Archive for the ‘Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Festival’ Category

Art Show Pics

We survived the art show yesterday, and we had today off because of a bad winter storm moving through the area. Snow in the mountains to complement my sunburn. We started set-up really early – cold! Supposed to be 70 during the day, but the desert is cold at 45….we kept waiting for the sun to come up!

Sun comes up and we can shed our coats. We keep moving things around to get the best set-up, all the while looking at all the tents around us. Obviously, it we continue to do this, we will need to invest in a tent. We learned loads, and we will be processing it for a while.
 
It was a good thing we did the umbrella, as in the afternoon we needed the shade. Plus, it made it easier to do receipts and change without the glare. 
   
Some of our many wares – realized we could have had three tables, as the number of vendors was down, and we each got a parking space and a half – one of the many lessons learned in set-up.
 
Another make-shift table for more pottery – even though we had a lot  of us, and various display methods, everything did pull together pretty well.
   
   
   
 
And finally the wind hit – the first gusts took over the jewelry display – no broken Venetian glass, just one of the stones. Umbrella nearly took off, and we couldn’t keep art on the easel. Made for a windy, sunburn-y, hot afternoon. We packed up everything at 4, as we were released from our obligation because of the incoming storm for Sunday and the gusts over 30 miles an hour predicted during the evening. 
We didn’t make much, but we went into this not expecting to. We wanted the experience, to know what to expect, to know what we would change, improve on, and the like. Lots of changes!

Getting Ready for a Show

 
Next weekend is the arts and craft show for Arts and Cultural Alliance down here. It used to be the Greater Oro Valley Arts Council, but that kept out everyone south of River Road; with their successes over the past few years, they changed their name to include all of Southern Arizona. So our small group is participating next weekend.
This weekend was all kinds of loose ends: bagging fabrics, labeling, pricing, writing up inventory, checking to be sure we hadn’t forgotten anything, and getting school work done ahead of time, since by the end of the week there won’t be any spare time left. Plus I am getting ready for tomorrow night’s meeting, to be sure all of us are ready, and we can answer any last minute questions from the group.
I still need to create the agenda for tomorrow night, make up the sign-up sheets for the weekend, and maybe finish up beading just one more piece to take. Everything arrived on time – here’s our banner:

This is so different from the one other show we did, way back about 14 years ago. We didn’t have a clue – just put out art pieces and wondered why no one bought anything. Much more thought went into next weekend: types of items (lots of little, impulse buys), some small fabric pieces, stationery, larger fiber pieces, digital art, clay pots, water colors, semi-precious jewelry, and books. Really do have something for everyone. We’ve got change worked out, schedules worked out, displays worked out…I do think we are ready.

Pima Cimmunity College Northwest (7600 North Shannon, Tucson), Saturday and Sunday if you can make it!

And from the email this past week, a few tips on marketing….

• Set aside a specific day and time each week for marketing.

• Create a quiet office space for your business.

• Start collecting names for your mailing list.

• Call five to 10 art world professionals each week.

• Spend one day visiting local galleries.

• Subscribe to an art publication for one year and read it.

• Enter a competition.

• Sponsor a community event.

• Host a studio party.

• Donate time to some charity. Let people know you are an artist.

• Barter your art for services.

• Support your statewide arts organization by buying an art license plate with your art-business name on it.

• Try to get an interview on your local radio station.

• What interior designer could you take to lunch?

• To what local business could you lease your artwork?

• In what cafe could you hang your paintings?

• Give out coupons with a Valentine’s Day e-mail blast.

• What special offer could you make on a postcard to your clients?

• What storyline can you create for the local art writer?

• What previous client would be able to give you a useful referral?
 
• What sign could you put on your car to advertise your work?

• What bumper sticker could you create to give to your clients?
 
• Create an e-mail newsletter to send to clients.

• How much would it cost to put up a billboard at the entrance to town?
 
• Create an unusual, catchy name for your new group of paintings.
 
• Apply to the next local art fair.

• Start saying, “I am an artist.”
 
• Provide a specialized service that no other artist provides.

• Get a phone number that spells out something (or figure out what your current one spells).
.
• Be friendly with a competitor.

• Place your artwork in model home displays.
 
• Work with a local chapter of American Society of Interior Designers—give a talk at one of their meetings.

• Contact your local International Furnishings and Design Association chapter affiliation.
 
• Place a display of your work at the local library, associated with a talk you will give.

• Find a Realtor’s office that will let you exhibit. Offer agents a commission on sales.

• Create a gift certificate form.

• Check out your local doctor, veterinarian, optometrist, emergency room, hospital, medical facilities office. These venues  often do have a budget for “decoration.” If they are not in the position to buy, offer a lease option.

• Smile at everyone today.

This is from artmarketing.com, with their book Art Marketing 101. I need to review this list on a regular basis, as I try to build my business. But at the same time, I have to remind myself that I already have a full-time jub teaching, so I have to be judicious in my time. I’m interested in hearing from you – which ones have you tried that really work?

Playing Around with Photoshop

On the way to the chiropractor’s yesterday, there was this beautiful tree in bloom with all these gorgeous white blossoms. No idea what the tree is, but it reminds me of the ornamental pear trees in Maryland, that would always signal spring was finally here. Well, this is the desert – white trees, genista in bloom, and African daisies started in many yards.

One of the joys of the new camera is the ability to snap a pic whenever I want to – like this tree. Since I haven’t done much with Photoshop later, I figured it was time to try out a few filters and see what I liked.

This was the basic shadow adjustment – I like what it does to the bark – lightens it considerably, so it seems truer to what the tree actually looked like.

 
This is the posterize filter, which I haven’t used before. I like the “artistic” feel what it does to the sky. The bricks have some interesting texture to them now.

This is an inversion filter. For some reason I am really taken with the inversions and the black/white effects. This makes it look very stormy.

This is the “find edges” filter, and I like the drawing effect of this one. You can see all the line elements in the photo. I’d like to try coloring this one, or using some gradients on it.

 
I have fallen in love with the “extrude” filter – you get some really interesting effects without losing everything that makes up the photo.  I’ll end up playing with this some more.
Lots coming up in the next two weeks – I need to get lots of fiber pieces ready for the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Festival – need to get labels, signatures – loose ends that I just haven’t dealt with up until now. A very busy two weeks ahead!
If you live in Southern Arizona and are reading this, email me and I’ll send you a coupon for the show, March 6 and 7 at PCC Northwest.
 
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