Saturday, July 30, 2011

The day after yesterday

The 2011 Ithaca Artists Market has come and gone. Six brief hours of fun and chat, preceded by two weeks of my labors of love. Diane Janowski and I loaded up "Vanna White" with 20 paintings, ladder, lumber, signage, tools, stools, and foods. All the way to Ithaca the weather threatened, heavily. Couldn't even see the town when we hit the top of the hill coming in.

The farmers market was a blank slate. Artists began to arrive around 11AM. Saws, power drills (no nails, please!), some quiet four letter words. Power came on at noon. Activity began to build. Rain began to fall.

            Here's my booth, almost finished.

We set up in booth #79, between Alice Muhlback (the famous) and The Ink Shop. Paul Colucci was nearby, Nancy Ridenour across the aisle, Carlton Manzano down the way. My buddy Ed Marion was way down the other end. About seventy artists in all.

               Alice Muhlback and Carlton Manzano at Carlton's booth

Diane and I had started our day by reviewing Bettsie Park's wise advice about sales performance. We were focussed, primed and pumped. Diane had also done two really cool things: First, she set up my own QR code, so people could scan it with their smartphones/iPhones and get sent directly to my website. Second, and crucial, she got the "Square" for her iPod. This meant that we could easily take credit cards. It worked great and we used it for a nice sale at the market.

The third really cool thing that Diane did was that she took extra care in her morning beautifications. She was quite the attractant for my booth. That's important in Ithaca.

It was a whirlwind six hours. Thousands of visitors passed my booth. Hundreds stopped to look hard. We talked and talked. My smile muscles are sore today. The real pleasure of the Ithaca Artists Market experience is that the Ithaca audience is enlightened, prepared for the experience and anticipating a good time. People smile and engage with questions and polite comments. They bring their children and help them learn how to interact with artists. In fact, some of my most intriguing conversations were with young people.

               Liz Tilley. What more can I say?

Robin Schwartz is the Program Director and Brett Bossard. the Executive Director, of Community Arts Partnership, the sponsoring organization. They make the show happen. Robin promised no rain and she delivered. The day was warm and sunny, a tad muggy at 2PM, but the evening could not have been more delightful.

OK, it's the next day, 1PM, and it's time for a nap.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Ithaca Artists Market preparations

My studio has been a whirlwind of activity. You know me, I only like to show new work, and this year's Ithaca Artists Market is no exception.

I've been working mostly linear this past winter, some straight lines, some not.

The Color Target is about 19 inches round.

The three wavy lines, about 7 x 30.
My new frame molding is regionally cut American Ash. Hand sanded and finished at my studio, I cut it to length and fabricate my signature frames.


Put the Ithaca Artists Market on your calendar, this coming Friday, July 29th, 2 - 8PM. Arts organizations, food vendors, musicians, performances, and 68 fine artists.

Monday, July 11, 2011

HammondsREport

The 2011 Keuka Lake Art Association outdoor show was this past weekend. Once again Diane and I joined the brave artists to weather the storms of criticism and, well, just plain weather.

This year Diane created 8 pieces specifically for the event - paintings of Janowski Gardens, created with Janowski Gardens dirt. It was her own concoction of chunky mud and acrylic polymer. Several people told her that she was "clever, clever, clever!"

I framed 16 watercolors, each 1 x 1 inch in a beautiful ash frame. At least nobody said I was clever.

We decided to forgo our vendor tent, and we hung on the snow fence. We enjoyed lots of visitors, many drove up from home, some staying at the lake. We truly enjoyed chatting with the artists. Only about 60 artists entered this year - some newbies, mostly regular faces. I'm afraid there are just too many competing distractions for the artists and the audience. Art shows in Rochester, Elmira, Wellsboro. All kinds of activities and just beautiful weather. If I had been lounging at the lake, you would have had to force me to leave the dock this weekend.

Anyway, we had fun. Next up for summer excitement is the Ithaca Artists Market, the last Friday of the month, July 29th, 2-8PM. More to come

Thursday, July 7, 2011

KLAA at H'port

We're packed and ready!  Tomorrow evening we load the van. Saturday morning, at the crack of dawn, we head out on Rt. 17, stop for a bathroom break at the Tops Market in Bath, and arrive at the square in Hammondsport. Then, the mad scramble to claim your turf. Diane and I will be hanging on the fence this year.
Here's our entry from 2010. We're not doing this again. Diane was unable to walk for three days after last year.

This year all of my paintings are one inch square. All of Diane's have been painted with farm dirt.

Drive up. Hammondsport is closer than you think. Have a bite in one of the village restaurants. Bring cash to support your local artists. Dip your feet in lovely Keuka Lake. Buy some wine on the way home. A perfect day. Please join us.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Airport art show

The Elmira Regional Art Society has installed the summer exhibition at the Elmira Corning Regional Airport. Above are my paintings that you can only see if you've passed through the security area. The colors fit well with the decor, yes?

And, here's the crack art crew at work.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Salon des Refusés

Yes, once again my ego has taken a beating. My artworks were rejected by the jurors for the Southern Tier Biennial, sponsored by the Cattaraugus County Arts Council in Olean.

But the coolest thing has occurred. Loretta Crittenden Gallery has created an on-line Salon des Refusés exhibition for the rejected artists. Go there and view the artists who didn't make the cut. If you are one of those artists, you can submit your work. No charge, no obligation.