Art Fairs

Thought I'd share our recent experience at the Brighton Art in the Park event a couple of weeks ago in Brighton, Colorado.

My partner Michelle and I had a booth at this same event two years ago, so going in, we knew what to expect and what not to expect. Last time, we only showed my work. This time, we had both of our work to share, and we felt stronger for it. The two of us make photographs together but have different perspectives.

We made a single sale of one of Michelle's matted, unframed photographs to a young woman who was there with her mother, looking for artwork to decorate her new apartment. We thought it would be great to make more sales, but we didn't have high sales expectations. We priced our work fairly, with a small discount for the art fair. I didn't hear any complaints about pricing. Part of why we wanted to do this was to dip our toes into the water (a second time) - the Brighton Art in the Park event was very affordably priced. The art fair let us see how people responded to our work, get a feel for how the mechanics worked, and simply get out of the house to share our work with people. This will make it easier to move up to bigger art fairs if we are so inclined.

Participating in the event also forced us to print our work, which is a different animal than simply sharing it online. When people see the work in person and respond, or when they see it from the other side of the promenade and it draws them closer, that told us something.

Two other photographers were at the event. We were told that our work stood well above the others. We did get a couple of people who seemed seriously interested. A number of people took a business card. One person said they'd take measurements of a space they wanted to fill at home while eyeing a particular photograph - a large 31"x71" piece that I decided to haul out there at the last minute.

So, overall we feel it was a win. Part marketing, part participating in the local community and interacting with people, part inspiring ourselves to make prints, and so on.

As for the setup we had, it consisted of this:

10x10 GetUndercover popup tent (Amazon)
3 track light tracks and 9 spotlights (Home Depot)
1, 12V LiFePO4 battery and 500 W inverter to power the lights (Amazon)
2, 2'x4' folding tables (Home Depot)
2 metal easels for displaying "Hero" prints to bring people in close (Hobby Lobby?)
1 bin for bin prints (Amazon)
9 room dividers for displaying prints on (Amazon - over 10x cheaper than ProPanels)
4 sandbags for keeping the tent earth-bound (stakes were not allowed)

1 Square card reader

1 tablet for taking payments

Zip ties, paracord, scissors, basic tools, duct tape, and gaffer tape.

We had about 20 large metal prints there, which we had from previous showings (we have both had a presence in local galleries previously) or which we had recently printed through White House or Bay Photo. Both did great work. I had one piece (on the easel on the right in the photo) taken recently at the Valley of 10,000 Smokes in Katmai NP in Alaska; it was printed, matted, and framed in a Larson Juhl frame that Michelle had from previous supplies (she was a portrait photographer for 18 years).

So, we invested some $$$ in prints, knowing we'd more likely sell bin prints, but we wanted some for ourselves and for a partnership we are developing with a local realtor. So, the investment was worth it.

Hey guys. I have a dilemma...which is better, Bluffton Arts and Seafood Festival or Kentuck? I've been invited to both, and have already paid for Kentuck, but if Bluffton is a lot better, I'll take the hit. I'm a fine arts photographer-mostly floral macros and some landscapes. Any advice is appreciated.😊

Hi folks, I'm kind of new to posting in the Arthelper communities. Just wanted to say i do about 30 art festivals/fairs a year, and can help with many questions if you're just getting started. Happy to share what I've learned.

I am not planning to enter into an art fair right now, as I don't have a sizable portfolio, but I plan to work on more pieces when the weather cools down here. I also plan on taking some drawing and painting courses to help hone my skills. I am looking to focus in Humboldt and San Francisco counties to spotlight my art, as I already live in central California, and I feel I will find my widest audience in those places. (I also plan to move to Eureka, CA when I go back to college). I am amazed by the work I am seeing in the ArtHelper community overall, and have been inspired in my own art. It has been some years since I have done anything substantial, and I am looking forward to working on my art again.

Hey guys! I'm getting ready to apply to the Atlanta Dogwood Festival for 2027. I didn't get in last year, so I'm being extra careful to project the best work I have. Exactly what is a "cohesive body of work?" I do mostly florals, with some landscapes here and there. Do they mean color? or subject? I really want to get into this one–I live in the South, and it's one of the best ones we have down here.

• Do you guys think the purple adds a more mysterious vibe to the art?

• What is your favorite part of the art so far?

Sorry for the bummer post but came across this today and curious if it was a fluke or something that's really going on out there in art fair world..

https://www.instagram.com/p/Da-m4qsFiqj/

Great view even with the crane at the Lake Dillon Art Festival! It is going to be a great day!

Greetings! ☺ Has anyone on here done the Destin Festival of the Arts in Florida? I've just been accepted to it, and I was also accepted to a local fair that same weekend. Trying to decide...

A few weeks back I was entered in a local art fair. I chose to back out last minute. The weather was looking questionable. The Gods were looking out for me. A big storm hit with 60 mph winds,rain and hail. Tents were destroyed and most were under water by 4 to 6 inches. I was sad for all my friends but so grateful to have been spared this loss. Life as an artist doing art fairs.

I'm thinking of printing a large canvas to be the "eye-catcher" in my booth. Many sources I've asked recommended this.

Which one of these do you think would work best? The waterlilies are part of a limited edition I just started, so they are the newest. The black and white was one of my first since joining the art world business. haha

Any comments are appreciated. 😊

Has anyone done this one in Tuscaloosa, AL? It's in its 55th iteration, so at least it's been around awhile.

For painters who do art fairs, what sizes do you think sell best around the winter holidays? I’ll be doing my first winter one and I want to make sure I bring the right mix. Much of my work is 36x36, but maybe I should bring only one of those to show my range, and then smaller pieces to cover the gift category…?

Here's a post I put up re: Picking the Best Art Fairs - it talks about ArtShowPlus, the new art fair app that helps you pick them! https://www.arthelper.com/community/artbusiness/post/picking-the-best-art-fairs

There's an ariel kite photographer I follow by the name of Evan. He put together a project to compile art show sales data. The purpose is to provide a place for artist to research art shows across the country to determine if they are worth it.

I needed to enter my data for 5 shows to unlock the ability to search shows.

It's called ArtShow+, if you want to check it out.

https://artshowplus.com/

My first art fair is over, and I’m leaving it with a very full heart.

As I predicted the biggest gain wasn’t even material — it was people stopping by, talking with me, sharing their thoughts, feelings, and stories. Seeing my paintings exist outside my home and connect with real people was something I still can’t fully put into words.

Art feels complete when it creates connection. And that means everything to me.

On the practical side, I sold two paper paintings — enough to cover my stall and even leave me a little in plus. But more importantly, this experience gave me so much inspiration to continue painting and reminded me why doing this matters.

I did my second ever art fair this past weekend. It was larger than the first (14 or 15 vendors), with 64 vendors. The traffic was steady over most of both days, with peaks between 11:00am and 2:00pm. Overall, I didn't do very well at this one, making about the same on both days -- enough to pay for my space and maybe a cup of coffee. On the plus side I again met some wonderful people, both other vendors and the public. And to make the most of my time I did a print giveaway to build my e-mail list. Watch my granddaughter pick the winner in the attached video.

In a week I’ll have my first art fair and, honestly, it feels a bit scary. And I worry not about selling… I’m going there hoping to connect with people more than anything else. I still believe that real conversations and meeting people face to face can be one of the most valuable ways to grow as an artist.

Lately I’ve been thinking about something.

Part of me wants to tell people what I meant when I created my work — the thoughts, emotions and ideas behind it. And another part of me hesitates, because I know every person can see something different in the same painting.

I don’t want to hand people a single answer. Maybe art lives somewhere between 🤔

I’m curious — when you look at art, do you want to hear the artist’s story behind it, or do you prefer to discover your own?

P.S. On the photo: some of my small paintings waiting to be framed and getting ready for the art fair.

What was the best outdoor art show you ever had and what was the worst?

y best was on 5th Ave. S in Naples 25 years ago when reproductions of art on tile was just coming to market and I was one of the first ones to have it--made over $7,000 just selling 8 x 10 dye sublimated tiles. The worst? a day at the Cape Coral FL Rotary Art show where I almost was arrested for throwing water at a man who was using my booth as a pass through by entering from the rear. He had me arrested for assault and then let me off the hook when I apologized-Never did that show again!

In an earlier post I mentioned how much fun it was doing my first craft/art show. And although I didn't get rich, I gained so much enjoyment talking about my photos. I was actually surprised by how many visitors actually enjoyed hearing the stories behind specific images. I'm sure we would all love hearing yours too. So, post one of your photos and tell us the backstory! I'll start it off with my photo (above) that got the most attention at the show. I was hiking in Yosemite National Park with my daughter (Katie) and her little dog (T. Rex). The two of us didn't even notice the black bear until her chihuahua ran up to it and started smelling its leg. The bear looked down at the dog, realized it was too small to be a threat, and went right back to eating Manzanita berries. Katie yanked T. Rex away and hid behind a tree, all while yelling at me to put my camera away and get back there with her. Eventually, the bear walked away and down to the lake behind us for a swim. When we got back to the trailhead a ranger told us that the bear and its mom had been hanging out in the area. And that we were all lucky that the mom, which was likely hiding in the brush nearby and watching us, didn't come bounding out of the brush to protect its young.