More vendor-ing!

I had a booth up at Fredericksburg Fairy and Dragon Festival on October 7th! It was a big success! It rained a lot during set up, so I was worried about the turn out, but luckily it cleared up and turned into a beautiful day by 11:30, and the event was crowded by 1! It was so much fun, almost everybody was dressed up, I had amazing booth neighbors, my dad drove all the way out to visit and bring me and my husband food, it was wonderful!

I’ve recently picked up an old hobby from high school, crocheting plushies! I made 5 large dragons, 5 small dragons, 8 octopus, 8 octopus keychains, and some sunflower keychains, and I almost sold out! All the dragons sold, all of the octopus (including some that I made on the spot), most of the keychains, and as always, a bunch of stickers. I ended up selling more than I thought I would, which was so nice.

Even better was seeing kids’ faces light up when their adults said they could get the plushie, and seeing them walk away holding something I created with so much excitement! I couldn’t stop smiling all day. It felt amazing fulfilling a purpose I’ve assigned myself as an artist - to make people smile because of the things I made.

WHAT'S NEXT?

I’m going to be at Wonder Down Yonder Market in Front Royal, VA, on November 18th, I hope to see you there!!

I'm accepted at ShenArts Fest 2023!! Time to focus on prepwork!

I feel so excited and honored to be accepted! The application time was extended a month, so the announcements of who was accepted was also extended a month, which was TORTURE for me! I’m grateful to finally have the answer I was looking for, and anxious to start prepping. Here is the drawing of the design I submitted for my booth:

I purchased an arts and crafts fair planning guide from Etsy, it’s been super helpful. It have inventory pages, prices, booth supplies, timelines, one month out to-do’s, one week to-do’s, etc. It’s very comprehensive, I think it’s over 100 pages long. This drawing has the displays I’m hoping to have, the feel and vibe of the booth, and the general setup of what I’ll be selling. I also created a mood board with some other artist’s booths I found online:

What draws me in to these images is the brightness of the booths, and how colorful they are. If I walked past these at a fair, I would absolutely be stopping to look at what the artists were selling! I like how each artist has natural wood elements for their displays, not so much plastic. I also love how Maylee and Sophie (both incredible artists!) have large illustrative decorations on their booth. Like Maylee’s cats, birds, and dogs, and Sophie’s flowers. I would love to incorporate elements like that into my booth!

I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to pull off the look I’m going for, but I’m going to try! My mother-in-law has a tent I can borrow, but it’s branded with her business logo and it’s a bright red. The non-profit I work with also has a tent I could borrow, but it’s a tan/orange color, and they might need it for another event the same weekend. I’m hoping I can make one of them work, though, buying a tent for myself is quite a big expense.

Negativity aside, I’m really excited for this event! I have no idea what to expect, and I don’t know if my products will sell, but I’m going to work really hard to make people want to buy my art! Wish me luck, and I can’t wait to share more of my prepping journey with you!

My banner with artscape 14 2023!

I had another piece of artwork chosen for a banner in ShenArts’ public art gallery, ArtScape14! It’s such an honor and a privilege to be a part of the area’s largest free public gallery.

I attended the banner reveal ceremony on June 27th, and one of the photographers for our local newpasper, The Winchester Star, asked if he could take my picture for the paper, so I, of course, said yes! It’s always a thrill to be in the paper, this is my second time in the last year. I find the picture to be a little awkward, but at least I don’t have Barbie hands in this one, lol. Maybe I should have removed the fanny pack, but it’s too late now, at least it matched my shirt! Check out the picture and article linked below (click the image to navigate to the article).

Wish Me Luck! - The Start of My Art Fair Journey

I have never participated in an art fair/festival, even though I’ve wanted to for ages! I’ve had tables at small craft fairs and events before, but nothing like an actual art fair that is geared towards fine artists alone. One of the craft fairs I participated in had 3 different LuLuLemon booths in the same room, lol. I think only one or two people purchased anything from me. Any other sales were from my family and friends.

With this in mind, I just submitted my application to an Fine Arts Festival happening in September 2023, and I couldn’t be more excited or nervous for it! I’ve been planning it out assuming I’ll be accepted, which is a little presumptuous of me, I know, but I’ve allowed myself to think this way because it will help me plan better. I haven’t even been accepted yet, but I have a perfectly clear image in my head of exactly what my booth will look like and what I’ll sell! I am going to focus on the traditional artwork I create, not so much of the digital (and if there is any digital, it will very comfortably fit into the rest of the art at the booth), to have a really solid sense of cohesion to my booth. I want people to walk past it and get an immediate sense of who I am as a an artist, and not be surprised by anything I’m selling or wonder if it was all created by the same artist, or if there is work by multiple artists being sold.

So, for my application, I was asked to submit 4 examples of my work. I’ve already shown the organization a couple pieces I’ve done, and have had art displayed in exhibitions they have sponsored, so I did not include those works so I could show them a better range. I submitted these 4 pieces:

I think this shows a pretty good range, it has paintings, a block print, and an illustration. I hope it’s good enough, at least!

Part of the application was to submit a photo of myself working on my craft, which made me realize I have no pictures of me making art. All I could do was take screenshots of videos I’ve posted online and use those, lol. I’m a very solitary artist, I don’t get in the zone when other people are around, so I never get pictures of me working. I also don’t know the purpose of them asking for this. Is it to prove that I am the one that created the art? Or is it for promotional purposes? I really can’t tell, but here’s what I submitted:

You can see the TikTok watermark, lol. I’m not too pressed about it.

I’ll wait to share my booth ideas until I’ve been accepted, just to save myself any potential embarrassment. I truly do believe I’ll be accepted, I know I’m good enough, and I know the organization hosting the event is impressed with me as an artist, so I’m sure I’ll be accepted. If I’m not, I’ll be upset and disappointed, but more so I’ll be surprised. I know I’m ready for this. I hope my application showed that and showed how prepared I am for this. I’ll find out in about 2 weeks what the verdict is, wish me luck ~

My ArtScape13 Banner with ShenArts

I had the honor of being accepted into the ArtScape13 year-long public art gallery with the Shenandoah Arts Council in Winchester. VA in the beginning of 2022! I submitted my painting, “Hometown View of the Blue Ridge Mountains,” which is a 6”x6” acrylic painting on canvas. It's based on a picture I took in my hometown, Stephens City, Virginia. The exhibit had over 350 entries, mine was one of 56 artworks chosen as a finalist!

As a part of the ArtScape program, my painting was professionally photographed and printed on a banner that is installed on Winchester's Old Town Walking Mall. The original painting was also displayed in a gallery with the other 55 originals at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley from April 19th through July 19th, 2022.

Copied from the Shenandoah Arts Council website about the program:

“ArtScape is a public art program open to artists of all ages that is meant to represent all walks of life and all brands and levels of talent; a group of work with diverse themes to create a shared experience of art by an entire community. ArtScape is not a contest of who is the “best.”

Now in its 13th year, ArtScape has successfully transformed the Old Town walking mall into an outdoor art gallery, accessible to all.” … “ArtScape 13 is organized by ShenArts in collaboration with Old Town Winchester and is supported by local sponsors.”

My banner was sponsored by Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative (A well-made choice by those in charge of assigning sponsors to banners, as my painting features electric lines). Ashley Kreis, a Public Relations Representative at SVEC, was so kind as to interview me and write an article about my painting which was published in their September issue of their monthly magazine!

I’ve known about it since its inception in 2009 and have always wanted to participate in it. I was even encouraged by my art teachers in high school to submit something, but I only recently felt confident enough as an artist to submit my artwork.

Also, great news! The original painting was for sale while on exhibit, and it sold! My first painting to ever be featured in an actual gallery sold! To say I was excited would be an understatement. It feels so validating to know that other people find my art to be of value. Every single day I can feel my dream of being a full-time artist get closer, I know it will happen soon.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back soon with more fun updates on what’s going on in my life!

*Side note, my painting was used as the banner image for entire ArtScape13 program! Read more about the program here, and take a look through the online gallery to see the other artists’ work!