Art Show Tips

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="05bfd5a3.jpg"> <div> <B>Keys to Getting the Most From Your Art Show Visit.</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="05cd2043.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="ff.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fall Foliage"><U>Fall Foliage</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="bwp.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Black and White pieces"><U>Black and White pieces</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="sv.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spectacular Vistas"><U>Spectacular Vistas</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="w.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Waterfalls"><U>Waterfalls</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ps.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Peaceful Streams"><U>Peaceful Streams</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="sw.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Southwest"><U>Southwest</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="f.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flowers"><U>Flowers</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="tb.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Beach"><U>The Beach</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ss.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sunsets"><U>Sunsets</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="lh.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lighthouses"><U>Lighthouses</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="pi.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PANORAMIC IMAGES"><U>PANORAMIC IMAGES</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="gallery1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gallery"><U>Gallery</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="cu.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CONTACT US"><U>CONTACT US</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home"><U>Home</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#DDDDDD" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="598" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1878 WIDTH="586"><div> <B>Keys to Getting the Most From Your Art Show Visit.</B></div> <bR> <div> We see people coming to art shows all the time and not getting the most for their time and energy.  Below is a quick guide that will help.</div> <bR> <div> 1) Weather…Never depend on the weather forecast!  I can’t tell you how many times the weatherman predicts rain, no one shows up at the show and it doesn’t rain a drop.  The opposite is just as likely, no rain in the forecast and a quick shower pops up.  Bring an umbrella or light jacket no matter what the forecast is.  If it’s supposed to rain, go to the show anyway, you’ll get plenty of special attention and close by parking because very few people will be there. </div> <bR> <div> 2) Wear comfortable walking shoes.  You’re probably going to walk a lot at most shows, comfortable shoes will make your day much more enjoyable.  Also bring a hat or wear sun screen.  Don’t get sun burned.  Bring a hand towel.  If it’s going to be hot, there’s nothing like wiping your face with a cool hand towel.</div> <bR> <div> 3) Parking, try to plan where you are going to park, scope out good areas several days before the show begins.  Also check with the show to find out about becoming a patron.  Patron programs often come with VIP parking, special I.D.'s and other perks.</div> <bR> <div> 4) Come early to the show.  Avoid the crowds and the heat of the day.  If the show starts at 10:00, be there at 10:00.  You’ll find a closer parking spot, it’s cooler in the morning and showers often pop up in the afternoon.  I know, I know, some of you think you get the best deals by going to the show late in the day, on the last day of the show.…. Only sometimes.  More often than not you’ll get the absolute best deal by coming to the show early on the first day.  There are several reasons.  A) Every artist at the show, so far, has not sold a thing.  They’re looking to cover expenses, booth fees and hotel bills.  If we make a couple of sales early, we can relax for the rest of the show.  B)  By buying early, you get to pick from the entire collection of art, not what’s left after all the other sales have been made.  C)  If the artist you want to purchase from has had a good show, forget about them making deals at the end of the show.  Why would they?  They’re probably low on inventory and going to have to work their butts off during the week to make more.  D) If the artist has a show or several shows on following weekends you probably won’t get many deals either.  If they don’t sell it this weekend, they’ll sell it at next weekends show.  The only situation where you’ll get a good deal at the end of a show is if the artist has had a bad show AND does not have more shows lined up soon. </div> <bR> <div> 5) Plan! A) Look around your house before you come to the show.  Find out where you’d like to hang a piece or two.  B) Measure those spots to find out what size piece will work best there.  Take two measurements, the smallest piece that will work for this spot and still look good is… and the largest piece that will fit there.   Write the measurements down and bring them to the show.  C) What colors will work best?  Bring paint samples and fabric swatches if you have them.  Take a photo of the areas and bring them to the show, artists can look at the photos and come up with great suggestions on what would go well there.  D) Have a budget in mind for what you’d like to spend on a piece of art for your spots.  Bring cash if you can, artists love cash and most of the time you can get a better deal by offering to pay with cash.  E) Look around your favorite artist’s website and get a few ideas before you come to the show.  It can save you a lot of time. </div> <bR> <div> 6) How are you going to get your purchases home?  Empty out your cars trunk of any unnecessary items.  If you purchase something really large, ask the artist if they will deliver it after the show.  Some artists, including us, are happy to deliver any of your large purchases AND help hang them while we are there.  We will even help hang a few pieces you purchased from other artists while we are there! </div> <bR> <div> 7) Do you have any hooks at home?  If you are hanging artwork you just purchased you’re going to need hooks.  We provide hooks with every purchase.  If the artist you purchased from does not, you may want to pick up a few at the hardware store on the way home.  Stop by our booth at the show, if we have a few extras, we’ll give them to you just for asking. </div> <bR> <div> 8) Make sure to get brochures, business cards and receipts from every artist you buy from.  Tape a card to the back of the artwork if the artist doesn’t do that for you.  Years from now you’ll never remember where you put that card, unless you taped it to the back. </div> <bR> <div> 9) If you can…buy two!  Many artists will give discounts for purchasing two or more pieces.  Bring a friend to the show that also needs artwork.  If you both purchase from the same artist, at the same time, you both should get a little better deal.  Also collect from the same artists, we give better deals to patrons purchasing their second piece. </div> <bR> <div> 10) Not sure if a piece of art will work?  Take it home and try it out first.  Many artists will let you take a piece home, after you pay for it first, and will gladly refund your money if the piece doesn’t work for you. </div> <bR> <div> 11) Plan your entourage…if you are planning on purchasing a large piece that will be a major purchase for you, you might want to leave the kids at home.  Kids can be very distracting and make it almost impossible to make a decision. </div> <bR> <div> 12) Hungry/thirsty?  Bring cash for food/drink vendors, most do not take credit cards.</div> <bR> <div> 13) Have a designated meeting area and a time to meet if you get separated from your party.  “at the top of the hour at the entrance” works very well.  If you get separated early in the day and your meeting time is 4:00 you’ll spend the whole day apart. </div> <bR> <div> 14) Have fun and get to know the artist you are purchasing from.  Most are pretty interesting people that have worked very hard, spent a lot of money and traveled a long way to get to the show.  We participate in shows because we like meeting the people that purchase our work.  If we chose to, we could stay at home and sell to galleries but that’s no fun!  We’d never get to meet you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</div> <bR> <div> COPYRIGHT MIKE ALBIN 2009 </div> <div> It is unlawful to reprint or copy this article without my written permission.  Thank you for respecting my time and effort.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 124 ><NOBR><div> <B>Want to read more about our life as artists?  </B></div> <div> <B>Check out our blog </B><A HREF="blog.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Blog"><U><B>CLICK HERE</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div>  <script type="text/javascript"> </script><noscript><div id="nneXTReMe"><img height="1" width="1" alt="" src="http://nht-2.extreme-dm.com/n3.g?login=mikealbi&url=nojs&j=n&jv=n&pv=" /> </div></noscript>  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>