My wife, Sheryl, says that there is nothing gained by telling anything negative about the art shows that I do.  I tend to agree with her, because my glass is generally half full; if not all the way.  But this blog serves as both a record for me, as well as any other working artist who might somehow stumble over these written words.  My critiques of the art shows that I do are never meant to be spiteful or harmful to the show committees who tirelessly commit themselves to organizing these community events.  Rather, I choose to tell things as I see them from a professional prospective.  From my own point of view, selling artwork for a living is simply a business.  In business, I find most things to be sales driven in the end.  The better art fairs manage to market their shows in such a fashion as to attract people who are willing to spend and purchase art from those artists in attendance.  That is the nature of the business that I am in.

I found Art In The High Desert to be a very well organized event.  It was well attended two of the three days.  Weather hampered the attendance on Saturday. My own sales were not what I could call anywhere near stellar. That said, I found this art fair to hold particular promise as the economy continues to improve in and around Bend, Oregon.  That is all I am going to say about the art show.

I went to Bend for two reasons.  First, to see our old friends, Tom and Martha Marple.  They have a beautiful home hidden from the street by a large mound of volcanic rock.  Deer and quail frequent their backyard in the evenings, and Martha is one hell of a good cook.  The second reason that I visited Bend was to travel 90 miles north to the town of Maupin, Oregon after doing the art fair.  Maupin, you say?  What could this town of less than 500 people hold in my future?  If you become curious, read on in future blogs about Steelhead, and you may begin to understand why a flatlander from Kansas would be willing to drive almost 2000 miles to do an art fair before going fishing.  In the end, many of my reasons for being out West while doing the entire series of art fairs centered on the fishing. Steelheading was to be the grand finale.

On the road again -
Just can’t wait to get on the road again.
The life I love is making music with my friends

And I can’t wait to get on the road again.
On the road again

Goin’ places that I’ve never been.
Seein’ things that I may never see again.

I broke into the art business over 30 years ago.  It was around 1980, that I traveled West with my artist friend, Jerry Ellis.  We played Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger as we traversed much of Colorado and New Mexico.  Willie’s classic tune, On the Road Again, was our theme song.   I can remember catching trout and roasting them over a stream-side camp fire as the smoke got into my eyes.  It just does not get any better than that.  A lot of water has crossed under the bridge since then, but I am still traveling, painting, and selling my artwork.  I meet new friends everywhere that I go.

Next stop is Park City, Utah and the crazy art fair that they have up in the mountains above Salt Lake.  The crowds of people in the  street will flow like a river with bodies moving in rapid succession up and down main street looking at the artwork. Talk about huge crowds, lots of suds, and a good time.  Not to mention that sales can be pretty darn good.  My good friend,  Brian Keller, of Denver,  will show up with his beautiful landscapes, and a we will tip a beer or two after the show.  It will be a good time.

Sheryl and I are in Boise, Idaho, at the moment.  I have a few orders to ship and a bit of paperwork to get behind me before sliding over to Salt Lake where Sheryl boards a plane for home.

August 4  Park City, Utah

I fly fished the Provo River outside of Heber City yesterday.  Fishing was okay for drys, but would have been better fishing using nymphs.  Nymph fishing is really not my thing.  I like to see the trout eat the fly.  I may get fewer fish, but the trill is twice as big for me, personally.  I am here for a few days prior to my show in downtown Park City.  I will fish the Provo again this evening.  Heber City is only a short hop from P.C.

What a change of scenery from last week.  The Provo River does not have large conifers lining its banks like the rivers in Oregon.   The water is also considerably warmer.  I wet waded in my shorts and wading boots with gravel guards.   There was little need for chest waders.  I took this photo of a woman down stream who was nymph fishing.

I equate fly fishing to other gentlemanly sports such as golf.   It simply goes unsaid, that another fisherman will not step out of the woods and attempt to fish the same hole that you are already in.  Imagine sharing a green with another foursome.  Yet, that is exactly what happened to me yesterday.   I was standing in the middle of the river, casting upstream into a deep hole, when another fisherman crowded in next to me  on the near bank fishing a nymph.  I was quietly casting dry flies as he began splashing around and stringing out his line into the stream beside me..  Moments later the woman in the picture above, politely asked if I minded if she fished downriver from my current location.  I told her that I had no problem with that at all since we were light years apart.   I cannot help but wonder; with all of the water available, why did the first fellow need to stand so close to me?

August 5

I caught this and other small browns on dry flies in the mid afternoon while PMDs hatched along the river.  Now, back to the river, little guy.

They are not giants, but they are quick as lightning, and fun to catch.  I know that bigger fish are lurking in the current just waiting to test my skills.   I will fish again today and spend tomorrow setting up for the show in Park City.

Some people may wonder why I choose to travel such great distances while doing art fairs to make my living. For me, it is a no brainer.  I love dealing directly with my fans, rather than selling exclusively through galleries.  I also love traveling and seeing new things along the way.  I ask, how cool is this.  I get to do what I love and fly fish the finest locations in the West in between art fairs.  That really marries a couple of passions for me.  It all becomes a part of the job.  The only down side is that Sheryl cannot always be here with me.

Fly Fish Utah You can order this, and other license plates on the web site.

Saturday, August 7

The Park City Art Festival opened to large crowds last night.  Today, tens of thousands of people will stroll up and down Main Street looking at the art.

Each year I set up in front of the No Name Saloon, a Park City landmark.  The street is on a steep hill, but people don’t mind traversing the landscape.  My location is about in the middle of the show.  If people wish to think over making a purchase before committing to buy, they can always catch me on their way back down the hill.

Monday, August 9

The show is over until next year.  I will be off to Idaho, and Sun Valley in another day.

I had a solid show in Park City this year.  There is little doubt that the economy continues to be a bit of a drag, but things are on the rebound.   Best of all, people let their hair down and had fun at the show.  It was a great time this year for patrons and artists alike.

People find their own way of celebrating and having fun at the art festival. This was a weekend of reveling in the clean mountain air and soaking up the artwork.

August 10, 2010 Ready to hit the road once again.  Next stop is Sun Valley, Idaho.  Continued in Road Trip part four.

Between Bend and Salem, July 15, 2010

Leaving on an eight week tour of the Western Mountain States may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is one of the perks of the job where I am concerned. I look forward to breathing fresh mountain air and testing my fly fishing skills in between art shows in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to Oregon and Washington, the states of Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho, offer not only an opportunity to sell my wares, but new adventures around every curve of the road. I often count my blessings for marrying well, since Sheryl unselfishly allows me this time away from home. Traveling and experiencing new things is important, and Sheryl understands me better than anyone.

Every Fall I come home to the studio with my head jammed full of fresh ideas for new paintings that are gathered during my summers on the road. These trips stimulate my thinking and give me a fresh understanding of the complicated world that surrounds me. In this way, my inner spring is rewound and recharged for the long winters that are spent in the studio creating my art.

Connecting with nature both soothes the soul and relaxes the brain in such a way to remind me that my glass is always half full. I believe this type of thinking is essential for my type of artwork. There is no better place to experience the raw elements of nature first hand than the American West. We are fortunate to live in a country that has preserved national forests and park lands for us to enjoy today.

I initiated my trip west, leaving the plains of Kansas, as a distant memory for the following eight weeks on the road. In two days I covered enough ground to cross through Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho, on my route to Bend, Oregon where I spent a glorious evening with our old friends, Tom and Martha Marple. Martha is a creative soul with a twisted sense of humor that I always enjoy. Tom and I have been friends since the days when he and Martha lived in Wichita over a decade ago. Together, we used to help feed the homeless. This was Tom’s idea and I always admired his ability to find time to lend a helping hand to others. It was fun catching up on old times and visiting their beautiful home in Bend, Oregon. The next morning I drove to Salem, my first show of six art fairs on my eight-week tour. If you are game, follow along as I attempt to tell my story in real time. Realize that posts will be made as time allows and only as Internet connections become available.

The Salem Art Fair. July 16-18.

Forget the constant humming from cruising highway traffic or the ringing of noise pollution in your ears. It is hard to believe that this almost quiet Pacific Northwestern town is the capital of Oregon. Salem is host to the art fair that I am doing this weekend. It is not a big city by any stretch of the imagination. The show is located in a city park under enormous oak trees and piercing conifers that tower well over a hundred feet into the sky. My booth is so well shaded that I could welcome the bit of warmth that a brief glimmer of sunlight might deliver below the canopy of trees. Temperatures have hovered in the 60’s and 70’s most of the days during the show (Sheryl reports that is 102 degrees at home in Kansas). The weather could not be better and I have yet to see a single cloud in the sky. I cannot say that this art fair is among the best selling shows that I have done this summer, but it is well attended and beautifully organized.

Next week I am participating in the Bellevue Museum Art Fair in Bellevue, Washington. The Bellevue Museum show is commonly recognized as one of the better art fairs in the Pacific Northwest. This will be my third year in a row to do the Bellevue show.

Tomorrow, I will fly fish with my friend, Dennis Viene, from Eugene. Dennis is a psychologist and his wife, Caroline, is a jeweler also showing in Salem. We plan on fishing a stretch of the Middle Willamette.

Thursday, July 22

I drove into Bellevue, Washington last night after spending two glorious days in the home of friends, Dennis and Caroline Viene. Dennis and I fly fished in the Cascades on Tuesday, and I took Wednesday off to do some banking and catch up on a few odds and ends in between shows. Today, I set up for the Bellevue, Museum show later this evening. Sheryl, (the love of my life), will fly into Seattle to join me tomorrow afternoon. I must say that I cannot wait to see her. I cope rather well by myself on the road, but I miss family and my two dogs. Okay, I miss kitty, too. Friends are house sitting while Sheryl is here with me. I am sure that our puppy, Dude, who is now 82 pounds, will keep things lively at home.

The weather has been great in the Pacific Northwest, and the scenery is here for the taking. Today, will be a bit overcast with a high of 68 degrees. I will take it, as the rest of the country bakes in an  unrelenting heat wave stretching coast to coast. Most days did not have a cloud in the sky while I was in Oregon.

Never a boring moment at the fair.  Street performers add to the fun.

The Bellevue Museum show starts tomorrow morning. There will be three art shows running concurrently in the downtown area.  The Seattle area is a long drive from Kansas, but the rewards are great in many ways. I have gotten a golden taste of American grandeur, forested mountains, and carpeted green valleys, so lush that words cannot adequately describe  the beauty of the landscape as I travel between art fairs. I am definitely not in Kansas anymore. The trip has already been a chance to catch up with old friends and new friends alike. I will stay again, with close friends Tom and Martha later in my journey, as I return to Bend to do the Bend art fair in late August. My new friends, Dennis and Caroline, already feel like family.  More on the Bellevue show after it starts in the morning.

My Booth. The big rainbow trout on top of a Rambler station wagon tells a fish story that is bigger than life, but pales in comparison to many an angler’s tale.  I sold a boat load of the smaller framed reproductions of this image in an 11 x 14 size that makes a perfect gift for any fisherman.

Bellevue Art Museum Art Fair. Saturday, July 24

Friday kicked off the fair.  The weather was great with another sunny day expected today.  The crowds were good for a Friday.  I stayed busy most of the day talking to customers, although my own sales were not as stellar as I might have liked.  I had a lot of interest and hope today is a bit more fruitful.  In talking with other artist I cannot help but notice a bit of underlying uncertainty that has been brought on by this lingering bump in the economy.  As the recession drags on, customers seem less likely to make major purchases at art fairs.  It is definitely not the good ole days of yesteryear. This is not a business for whiners.  Like many areas of the economy these days, it is best to look at your glass half full and plan for better days ahead. That said,” it should be so easy” for many of the struggling artists at these fairs.  I cannot help but feel the pain of acquaintances and friends alike who are affected by this economic downturn through no fault of their own.

Sunday, July 25

I love the pastel drawings by Michael Wommack.

Yesterday was another bluebird day at the art fair.  The crowds rolled in like clockwork and the show had all the usual trimmings one would expect to find at an art fair.  Weird street performers moved through the crowds making odd noises as people gathered in booths to view the artist’s latest offerings.  Musicians played and danced, adding to the fun that patrons have come to expect from a top notch show of Bellevue’s caliber.  I cannot say that sales were brisk overall, but I experienced a reasonably good day, and enjoyed the atmosphere of the being in the Pacific Northwest.   It was also nice to see the cream rise to the top.  My friend, Michael Wommack, sold his biggest and most impressive piece that he brought with him from Philadelphia.  Michael’s work is simply off the charts.  It is truly spectacular.  This goes to show that even in a down economy, artists can still meet up with patrons who support the arts.

Today, is the last day of the fair.  Tomorrow we are off to Bend, Oregon for a week of fly fishing.

July 26

STREET PERFORMERS bang out somewhat musical notes on their heads, chests and knees.

The show finished with a bang!  Good sales all day on Sunday.  We are off this morning to visit Rainier National Park as we travel south to Bend, Oregon for a week of fly fishing.  I have a nice group of pictures from the show that I will post in this article as I get time. The trout are calling!

Mt. Rainier. We traveled a little out of the way on our journey south from Seattle, Washington to Camp Sherman,Oregon,  to take in the view at Mt. Rainier National Park.

July 27

The Deschutes River Conservancy

One of the nicest things about traveling around the country while doing art fairs, is that I can actually plan a schedule where I combine a little bit of business with pleasure.  Today, I will meet with Bea Armstrong, Director of Development and Communications for the Deschutes River Conservancy. I will spend the next week visiting locations in the Deschutes Basin developing ideas for future artworks to be used in marketing and  fund raising projects for the conservancy.  Bea has been kind enough to schedule three days with professional area fishing guides to show me the lay of the land.  Might I actually get to wet a line while seriously giving this my finest work efforts? You betcha!  That is the plan.  This is a fact finding mission.  I will gather photographs and ideas, which later, will be put to paper in the studio this winter.  My wife, Sheryl, and I will be staying in a spectacular  cabin in Camp Sherman, on the Metolious River, graciously provided by John Regan for our project.  As I sit here before daylight, writing this epistle, words escape me in describing how nice this rustic setting truly is.   I am hoping to get out with John on Wednesday to explore the Metolious River and learn more about it.   I understand, from my own research, that the Metolious offers a unique challenge for any serious would-be fly fisherman.  More on that later.  CONTINUED IN ROAD TRIP PART TWO.

Fly Fish Oregon is a 22 x 30 inch watercolor priced at $2500.

“Fly Fish Oregon,” is the fifth in my series of Western Mountain state license plates.  With a trip right around the corner to the beautiful state of Oregon, I took time to complete this new painting this last week.  Prints will soon be available for sale on my web site.  I will show this painting in several shows out west this summer.

I love to fly fish, which makes this choice of subject material all the more enjoyable for me to paint. The creel is a valuable antique creel; hand crafted by the George Lawrence Company, of Portland, Oregon sometime in the first part of the last century.  The bamboo rod and brass fly reel are also antiques.  The fun part was creating a license plate that never existed in 1942.   Just call it artistic license.

Think about this.  Today’s contemporary art forms are the chic collectables of tomorrow.  I once had a friend tell me to invest my money in 1950’s chrome and formica kitchen dinette sets.  That was in the early 1970’s and he did not seem like a visionary at the time.  Since then, the baby boomer generation has come to eat that stuff up.  I am one of them, a boomer; and I have since learned to appreciate Art deco,  Catalin radios, retro barware, juke boxes, fat tire bicycles, Airstream trailers, and 57 chevy convertibles.  No, I don’t own all of that stuff, but in some ways, I wish that I did.  These cultural icons capture the times of my life.  So what is my point?  Collecting art is much the same.  Tomorrow’s very collectable fine crafts may be staring you in the face and you may not even know it.

I recently met a craftsman, artist, and designer at a small art fair in Kanas City with an interesting approach to making metal jewelry.  Matthew Naftzger calls his designs The Works of Man .

sculptural bracelet design

Mathew works in shaped metal that is riveted together rather being  soldered.  His current pieces are made of titanium.   Titanium cannot be soldered.  Rings are machined from bar stock, then other pieces can be riveted into place.  I found the entire approach rather intriguing and quite unusual.  No doubt his approach is the road less often traveled.  To press the edge of the envelope, Matthew designs and works on whimsical sculptural pieces that would fit in the palm of the hand.

Using contemporary metals, this retro rocket ship reminds me of the days of Buck Rogers.

Wheels move, and the hoop rotates on this sculptural wonder.

The moving parts of some of Matthew’s palm-sized sculptural pieces set me to thinking about similar craftsmen from earlier days who probably were not totally appreciated during their own time.  These earlier crafts people may have worked in other mediums, but the story is really the same today.  It is a story about pushing the edges of the envelop beyond function.  It is about creating art for the sake of making art that is more than an implement for decoration.  This is a story of exceptional skill and mastering one’s own craft; then taking that craft to the next level.

Below is a sculptural piece of folk art from another era. This walking cane takes the art of wood carving far beyond simple function.  Few folk art walking sticks tested the artist’s skill to the degree of the example below.

Folk art wooden walking stick. The use of alligators, snakes, fish, and frogs suggests the swamps of the deep south.  This cane may have been carved by a slave working on a tobacco plantation.  Snakes wrap and uncoil from around the cane’s shaft as they stare down a frog to eat.  A rabbit hides behind leaves on the other side.

Throughout history, artisans have found interesting ways to showcase their talents.  I have a collection of hand carved folk art walking sticks.  Many of these canes were made in the early to late 1800’s by masters of their craft.  I suspect that some of these earlier wood carvers sold or traded their folk art to friends for peanuts, or may have traveled from farm house to farm house showing their wares.  These intricate carvings were once made as a form of personal entertainment after a long day’s work in the field.  Some canes were whittled from naturally shaped roots.  Many were shaped from tree branches.

Detail of Alligator eating tobacco leaves wrapped around a ball handle.

Detail of carved fish resting on a polychromed red heart.

Some of the fanciest examples of folk canes were made at sea.  Whalers often passed the time during months away from port on long voyages, by carving whale bone and ivory into scrimshaw.  Shafts of turned bone made for some of the most beautiful walking sticks in their day.  These canes were often fitted with whale tooth handles, either carved or turned,  before being decorated with scrimshaw.  The pieces needed to fit together with precision.  They were riveted together with small pieces of shaped bone.  What remains today in the form of hand carved walking sticks of wood or whale ivory are a testament to the creativity and talent of these master crafters from another century.  Many of the most unusual pieces have now found their places in museums or serious collections.  Today’s values can go into the tens of thousands of dollars for the most unusual pieces.  In a bygone era, well dressed gentlemen and ladies carried a cane as much for fashion as for personal use.  The finest artisans used their God given talents to hand make these canes.

The artists of today are little different.  They apply their talents in many ways while using the materials available.  It seems only fitting that some of the best artists that I know use their talents to make fine jewelry.  Matthew Naftzer is one of them.  His men’s wedding rings are a different take on an everyday object.

This brings me to wonder about the folk art of today and the collections of tomorrow.  As I travel while participating in art fairs, I have the pleasure of meeting modern day fine craft artisans.  I am often amazed by their creativity, their methods, and the materials employed to make their art.  I am convinced that real treasures of tomorrow abound in the simplest of places at today’s fine art fairs.

Not to be overlooked, Matthew Naftzger makes his trade working in metal.  Works of Man is a collection of riveted metals shaped into jewelry and sculptural pieces by Matthew using his original designs.  How cool is that!

By now you have that new digital camera that is so tiny you can take it almost anywhere. Better yet, it takes pretty good pictures with just the click of a button. Simply point and shoot. It’s so easy that your two year old niece could do it. The digital age has made taking pictures almost as ordinary as breathing oxygen. If you don’t already own a great digital camera, the chances are that you own a cell phone capable of taking a digital capture. These digital devices are getting better by the day. What used to have limited optics and somewhat sparse mega pixels per capture, now contain a digital chip almost worthy of a true professional. Advances in technology have allowed cameras with passable optics to get much lighter than the hefty SLRs a pro lugs around. These mighty minis can easily fit in the palm of your hand. Everyone can be an amateur photographer, so what is wrong with going out to the local art fair and photographing everything in sight? The answer may be nothing for those who don’t understand the meaning of intellectual property rights. If the idea of copyrights and intellectual property are new to you, read on.

Taking a photograph of an artist’s work without permission is the same thing as stealing. You may think that I am making too much ado about nothing, but think of it this way. Imagine for a moment, going to the grocery store and grabbing a quick candy bar on the way out the door without offering to pay for it. After all, the candy bar was there in plain sight just asking to be taken. It’s not grand theft, and it may not land you in jail, but we all know that it is wrong. The funny thing is that many of us do not understand that it is wrong to take a picture of an artist’s artwork without permission. You may not think much about it, but all rights belong to the artist. That includes the right to photograph any artist’s work, no matter how innocent your intentions. That drawing or painting is the artist’s intellectual property. It is the artist’s creative idea. Most professional artists make a living by selling their ideas in one form or another. Taking photographs may seem like a little thing, but it is simple courtesy, if not the law, to ask permission before photographing artwork.

It has become almost commonplace for people to take their cameras to art fairs these days. I know a number of artists who get down right bothered when people visit their booths and take photos without permission. After all, these same artists are there to sell their work, not give it away for free. Think about it. That artist has an investment in just being there. Chances are, the booth fee was pretty hefty. The hours are long and its not exactly a day at the park for vendors. These are private business people working hard to make a living. It is not asking too much, by artist’s standards, to expect people to consider buying something rather than taking photographs to remember their artwork. I can understand why many artists refuse to allow photographs to be taken of their creative works of art.

Generally speaking, I almost always give permission to those art fair patrons who ask to photograph my own artwork. My thinking is this. I have much higher quality photos of my images available on my web site than these patrons will be taking themselves. My images on my web site are taken in a studio setting using professional camera equipment. Those images on my web site are there for the taking, although they are not in a high resolution format generally acceptable for fine art reproduction. That brings me to another point.

Do people actually visit art fairs looking to photograph paintings and reproduce them at home on a desktop color printer? I hope not. If that is the case, these same people most likely are not interested in any of the archival reproductions that I have for sale. They are not my customers, and I am not likely to convert them any time too soon. There is a lot that goes into reproducing a quality archival reproduction from an original painting. I won’t go into that right now, but what does worry me is the advances in technology that makes such devious behavior even possible. When I see someone inside my booth at an art fair, squaring up the lens for that perfect photograph, I am forced to wonder. These are the same people that would steal that candy bar and not pay for it.

There has always been the occasional commercial artist or graphic designer out to steal a few ideas. Some might say that is a part of being in the business. Again, they simply need to take my card and visit the web site. It is all posted for anyone to see. I threw my own paranoia out the window a long time ago.

For many years I made my entire living from the royalties earned by licensing my artwork. My intellectual property appeared on everything from greeting cards to textiles and wallpaper. In those days it would have been unheard of for me to give out photos without a contract and a cash advance. But that was then. This is now, and I have learned to live with the idea that people taking pictures with cell phones are not rabid dogs. However, the cultural changes provided by advances in technology do not excuse a need for good manners. Next time you wish to photograph an artist’s work, take time to ask first. It simply is the right thing to do. If the artist is like me, you will most likely get the response you desire.

Any given weekend, people all over this country  travel relatively short distances to local art fairs situated in grassy parks or laid out on city streets.  Art patrons enjoy a plethora of fine crafts and unique handmade artwork in a pleasant outdoor setting devoid of a more sterile gallery atmosphere. There is something aesthetically pleasing about viewing the creative talents of hundreds of artisans coming together in a single location, without needing to  participate in a gallery crawl or shop in stores at the retail level.  You may not have previously thought about it, but attending an art fair is a uniquely American experience.  It has become as much a part of our culture as mom and apple pie.  The exact same experience is not found in other parts of the world.

American art fairs may have first stemmed out of the hippy moment of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when young entrepreneurs desired to work for themselves rather than hire out to corporate America.  It was quite primitive early on.  The first outdoor art shows displayed artwork hung on fences or leaned up against storefronts on city sidewalks. Tales are told  about artwork that was hung on clothes lines or hooked to heavy pegboards anchored against the wind.  Show tents were yet to be invented.  The shows consisted mostly of painters and potters in the early days, and these artists were totally dependent on good weather.  Whole shows were put up each morning and completely taken down at night.  In the beginning each artist designed and built his or her own display.  These displays were often heavy and impractical for travel.  As this cottage industry grew, manufacturers soon recognized the need for standardized display panels and sturdy weatherproof tenting for outdoor art fairs.  White tents became the standard because they did not clash with the artwork and white provided the best inside lighting for display purposes.  Show administrators preferred white tents for a uniformed presentation and the size of the booth space standardized into a 10 x 10 foot square.

Today, all of this is taken for granted.  I am often asked by visiting patrons if the artists rent their tents and displays from the show or if they are simply provided.  In fact, each artist generally owns his or her own setup.  There are also rental companies that will set up a display for those artists flying to the show with limited luggage.

What had offhandedly begun with a handful of artistic pioneers, soon grew into bands of thousands of independent business people traveling from city to city  displaying and selling their wares.  News of  the best shows began to spread by word of mouth.  Artists traveled long distances transporting their artwork in trailers and vans.  The shows became much more diverse in the types of creative products that were offered, as artists began to push the edge of the envelope.  No longer were these shows comprised mostly of painters and potters.  The quality of the shows also improved to the point that in many cases quality surpassed the standards of those galleries on a local level.  Patrons were amazed at the creativity and overall quality of the art offered the public at the better shows.   These shows not only allowed people to meet artists personally, but it allowed the artists the ability to successfully sell their own work while controlling their own business without the expense of a middle man.   The American art fair had been born and was now thriving coast to coast.  That was over forty years ago.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since artists first organized and began doing art fairs in this country.  Many of us embraced this business model and went on to earn a normal living.  The idea of “starving artists” became mostly a cliche of the past for those successful enough to combine a little business ingenuity along with their artistic talents.  The way and the means was easily at every artist’s fingertips who did not mind embracing a little work.   It was never easy; but a reasonable, if not very good living, was available for those with the talent and the fortitude to get out there and work for it.  Traveling fair to fair was not for everybody.  But it provided a means for high quality artisans to sell their artwork for reasonable prices.  It was a entire generation of artists who first embraced this cultural phenomenon four decades ago and many of those same artists are now beginning to live out their lives or retire.  Will the torch be passed to a new generation of artists?

About the same time that you begin to embrace anything as your own, you also take it for granted.  Americans have embraced art fairs as a part of our culture.  Yet, there are reasons that we cannot take this cultural phenomenon for granted.  While young hippies gradually morphed into successful business people forty years ago, youthful artists are faced with a whole different set of problems these days, should they wish to follow a similar path.  The initial investment is substantial.  The necessary tools, displays,  a traveling vehicle and a season’s worth of booth fees requires  a serious commitment.   This all comes with no guarantees.  Shows no longer are easy to get into.  There is a long line of applicants for any of the better events.  These art fairs are juried by qualified jurors looking for a diversified show comprised of the highest quality artists and craftsmen.  And once an artist makes the cut, there are no guarantees that the public will show up with pockets full of money willing to shower on the available talent.  We are in the middle of a recession and main street is no longer easy street no matter how talented any of us may be.   If it is tough for the died-in-the-wool artisan; think how tough it can be for the neophyte just breaking into the business.

This has all been food for thought.  I have one final thing to think about.   Like in any business, some of us plan for the future better than others.  And, some of our planing is caused my circumstances beyond our control.  I speak as an artist.  All of those among us who are traveling artisans, are in the soup one way or another.  What may have started out as a part time business for many, became a life long career along the way.  We are responsible for our own destiny along with our own health insurance, college funds, and family expenses just like any one else.  While many artists continue to do well, there are those artists who are simply limping along these days through no fault of their own.  The economy has taken a huge toll on the art business just as it has to American industry and many other  forms of American livelihoods.   When it comes right down to it, art is among the first to go.  Let’s not take it for granted even though there are better days on the horizon.

This story reflects my personal views and a history of art fairs as I have seen them develop.  I did my first art fair sometime around 1976.  It is hard to remember now.  It was a local fair and I did not begin serious travel to other cities until 1978.  I do not wish this story to come off negative in any way.  It has been my accepted lifestyle for over three decades and I would not change a thing. There are many working artists still doing art fairs with great success.  I consider myself among the lucky ones if you want to call it luck.  This business is comprised of some of the smartest people that I have ever come in contact with.  Most of these same people are highly independent.  They work hard at what they do, and my hat goes off to all of them.

I just returned home from visiting one of my favorite Texas Cities.   Austin is my kind of town.  Its just a bit left of center and way outside the borders of the more typical Texas that we so often think we already know.  This is a progressive city that embraces both visual and performing arts with passions rooted deep in the soul.  It is a fun place to simply party, listen to tunes, or find a bite to eat on a city sidewalk at night.  That I call hot.

I was there for the art fair.   This event must have been organized by an engineer who once worked for the space program.  Nothing was left to chance as artists entered the show for setup.  I say this, because the set up is perhaps the most technical experience that I have undergone during my travels over the years. I have been doing this a long time and can appreciate organization.  The setup preparation for this show is milled to perfection. (way overdone in my own humble opinion.)  If you have done the show in recent years; you know what I mean.  I opted to skip the Friday night set up and come in early Saturday morning on my own.  I checked in and left to have a good dinner and a martini while other artists were somewhere on a bridge lining up to come in and setup later that evening.  This proved to be a good choice, since a strong-winded storm blew through Friday night destroying some of the artist’s tents.  Many artists were called in the middle of the night to come down and protect their artwork from the weather.

Nowhere will you find an outdoor art fair more awash in volunteers.  Volunteers are everywhere; doing all kinds of tasks.  It must be the thing to do in Austin, because these are young upwardly mobile men and women practically bursting with energy.  I find that totally cool.  It is simply too bad that more of the city of Austin did not attend the event as spectators.   That is my undeniable observation.  As art shows go for the state of Texas (where most things are bigger than life) , Art Alliance Austin had a rather mild attendance.  The numbers were not so hot when compared to other shows that I do.   Maybe its the name of the show that chases people away.   Art Alliance Austin is not the most inviting name for an art fair.  Just kidding, but a lot is in a name just the same.   Art Alliance Austin is a mouthful.  How about something simple like the Austin Fine Arts Fair?  That might bring out some of those everyday art buyers who are self confident enough to purchase art on their own without the aid of a paid art consultant.

The show has a paid gate, so someone knows what the actual number in attendance truly is.  The fund raisers for the art museum may have been very happy.  As an artist showing in the art fair, I would recommend any kind of marketing that will bring out more people.  This may cost some money delegated to advertising.  Large crowds do not always guarantee great sales, but numbers are a component to a successful show for most artists.   Both Houston and Fort Worth had record numbers in attendance at their shows this year, and most artists that I talked to reported good, if not great, sales.  If I had one piece of advice for those calling themselves Art Alliance Austin, it would be to visit a few other successful shows and clone some of their better ideas.

When the show is over and the dust finally settles to the ground, the artists need to have had a good and profitable show.  I say this only if Art Alliance Austin is interested in having the cream of the crop return to do the next year’s event.  (and word does travel by word of mouth)  Like most art fairs, this event needs to place the artist’s priorities near the top of the pyramid if the show is to continue to flourish in future years.  The show committee already does a pretty good job of that, yet there is always room for improvement.

When asked by another artist if I would come back next year, I said, “probably not.”  He then said to me, “”That is code for see you next year.”  Maybe.  But in the end doing these shows is a business and my business remains sales driven.  The Austin art show is at best only average for some and worse than average for most artist who take their work seriously.  I wish it were not so, because I love the City.

I was recently in Atlanta, showing as a participating artist in Atlanta’s downtown Dogwood Festival held in Piedmont Park.  April is a beautiful time of year in Atlanta.  The dogwoods are in bloom and the smell of revivification fills the air.   You can just feel the energy as you walk the streets in the Buckhead area where my hotel was located.  So why does this art show continue to fizzle?  I have been asking myself that very question for some days now as I drove back home from the show.  I managed to etch out reasonable sales, but the show lacked energy.  Many artists did not sell well at all.  It was as if real art buyers stayed away from the show.  What was left was a herd of humanity out for a stroll in the park with little interest in truly looking at artwork close up.  Rather, people drifted in waves, viewing the artwork from a distance while gorging themselves on kettle corn and greasy sausages skewered onto a stick.  This was not an art buying crowd.  The biggest purchase of the day for many was an overpriced Dove bar or a five dollar lemonade. Perhaps the lack of art savvy enthusiasm comes from Atlanta’s long history of on again, off again outdoor art fairs in Piedmont Park.  As the people stared into my booth from a distance, I felt more like an animal being viewed at the zoo than a working artist there to show my art.

This is sad, because Atlanta is one of those culturally diverse cities that should embrace the visual arts and enjoy all that a truly quality outdoor arts festival can offer.  To be successful, they must first lure the finest artists from across the country.  To do that this show will need to offer up a quality event that is both well organized and fully supported by the community.  That includes city hall.  I don’t live in Atlanta, so I cannot speak to the local politics.  Something just seems disjointed.  The lack of volunteers helping with the show is a good hint that something is amiss at Dogwood.  The local news organizations failed to embrace the event.  One local television station went so far as to warn people to stay away from downtown and avoid the snarled traffic and lack of available parking associated with the Dogwood event.  All of this, after showing the weekend before in downtown Fort Worth where the city and its mayor rolled out the red carpet to visiting artists and offered its public  a first class event that all of Texas can be proud to call its own.  I don’t want any of this to sound like sour grapes.  I would like for the city of Atlanta to look to its inner self and ask, “Where is that missing cog that keeps a quality art fair just out of reach?”

“Mellow Yellow” 11 x 14 inch signed giclee poster available for $50.00.

No excuses.  I am a dog lover.  Love me; love my dog.  Our two yellow Labs are as much family as our three grown sons.  That is why I make space in front of the fireplace in my studio for man’s best friends.  I have learned to work around them and to ignore the blond hair they leave on my pants at the end of the day. Dogs shed.  That goes with the territory, but the good outweighs the bad ten times over.  A friend and close business associate once described his yellow Lab as a big hairy leaner. That pretty well describes the breed.  They are quite affectionate and always want to be in the same space you are.  I would add a little more to that description.  They are big hairy leaners with a log for a tail.

I wanted to post this at this time to show a picture of Dude at approximately seven months.  Dude is now 65 pounds of electric energy and still growing.  He is a loaded spring that never winds down. He has become my alarm clock each morning.  I get up when Dude wants me to get up. This is generally earlier than my choosing.  Dude prompts me to the front door where he quickly runs out to get the morning paper.  In return, I feed Dude his breakfast.  Job well done.  All of this before I get my morning coffee.

Lexi, our eight year old, does not move. Years of wisdom have taught Lexi to sleep in most mornings.  That is Lexi in the poster image at the top of this blog.  She has grown a lighter color over the years and shows a bit of aging in her face.  But in her heart, Lexi is as young as ever.  The legs just don’t kick in like they used to, and she cannot jump quite as high as she once did.  No one is noticing, because Lexi is a lover and that love has never diminished.  The spark in her heart is as bright as it ever was.  I have a dog lover friend that always reminds me that dogs have a way of giving unconditional love. Lexi has that down pat.

The sun has yet to show its face.  As always, Dude got me up early.  Later this morning I will take out the camera and get a shot of Dude down by the lake.  We need a picture of Dude at six months to record the moment.   Like children, dogs grow up all too quickly.  That picture will find its place just below this written paragraph and I will have done what my wife, Sheryl, reminded me to do yesterday.  She told me to post a picture of Dude to my blog.  Life is all about priorities, and you can’t forget family.

Dude at 6 months.