Panorama 28
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
There's change in the wind
During this year’s Spring 4th Ave show in Tucson AZ. the most talked about theme amongst artists centered around if the economy was already hurting their sales. Most said yes, sales were down from 2008 and because 2008 trended down from 2007 this was starting to worry them.
Some of the more optimistic ones (myself included) recognized that sales in certain price points were off but if you adjusted your product mix to include more affordable sizes than you stocked before, the total dollar amount for each shows weren’t that bad. Those artists who chose do “dig in” and not adjust with the market were the one’s complaining the loudest.
4th Ave was no different. Arizona has been hard hit by the down turn in the economy so as artists we needed to recognize this and give the public what they want. Most art festival attendees want to leave the show with a piece of art they love AND can afford. Just because certain artists have been known in the past as higher end, selling mostly originals, this doesn’t necessarily mean they can only offer this mix today. If all you’re after is a crowd coming into your booth and admiring your art yet leaving empty handed, keep doing it the way you’ve always did, but don’t complain.
If on the other hand you want to make your living selling your art, give the public what they want and be happy. Cycles change, you can always go back to offering higher ends works when people’s financial situations change, but if you still want to be in business to when this happens, adjust.
Stepping off soapbox now.
Some of the more optimistic ones (myself included) recognized that sales in certain price points were off but if you adjusted your product mix to include more affordable sizes than you stocked before, the total dollar amount for each shows weren’t that bad. Those artists who chose do “dig in” and not adjust with the market were the one’s complaining the loudest.
4th Ave was no different. Arizona has been hard hit by the down turn in the economy so as artists we needed to recognize this and give the public what they want. Most art festival attendees want to leave the show with a piece of art they love AND can afford. Just because certain artists have been known in the past as higher end, selling mostly originals, this doesn’t necessarily mean they can only offer this mix today. If all you’re after is a crowd coming into your booth and admiring your art yet leaving empty handed, keep doing it the way you’ve always did, but don’t complain.
If on the other hand you want to make your living selling your art, give the public what they want and be happy. Cycles change, you can always go back to offering higher ends works when people’s financial situations change, but if you still want to be in business to when this happens, adjust.
Stepping off soapbox now.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Introducing...
I've decided it's time to reveal a project I've had in the conceptual and developmental stage for the past 2 years. TravelingArtists.TV
As many of you know, I make my living traveling through out the United States showing and selling my art at some of the most prestigious art festivals around. I drive to nearly 30 fairs around the country and log sometimes 40,000 miles on my truck and trailer each year. This extensive itinerary not only allows me to make a living with my art but it also puts me in touch with many of the best artists in the world. It takes a special personality to be a traveling artist and this shows in our art as well as the way we communicate with our buyers.
Art festivals are our stage and our performances are held under our white canopies where we display our art and engage our customers. This direct contact between me, the artist and the attending patrons of the festival often times is all it takes to validate why they should buy from me. Not only do they walk away with a piece of my art but they leave with my story, one they can remember every time they look at it hanging on their wall.
There are thousands of "Me's" out there and my new blog TravelingArtists.TV with bring you their stories through lens of my video camera. I'm in the process of editing the dozens of videos I've already taken and hope to be able to interview many more of the interesting characters I come into contact with at every festival I do. I intend to cross post these videos both here on my personal blog as well as on my new, yet un-launched TravelingArtists.TV as soon as my new blog platform is complete.
Well, now the cat's out of the bag. I hope you enjoy theses artist's stories as much as I have capturing them.
As many of you know, I make my living traveling through out the United States showing and selling my art at some of the most prestigious art festivals around. I drive to nearly 30 fairs around the country and log sometimes 40,000 miles on my truck and trailer each year. This extensive itinerary not only allows me to make a living with my art but it also puts me in touch with many of the best artists in the world. It takes a special personality to be a traveling artist and this shows in our art as well as the way we communicate with our buyers.
Art festivals are our stage and our performances are held under our white canopies where we display our art and engage our customers. This direct contact between me, the artist and the attending patrons of the festival often times is all it takes to validate why they should buy from me. Not only do they walk away with a piece of my art but they leave with my story, one they can remember every time they look at it hanging on their wall.
There are thousands of "Me's" out there and my new blog TravelingArtists.TV with bring you their stories through lens of my video camera. I'm in the process of editing the dozens of videos I've already taken and hope to be able to interview many more of the interesting characters I come into contact with at every festival I do. I intend to cross post these videos both here on my personal blog as well as on my new, yet un-launched TravelingArtists.TV as soon as my new blog platform is complete.
Well, now the cat's out of the bag. I hope you enjoy theses artist's stories as much as I have capturing them.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Clearing the confusion
It has brought to my attention from 2 different readers that even though they enjoyed seeing my art on my blog, there didn't seem to be away to purchase it. For those of you who stumbled upon my work through my blog and NOT through my website, this is for you.
Even though I thought that it was obvious that everyone would know that the links below each image here on my blog transported the reader to my online gallery where all of my work can be purchased, it plainly isn't the case. For that, I'm sorry about the confusion.
I just made the assumption that my readers found my blog after clicking through to it from www.dennisbradystudios.com and not vice a versa. Boy was I wrong. After examining the data, I found out that most of you found out about me through either a mention from another blogger or through a blog type search engine.
So, if you are interested in purchasing any of my fractals or mandalas, please feel free to click through to my store via the links provide here. Thanks.
Even though I thought that it was obvious that everyone would know that the links below each image here on my blog transported the reader to my online gallery where all of my work can be purchased, it plainly isn't the case. For that, I'm sorry about the confusion.
I just made the assumption that my readers found my blog after clicking through to it from www.dennisbradystudios.com and not vice a versa. Boy was I wrong. After examining the data, I found out that most of you found out about me through either a mention from another blogger or through a blog type search engine.
So, if you are interested in purchasing any of my fractals or mandalas, please feel free to click through to my store via the links provide here. Thanks.
Mandala 50
Well I just can keep away from creating mandalas. I started a new series while traveling on the road the past 4 weeks doing shows in AZ. & TX. I was able to finish and render them once I returned home.
Enjoy.
Mandala 50
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Street art
For those artists who struggle to get gallery representation, this is a must read article that recently appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Bringing art to the streets, now we're talking.
Bringing art to the streets, now we're talking.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Should have been posted on 3-15-09
I just logged a little bit under 500 miles of driving today. I pulled into where I will be spending my first night of this road trip. I stopped in Ontario OR, which although I’ve stay here before, it was always on my return trip from Art in the Park in Boise. This is a fairly quiet rest area along High Way 84 heading east towards Utah.
The reason I’m here and not in Idaho Falls which is the route I normally take is because after monitoring the weather for the past few days on NOAA I decided that getting ahead of the storm was futile and pulling a trailer over two mountain passes on an expected snow floor heading east on I 90 towards Butte MT. where I would then turn south was not a good idea. It also might have a little to do with the last time I was on this road I hit a mule deer and nearly totaled my truck (that’s another story read the post a few entries back) so a change of plans was a good choice.
I decided to drive west into Washington, then south down 395 into Pasco WA. then through into Oregon towards Boise. That adds about 100 miles to this leg of the trip but well worth not having to stress over the weather. As it was I drove a few hours through snow but shortly before noon it turned to rain.
I don’t have WiFi access tonight so this will be a post dated post once I get a connection. So, time for a beer and some catching up on a few podcasts I haven’t got around to listening on my Ipod Touch.
The reason I’m here and not in Idaho Falls which is the route I normally take is because after monitoring the weather for the past few days on NOAA I decided that getting ahead of the storm was futile and pulling a trailer over two mountain passes on an expected snow floor heading east on I 90 towards Butte MT. where I would then turn south was not a good idea. It also might have a little to do with the last time I was on this road I hit a mule deer and nearly totaled my truck (that’s another story read the post a few entries back) so a change of plans was a good choice.
I decided to drive west into Washington, then south down 395 into Pasco WA. then through into Oregon towards Boise. That adds about 100 miles to this leg of the trip but well worth not having to stress over the weather. As it was I drove a few hours through snow but shortly before noon it turned to rain.
I don’t have WiFi access tonight so this will be a post dated post once I get a connection. So, time for a beer and some catching up on a few podcasts I haven’t got around to listening on my Ipod Touch.
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