easier than buying a whole new rig.  It also helps if you have art insurance like I do from RLI at USAA.  They were wonderful and supportive after I sent them the before and after pics of my tent.  You also need to prepare your work in plastic bags you can easily make for large pieces like my 40 X 60 works of art, from plastic you can buy at home depot.  I put them in the plastic bags and then create a large white envelope from 1/4" foam sheets that come in rolls from ULINE.  Great stuff.  I now make those envelopes for all of my work.  The rolls come in a wide variety of widths and lengths too.  Have lots of tarps on hand, plenty of ratchet straps (rope is fairly useless in the wind), lots of extra clear plastic, and have a foul weather plan with a list.  I keep this in my trailer so that I don't forget anything.  You can also avoid a lot of this buy selecting the space for your tent that is centered on a big building and avoid the side street openings/wind tunnels.  We also keep a lot of "sham Wow's" in the van for cleaning up all the time.  Have a table handy that you can put in the middle of the tent and put the work on to wrap it up during foul weather.  It's pretty hard to wrap up things on the ground when the wind and rain are coming at you from all sides under the tent.  Higher up on the table, you avoid that altogether.

My brand new tent ripped to shreds at the 2013 Virginia Beach Boardwalk Art Show.

What's truly remarkable about disaster is the tremendous amount of support you get from total strangers and friends.  People came out in droves to help me salvage the parts of my tent and get it back home where I could later determine what was usable or not.  It totally gave me a new outlook on my fellow man/woman.  People really are pretty great and they come to your aid when you least expect it, which is one of the reasons I find doing art shows such a joy.  We always seem to meet some of the most wonderful people we would never have met otherwise.  Good luck out there doing your shows, and stay the course, regardless of the weather and all will be fine.

Fear and Loathing on the Florida Gulf Coast

Just got back from the marathon drive straight home from our gig in Florida, and what a long strange trip it's been!  We spent a little over a week doing the Anna Maria Island show at Holmes Beach, Florida and could not have asked for more perfect weather, and to be honest, it was really nice to get out of VA and get to some comfy temps!  The journey there with the trailer was pretty grueling and took us two days since it was my first trek with the trailer and I wanted to baby it the whole way.  Coming back was another story!  Balls out all the way in the intense rain and wind that led to a full on white knuckle trip the entire way and we never even stopped at a motel.  Thank God for coffee!

This little calf swam right up to us at Crystal River.  The trick is to just float and not let your feet touch the water.  No movements and no sound!  they love quiet and they do a lot of resting on the bottom.

Prior to the show we had a blast at the local museum in Bradenton and saw the DaVinci exhibit and "Snooty", the oldest living manatee in the world (65 yrs. old.)  We spent a long time playing with all the hands on machines and giving Snooty lots of smiles.

The show was a great success and we totally enjoyed meeting all the nice people on the island but getting on and off the island was incredibly time consuming. We all know what a pain it is at our oceanfront during tourist season but we all know the back roads to avoid the "strip or oceanfront".  Down there, the island is so narrow and tiny that there is only one access for the most part and its a two lane road, jammed with spring breakers, lost tourists, and crazy drivers like you have never seen in your life.  The first day of the show, it took us 3 hours to get to our hotel which was only 9.5 miles away!!!!!  It was pretty cool to be able to get so close to the shore birds on Longboat Key and I got some terrific shots that will lead to some fun paintings later.

Very happy to be back in Virginia which I am very proud of!

Once we got out of the show, we toured the island north to south and had a ball watching nesting birds and later, going to Crystal River to swim with the manatees.

For all my "out of state" art show wannabe's...

So there you sit all comfy in that chair looking at your computer and selecting these art shows all over the country.  You've done your homework, gotten your transportation together to get the work and the tent with all the accessories together, filled out tons of entry forms and responded to the notifications, and or rejections.  Surely with all those awards they will undoubtedly select you!  Not so fast there buddy!  You see, those things don't really come into play in this game of art showmanship.  It's incredibly competitive and those who read between the lines and follow the rules to the "T" have a better than fair chance to get into a lot of the shows.

Let's not forget about the three things that are always a constant in this crazy life of ours:  Life, Death, and Taxes.  Yes, TAXES!!!!!!!!!  Agghhhhh....but hey, we are so fortunate to live here in Virginia where believe it or not, they make the process fairly effortless for artists and out of state vendors.  When you go out of Virginia though, you had best prepare ahead of time, way ahead of time or pay some hefty fines!  Today I finally registered with the Florida Department of Taxation, something every artist/vendor must do long in advance of selling their wares in the Sunshine State.  It was a fairly painful and lengthy process that involved some serious screen time to get right.  You must have an FEIN (Federal Identification No.) or an EIN (employee Identification No.). to get started, along with your business license information and company name.  If you plan on doing shows in Florida, start here:

http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/

Here are a few important things that stand out to me about doing local and out of state shows:

1. Read the prospectus completely and follow it to the letter.  Every show is different and they all require different image formats and labeling of the images.  The ones you used for zapplication or juried arts services web sites may not be good enough or may be too big for some of the smaller venues you are pursuing.
2. Make a list of all the things you need to bring to the show, especially your prints of the originals.
3. Make separate containers or boxes for the prints and label them on the outsides as to the contents inside.  If you send your partner to the trailer/van to get a print refill or an original, it makes it a lot easier to find if you have a labeling system on your boxes filled with art.
4. Put all the reproductions in one box that will go into the print bin so they don't get mixed up with the duplicates.  Don't put duplicates on the table or bin because it makes it appear like you have cranked out a ton of the same thing and cheapens the appearance of your work.
5. Make a detailed list of all the furniture, electrical components, and hardware you need for your display so that you don't leave anything out.
6. Develop a really secure system in your vehicle and trailer if you have one to secure all the contents.  I used lots of D rings, ratchet straps, netting, and bungies to secure my load.  
7. Make sure that you load up your vehicles so that the items that need to come off first, like the tent, weights, poles, and carts get loaded on last and are out front so you can access them right away.
8. Bring a lot of extra lights, battery type LED and regular flashlights, as well as hat lights.  Did you know that some of the shows have set up times at 4:30-5:00 AM?  When other artists see me at those shows they think its an Alien invasion because I have so many battery powered lights but it's really easy to loose something in the dark bro!
9. Bring a well stocked cooler with food and plenty of bottled water.
10. If you are doing lights, get a good marine deep cell battery, an inverter, and some LED lights that you can hook up to your display.  You can buy them pre made and spend a ton or just go to Home Depot and ask the electrical genius there to help you.  They usually know a lot more than you do.
11. Check the vehicles completely, air, water, oil, fluids, etc.
12. Don't forget the GPS!
13. Put all of your paperwork in one place that you can find easily, including the business license, insurance proof, prospectus, etc.
14. Bring a lot of shrink wrap, foam or bubble wrap to package the works you sell. My clients really appreciate it when I package the originals up professionally on the spot so that they can survive the trip to their place in perfect order.

That's about it for now and I am sure there's a ton of more things to consider that I did not mention, but these really stand out.  Remember to check with the state's tax web site to find out how to register for that state so you are in compliance and you will stay out of trouble and have a great show.

Kris and I are having the time of our life doing these shows and it's a lot more comfy when you do your homework and prevent problems before they come up.  Of course they always do and that's part of the fun!  Be safe out there and drive slowly when towing a trailer.  Trailer sway is a killer and can ruin your entire experience, and it's so easy to avoid by going slower!

This link at the Art Fair Insiders is pretty eye opening.  It gets pretty complicated in some states like NY and New Jersey.  Not only do they want sales tax, they also want income tax!  

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/taxes?id=2160589%3ABlogPost%3A359589&page=1#comments

Art Shows/Fairs & A Comedy of Errors

Consider me schooled!  I was so excited about getting into some of those Florida art shows again this year and learned the hard way that you really need to enter a whole lot more than you think.  Quite often, as artists, regardless of our ability and awards, we get the dreaded, REJECTION letter/email for a show we have tried to enter.  This happened a couple of times to me this year and sadly, I did not submit to multiple shows in advance. Advance means like six to eight months before the show, cash up front required!  Now here I sit in front of my computer screen scrambling to get in late to some of the even smaller shows, which at this point may be rather futile.

 For all you art show festival wannabe's out there, know this, every show has a promoter and they all have different rules about images sizes, application requirements, deadlines, submission rules and so forth.  If your images are just slightly out of their requirements, they won't even hesitate to reject you on that basis alone, regardless of the quality of your work so read between the lines and do your homework!  READ THE RULES!!!!

I am posting this because there just is no rule book out there for doing the outdoor shows and the web sites that offer input are just too complicated to get through unless you have like a bazillion man hours of extra time to put into it.  Frankly, I would much rather paint, because that's what I do best, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do to succeed in this business.

So here I sit, on the waiting list to nowhere searching for that game time in the Florida sunshine.  Hoping for somewhere nice near the manatees like Holmes Beach, FL where I can sketch and research these majestic beauties in person. If I don't get in because I am too late then I think Kris and I are going to take a badly needed vacation to see the manatees ourselves and leave the art back home.  I think we will bring the dogs on this adventure.  They deserve it after all they've been through with my parading around at these art shows.  I've sent the festival folks in that area some emails inquiring about entries so I'll keep you up to date on what happens with that.  I'm sort of hoping for another series of rejections so Kris, Rusty, Raven and I can just go on our own little adventure and then come home to paint about it.  God bless and good luck out there ya'll!