Birds of a Feather Fair - Nov. 6

Yesterday was the first ever Birds of a Feather Fair in Florence, KY (right outside of Cincinnati, OH) and I was thrilled to participate. This was the first "modern fair" I'd ever heard and jumped at the chance to showcase/sell my art to my ideal market. We headed up to Cincy Sunday morning and got setup in the Hilton hotel (fancy smancy!).

The booth setup was a bit different than I was anticipating (tables all lined up side-to-side, like one super long table), but my husband was super helpful in aiding the layout. Since my particular table was actually composed of two narrow, long ones, I placed one of them in front of my large table and the other one along the side. This actually worked WAY better than I had hoped!

Once we got the layout figured out, everything went up in no time. :)

I could not believe how many people poured in to this banquet room! There had to be a few hundred people who came out (about two hours in, I overhead one of the directors commenting that two hundred people had already come). I've never been to such a successful show before!

It was wonderful to meet the two lovely ladies who put this whole show together. I was astounded at how hospitable they were, even coming over to my table and acknowledging me by name as soon as I arrived. They went out of their way to help me set up and floated around the room during the fair checking up on everyone. I could not have asked for better hosts. :)


Strangely, although the turn out was better than anyone had imagined, it was a slow selling day for me. I really can't understand why. The whole place was packed out, people were constantly at my booth, and the demographics appeared to be the people I thought would be interested in my style of art (women in their late 20s - early 40s, well-dressed, stylish, from the Midwest, etc). It was a bit disappointing.

My best seller was by far my mini paintings, as it often is. I was hoping to sell out of my calendars, but those didn't seem to catch on. I did meet a whole bunch of awesome people, however, and really enjoyed the atmosphere. There were so many nice, talented people who had many similarities with me. I'm so glad that I went, and it proved to be another important learning experience.

A Good Day

After a rough week of school, I took a mental health day yesterday. Shopping + new outfit + Starbucks' seasonal gingerbread latte + afternoon spent in the studio = good day.

I spent the afternoon finishing my prep work for the art fair tomorrow. I'm super excited. Wish me luck! :)

Learning About Myself

I've never considered myself to be a country person. At all. I hate country music, I've never worn cowgirl boots, I stay clear of rustic/primitive-looking decor like it's the plague.

And yet, I've noticed a marked chance in my art since the last year. Just about every subject has been styled with a country living flair.

I've realized that I really am a country person. Maybe not a grandma, old-fashioned country person, but a country person nonetheless. There's just something about simplicity, fresh air, picturesque fields, and vivid colors displayed in nature that "speak" to me.

Here's some country inspiration I found from Pininterest (don't be surprised if you see a very similar painting from one of these photographs in the near future!)

Credit: link

Credit: link

Credit: link

I think I'll deem this style "modern country." :)

Christmas Already?

Gah, I am so behind... Since November is upon us, it seems like everyone is already looking for Christmas gifts. All of the treasuries on Etsy are displaying Christmas items, all the stores already have seasonal items and are playing Christmas music... Why don't we just skip over Thanksgiving altogether? :)

I haven't even started making my "winter line," much less finished all the art I had planned for autumn. Where has the time gone?

Here's my [lonely] first Christmas item of the year:

Available here.

If you are someone who is already on the hunt for presents, go check out Pink Lemonade's gift guide. There are several awesome artists featured, one of whom is your truly. :)

In addition, I'll also be at the Birds of a Feather Fair just outside of Cincinnati this Sunday selling my artwork. The busy Christmas season has already begun! :)

Sunshine

Here it is, almost winter, and I'm still painting summery pictures. I can't help it... I just love sunshine and bright, fresh colors. My husband teases me and jokes that I'm just "solar-powered." :)

And Then... It Was Over

It's amazing how much time I spent arranging and rearraning my festival setup and then just like that it's all over.

This was by far the smoothest art festival I've done to date. The setup and tear down was a breeze and I had no rough spots whatsoever. The only complaint I had was the weather. Saturday was an abnormally cold, overcast day. It was so cold that I couldn't even take off my gloves to paint a demonstration, as I normally do.

My first sale came within ten minutes of opening, and my last sale right at the end when all the other vendors were packing up. Biggest lesson learned? Be on time and stay until (literally) the last minute!

Now time to restock for the festival next month... And back to schoolwork. :(

Art Festival Prep

It's a busy time of the year for me! This weekend marks the season's first art festival, and I've been busy all month preparing my store front for it. I think I have my booth much more polished than last year. I've also been busily (but happily) painting so that my little shop will be full of items for purchase. I seriously cannot wait until Saturday!

Sorry, but the kitty is not for sale. :)