Jo: Talking and Drinking Coffee
Jo and I got up at five o'clock and were back at our booth in Covington by around 7:30 or so Saturday morning. Jo arranged her pots on the shelves while I displayed her tiles and got our “office” and wrapping area set up. The show officially opened at ten o'clock but exhibitors were supposed to be ready to go by 9:00. We finally finished setting up sometime between the two. Members of the public were already beginning to wander through. The weather was great and the crowd was large, though there seemed to be a lot of folks wandering around emptied handed. Our sales were steady, but we were hoping for more. (Don't we always?) Without Jo's ikebana flower vases, we would have been in trouble.
Saturday evening we attended the awards presentation event. Because we do functional work we're seldom burdened with having to accept those ribbons and cash awards, but enjoyed socializing and scarfing up more free food. Saturday's finger sandwiches didn't compare to the previous evening's feast, but were good nonetheless.
Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Saturday with about half the sales. That's typical for a Sunday.
Metal Sculpture
Based upon my conversations with a limited number of other artists, sales seem to be down a bit this year. Some returning exhibitors did well, but some didn't. Most of the first-timers (like us) were a little disappointed. Unless there's some obvious reason – like terrible weather – speculating on the ups and downs of an established show is an exercises in futility. Some artists suggested that that the LSU football game on Saturday and the New Orleans Saints game on Sunday may have hurt. Others blamed the fact that the show had expanded by adding another 30 exhibitors. Who knows? While our sales weren't great, we did well enough to return next year – if we can get juried back into the show.
Sunday evening we packed and loaded without any problems. Then, we drove back to I-55 and a little town named Amite where we stayed in an independently owned motel. It was oldie – so old that we had a metal room key and not an electronic card – but quiet, secure and reasonably clean, if you ignored the two pieces of chewing gum affixed to the bed's headboard.
Monday we came home, leaving Amite at 6:15 and arriving at the house at five o'clock, stopping only for gas, sandwiches and to pick up Rusty and Bucket at the vet's.
Saturday evening we attended the awards presentation event. Because we do functional work we're seldom burdened with having to accept those ribbons and cash awards, but enjoyed socializing and scarfing up more free food. Saturday's finger sandwiches didn't compare to the previous evening's feast, but were good nonetheless.
Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Saturday with about half the sales. That's typical for a Sunday.
Metal Sculpture
Based upon my conversations with a limited number of other artists, sales seem to be down a bit this year. Some returning exhibitors did well, but some didn't. Most of the first-timers (like us) were a little disappointed. Unless there's some obvious reason – like terrible weather – speculating on the ups and downs of an established show is an exercises in futility. Some artists suggested that that the LSU football game on Saturday and the New Orleans Saints game on Sunday may have hurt. Others blamed the fact that the show had expanded by adding another 30 exhibitors. Who knows? While our sales weren't great, we did well enough to return next year – if we can get juried back into the show.
Sunday evening we packed and loaded without any problems. Then, we drove back to I-55 and a little town named Amite where we stayed in an independently owned motel. It was oldie – so old that we had a metal room key and not an electronic card – but quiet, secure and reasonably clean, if you ignored the two pieces of chewing gum affixed to the bed's headboard.
Monday we came home, leaving Amite at 6:15 and arriving at the house at five o'clock, stopping only for gas, sandwiches and to pick up Rusty and Bucket at the vet's.
You never know when an art fair might turn nasty.
A few more photos taken in Covington here.
2 comments:
I was really interested to read your report on Covington! I've thought about applying there before but it's hard to talk my husband into travelling much for shows nowdays... too hard for him to get off work!
That can be a problem. Both Jo and I doing shows is a blessing and a curse. We're always there to help each other out, but there's no one providing a steady income. Neither of us is itching to go back to working 9 to 5, though.
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