This past weekend, I was an exhibitor at the "WINTER ART FESTIVAL" Madison, Wisconsin. This was not only my last art show of the season, but another of my very favorite shows.
The show is put on by The Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople, Inc. (WAAC). I feel that this show is one of the top quality shows in my area. It not only is well run by a group of wonderful people, who are artists themselves, but also has the highest quality and variety of art that I have seen in this area. The mediums range from Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Graphics, Jewelry, Mixed 2-D, Mixed 3-D, Painting, Photography, Sculpture and Wood.
This was my 6th year of participating in this show, and it is always a pleasure! While, the economy has certainly taken its toll on the sales figures of artists, I still find it to be one of the best shows around....not only for sales, but also for the quality of the art on exhibit. As soon as you walk into the show, you can't help but pick up the "good vibes" that this show generates.
I was pleasantly surprised at the number of creations, which I sold this weekend, so you can see me smiling below!!
I couldn't do a show without my sister, Dianne (above photo), who is not only my sister, but my very best friend and display artist! She loves to set up the display and "play with the creations" as she calls it. I'm thankful for that because I don't have the patience or the technique she does for knowing how they will look their very best. Many times throughout the day, she will move them to new spots, and lo and behold...they happen to catch someone's eye, where before they didn't get the attention. She did that with a fairy on Saturday, where a lady had said she was going to take a walk through the show and come back and buy her. Well, in the meantime, my sister had rearranged several of the fairies including that particular fairy, and another lady came into the booth and went straight to the fairy and bought her. The other lady did come back about an hour later, and she thought we were teasing her when we said it was sold. She told us next time she wouldn't wait!
YOUNG AT HEART is my business name, and an artist's statement is required to be on display at this show.
Below you will see photos of some of the isles of art at the show, taken before and after the show was open. I tried to get photos when the isles weren't very crowded. There was a good crowd both Saturday and Sunday, but one didn't see a whole lot of purchases walking by!
This talented pottery artist had a wonderful display of his colorful pottery bowls, dishes, mugs, and vases across the isle from us. If you'd like to learn more about this artist, visit his web page below:
MATTHIAS JAMES POTTERY STUDIO & GALLERY
The delightful creatures shown below are created by 3D-Mixed Media artist, Mary Lou Hager of Milwaukee, WI. Mary and I have been in quite a few of the same shows for several years now, and her work is nothing short of "AMAZING"! The details and colors are exquisite in each of her creations. She has a fantastic collection of turtles, frogs, lizards, fish, butterflies, and much more. Visit Mary's website by clicking on the link below. Mary also does several art shows in Florida, so if you live in Florida...check her art show schedule to see if she might just happen to be in your area.
MARY LOU HAGER
All in all is was a delightful weekend! I now will have to get started on making new creations for my jury slides, and getting things organized for next year's show. The application deadlines come up rather quickly...beginning already in the first few months of 2009.
